I'm getting a little older now. Hefting 4'x 8' sheet goods by myself is becoming a little cumbersome. And, not to diss my son, but with him set squarely in his teens, there are time when he's out doing "teen" stuff and he's not always around to help. I need an outfeed table!
Putting things on my work bench for assembly means that I'm always looking at the bottom. Putting them on the floor means I never see the bottom. Of course, I could get down on my knees to assemble things, but we've already discussed how I'm getting older and my knees don't cotton up that kind of abuse anymore. I need an adjustable height assembly table!
Moving around a piece (with or without an air hose) at finishing time is a real pain. Can't move it… can't touch it… Did I mention that I'm getting older now? You know, there's a certain amount of grumpy that goes with things like that. I need a lazy-Susan paint table!
I wish I had a 10,000 square foot shop. Maybe not having one is what makes aging woodworkers become grumpy old men. My shop is really just a two car garage, so I don't have room for an assembly table AND an outfeed table AND a paint table. I do have room for one that serves all three purposes and folds up and out of the way when it's not needed!!!
I've seen tons of plans in magazines; everything from plywood on a couple of sawhorses to elaborate dedicated systems… torsion boxes, folding tables, standard tables, etc. I had already been thinking about and started building a table for outfeed and assembly work when a friend showed me the Storable, portable turntable article in Family Handyman Magazine (Iss. October 2006, Pg. 22) for a really simple paint table based loosely on the idea of a lazy-Susan.
Anyway, after pondering on it a while, I came up with a solution that, while somewhat of a compromise, serves all three purposes. And, although I haven't incorporated the Lazy-Susan into the one I'm working on yet, it's a small modification for the future. That effort is detailed below…
Since this thing has to fill a bunch of roles in my shop, I had to think about
goals for this project in terms of primary, secondary, and so on.
Finding a piece of floor or bench for project assembly is always possible,
even if it isn't convenient as to height. As such, the primary goal of
the table top was to be as an outfeed table for cutting lumber and sheet goods.
At 58" x 43", it'll
suffice for all but very long lumber.
The table top is just a piece of " baltic
birch cut to 56" x 42". To add a little
anti-sag strength and give me some clamping surface, I cut, glued, and screwed
some 2" wide strips of " baltic birch to
the underside of the table top edge. I then mitered up some
1" x " oak stock to
wrap and protect the edge of the plywood and give it a little more strength.
This finalized the dimensions of the top to 58"
x 43". Finally, to keep any lumber from
catching on the edge should I goof up and set the table a smidgen to high,
I eased the top edge by chucking the router with roundover bit. Some
light sanding in between a couple of coats of laquer and the table top was done.
Table tops are so not a big deal. Folks have been building them since just after the dinosaurs as a place to stack stuff and eat dinner. Ogg the caveman even has drawings of himself and some of his kin sittin' at the table breaking bread. Didn't mean to babble so much about this one...
Anyway, the real versatility of this table comes from the folding/sliding legs.
The range of travel is about 12". It
doesn't sound like much, but at full extension, the top is 38"
high; just a couple of inches higher than my tablesaw and plenty high to get
to the "bottom" of any assembly project I may have going. At it's
minimum height, it's only about 26". That
may be a tad bit higher then the optimal low assembly table, but it's
considerably better then either the floor or the bench top.
Two 4" brass hinges allow each leg to fold up when the table isn't in use.
Where floor space is at a premium, it's a handy feature that it can be folded
up and stored away in a corner when it's not in use. Conversely, when
I need it, the legs fold down, a clevice bolt is fed from the table top through
the leg brace and secured with a fender washer and an oversized knob.
The pic to the right shows (poorly, but it's there) the table backed up to the
table saw... it really does work well as an outfeed table.
