Dog Feeder

By Bob Berner May 7, 2024

An elevated platform for Phydeaux

Why must our faithful companions be relegated to eating on the floor? This project will give them a stylish boost while helping to alleviate some potential health issues along the way. My material of choice is Baltic birch plywood. The uniform plys look good enough when sanded and finished that no edge banding is necessary. I topped the table surface with plastic laminate for durability and easy clean up.

Please note that this table is not species specific and works well for cats, too. Just don’t tell your kitty that the paw print on the legs is modeled after a dog’s foot. It may cause issues. It is, however, important to size this table to your pet; measure the height of your pup at the withers (top of the shoulder) and subtract about 6" to 8". This will give you the height of the table from the floor. Cats don’t nearly vary so much in height, but the same general rules apply. The table in the photos is for a small dog, but there are cutting files for two larger sizes online should you need them.

Routed parts and joinery make for quick assembly

The feeder consists of four parts cut from 15mm (5/8") Baltic birch plywood: a top, two legs, and stretcher. While designed to be cut with a CNC router, you can also cut the pieces out conventionally. Get the bowls first (see Buyer’s Guide below) and then size the holes in the top to suit. The cutting files are designed to use the surface of the CNC’s spoil board as a reference. This yields tenons on the ends of the legs and stretchers that are of a consistent thickness, even if the plywood’s thickness varies.

Order of Work

Cut out parts
Rout and sand
Finish and assemble
Apply laminate

Cut, assemble, and laminate

After carefully zeroing the bit on the surface of the spoil board, cut the parts out. I used a 1/8" diameter “Wonder” bit (see Buyers Guide, below) running at 22,000 RPM and 80" per minute. These bits are capable of making the entire cut in one pass. The resulting chips pack in the kerf eliminating the need for tabs. After the pieces are cut, round over all exposed edges of the legs and stretcher, and the bottom edge of the top at the router table with a 1/8" roundover bit. Sand everything before gluing the parts together. Finish the assembly with several coats of polyurethane before laminating the top surface.

Set the zero point. The X and Y origin point is at the lower left corner of the 16 1⁄2 × 17 3⁄4" blank with the Z zero point on the surface of the spoil board. Two fixed fences with opposing wedge pairs make positioning and holding easy.

Trace and stick. Trace the table shape onto the back of the laminate. Spread contact cement on both the mating surfaces and allow to dry. Align the table with the tracing and press the pieces together firmly.

Trim away the excess. Drill a 1⁄2" access hole through each of the bowl holes. Trim the laminate even with the top using a flush trim bit chucked in a trim router. File the edges smooth.

Check out this video of the CNC cutting process