A folding table is a useful attribute for the home. It can save space, be useful in everyday life and be a beautiful addition to your interior. The functionality of folding tables allows them to be used not only inside a house or apartment, but also outside - on a terrace or balcony, in a gazebo and in a garden. There are many variations in furniture stores with complex mechanisms, materials and designs to suit every taste. It may not be easy to replicate a complex model from a store on your own. But working on your own table will allow you to get away from mass models available to everyone and make an absolutely unique and inimitable copy.
You definitely won’t find such a table when visiting your friends. You also don’t have to worry about the wrong size or the wrong shade of oak - everything is in your hands and depends only on tastes and preferences.
A photo of a do-it-yourself folding table is often found on specialized forums on furniture assembly. Inspiring selections of interior design solutions can also make you think about a folding table.
Attention: To avoid mistakes and mistakes, you should make accurate calculations and follow the step-by-step instructions.
Brief overview of the article
What to choose?
DIY folding table ideas are endless. There are a lot of variations on the theme of the folding design, choose the one you need:
- Table and bench;
- Table with folding mechanism when turning;
- Popular table-book;
- Folding coffee table;
- A table combined with shelving for a children's room, office or utility room.
Folding wooden table for balcony
Sometimes on the balcony of a high-rise building you want to drink a cup of aromatic coffee or read a newspaper. But limited space does not allow you to relax in comfort. What do we do in this case? A folding table on the balcony with a folding tabletop will be appropriate in any interior.
Let's prepare a standard set of tools:
- Jigsaw,
- Drill,
- Screwdriver,
- Pencil,
- Roulette,
- Level and marking tools.
Our table will be semicircular with a wooden tabletop no more than 3 cm. The canvas is marked on a piece of wood and cut out with a jigsaw.
- At the second stage, power parts are manufactured.
- For reliable support when open, a swivel leg is cut out. It is hinged to a vertical base.
- In turn, the base is attached to the wall with self-tapping screws.
- A vertical strip is fixed to the wall on top of the base. The tabletop is also attached to it using hinges.
The wood should be completely sanded and polished using sandpaper and special attachments for an electric drill. Cover with antiseptic and varnish.
Why do you need a folding table?
On the one hand, a folding table is unnecessary problems. On the other hand, it’s a great chance to save space and make the room more functional.
The advantage of a DIY folding table is its financial attractiveness. Such a table will be cheaper than factory analogues, and will serve no less than tables made by professionals.
How to make a cooling system
For most modern technology, it is necessary to purchase additional equipment. For example, laptops often require an auxiliary cooling system. This is especially true for digital equipment that is used quite often.
To build cooling yourself, you will need an old computer or a couple of coolers from the system unit. Based on old units, you can build an effective cooling system that will run from a USB cable.
The cooler can also be installed in the table itself. Installation is carried out from the reverse side of the tabletop. Air will flow to the bottom of the laptop case through a specially prepared hole of a certain diameter. This design can be used both on the bed and in any other place.
To do this you will need to make markings for the cooler. The hole should be aligned with the laptop's ventilation grille. If you use 2 coolers, you should visually divide the tabletop into 2 sections and cut out one hole in each. The cut areas are carefully sanded and also treated with a protective compound. To install the cooler, you can use small self-tapping screws.
Advantages of a folding table according to your own design
Working on a table with your own hands will allow you to acquire a number of positive qualities:
A unique table is inimitable and not replicated to the masses; it is not furniture from popular brands found in every second apartment;
Thoughtful design - the choice of additional drawers, the type of legs, the color of the product, the texture of the material - everything is selected specifically for your room design project;
Decorating is a paradise for craftswomen. You can age such a table, give it spectacular scuffs and roughness, you can make a table using the decoupage technique - it all depends on your imagination and sense of style.
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Quality - the choice of a folding mechanism and control of work at all stages - is a guarantee of long service life of the table.
Commonly used materials
The assembled product must be of high quality, namely: strong, lightweight, aesthetically attractive and durable. Therefore, the material must be selected appropriately so that it can be easily processed and be resistant to moisture and biological destruction.
Folding tables are most often made from the following material:
- tree;
- plywood;
- MDF;
- chipboard;
- Chipboard.
Although wooden tables are beautiful in appearance, they are not suitable for easy transportation. It is better to use less heavy options, preferably plywood or chipboard. If they are assembled with high quality, they will serve you for more than one season.
Metal may be needed to create individual parts. Basically, legs are made from it, making the structure more stable, reliable and strong.
It is better to make the tabletop from the above materials so that the table has an attractive appearance.
Cons of a DIY table
After reading the pros, it seems that nothing could be better than such a solution, however, it is worth remembering the disadvantages of a table made by yourself:
- Time spent – shopping can take little time, the choice online is even smaller. Assembling your own table can take quite a lot of time, especially if you have no previous experience of such work. In addition, something may not work out the first time, and this work will have to be redone.
- If there are technological errors, the table may break.
Finishing
In order for a wooden surface to serve for a long time, it must be well treated. The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- All structural parts are well processed with sandpaper.
- Cover the structure with a primer that will prevent the wood from rotting.
- To make the table look presentable, saturate all the details with stain of the desired color.
- After drying, you can apply furniture varnish in 2 layers.
