RSS feed for comments on this post.Oh the joy of a new worktable. The aroma of fresh cut wood and a clean canvas just waiting for that first bolt of fabric.  A new work table can make a workroom pro swoon and the novice green with envy. Many a workroom started out on a dining room table, pool table, ping-pong table or the floor (ouch!).  Using a good worktable will make your measurements more accurate and your work more efficient.  If you are working on a make-do table, do yourself a favor (and your back) and invest in the time and materials to create a professional style worktable.  You will be glad you did over and over and over again. Window treatment construction is hard and messy work.  Scissors, glues, markers, fabric dyes and spills can turn the beautiful canvas into a soiled, sad mess.  One of the most common questions we hear is "do you have instructions for building a worktable"?  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause.  Not only are we going to provide printable instructions but we will present a live, photo-filled, interactive and fun online seminar complete with a construction list so that you can build a worktable of your very own.

The start of a worktable. Build two frames for the table top and bottom shelf. The frame is connected with legs.  This is a small sized table at 6' long.  Make the table as long as is possible for your room.  Most workroom use a 10' or 12' finished length which will need legs in the center as well.  The height is customized for the user.  Make it too low and you will have a back ache but make it too high and you will not be able to reach the center.  Choose a height that is near the hip. Add 3/4" thick plywood for the table top. A layer of work table under-layment creates a pinnable surface which is then topped with padding and canvas for ironing. Constructing a Professional Workroom Table Click here to register.The requested URL /index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2 was not found on this server.I have been squirreled away down in my basement for several days, opening up boxes, purging junk, and finding new homes for all my craft/sewing stuff.  I haven’t been able to find my interfacing for weeks, or my white felt, or ugggh…..my serger thread. 

So, I finally forced myself to actually open up and clean out the 11 or so boxes that were just sitting in my craft room.  They had all been opened and I was able to find a few things as I needed them………but I’ve felt suffocated in my craft room since we moved into our new home (well, rental home), 3 months ago. However, YAY, it’s all cleaned out. But something that I didn’t have…..but really wanted, was a craft table.  No, not just a regular ol’ table to sit at.  I wanted something tall that I could walk around and not hunch over while cutting/gluing/designing.  And I wanted some storage.  And a white surface.  Oh, and by the way, I didn’t want to have to spend very much.  So, I looked online.  What I found (that filled all those requirements) was going to cost me between $500-$800.  Yeah, not in the budget.  However, I was willing to spend a little bit to make it work. So, I bought 2 cube shelves, a plain table top, and some legs.  And lucky me, they all fit together (almost) perfectly!!!! 

(The table top is about 1/4 inch wider than the shelves…..but you can’t even tell.) And now I have my own little makeshift Craft Table. **The finished table ends up measuring about 38 inches tall and the table top space measures about 31 x 47 inches.Roman Bath Shower Screens It’s nice to have a tall/large place to cut fabric on, spread patterns out, or make paper crafts, etc.Cedar Hot Tubs Prices I can either walk around it while working on things, or pull up my counter height stool and have a seat.  Raw Vibes T Shirt **In case you’re wondering, I bought the chair here, and just re-covered the seat with a punch of yellow fabric.  It’s the perfect height for my 38 inch high craft table.  Also, the baskets are from Ikea (I couldn’t find them online though).

Want to know the price?  And where I got all the parts to my new craft table?  Considering I could only find something similar for about 3 times that total price.Here’s the tabletop, the shelves, and the legs.  The baskets are from Ikea too….but not online.  And remember, the legs are optional……and only necessary if you wanted to add a little height to the table. ***The link for the tabletop says $80 but that includes the frame. I’m pretty sure I paid $50 for the table top without the frame….but they don’t list that option online.  But you can for sure buy it separately at the store.  Also, the legs come in size 4 inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch.  I purchased 6 inch and they’re perfect. HOWEVER, if you don’t have an Ikea nearby……here’s something similar you could buy at Home Depot…..(or another home improvement type store in your area). How about purchasing 2 of these cube storage shelves ($45 each) and this hollow door ($37).  And then just spray paint the door white if you want everything white. 

By the way, this door is 36 inches wide and so are the shelves.  However, the door is 80 inches tall so your table will be bigger then the one I made above……but if you have more room for a larger table, this would be great.  Oh, and the table would end up being 37 inches tall…..so you wouldn’t need legs in case you were wanting them. Okay, first of all, remember, I’m 5’11”.  So I wanted my Craft Table extra tall….so I screwed some legs right into the bottom.  And that added another 6 inches.  But you shorty-pants can leave them off if you need to.  (And I only say “shorty pants” out of love…..because sometime I wish I could whack a good 6 inches off my height! ;) ) I also spray painted some baskets and slid those into each of those slots……but you could also do without and stack fabric in those slots, line up threads, pile up scrapbook paper, etc.  OR, you could make your very own fabric baskets, using the tutorial here. Oh, and because we tend to move around (yeah, we’re still renting), I didn’t want to glue the table top on and then not be able to get this sucker apart and move it wherever we go from here.