Shop preparation - Part 4

The BIG worktable

I have been on the road for the past two weeks, and haven’t been able to get much done. 

The one thing that I have been able to work on while I was away, is the design of the 11' x 3’ (3.3m x 0.9m) table on which I will be building the fuselage sides, canard, and wings.

I wanted this table to be built in such a way that I could later cut it with a circular saw, and split it into two identical 5.5’ x 3’ halves that I'll be able to reuse in the hangar (don't have one yet).

Because the previous table I made, loosely based on the “standard EAA table”, turned out to be such a sturdy, and simple piece to build, I decided to enlist the same design once again. This time I planned for additional modifications to suit my specific needs, like a 1.5" overhang around the perimeter, to facilitate clamping things, and a lowered bottom shelf, to allow for the storage of bigger items.

Table frame designed with iPad CAD App for carpentry named Woodcraft.

For those who would like to replicate my table, I'll insert a few info here.

The material needed for the table consist in twelve 2" x 4" x 12', and four 4' x 8' sheet of plywood (the thicker the better, I suppose), mine were 0.75" thick.  

Twelve 12-footers going home. 

From this I cut the following:

- two 2" x 4" x 11' (top beams)

- two 2" x 4" x 10' 9" (bottom beams)

- twenty 2" x 4" x 30" (cross-members)

- eight 2" x 4" x 8" (leg parts)

- eight 2" x 4" x 18" (leg parts)

- eight 2" x 4" x 33" (leg parts)

- two 3' x 5' 6" (table top)

- two 2'9" x 5' 4.5" (table bottom)

2" x 4" ready to be assembled.

Unfortunately the Home Depot lumber guy cut my table bottoms 1/2" too short, so I do not have the contiguous bottom shelf I was going for, but one with a 1" gap in it instead. No big deal, but be careful when you get yours cut.

To achieve consistent results when cutting many equal parts, like the legs or the cross-members, it is helpful to set up a simple jig to be used with the miter saw. Mine consisted of a block of wood clamped to the bench, at the desired distance from the miter saw's blade. It made cutting the 12-footers fast and easy, and the little time spent setting it up paid off later, when everything fit together precisely.  

When the time came to put the legs together, I made another simple jig that allowed me to quickly stack and line up the 2" x 4". Additionally, instead of measuring the space to leave for the top and bottom beams, I used a couple of scrap pieces as spacers.  

Assembling one of the legs.

This worked so well that, at assembly time, the table was so tight it was holding itself up without screws.  

Top and bottom pieces hold the table together without screws (screws added later).

I used 2.5" #10 screws for the legs, and 3" #10 screws for the cross-members. Top and bottom plywood used 1.5" #8 screws. I did pre-drill all of the holes to avoid wood splitting. 

To make sure the top and bottom surfaces would come out as flat as possible, I built the  top and bottom frames upside down on the floor.

In the end, this turned out to be a pretty simple one day project, that anyone with basic skills and tools could tackle. The quality of the table is very good for garage standards, and it is very sturdy. You might consider equipping it with wheels, if space is at a premium, but in my case I plan on leveling it, and not moving it again until I'm finished with it.

A floating 2" x 4" (below plywood top) ensures a smooth transition