Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Train Table!

So for my son's third birthday I decided to make him a train table. I thought it would be neat to have since they are usually overpriced and typically very small. I wanted to create a table with some sort of storage which was hard to find plans for - so, instead I made my own. This was the first "free-style" woodworking I have done and It was more time consuming than I thought. The table itself was not difficult to make, but deciding sizes and how I wanted to do it was a good learning experience. The table is a little larger measuring 2.5ft x 5 ft. Here's what I used:

(3) 1x3 boards @ 6ft
(1) 3/4INx4ftx8ft MDF
(2) square table legs
(2) angle bracket/top plate for table leg
"L" shaped corner brackets (in lieu of a Kreg Jig)
Square self tapping wood screws
sandpaper
spray paint and wood crafting paint
wood filler

Tools:
Skil Saw (or jig saw) (a Skil saw will probably give you a more precise cut)
Hand or electric palm sander
drill
measuring tape
chalk line reel hand tool (if desired)
Kreg Jig (if desired)

I used the MDF to cut all the pieces for the table to include the table top and the 5 pieces used for the storage area. (2 sides, 1 bottom, 2 face pieces, painted blue). I used the 1x3s for the perimeter side lips (painted red). For the red perimeter lips I used wood filler to ensure there were no holes or viewable slits where the wood and table top met.



























Here is the final product: