19- Assembly Table Base
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This video covers the construction of our assembly table base. I review every detail from cutting the sheetgoods to installing door and drawer hardware. If you like what you see and you are inspired to build your very own assembly table, check out our downloadable plans. A Sketchup file of this project is available here. Thanks to Chris Williams for creating the file for us.
This series is now available on DVD. Purchase your copy today!
And here are a few links to products featured in the assembly table episodes:
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Concealed Hinge JIG IT® System As seen in The Wood Whisperer Video Podcast! Drill concealed hinge cup holes with ease and accuracy. Easily locate, center and drill cup holes on cabinet doors for fully concealed hinges. |
Assembly Square for squaring the frame while the glue dries.
Self-Centering Bits for accurate pre-drilling of screw holes.
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Hey! Looks good! I really enjoy your videos! Quick question, I’m always blowing out brads when nailing into or out of ply. How do you select your nail length as you put your subassmbly together?
Marc,
Nice project and very timely for a project I’m doing. I’m working what’s basically a base cabinet for my Jet mini lathe. Overall size is 36″ inches tall, 27″ wide and 25″ deep. It has 4 drawers with full extension slides like you have. This will be a tri-use cabinet, main usage is for the lathe, 2nd usage is for table saw extension but now that I’ve seen this video, I can also use if for assembly of small projects like jewelry boxes and small hope chests. I’ve been thinking about how I was going to finish the top and your designs with both the sacrifice surface and polyurethane will do the trick for me. The oak trim with walnut plugs are also another design feature I’ll use. One thing I did add into my design is a fold up extension side as I work in a 2 car garage and have to keep things mobile and able to be stowed away. Thanks for all the tips and hints. Keep up the good work.
Hey Mark – great video. I’m interested about how you would fit a new piece of hardboard when the time comes. The original piece was easy to get a perfect fit, as you used a flush trim bit. However, because the hardwood sides are glued on, that technique will not work next time. Are there any easy ways to do this? Otherwise, I was thinking of building this with the sides just screwed on, so they can be removed at a later time and so allow any new piece to be flush trimmed again. Friction fit plugs to cover the screws would let me get to protected screw heads. Can you see any problems with leaving out the glue?
Marc, one thing I don’t see in the drawings and didn’t notice in the videos is how you attach the top to the base. I can see it sits on top of the stretchers, which leaves space between the bottom of the top and the case (except where it contacts the stretchers) but not the fastening method.
Thanks.
Thanks for the great video and tips!
BasementDweller:
Usually for ply I use 1 1/4″ nails. Thats pretty standard for 3/4″ ply. The best way to make sure you dont have blow out is to check and double check your gun alignment. If the gun is perfectly perpindicular, the brad should fire straight.
Bob: You should post pics of your project in our Flickr gallery. I would love to see it.
Ross: The only problem I can see with your idea is the fact that MDF is not the best material to drive a screw in and out of multiple times. So after a few top replacements, the screws probably wont hold anymore. Refitting a new top really wouldnt be too difficult. Just measure and cut. Any areas that are tight can be relieved with a block plane.
Bob:
Yeah I guess we forgot to mention that. lol. I just drove a few screws through the stretchers into the bottom of the torsion box. With a top as heavy as that, you dont need a whole lot of holding power. So 4 screws in each corner did the trick. As for the resulting gaps, thats where your wires and hoses run for your accessories on the sides.
Hello,
maybe a silly question: the base need as well to be shimmed to keep the torsion box dead-flat?
and thanks for the nice videos!!
-Ron
Marc,
Probably in grandmother, sucking and eggs territory here, but did you level the base units to the same degree that you did when constructing the top? I can’t help feeling that the top will mould itself to the base over time (MDF does creep after all), so if the base isn’t dead flat, then eventually neither will your wonderful torsion box be.
Well, I cant pretend to know for sure whether or not a torsion box would sag over time. Lets put it this way. Once I place the top on the base, if there is an serious discrepancy I would certainly shim it. I may have just lucked out in that mine was laying pretty much flat at all screw points. So I suppose if you have large gaps, it would be worth the time to shim it. Not to mention, if you have large gaps, you will also have issues installing doors and drawers.
Hi Ross & Marc,
I’m just considering the same issue. I’m not 100% sure of my block-planing skills…
I’m thinking that the hardboard top’s corners and edges are probably pretty safe from dings, due to the hardwood edging.
So when it comes time to replace the top, if its edges look clean, you could unscrew the old top, cut a new top slightly oversize, screw the new one right onto the old top (on the floor or some old ply), and then run your flush trim bit around it, using the old piece as the template? (Then use the same holes in the new piece to screw it onto your assembly table)
Just a thought…
-John
The mark of someone who knows what they are doing is the ease in which they make the project seem. This you do in spades! Thanks for taking the time to do this website and more specifically this project. As a beginning woodworker, it’s the efforts of folks like yourself that don’t mind sharing the “secrets” that make the learning curve go that much faster. Thanks again.
Tim
I may be in left field on this, but in reference to Ross’s question about fitting a new top..It seems the you could again cut the new top slightly oversized and flush trim to the old top for a perfect fit.
Wondering if it is possible to put the entire table on wheels to make it mobile, but keep the flatness. Thinking of future construction where having an area the size of the table dedicated only for assembly could lead to space issues. Probably wouldn’t have as much machinery, etc in it as yours, but would still like to have drawer and cabinet space in the carcass.
I see no major problems with wheels. Just make sure they can handle the weight.
Good luck!
