| Project by sjdickey | posted 673 days ago | 535 views | 0 times favorited | 13 comments |  |
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Here is my second project. A changing table for my soon to be first grandchild.
The plan came from a Lowe’s newlsetter this past summer and looked easy enough that a novice like myself could do it. The entire unit is made of Birch Ply and Poplar. Easy enough to get here where our selection of woods is somewhat restricted.
The large open end could have shelves but I left them out in favor of using the space for a mini Fridge. The other end will house a mini-microwave. When I told the woman who lets me live with her the plan she said they were not needed. I told her that the first time a crying baby does not have to come upstairs to be fed at 3:00am they wouldnt seem like such a bad idea anymore. Much to my amazement, I won that argument, frst one in 26 years.
This turned out to be a great learning experience. I learned…
Substituting one type of clamp for another is not neccessarily a good idea unless you make required adjustments.
You can sand plywood far too much relatively quickly.
No matter what stain the woman that lets me live with her chooses…I got the wrong one.
A “standard” changing table mat, in no way resembled the size of the table in the plan (How would I know, buying baby things was her job)
I still count it a success. The drawers work, the fridge and microwave fit, I trashed less than 1/4 sheet of ply and only one 1”x 4” x 8’ in the process. and Most improtantly, It is done and the baby hasnt arrived yet.!
13 comments so far
GaryK
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9528 posts in 883 days
posted 673 days ago
Good job! I could have used one of these.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
cajunpen
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5968 posts in 960 days
posted 673 days ago
Beautiful piece – glad I don’t need one.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
mot
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4903 posts in 931 days
posted 672 days ago
That’s a beautiful piece of work!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
rikkor
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11335 posts in 769 days
posted 672 days ago
Very nice.
Jiri Parkman
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603 posts in 707 days
posted 672 days ago
Nice table.
-- Jiri
Robb
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356 posts in 829 days
posted 672 days ago
Very nice looking changing table, and those were definitely some practical adds you made (re: microwave and fridge). Keep up the good work!
-- Robb
MsDebbieP
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14159 posts in 1055 days
posted 672 days ago
cool design – pretty thoughtful adaptations!!
(Cajumpen – that’s funny!!)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
jockmike2
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7314 posts in 1141 days
posted 672 days ago
Good work, even got side boards for safety, good thinking. Hey it’s been 28 years what do I know. mike
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
DaveLikeGolf
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25 posts in 715 days
posted 672 days ago
I totally understand what you mean about sanding plywood. How much is too much? You quickly find out when you sand right past the nice veneer layer and expose the dreaded interior. I’ve started pre-sanding all my ply before glue-ups incase I sand too far I can replace the piece relatively easily!
-- David, Lakeland, FL - GO BOLTS!!!
CharlieM1958
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7638 posts in 1113 days
posted 672 days ago
Very cool!
Back in the days when I was still changing dirty diapers and still drinking, it would have been nice to have a cold brew ready at the changing table when I needed one. <g> Oh, but I guess you were planning on using it for the baby formula. :-)
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
sjdickey
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64 posts in 693 days
posted 671 days ago
After we no longer need the chnaging table I may convert it to a keg dispenser!
shaun
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360 posts in 800 days
posted 667 days ago
Nice work SJ. Like the fridge & microwave idea, now that’s planning! I feel your pain when it comes to sanding plywood. I was recently making drawer fronts for a router table I’m working on and thought I could sand out what looked like a relatively minor scratch. Turns out I would have been better off with filler. Live and lern.
-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!
Russel
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2058 posts in 834 days
posted 667 days ago
Yeah, the fridge and microwave are great alterations. Nice work. Don’t fret the size of the changing table mat, I found that they come in all different sizes. The fact that it’s done before that baby arrives is a big bonus.
-- Working at Woodworking www.VillageLaneFurniture.com