Folding work table made of PVC pipes
The workplace has a special meaning for any master. For some specialties, a desk is simply necessary. But what to do when you have to move frequently and work at different sites? You can’t drag a table from the workshop with you, but someone else’s work furniture It may simply not be available. There is definitely a way out, and today we will tell you about it.
Homemade products of this type are far from new. Furniture transformers were popular back in the last century. And the masters who focused on such developments sometimes brought them to incredible functionality. The homemade product presented today is simple and at the same time very practical. This is a work table for small jobs with electrical, plumbing, etc. It is compact, lightweight, and does not take up much space. And transferring it from object to object will not be difficult at all. How to make it? Let's find out.
Required materials and tools
Materials:- Inexpensive furniture board (grade 1-2);
- PVC pipe, diameter – 1 inch or 25 mm;
- PVC fittings (according to the pipe size): 90° angle for fastening the mixer and internal thread - 4 pcs, simple clip - 16 pcs, solder plugs - 8 pcs, coupling with external thread and transition to the pipe - 4 pcs;
- Iron carrying handle;
- A piece of thin-walled furniture pipe, diameter – 25 mm;
- Bolts, nuts, washers, screws;
- Varnish or paint, brush.
- Plumbing soldering iron or “iron”;
- Drill or screwdriver;
- Jigsaw;
- Sandpaper or sander;
- Drills, cross bit;
- Tape measure, pencil, ruler, plate or compass for marking the radius of curvature of the tabletop.
Let's start assembling the desktop
Making a countertop
For the tabletop canvas, the author chose pine furniture board. Plywood, OSB or chipboard are also suitable. Everyone can determine the dimensions themselves according to the purpose of their activity.
It is worth paying attention to the placement of the legs under the table, the length of which is usually at least 70-75 cm. They should not stick out from behind the tabletop, which means its length should exceed this size.
We mark the tabletop, starting with the placement of PVC fastening corners with threads. We distribute them over the four corners of the canvas, taking into account that they will be rounded. The author chose bolts as hardware for fastening.
The middle of the underframe will not be in demand, so we mark the position of the clips on it. There should be four of them on each side. The interval between them can be minimal, and the distance from both alignment rulers should be less than the length of the legs.
The edges of the tabletop can be rounded using a jigsaw. To mark the radius, you can use a plate or compass. Sandpaper or a sander will help to process the sawn edges. Drill all marked holes with a drill or screwdriver.
Wood is not a very durable material, so it requires a protective coating. The author chose yacht varnish, which he applied with a brush to both planes of the tabletop. To avoid leaving marks from the finishing stands, it can be hung on any suitable hook.
Making legs and drawers for the table
For the legs, the author chose a PVC pipe with a diameter of 25 mm. Its height must be calculated so that the coupling and plug fit in it. It is better to cut such a pipe with plumbing scissors, but a hacksaw will also work. For rigidity, you can insert metal furniture of suitable size into the PVC pipe.
It’s time to make a high-quality connection with a plumbing soldering iron or iron. We set the sleeves to the appropriate size, tighten them with a hex wrench and set the iron to heat up.
Next, we insert the pipe and fitting into opposite sleeves, heat them and tightly compress the heated ends, aligning the connection. Each of the four legs must have a plug and a male threaded coupling.
The drawbars are intended for fastening the legs together. This design allows for their placement at any level of the leg. They are also soldered with an iron, and are a piece of pipe with two plugs into which clips are screwed (photo). The author made only two of them, although the number may be greater.
Assembling table elements
The tabletop has dried, now you need to install the corners for the legs. We secure them to the bolts using washers. You can tighten the connection using a ratchet wrench with an appropriate attachment.
To fasten them together, we place the remains of the furniture pipe between them, tightly pressing them between the fixed corners.
We attach a handle to one of the longitudinal sides for carrying our table. This can be done using self-tapping screws.
We also attach the clips for storing the legs to the bolts. For this purpose, they are provided with mounting holes for the nut. On the side we place several additional clips for storing drawers.
The work table is ready, and now you can try screwing the legs into the corners and securing the drawers to the clips.
Such a work table can be a real help for a craftsman who needs his own workplace on site. You can transport it in any car, and the cost of the parts will not burden the budget of even a novice tinkerer.
