# Craft table for my kids



## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

My wife and I were really intrigued by this kids craft table and after realizing that with shipping to Denver it was going to cost us nearly $250, I decided to try to design a similar table that I could build for them.

I have a SU model at home that I'll post this evening showing my current plan. I'm trying to suss out what to use for the table's top (3/4 birch plywood?) and for the end cabinet and leg (birch 2×2s and doweling to support the storage cubbies?). I'm also considering making the tabletop rectangular and putting storage at both ends. The pull-out drying rack isn't something I think my kids will use so I'm dropping that from the plans.

Any thoughts from more-experienced project builders would be very welcome. I'd like to start construction within the next week or two to have it done by Christmas. I know this isn't exactly fine woodworking and the final table will probably be painted & given a polyurethane topcoat rather than finished, but it has the potential to be a skill builder for me, as I'm still pretty new to woodworking.

Thanks!


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

Why not use MDF for the top? You can "veneer" or paint the MDF.


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

The tabletop will be about 47" x 32". Is 3/4 MDF right or would 1/2" work just as well at that size?


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

Here are two views of the plan I'm starting with:


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https://flic.kr/p/3008526885


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https://flic.kr/p/3008526851

Assuming I got the image embedding thing right….


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## Icemizer (Sep 16, 2008)

MDF with a laminate top. I would avoid the wood and poly with a childs work station. Its going to get a lot of abuse and poly is notoriosly hard to repair. If the laminate gets damaged you can just glue another one on top and you have a brand new work surface. I might also add a small lip to the top to contain any spilled liquids, paint, water, pop, juice that are bound to occur.


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

Pardon the newbie question, but would melamine qualify as MDF with a laminate top? Or are you thinking of building it with MDF and applying a laminate myself?


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

Could the whole thing be constructed from melamine/MDF? The more I've thought about this the more I'm convinced that using 2×2s to construct the supports is probably overkill, but I'm not sure if just using strips of melamine/MDF would be sufficient to build a frame that would support each end of the melamine/MDF table top.


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## bayspt (Apr 4, 2008)

I would go MDF too. "melamine" would be good if it was on MDF not particle board. Whatever you laminate make sure to do all sides to keep the MDF stable. Only do one side and the other side can absorb more moisture, causing it to bow. Not sure if MDF is covered but here is a Sag-u-lator that will determine if with normal load the shelf (since that's how I see this) will sag. If you decide to paint (which I would its an easy to fix finish) what about a square of chalkboard paint in the middle? Just my .02.


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## Icemizer (Sep 16, 2008)

2×2 is probably not over kill. You never know when someones little feet will be on top of the table and you dont want it crashing to the ground. Always better to over engineer. In fact if you do go with the mdf I would cross brace the bottom for extra support. No sense taking chances with the little ones.


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## RichardB (Nov 5, 2008)

I'd have to agree with Icemizer. There's no way to predict what or who will get stacked on that table in the future. Children's furniture should be built such that a pallet of bricks can be set upon it. In hindsight, it's a minor miracle that me, my friends, my brother, and my cousins didn't all perish in some freak accident.

Like several others, I thought of melamine for the top, too. There's edging that is T-shaped (The leg fits in a groove cut in the edge) and might form a good spill containment system. That would also allow you to re-surface it easier later, after the kid graduates to wood-carving or leatherwork, or something else that leads to massive gouges. Or if you just want to freshen-up Mommy's old play table for the grandkids in a couple decades.


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

Okay, so I've started constructing this project and I've got a quick question.

So far, I've built two frames out of 2×2s, each of which will become a storage unit at each end of the table. To make it possible for two kids to sit at either side, I've decided to lengthen the space between the two so that from outside edge of one box to the outside edge of the other will be 62", so the table top will be between 64 and 68", depending on how much "lip" I decide to give it.

I'm thinking of using two 2×2s to span the 62" and give the tabletop some additional support. I thought of using half-lap joints to "seat" the long boards into the tops of the cabinets so that no additional height is added by these boards. (I think this is what Icemizer meant by cross-bracing the top).

Does that make sense?

Thanks!


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## romansfivefive (Jan 26, 2008)

Hi bret

My wife used to run a daycare out of our home. I made something very similar to what you have there. I bought a bank of drawers from a cabinet liquidator and placed a piece of island countertop for the top. I used two screw in legs for the other side. The whole thing cost me 100 bucks. The counter top surface was so easy to clean and very durable and the drawers kept things so much tidier than buckets. It was tall, but the kids used it standing up.


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## Bret (Oct 31, 2008)

Wish I had thought of that before I started!

I like the countertop idea-I'll have to see if I can get something the size I want at a reasonable cost….


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