...and Robs second project is... another table...!

[bermudabob]

So I was looking for my next task, and my wife suggested it. She's just bought a bloody great industrial knitting machine for her business and it needed a 3 phase power converter. This converter is very heavy and needs to be kept off the ground so dust and rubbish don't get sucked in. Cue new project for table mark 2.

This time, I've got a few more tools - a router table and a decent random orbit sander, and lots more pallets to use.

I tongue and grooved the top of the table, glued them together and put another layer of pallet planks underneath them at 90 degrees to make the structure stronger. Each of the legs is a couple of short planks glued and screwed together and cut to the same length. These were then placed inside a table base and attached with small angle brackets.

The only thing that didn't quite go as planned was having to put screws into the legs from outside the table base to ensure the tables strength. I'm open to suggestions on how to make the table base without any visible screws from outside.

The final bit of work was to mark and drill 4 holes for the fixing bolts that would secure the converter to the table. Much to my amazement, they aligned perfectly.

Some pictures...

 

[Racers]

Nice job,

I would pin another strip around the top to hide the screws.

Pete

 

[rafezetter]

The only thing that didn't quite go as planned was having to put screws into the legs from outside the table base to ensure the tables strength. I'm open to suggestions on how to make the table base without any visible screws from outside.

Not sure exactly what you mean about "table base" - do you mean just the legs or something else.

If you are going to double skin the top you could use some hefty 100mm coach bolts through the 1st layer then put the 2nd layer on top of that - but you'll have to be sure you positively won't need to remove the legs later on.

However normal practise for things that are loadbearing you would put leg braces on about 1/3rd from the bottom to stop them splaying; which I'm guessing is what you meant about table strength. There's various ways to do it according to your aestethic.

The legs plus brace assembly would then be classed as a separate entity to the top, which could then be attached with buttons in a slot, brackets or whatever.

I would also agree about adding the side strips to hide the screws, or something to hide the screws and the T&G edges; like maybe mitred edgebanding and a couple of through mortice and tenon leg braces. Projects like this where mistakes matter little are always good opportunities to try new design possibilities and learn the intricacies of such things before you are using more expensive wood.