Cake stand

[Harry Keel]

I am currently working on a cake stand for a sister-in-law, I have the top done and its 10" in diameter. How tall should the middle part of the stand be and how big in diameter should the bottom be. Is there a proportional rule here or should I do to suit me.

[Tom Wilson66]

For a cake stand, I would make the bottom at least 2/3 of the top diameter, for stability. As far as the height, that is mostly a matter of taste, but I would not go too tall or it might look tippy, not a good look for a cake stand. Bottom line, that's what I would do, but make it to suit you.

[Alex Zeller]

Here's a simple one I made last year with a walnut top and cherry base (the picture doesn't show it well). It's a little over 12" wide while the base is 8" and it's very stable. It's about 3 1/2" high. Depending on how tall it'll be kind of makes a difference on how wide the base should be. Tom's suggestion of 2/3 seams to be about right.
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[Harry Keel]

Thank you for that information, will give it a try.

[Mike Wilkins]

I just re-read a British wood turning magazine that had an article on making a cake stand. If I remember correctly, the center post was about 3 inches in height.
The article also cautioned to have the glass top in hand before making the top shelf to get the diameter correct. Good luck.

[Alex Zeller]

Cake stands are a nice Christmas gift. They aren't hard although if you want to make the top spin it's a little more involved. I can't remember who I bought them from but I got 6 of the glass tops, which was a full box, for about the price of 3 since they didn't have to worry about reboxing and protecting them. Another similar project is a cheese and cracker stand. Craft supply sells a small glass top and a marble stone for the center. They even sell a cheese knife blade.

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