Elevate your dog at mealtime—many dogs like having their bowls raised off the floor. Here’s one attractive way to do just that, and it’s also a space-saver, since when dinner’s over, the stand can be folded up and put away until the next meal. (This stand is sized for a medium to large dog and holds a 15" stainless steel lipped bowl. Dimensions can be easily scaled to fit any size pup.)

Materials
4' length of 1" x 12" pine
4 1" gate hinges*
2 folding lid supports (one right, one left)
Optional: Acrylic primer and paint or other wood finish/sealer
*Note: To make a nonfolding version of this stand, use fixed brackets instead of hinges to connect the top and legs, and leave off the folding supports.
Download plan (PDF)

Tools
Jigsaw
Electric drill
Phillips head driver bit
Large diameter drill bit
Dremel with a sanding drum bit (optional)
Large compass
Measuring tape
Sandpaper
Paint brush and small paint roller
Eye protection
Respirator

Beginning: Cut the top and two legs.*
Top: From one end of the board, cut a 24" piece, using a jigsaw or hand saw.
Legs: Cut the remaining piece into two 12" pieces.
Smooth the cut edges with sandpaper.
*Many hardware stores can make these basic cuts for you—be sure they measure and cut precisely!

Middle: Cut the openings for the bowls.
Measure the inside diameter of the lipped feeding bowl.

•Using a compass, draw two circles on the top (24" piece) where you would like the bowls to sit; we positioned our bowls to sit at the center of each half.
•Clamp the board to your worktable, ensuring that the circle you are working on is hanging over the edge!
•Drill a hole anywhere inside the circle.
•Put the blade of the jigsaw through the hole, cut out the circle.
•Unclamp, flip the board around and repeat the previous three steps.
•Sand the inside edges of holes that you just cut to smooth any rough edges and snags.*
*Note: It is easier and neater to paint the stand before you put it together. However, if you plan to apply any delicate decorations, you will want to save this part until after the stand is assembled.

End: Assemble the stand.
To attach the hinges, place the top upside down on your worktable.
•Holding one of the legs against the end of the top, position hinges and screw into place.
•Repeat for the second leg.
•Attach folding supports per packages instructions.

Optional
Bone handles: Draw bone on a piece of paper, then cut it out. (We used a bone shaped cookie cutter as our stencil.)

•Using this as a stencil, tracing the shape on each leg; the bone cutouts can be used as handles, so position them in approximately the same spot on either side.
•Clamp the board to your worktable.
•Drill a hole on the inside of the bone.
•Put blade of jigsaw through the hole, cut out the bone using your jigsaw.
•Repeat previous three steps on the second side. •Thoroughly sand the inside edges of the bone (the Dremel—a small rotary tool—with the sanding attachment makes this step a cinch).

Leg notch: Mark the center of the leg (6"), then mark 4" in on either side.
•From the center point mark 5" up; make another mark 3" up from the center point.
•Using a ruler, draw a line connecting the 4" mark on the bottom to the mark 5" up from center.
•Do this for the 4" marks on either side of the bottom edge creating a triangle.
•Draw a line across the triangle at the 3" point, creating a trapezoid.
•Clamp the leg to a worktable and using a jigsaw, cut out the trapezoid.
•Repeat on the other leg.
•Sand the inside edges.

Level of Difficulty: Moderate