Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Woodworking). This thread is read-only.
Ok folks, how about helping a guy out and coming up with some ideas I can use this coffee table for. I found it sitting silently in the hallway of the apartment complex with three broken ankles. Actually they were they small plastic feet at the bottom of the legs. It’s a IKEA table, whatever that means, but it has a decent top with the ability to raise up to an extended position. The top is curved down on both long sides and it measures about 23″ x 43″. I don’t need or have room for another coffee table in this small apartment, but the mechanism and wood top is too good to pass up.
What could I make or use this free table for?
table or workbench depending on the space in your apartment
I thought about a top for a new work table, but I would have to trim the length down to about 39″ for a small cubby in my already crowded walk in closet. I could mount my drill press, band saw and bench grinder to it. May even have room for the compact Rockwell table saw.
That’s cool…IKEA is a furniture store full of cheap ready to assemble pressed cardboard pieces for you to throw out in a year or two LOL!!!
What if you turned it upside down, mounted it to the ceiling to store extra items, pulled it down to retrieve and place the items, then push it back up for out of the way storage
KnarlyCarl wrote:
8 hours ago, KnarlyCarl said:That’s cool…IKEA is a furniture store full of cheap ready to assemble pressed cardboard pieces for you to throw out in a year or two LOL!!!
What if you turned it upside down, mounted it to the ceiling to store extra items, pulled it down to retrieve and place the items, then push it back up for out of the way storage
damn lol i think you are on to something 🙂 have a good one
I’d use that as a beginning to a work/assembly bench. The main benefit is that you can raise it, for small things you want it closer to your chest so you can see or you’ll end up hunching over. Basically I’d recommend making it into a desk and use it as a work bench when you need it…if you have the space for a desk.
Wow! You guy’s have some great ideas. I think those rusty wheels in my head started turning again. KnarlyCarl is defiantly thinking outside the box with the ceiling storage idea. You could even mount a fluorescent light to the bottom of it for extra lighting and BMack37 has me thinking of the work bench where I can sit and maybe even convert it into a dedicated reloading bench. Thanks for all the comments and keep the ideas coming, we probably haven’t even scratched the surface yet.
Router table
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The verdict is in… I’m going to trim the table top down to 38 inches and use it for another work bench top to use my bench drill press, homemade band saw table and portable Rockwell table saw. I’ll make the shelf underneath that is of suitable height to store my Bosh pancake air compressor that I will bring back to the apartment next week from my regular home. I’ll enclose the bottom shelf with the remainder of my siding cutoffs and insulate the inside with some foam insulation I have left over from a cooler project to reduce the noise level of the air compressor. Two sets of hinges, two door handles and hasp and it should fit right in with my other mobile work bench that my two mini lathes rest on. I’ll still have to pick up another box of screws.
Thanks for all the great ideas guy’s.
Do you like the Bosch compressor?
So far so good. It’s held up pretty well with what few jobs I used it for. Built a 10’x20′ out building at my permanent home and it powered my Hitachi nail gun without any issues. Recovery time was fine and seldom noticed, but that’s one guy and a nail gun. I actually picked up the Bosch for my reloading room and have used it on several small projects and it has served me well. The only complaint I have is it is kinda loud for indoor use, but that’s all compressors. The specs say it put’s out about 75 dba, but the super quiet ones are rated around 60 dba or so. Figure I’ll make a quiet compartment for it and hopefully get the noise level down below 50 dba. Just can’t justify buying another compressor when this one is still like new just to save 10 dba’s. Apartment living stinks. If my neighbors bitch about it I’ll do something different I guess.
I’m finally back after Thanksgiving with my second mobile work bench for the apartment. I already had the tool cart I decided to put heavy duty casters on it cut the table top down to 36 inches so it would fit in my little cubby in the walk in closet used self tapping screws to mount the wood panels I had from a previous project bought some hinges handles, hasp, and a bolt lock. Spayed on two coats on clear lacquer and went over it with 1200 grit sand paper.
Looks great !!
It turned out ok. I was off for a week but had little time to do personal projects but was able to throw the tool cart together and try out some 308 hand loads I loaded about two months ago.