If you like to go out into the countryside or you have a compact house in the country where there is little storage space, then a lightweight and comfortable folding furniture. Plastic is impractical in this - it is too fragile. But wooden products are the best option. They are strong, durable and comfortable. There are quite a lot of furniture made from natural materials on sale, but prices, to put it mildly, are undemocratic. What to do, natural is in fashion. So you can save a lot if you take on the creation of "clamshells" yourself. Moreover, for work, it is quite possible to use trimming of commercial wood, as the author of the YouTube channel did. Creates DIY. He offered his experience in creating a small folding table that fits in the trunk of a car and can not only please you at the dacha, but also come in handy when traveling.
Read in the article
1 What is required for a folding table: materials and tools
2 How to assemble a wooden tabletop for a folding table
3 The table top is ready, now you need to prepare the legs for it
What is required for a folding table: materials and tools
So, to create a convenient folding structure, you need boards. Both wide and narrow are suitable: which are available.
PHOTO: YouTube.comThe author used for this purpose trimming boards after construction. They need to be carefully sanded on all sides and the edges smoothed out.
In addition to the boards, you will need 6 small loops and a couple of pieces of timber. Prepare wax or varnish and stain for wood treatment. You also need PVA joiner's glue to assemble the countertop and self-tapping screws. A set of tools is also indispensable: prepare jigsaw, drill, screwdriver and clamps.
How to assemble a wooden tabletop for a folding table
The wooden tabletop will be glued, it is not difficult if you have the opportunity to carefully align the edges of the board.
PHOTO: YouTube.comIf necessary, the wide board can be cut. It is better to use a machine for this purpose - so you will not have problems with an even cut. If you are using a different tool, sand the edges of the cut so that no unevenness or burrs interfere with the gluing.PHOTO: YouTube.comUse wood glue for gluing. Excellent results are shown by "Moment", which perfectly copes with wood. The ends of the boards for the countertop need to be treated with glue and connected into a common canvasPHOTO: YouTube.comPull the boards glued into the canvas with clamps and press down with oppression. It will take about a day for everything to be securely fixed. After that, you can cut out a tabletop of any shape from this canvas.PHOTO: YouTube.comThe author chose the option of a round table top. He used a jigsaw to cut an even circle. Look out for a homemade tool to help you create a perfect circle. This is a piece of plywood with a longitudinal slot, one edge of which is simply fixed on the canvas, and the other on the toolPHOTO: YouTube.comThen the resulting circle must be cut in half, and the direction of the cut must be across the glued boards. Then the two halves of the countertop can be sandedPHOTO: YouTube.comThe junction of the two halves of the table from the bottom side is fixed on two pieces of timber. Install the fasteners from the side of the timber so that they are invisible on the "front" part of the tabletop. Do not forget to pre-drill holes for self-tapping screws so that the timber does not crack during operation, and countersink to drown the capPHOTO: YouTube.comThe outer edge of the table top is decorated with wood veneer. The author cut strips from a bar with a thickness of about 4-5 mm on the machine. Such strips bend easily. He secured them in several layers along the edge, fastening them with pins and PVA glue. The strips are about 6 cm wide and wider than the thickness of the countertop. When all the layers of the edge are fixed and dry, you can fill the gaps, if any, with wood putty and sandPHOTO: YouTube.comThe final touch remains in the countertop: connect its parts into one whole with a pair of small hinges. They are fixed on a bar
The table top is ready, now you need to prepare the legs for it
Legs can be made from the same scraps of boards, small pieces 40-50 cm long will be required.
PHOTO: YouTube.comPlease note: the boards are made with an extension at the top and a slight bevel at the bottom. This will give the table extra stability. The legs, like the tabletop, need to be sanded and processedPHOTO: YouTube.comHalves of hinges are attached to the wide ends of the table legsPHOTO: YouTube.comThen the legs are screwed to the inside of the table top. See how they are located - when folded, they should not overlap, but compactly fit into the free spacePHOTO: YouTube.comIn order for the table to be very stable and durable, when unfolding the legs should not open 90 °, but 95-100 °, that is, they should slightly move outward. Then the table will not accidentally collapse during use.PHOTO: YouTube.comBe sure to include handles on the folded tabletop for easy portability. Regular doorknobs will do just finePHOTO: YouTube.comYou can store such a compact table in the country and put it in the fresh air if necessary. It will fit in your picnic trunk. The same folding chairs will be an excellent company for him.
By the way, making folding chairs is also quite simple from the same scraps. Simple and accessible, this is described in this small video:
How do you rate the idea with a table made of scraps of boards? Would you like to try doing something similar? Maybe you have ideas for improving the design? Write about it in the comments!