| Item | Qty | Component | L | W | D | Material | Notes | Picture |
| A | 1 | Table top | 56 " | 42" | " | Plywood * | ||
| B | 2 | Edge support | 56 " | 2" | " | Plywood * | used to stiffen table top | |
| C | 2 | Edge banding | 58 " | 1 " | " | Oak | cut long to trim miters | |
| D | 2 | Edge banding | 43 " | 1 " | " | Oak | cut long to trim miters | |
| E | 2 | Wide slide panel | 24" | 14" | " | Plywood * | ||
| F | 2 | Narrow slide panel | 24" | 10" | " | Plywood * | ||
| G | 4 | Panel guide | 24" | 2" | " | Oak | ||
| H | 2 | Feet | 48" | 4" | 1 " | Oak | trimmed stair tread | |
| I | 2 | Leg support | 15 " | 8" | " | Plywood * | connects leg to table top | |
| J | 2 | Hinge support | 14" | 4" | " | Plywood * | extra screw material | |
| K | 4 | Leg brace | 7" | 4" | " | Plywood * | cut a 45° on these | |
| L | 4 | Hinges | 4" | 2" | Brass | Steel would work fine also | ||
| M | 6 | Clevice bolts | 2" | " | Stainless | used for slide clamps | ||
| N | 6 | Fender washers | " | Stainless | " hole diameter | |||
| O | 6 | Star knobs | " | Plastic | brass inserts | |||
| P | 2 | Clevice bolts | 2" | " | Stainless | used for table leg clamps | ||
| Q | 2 | Fender washers | " | Stainless | " hole diameter | |||
| R | 2 | Star knobs | " | Plastic | brass inserts |
** Notes **
1. Plywood is " Baltic Birch
Using some good quality " Baltic birch plywood, cut the table top and panel parts.
Time to mill the hardwood stock. If you can't mill the stock to dimension, the big box stock will work fine if you clean it up. Just make sure you pick the pile for the straight stuff.
You already have the edge supports glued to the table top, and the glue should be dry by now. Remove the clamps and clean up any squeeze-out on both, the outer and inner edges.
Now, miter up the corners on the two short (D) and two long (C) pieces of " oak edge banding. Attach the edge banding... no glue. Just drill some pilot holes and screw it on with some 2" #10 wood screws. If the oak was milled correctly, it should line up just fine. If not, make sure you install it a little proud of the top surface.
With the edge banding on, check it very closely for flush against the top of the table. If there are any ridges, take a sharp plane and knock 'em down real quick. Once everything is flushed up, chuck a ” round-over bit into a router and run it around the entire perimeter. Grab some 120 grit and run over the oak real quick, then move up to 180. Don’t skimp on this part…
Tack cloth the sawdust, and mix some half-n-half of poly (or lacquer) and mineral spirits. It makes a fine homebrew sanding sealer. Apply it to the entire table, top and bottom, and the edge banding. When it's dry, run over the entire surface with some #000 steel wool, tack cloth it again, and apply a coat of poly. Do this twice, and the top is all done.
Get the router table out and chuck a " straight bit into it. You’ll be lowering the panel onto a spinning bit, so you’ll need something to act as a tall fence. Also, attach stop blocks to the fence to facilitate cutting the 12" slots. Without stop blocks, it’s a pretty sure bet that you’ll have to make a small climb cut to get the slots to the right length… it takes a pretty big boy (or girl) to pull that off and it’s dangerous no matter how big a boy ya are.
Measure and mark cut reference lines on both of the narrow slide panels (F), at 1½” from either side and also down the center line. Also, mark stop lines at 5" from the top and bottom of each cut lines.
With the router fence and stop blocks set up, turn the router on. Hold the panel up away from the turning bit and place the long edge against the fence, and the back edge against the stop block. Slowly lower the panel onto the bit and slide it up to the other stop block, being sure to hold it tight against the fence. Turn the router off. Once the bit has stopped, turn the panel over and repeat the process on both panels. Readjust the fence to cut the center channel and cut it into both panels.
Finally, center and clamp a foot (H) to each of the narrow panels. Measure, mark, and drill pilot holes and screw a foot to each panel. Use glue sparingly here… too much and the feet will surely rip themselves apart over time as they move while the plywood panel doesn’t.
Grab the Wide panels (E) and measure and mark where holes will be drilled that correspond to the channels cut into the narrow panels. Ensure that the center hole is offset by about 2 " from the outer holes. Take a Forstner bit large enough to clear the head of the " clevice bolts (M) and pre drill the holes about " inch deep. Now, finish drilling the holes through with a " twist bit.
On the opposite end from where you just drilled the holes, edge align and clamp a hinge support (J) to each of the wide panels. Measure, mark, and drill some pilot holes. Make sure you put some "alignment" marks on the work pieces.
Do the same thing (edge align and clamp) the panel guides (G), one on each side of the panel. Mark and drill pilot holes.
Remove the clamps, glue up the hinge supports, and screw them back to the panels. Remove the clamps from the panel guides, glue and reattach with screws. After the glue dries, remove the clamps and remove any of the glue squeeze out.
