Making a cake stand for your afternoon tea is not as daunting as it sounds. In fact, if you’re handy with the drill, you can make one in a heartbeat. You will need several old plates (depending on how many tiers you want to create), a nylon tipped drill bit used for ceramics and china, a cake stand fitting, and some masking tape. My own preference in terms of design is a mismatch of different plates, it adds a certain character
There are a few things to watch out for when making a cake stand. They are;
- Buy good quality stand fittings as the cheaper brands tend to be a little unstable.
- Make sure you use a drill bit designed for ceramics and china.
- When marking the holes to drill, use a small amount of masking tape to stop the drill from slipping.
- Your base plate will need a ridge at the bottom so the plate does not wobble, otherwise you may need to use a ‘counter sink’ bit to ‘bed in’ the screw/fitting.
Materials & Tools
- 2/3 plates
- 2/3 Tier Stand Fittings
- Drill
- Screwdriver (depending on the type of fitting)
- Drill Bit (for ceramics and china)
- Countersink Drill (if necessary)
- Masking Tape
- Pencil
Method
- Step 1: Mark out the centre of each plate with a pencil and masking tape.
- Step 2: Using a ceramic drill bit, drill each plate in turn, using a wooden block underneath as support. Drill from the front of the plate and not the back (as any slight chips in the plate would be at the bottom and covered by the standard fitting).
- Step 3: Before fitting the stand, make sure that the screw/head at the bottom of the base plate is bedded into the plate otherwise it will be unstable. If the base plate has a ridge, fine, but if not, you will need a countersink drill bit to house the screw head. (Be careful with this!).
A note of caution when drilling each plate, don’t rush!! Make sure you do not apply too much pressure. Let the drill do its work, and don’t be precious about the plates you use, as mistakes will happen (believe me!!).
The sky’s the limit when it comes to designing your afternoon tea sandwich/cake stand. You can also buy different fittings that will create one, two, and three tier stands. You can use dishes as well as plates. Take a look at a couple more examples below.
If you are brave enough to make one, send us a picture over at our Facebook page, I’d love to see some of your designs.
If you can use a crochet needle, why not make some lace doilies for your new stand? Check out the instruction YouTube video below. You will need to modify the doily (leave a hole in the middle!!)
(there’s also a link below for paper doilies)
Here’s a few Amazon Affiliate links.
