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Building a Shop Table Page 2
Construction notes: The wooden legs use the "angle iron" principal for stiffness. They are so strong that I think the table would hold a car. Of course I can't lift one up there to test the theory, so I guess it's safe thinking that. The large glue joint surface area makes the assembly super strong and self-aligning. Start with the bottom stringers, remember to add the shelf before you get too far along, and then add the top stringers.
Once the assembly is finished minus the top, go ahead and round over all the edges and sand away the sharp edges. I painted the frame with a coat of polyurethane before the top was added to make that part easier. Once the top is added there was no way I could roll the table over to work on it.
Five inch diameter casters were used for maneuverability. I would urge you to not use any smaller size wheels on a large table as smaller wheels are much harder to roll around. The two swivel casters have locks on them. The other two are just straight casters.
The first layer of MDF was glued and nailed directly to the frame with 2" nails. The second layer was then laminated in place. The edges were trimmed with a straight edge after the glue dried. The finished top overhangs the base three inches all the way around. A replaceable top layer of 1/4 masonite was used for a work surface. On the sides and back of the top an edge of 1/2" oak plywood was nailed so that if formed an edge to keep small parts from rolling off. You may or may not want this feature, depending on what kind of work you do the most.
This super simple table has become one of the most used shop projects I have built so far. So far I can't think of anything I would change if I were to make it over. Some fellow woodworkers have asked to visit my shop, and we are having a get-together on Oct 20. Come on over if you don't live too far away from north Florida. Details and directions will be announced a couple of weeks ahead of time.