Like I suppose many of you do, my wife is into sewing and quilting (birds of a feather flock together).  Since moving, she needs a new cutting table.   Her cutting mat is about 36" x 25" so the top needs to be at least that big.   Since the room is used a couple times a year for grandkids to sleep, it needs to be one of:

- Knock down

- Folding down

- Able to be able to be moved into nearby closet (e.g., casters)

Anyone have any ideas, plans, or projects you've done?

skip the casters...

put fold up splayed legs on the top......

very stable...

Edited November 30, 20169 yr by Stick486

go exotic...

 

more traditional..

only add folding braces..

 

turn it into multipurpose...

(1) Does she use one of those roller cutters or scissors?

(2) How big is that closet.   Will you need to slide it in there verically? 

(2) Do you want it to fold out like an ironing board?

That Ana White one is very similar to one featured in The Family Handyman magazine a few months ago that sparked the idea.  I tried to find it to post, but it's not on their web site (yet?)  By "folding braces," do you mean angled from the edge to the base of the cabinet, or something like a gate-leg table??

 

The closet is a walk-in, but small in walk-in terms.   About 5' deep and shelves on both sides, so essentially the width of the door x 5'

1 hour ago, kmealy said:

By "folding braces

 

 

Thanks, Stick.

 

Sorry, I forgot to answer the question, this is for rotary cutters on a cutting mat.   BTW, Harbor Freight sells good replacement cutter wheels for these at a very reasonable price.

Reading through some old magazines,stumbled into this  one: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/instant-surface

 

They all look good to me.

Herb

3 hours ago, Dadio said:

They all look good to me.

Herb

me too...

I think that last one is a whole lot less effort and material than some of the others.   And we might use it for a serving/buffet/pub table for the holidays.

26 minutes ago, kmealy said:

I think that last one is a whole lot less effort and material than some of the others.   And we might use it for a serving/buffet/pub table for the holidays.

For what your needs are (as you described) I would agree

On a whim, today we went to IKEA and found a hollow-core desk top for $8.99.   Roughly 24x40  http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00251135/

 

I don't think I could even buy a can of contact cement to laminate some MDF for that.  (And I'd need to buy some more laminate and MDF, too).    Best of all doesn't weigh much (13 lb).

 

Edited December 7, 20169 yr by kmealy

My wife does all that too and then some. She started out with a small folding table from Joann Fabrics. Then graduated to a big folding one from there too. Both of them had the hard plastic top for cutting.

Her room is small and she decided that she could get by with part of the big one and removed a piece. 

Part of the problem is that when you moved the table, it would try to fold up. 

 I made the table stable and put it in what was a closet. Then made her a fold down ironing board. You know they cut, sew and press. There is also a cutting mat on the large table the ironing board is attached to. We made the most out of a small area.

Edited December 8, 20169 yr by Ron Altier
spelling

Fait accompli:  Could not find hinges that would work for the top to fold over (since it's thicker than 3/4"), so it merely pops on and cleats hold it in position.   Bottom side legs fold in like a gate-leg table and each piece weighs less than 5 lb.

 

 

Edited December 20, 20169 yr by kmealy

 Nice job. For work or the holidays it should hold up well.

excellent...