Now, edge align and clamp the leg support (I) and the two leg braces (K). Again, mark and pre drill holes. Remove the clamps, glue the braces and reattach with wood screws, and wait for the glue to dry.
Finally, lay the small slide panel in between the guides on the large panel and ensure that it tracks and glides correctly. If not, and the fit and finish seem ok, it’s a pretty safe bet that the problem is dried glue. Otherwise, pop in and seat the three " clevice bolts (M) to each wide panel and through the slots in the narrow panel, add the three fender washers (N) and star knobs (O), and snug them up.
Edge align and center the leg supports on each leg to the narrow ends of the table top and temporarily clamp them in place. Measure, mark, and install two brass hinges (L) on each leg. While still clamped, turn the table upright, measure, mark and drill pilot holes for the two " clevice bolts (P), one at each end. Also, chuck a Forstner bit to insure the head of the clevice bolts are recessed below the table top. Reach under and install the " fender washer (Q) and " star knob (R).
The table is done and ready for work. Enjoy!
When in Atlanta working on a project for Dad, I bought a couple of Porter-Cable roundover bits from Home Depot. They looked like decent bits and they sure were priced like 'em. Indeed, I ran about 160 linear feet of stair tread across the " bit and it seemed fine, but the smaller one seems to have a defect. I chucked it to make the " radius detailed above and found it cutting a "lip" into the edge of the oak. Only thing that makes sense is that the upper edge of the radius extends past the edge of the " bearing, but without a micrometer, I can’t prove it. I chucked a Whiteside bit and the problem went away. It's enough to make me not trust the P-C bits anymore. Take that for what it's worth to you.
In the beginning, I started this as a utility table that folds to save space. As I look at it neatly folded and out of the way sitting in the corner, I contemplate a slightly different truth. Had I built a short cabinet under the table top, I could have maintained the ability to adjust the height, but stored some "stuff" currently just sitting around the shop. It may have actually saved more room not to fold it up and put it away. That may become Adjustable Height Table rev. 2.0.
This thing is sturdy. Snugging up the star knobs on the legs allows it to lock in the height fairly well... One doesn’t need a pipe wrench with a 10' extension. It is completely capable of holding a couple of full sheets of evenly distributed MDF (approximately 200 lbs.). On the other hand, sturdy is not heroic! If you’re going to work on the family car’s transmission, store the parts in the bath tub like the rest of us... the table won’t hold it.
While I’m on the subject of top support, the current leg supports are 15 " wide. With a table top (including edge banding) that’s 43 " wide, we’re talking roughly about only a third of the top that has physical support. PAY ATTENTION HERE... next time, the brace will be the full width of the table top. If you’re going to build one of these, PAY ATTENTION HERE... brace the whole width of the top!!!
First, I thought about putting a sheet of hardboard on the top. A damaged surface from glue-ups and wear would have been instantly and cheaply replaceable. It would have also been more "slick" to aid in pushing lumber across it. It would have also been a lot darker, and as you now know, grumpy old men don't see as well as they used to. So, I decided to save the eyes instead of the table top. I fixed the "slick" and hopefully the glue spill problems with a coat of bees wax. Time will tell if I screwed up and made the wrong choice...
Finally, I generically loathe the idea of MDF! Sawdust is a byproduct of woodworking, not a glue additive to make faux wood. To me, it's just genuine plastic and not much good for anything more than patterns and shop jigs. But, much to my chagrin, it has become the industry standard in modern cabinetry and it does have some advantages... Dimensionally, it's both stable and accurate. It's dead flat, and it's dirt cheap. In light of all that, I may make the next evolution of the table top as a torsion box. It would add considerable weight, but it would also be considerably stronger and stay flat. That'll come in handy when using it as an assembly table for other projects. If you decide to build one of these using a torsion box, please let me know how it comes out and if you like it.
The sliding action of the legs, as they’re designed, works very well. But, I considered which panel had the slots and which panel had the clevice bolts in them to be a completely arbitrary decision, and it isn’t. Should I choose to build a short cabinet for it, or should I have chosen to do that to begin with, the slotted piece would have to face out. Otherwise, fitting them inside the cabinet would have been a joinery nightmare and the star knobs would be on the inside of the cabinet making height changes problematic. So, with a 50/50 chance, I got it right... Yea ME! So much for arbitrary decisions.