Pavonine Studios
© Amy Peacock 2003 - artist and slob
Diary of a Table-Building Project from Infancy to Completion
June 19, 2002:
I've put up a few glimpses into the (barely) controlled chaos that I call my studio (below). Right now I am working on building a work table for myself. I need a LARGE flat space to do some of my painting on, and kitchen and dining room tables just don't cut it - they are often long enough, but seldom wide enough - after all, they are meant for eating and passing food, not spreading out fabric, or painting on large canvases or hardboard. I don't have pictures just yet, but I am working on it. I will be posting pictures as this project develops. The first step though, and probably the biggest challenge was to clear the space for the table. Since we moved into our house, my studio has doubled as the TV room. Therefore, valuable space was being taken up by the futon, the TV, the stereo equipment and so forth. So, the first task was to remove the futon. It's been moved to another room for the time being. The second task was to remove the TV - this has also been moved to another room. I seldom watch TV (and our TV is old and decrepit anyway) so there was really no point in having in my studio. With the TV gone and the futon gone I now have space to put my table.
I want a table in the center of the room so that I can move all around it and view my work from all angles. And of course it has to be big enough.
The plan of attack here is to buy a full sheet of plywood and build it up using 2x6s, 4x4s, and bookshelves from IKEA as support/storage underneath. We looked at many options for the table top including pressboard (nice smoothness but extremely heavy and more expensive than a good quality plywood), hardboard (also a nice smoothness but a bit thin for supporting much weight given the size), and fiberboard (too rough to finish). We have chosen a nice grade of 3/4" plywood - this particular kind is nice on one side and not-so-nice on the other - which is fine for this application as you won't be seeing the other side, like you might if you were building cabinets or shelving.
A full sheet of plywood is no small thing - they come 4' x 8'. This is going to be a GREAT table! I have already purchased the two bookshelves from IKEA - if you're like me, you often need to do this kind of thing in steps for financial reasons as well as time reasons. These shelves were a great deal because a) they were only $40 each, b) they were WAY easy to put together, c) they have the shelves to buy separately so you can choose between wood and tempered glass, and you can just buy the number of shelves you need, and d) this particular model has a base that comes separate from the shelving unit. We chose this model because we didn't have to buy the base that goes with it - doing so would have made the table too high once we got the wood supports and legs underneath. I am relatively tall (5'8") and so your mileage may vary. Should you decide to build yourself a table, decide on a good working height: consider whether you want to sit or stand most of the time, place your hands at a comfortable level with arms slightly bent. Have someone else measure from your hands to the floor and work backwards in your measurements - subtract out the thickness of the tabletop and frame to see how tall your bookshelves need to be. I need a table that will allow me to work standing up - I have plenty of sitting space. And I have a barstool that will let me sit at the table should I need to.
I hope to finish building the table this weekend! I'll keep you posted!
June 22, 2002
Whew! What a day! We went to Home Depot this morning to buy the supplies for the table. What a zoo! Tons of peeps buying decking and gallons of paint! But we persevered and came home with all we needed:
ou will also need the following tools:-1-4'x8' sheet of good grade plywood - nice on both sides - we would have bought the kind that was nice on just one side but couldn't find any to my liking.
-3-2"x4"x8'(frame)
-2-4"x4"x8' (legs)
-2-2"x6"x8" (support and to raise the height of the table)
-Box of 3" screws
-Wood Filler
-Sand Paper
-Finish Nails
-3/4" hemlock screen bead to finish the edges of the table.
-Wood Glue
-Rubber feet to go on the bottoms of the table legs.Y
The first step was to test the height of the table by placing the 4x6s on top of the bookshelves and then placing the plywood on top of that to make sure that this was going to be a comfortable height for me to work at. It was perfect.
The second step was to cut the 4x4 legs to the proper length. We left the 4x6s in place on top of the bookshelves and measured the legs so that they were flush with the top of them - we included the feet which were about 3/8" thick. Our final measurement was 34 3/8". This task would have been much easier with a table saw...
The third step was to cut the pieces of 2x4 to make the outer frame. Basically, this is a big rectangle that serves as support under the table and as something for the legs to be attached to. There are two screws and wood glue at each corner. The outer frame was cut about 2 inches smaller on all sides than the sheet of plywood.
The fourth step was to cut the 2x6s to fit inside the frame. The main purpose of these pieces is to help distribute the weight of the plywood top and to raise the height of the table. These are glued and screwed inside the outer frame. The 2x6s are the only part of the frame that rests on the bookshelves.
The fifth step was to set the frame on top of the bookshelves so we could place the legs. Each leg has four screws in it - two on each side. The legs fit snugly between the frame and the bookshelf.
The sixth step was to place the plywood on top, making sure that it was as square to the frame as possible. 20 screws were put into the top, countersunk and filled with the wood filler. We used a string placed from the centers of the supports underneath so that we would be sure to be screwing into the frame.
The seventh step was to put the hemlock trim along the edge of the plywood for a nice finished (and hopefully snag-proof) edge. This was glued and nailed on using the finish nails (which are thin nails with tiny heads). We sanded each corner so that it was slightly rounded.
The eighth step was to fill in any gaps between the table top and the edging with wood filler.
Tomorrow I will sand the filled spots, dust the table top and edges, and apply the polyurethane. I chose a clear gloss poly because my plywood has a lovely grain to it.
Till tomorrow!
June 23, 2002:
This morning we sanded and applied the polyurethane. It's important to sand between each coat as this helps each layer to adhere better, thus providing you with a nice, strong finish. I have to wait until the first coat is dry before I can sand and apply a second coat. This is the part that is most frustrating/annoying to me because the table seems to come together really fast up to this point - then you have to do all this sanding and waiting.... I just wanna use my table!!! The poly is really bringing out the sheen of the wood - it's a lovely piece - even more so than I thought when I first bought it....
Total bill for the table: about $180
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| This my beading table. It shows a small portion of my beadwork supplies. The table is often home for other items like paint brushes and my coffee cup. Oh, and that's a bag of raffia ribbon that my cats insist on playing with. Kali Ma is my little thief - I find my bristle brushes all over the house... | I got these bookshelves at IKEA. I haven't got a clue where I put all this crap before I had these shelves. Four of the five stamp shelves made out of drawers are in the corner along with my fountain. In the lower right-hand corner you can see a bit of my latest painting... |
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| This is how the floor under my easel looks most of the time. Actually, this looks a little better than usual. The box holds my paints and some brushes for traveling. It's an old cassette tape box - it opens on both sides. I got it at the thrift store. | These are two long worktables piled high with stuff. You can't see it, but there really is a workspace at the far end. The shelves under the window hold more beading supplies. I installed halogen track lighting for improved light in my studio. I painted the wall red because it's one of those rooms that always feels and looks cold. I'll be changing the floor as soon as I can to that wood looking laminate stuff. That will also help to warm the room up, at least visually. |
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