I wanted a dedicated table to apply finishes and also be relatively dust free. The only such place in my workshop is the office. The couch in the corner is sparingly used (where is the time to sit around? Duh!).
I thought I can put the space to good use if I were able to lift the top up when I need to use the couch; at other times, the top will rest on the side legs and can be used as the finishing table.
I made the legs using 19mm ply and then enclosed the sides with 8mm MDF. To give it stability, I fixed a horizontal board in the front and back. I should remember to edge-band this so that it doesn’t hurt when sitting down on the couch.
Fixing the piano hinge was a mini project in itself – given that the hinge was very old and bent. Nevertheless I persisted and fixed it. The top opens quite smoothly, but I will have to think of relocating the hinge so that it is not visible. If you have some ideas, do leave a comment about it
Overall the project came out quite good to meet the intended purpose. A bonus was the space to the right where I placed my water dispenser on a tower. I plan to make shelves to keep my tea kettle and tea/coffee supplies – that’s another project and a post
Couple of improvements I am thinking about are
- Fix a soft board / cork on the underside of the top to use as a tack board when the top is up
- Affix laminate or veneer to the MDF sides to make it pretty.
- Edge-band all the exposed ply to avoid splinters and improve appearance
- Fix laminate or paint the top
