Cary Hairbows: Trade Secret Tuesday: DIY Craft Table

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Trade Secret Tuesday: DIY Craft Table

It has been a while since I have done a Trade Secret post. I have been busy keeping up with my little girls, filling a slew of spring bow orders, and dreaming up the finishing touches on my new third floor studio. With the help of our builder and my woodworker hobbyist husband, my dream studio was born! It has been a work in progress with construction starting 18 months ago. The journey was well worth it and allowed us to add my own creative touches along the way. It is my special haven to create and dream.

Although my husband initially cringed (and still does!) at the idea of using MDF particle cabinets from IKEA, this option made sense for a craft studio. My husband was able to reinforce all the cabinet and drawer joints making them ultra sturdy. You could seriously jump on top this work surface--it has amazing stability!

I LOVE this new space--it is my escape from the busy world. :)

To create a "craft island surface," we purchased four IKEA

Akurum 24" base kitchen cabinets, IKEA Rationell

drawer slides and fronts, and IKEA STAT Applad fronts.

(A little warning: the assembly package inserts are lacking in detail!)

We began the tedious task of putting together

all the base cabinets and drawers with inserts.

Once we had a few assembled, the process went surprisingly fast.

Instead of using legs for this table, my husband made a custom toekick to

avoid dust collecting under the cabinets and provide more rigid,

uniform support.

He lined the sub-base with thick felt (we used industrial

carpet padding because it will protect our hardwood

flooring and keep things a bit more quiet) and then painted each base.

This piece of plywood has a dual purpose.

It secures two cabinets together (back-to-back)

and precisely locates the cabinets into the base.

Double check to make sure the surface is level

(the sub bases needed to be tapered or shimmed here).

Arrange your cabinets in the desired orientation, keeping

in mind the type of drawers, shelving inserts you need

in a particular spot.

Here is one cabinet on the sub base--

although I purchased Capita legs from IKEA, I decided

not to use them. I wanted a more solid base and the legs

made my surface too high for my needs. The height

of my finished table surface is 37 inches.

Constantly check to make sure your surface is level.

Add shims as needed until your surface is perfectly level.

The pictures above and below show the four base cabinets,

two individual cabinets being bolted together back to back.

Determine how far apart to make your two sets of

cabinets so that you have a comfortable seating area.

We have a 30" opening.

The bar stool is an IKEA Henriskdal 26" x 19" chair

which is assembled with braces and dowels.

At the showroom, the chairs rocked unacceptably,

so we glued the dowels for added rigidity.

~The beginnings of my work surface~

My husband first designed a plywood template to fit tightly

when dropped into the hole pattern above the cabinets.

This surface is what my husband labels a "temporary" plywood top, edged with 2" solid wood, then mitered to match the moldings in the room. The bottom of the work surface (shown above), has locating strips of wood that fit into the open topped cabinets locking the four base cabinets and top into one quite solid structure.

Considering how hard he worked on this surface, I think it is too nice to be a temporary one. My husband is searching for the right piece of Corian or other solid surface--I like the "Carribean" green which is a gorgeous, light speckled sage color that will compliment my room color.

Solid surfaces can sometimes be found on the cheap, so be sure to scout out your local paper or Craigslist. It is extremely heavy, but can be worked with basic woodworking tools and gluing techniques. The appealing features are durability and the ability to sand out any imposed blemishes like dried glue or scratches. But that never happens to me (ha ha!). ;)