I decided to build a train table for my twins’ 2 year birthday. It is constructed of 3/4” red oak and 3/4” red oak veneered plywood, using pocket hole construction. HVLP sprayed with 3 coats of pre-catalyzed lacquer (a big thanks to my father-in-law for the HVLP sprayer!). Final size is 37.5”x55.5”x20” tall.

It has two 22” wide, 7” deep drawers on 20” full extension drawer slides. Fortunately I used 100 lb. capacity drawer slides, capable of supporting two 2 year olds and a few construction blocks (see last photo). At first I thought I was over-engineering it, until I watched them jump up and down on the top and I was confident it would hold strong. I’m sure they will be able to enjoy it for years to come.

This is my most challenging and rewarding woodworking project to date. I really needed an outfeed table, and it needed to have a lot of storage. This is the design I came up with after doing a lot of research and reviews of other similar projects. I took a lot of inspiration from Mark S. (The Wood Whisperer).

Here is a list of the basic elements of the design:

- 2×4 base on hidden casters with Heavy Duty Levelers (Once the levelers are lowered the casters come up off the ground)
- 3” Torsion Box Top from 3/4” MDF with 1/2” MDF internal grid structure (Photo 4)
- 3/4” Plywood cabinets and drawers with full extension slides
- Compressor storage cabinet with internal air line and switch (Photo 5)
- Clearance for contractor saw motor when raised full height and at 45 degrees (Photo 6)
- MDF Cabinet doors and drawer fronts, painted similar to Delta blue/gray

I am excited to be done with this project, and I am ready to move onto the next one.