Clue. If there is no varnish or stain, then you can soak it in drying oil and paint it with wood paint of any shade.
Tools and materials
What is needed to make a folding table? Before starting work, check the availability of the necessary tools and buy everything you need for the job:
- Fastenings (depending on the table material and assembly method). Common fastenings are self-tapping screws, furniture locks, and aluminum corners.
- For the legs, you can use 4 metal pipes or 4 wooden balusters, depending on your idea. The diameter of each should be about seven hundred millimeters.
- Glue for working on wood or plastic - depending on the material.
- Use a jigsaw to cut sheets of compressed wood.
- Screwdriver.
- Drill with drill bits about 4.2 millimeters.
Wooden desk
A distinctive feature of this model is the simplicity and reliability of the design. First you need to make a drawing of a folding table. It is better to make the tabletop from wood, which after completion of the work is covered with two layers of varnish.
The cuts of the workpieces are covered with a special edging tape. The foot supports and bars for the legs are rounded with a jigsaw. You can also use another method - cut off a right angle and process it with a grinder. To fasten the workpieces, you will need bolts 35 mm long.
When all the parts are ready, you can begin pre-assembly. At the initial stage, the legs and supports are attached to each other. Next, markings for fastenings are drawn on the tabletop.
All parts must be numbered. Then the table is disassembled, the irregularities are sanded and painted over with varnish in several layers. When the parts are dry, the table is ready for final assembly.
Step-by-step instruction
Despite the various design solutions and variations, the list of actions will be approximately the same everywhere, so step-by-step instructions for a folding table will look something like this:
- We collect all the necessary components of the future folding table: legs, tabletop, folding mechanism;
- Select a drawing. It’s easy to choose do-it-yourself drawings of a folding table on specialized websites about repair and design;
- We cut the material for the future table ourselves or in a furniture workshop according to the drawings;
- The frame is assembled;
- For beautiful and invisible joints we use a heat gun.
Car table
On numerous websites you can find a lot of folding models, but all of them, as a rule, are made of plastic and are not stable.
In the proposed description you can find out how to make a folding table for a car with a steering wheel mount. It can be used for a snack, reading, as a stand, for a tablet or laptop.
For safety, you can make a hole under the glass so that it does not accidentally tip over. First, a basic drawing with dimensions is created.
Main assembly steps:
- a piece of plywood is cut out based on the drawing data;
- the necessary markings are made;
- using a jigsaw, a tabletop part is cut out;
- The edges of the workpiece are processed using a grinding machine;
- attaching special brackets to hold the table on the steering wheel;
- painting the product with varnish or treating with mineral oil.
How to calculate a bench table?
For a beautiful and harmonious table as a result, you need to adhere to simple calculations:
- The thickness of the tabletop should vary between 20 and 30 millimeters.
- The length of the tabletop should be proportionate to the height.
- The legs must be able to support the tabletop and the dishes on it.
- For reliability, we use zip ties.
When starting to create your own dream folding table, remember the precautions and safety precautions. Perform complex work outdoors or in a free, well-ventilated area.
Choose beautiful colors and stylish decor for your future table according to the overall style of the room. Do not forget that such a table is easy to use in a country house and is especially easy to transport and move.
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Choose a table for your balcony or terrace. Design the book-table as a decorative console if you do not plan to use it every day and create it only for receiving guests on holidays.
Implementation of a transforming structure
To do it yourself, most often they use pine boards about ninety centimeters long with a width of fifteen and twenty-five millimeters in thickness.
In order to have a small supply, they are prepared in quantities of twenty pieces. Fifty self-tapping elements will be required, and the bolts must be at least five centimeters long.
A drawing of a suitable model can always be borrowed from the Internet. Here you can clearly see the image of all the necessary parts with dimensions. All that remains is to assemble the table correctly according to the diagram and use it for its intended purpose.
Photos of folding tables with your own hands
Recommendations for the design of ready-made tables
To ensure that your creation is not only functional and reliable, but also attractive, you can follow some tips. They will help to put a stamp of individuality and style on your table:
After cutting the tabletop, it is recommended to process it on all sides. If you lose sight of this detail, the edges may lose their original appearance after some time.
If you adhere to minimalism in design decisions, then simply coat the table with varnish to ensure the shine and smoothness of the tabletop. At the same time, you will protect the product from negative external influences.
Combine models, bring in your ideas, add details - your imagination will allow you to create the perfect table! Your hands are capable of creating masterpieces!
Benefits of DIY
Ready-made designs of tables for laptops are durable and reliable. The devices are easy to use and have a long service life. However, there is one drawback - the high price. Quality products are too expensive.
A rational solution would be to make your own laptop table using a ready-made diagram. Several advantages of this approach should be highlighted:
- Budget savings. Thanks to the competent selection of inexpensive materials, you can significantly save on the design and assembly of the table.
- Exclusivity of design. Each laptop owner can choose the type and design of the product.
- Ideal size ratio. Having the drawings, you can choose the optimal size of the structure, which will be convenient to use in any conditions.
- Ease of execution. Despite the presence of elementary mechanisms and specific structure, any type of laptop table can be built in a short period of time. Even an unprepared person can handle the installation.
The only condition is attention to detail. You should correctly calculate the dimensions of the product and adhere to the exact dimensions.
Ease of execution
Budget savings
Exclusivity of design
