The Worktable
Work tables are important. so much gets done with them. Over the past ten years or so I’ve come up with several rules that I try to follow when it comes to worktables.
1) Always use good locking castors, Big box stores have them cheap, but more expensive versions will provide better stability.
2)Always make the table the same height as the other tables and sawhorses. This should be determined by the Table Saw.
3)Should include storage for lumber or tools, Don wastes the space under the table.
4) If you can, make the work table larger than 8’-0”x4’-0”. Nothing crazy, but a couple of extra inches will help.
5)Replaceable work surface 1/4” MDF, vinyl, or whiteboard, don’t glue it down.
North Port High School (2017)
1 @ 12’-0”x 4’-1 1/2”
Cleveland Public Theatre (2015)
3 @ 4’-0” x 8’-0”
I borrowed the design for almost all the worktables I’ve ever built from the Cleveland Public Theatre. They have a brilliant shop, and their tables are made of 2 4’ x 8’ platforms that are legged up with the tops facing out. you add casters, some shelving if you want, a 1/4” MDF top, and you have a sturdy work table that will get you through almost anything. If you need it to be a catch table, then you add a ramp hinged to one side and make sure the table is at or slightly below the height of the table saw tabletop. Then adjust all other work surfaces to match the height of your work table(s).
I have built several work tables that have not met the specifications above. The Orange High School work tables were a necessity for the amount of work that we were doing at the time in the theatre, but we did not have the budget to build tables on their own. I was able to use leftover platforms from a show to build two work tables that were each 6’-0” X 4’-0”. I did this because both tables when put together would equal more than 8’-0” of total length, and 6’ is not a stock platform which meant I could avoid the platforms being broken down or usedscenery in a future production. The second table that didn’t meet the previous specifications is the most recent table I built during my time as the Technical Director for the Kenan theatre Company at UNC- Chapel Hill.
Orange High School (2015)
2 @ 6’-0” x 4’-0”
Kenan Theatre Company (2019)
4’-0”x4’-0”
At UNC we did not have a work table. Almost all of our work was done on the ground. After my first semester, I began researching solutions to this issue. there were several saw horses available in the shop upstairs, but I wanted to build something that could be moved around the space and collapse to be put away in minimal space when it wasn’t needed. I found plans online for a folding work table and began work on the project over the holiday break. I was happy with the result, but the table only measured 4’-0” X 4’-0”. In the spring of 2021, we are planning on modifying this design so that the table can become a full 4’-0”x8’-0” work table that can be stored in minimal space.