Hi Marc,
The torsion box assembly table looks like an excellent project, and I’m probably going to tackle it this weekend. A question on the box though…as you make the grid work, you place all the short pieces in a straight line through the length of the carcass, requiring kind of toenailing brads into the ends of each small peice. Would it significantly reduce the strength of the box to stagger the pieces, so you could nail directly into the ends of each small piece? That way, the grid would look more like brick work with the joints staggered, instead of the joints all being in columns?
Hey Dave. I think that would be fine. In fact, I think someone else raised this question when the video was originally released. Keeping them lined up was the way I learned it, but I cant see any reason NOT to stagger them a bit. And the nailing would be sooooo much easier. So go for it dude.
Great video, great information. You put a 1/4″ dado in the drawers and used 1/2″ plywood for the bottom. Did you rabbet the drawers bottoms also?
Hey Dave. I actually made a 1/4″ deep dado, not 1/4″ wide. The dados were cut a full 1/2″ wide to accommodate the 1/2″ thick bottoms. Does that make more sense now?
Yep. Very good. Been watching the dovetail video. Reminds me of the days in my shop. Measure twice, cut once, go back to the store and get some more wood! lol
Yes – hope to make less trips to the store as I get more experienced
Hi Mark. I’m moving into a new house, with a big garage (yay!), and am busy planning my new shop layout. I have been planning on one of these tables since I first say the video a few weeks back. I finally been putting pen to paper (well actually mouse to sketchup) to sort out my design, and this exercise has raised a couple of questions. I’d appreciate any feedback.
1) Height. I started out planning on 36″ to match the other surfaces in the shop, and so the table could do double duty as a table saw outfeed. I see your’s is a few inches lower. After thinking about it, I see the benefit in having it a bit lower, for the intended purpose of assembly. My question is – what factors went in to your 32 5/8″ height decision.
2) Overhangs. I see also from the dimensioned drawings that you have roughly a 5″ overhang over the cabinet on all sides. That seems like a lot, particularly over the upper drawers (restricted access). I’m thinking that the payoff is that its easier to work right next to the table without bumping your knees, but again, am interested in the thought process that went into that deciding that dimension. In my case, I’m considering having drawers come out the short sides of the table, with a more typical kitchen counter overhang of
Hey Deryk. I basically wanted the table to be somewhere around 32″. The math probably just worked out to be 32 5/8″. For an assembly table, I can live with a wide range of heights. Since I use mine for more than just assembly, I like it a little high. Lots of folks who purely use the table for assembly of large pieces would want it to be a bit lower. To me, 30-34″ is a comfortable range for sitting at with a stool.
I have two reasons for the 5″ overhang. First is as you mentioned, knee space. I like to use my stool at the table. The second reason is for clamping. I will frequently clamp something to the table and that extra 5″ allows me to clamp further into the table. Basically just gives me more reach with my wide mouth clamps. But thats all personal taste and personal work habits.
Hope that helps.
Hi Marc,
I should have looked at this comment section before asking my earlier question sent directly to your Contact site. I find the base assembly video an outstanding primer on building cabinets. I am and intermediate woodworker with solid wood but have not done much with plywood. This video gives me the confidence to tackle some projects I have procrastinated to build while deciding on how to connect the pieces together.
Wonderful stuff, great site.
Great video and terrific project. This is an excellent primer in basic cabinet making. I really appreciate all the tips for drawer spacing, guide alignment, etc. Very well done!
Marc,
I am a little late to this but…
Now that you have lived with this table a bit are there any changes you would make? What about slides for the top drawer that are over-pull or whatever they call those (over-extension?) so it extends out more from under the table top? If those need to be longer than the drawer depth they could be staggered vertically with those for the opposite side.
Thanks.
I am pretty happy with every aspect of the design. The overhang doesn’t really present a problem for me. If you need the drawers to come out further, you would definitely have to come up with some sort of staggered organization like you mentioned. There was some space between the two sets of drawers in my table so I could have given them a few inches extra if needed. But again, this setup works just fine for me.
Marc,
My wife and I are starting to build my very own assembly table from your design for my shop/garage. I have one question though at least for now. In your podcast, you did not discuss how you attached the torsion box top to the assembly table base. I see the overhang on the plans, but how did you attach the top?
Thanks,
Mike Kapotsy
Just a few screws through the stretchers and up into the top Mike. If you are building this project, you might want to read this entire comments section when you have a chance. We covered that topic and a bunch of others that might help you out along the way. Good luck with the project.
Marc,
I started on the assembly table this past weekend. It’s been a challenge but I am working through it. I did read through all comments and many of them were helpful. The biggest mistake I’ve made so far is with the dadoes on the partitions. Apparently I missed your comment on how critical this step was and how I should dummy proof it. Somehow I ended up cutting a dado along the bottom edge instead of 3″ up for the bottom shelf. I tend to get in a hurry and when I do that I pay the consequences. I just flipped the partitions over and now I have a dado along the top edge of 3 partitions. I just modifed my stretcher dadoes to accomodate for the mistake which worked fine. I also modifed the design slightly on the end where the air compressor will go. I have an air compressor very similar ot yours. I see your top shelf was only 4 ” from the top judging from the picture. I wanted to have a taller shelf on the back behind the compressor so what I did was cut the top shelf into 2 pieces. I installed a 12″ deep shelf for the back side of the cabinet approximately 12″ up from the bottom shelf and a 26″ deep shelf above the air compressor. I’ve got the base assembly put together and it’s all pretty well dead level. My next step is to start on cutting out the drawer pieces and cabinet doors based on the cabinet dimensions I have from my assembled base. After assembly I have a 20 1/8″ opening for my drawers which will make my drawers 19 1/8″ wide. I am saving my torsion box for last due to lack of space in my shop.
I think this assembly table will be a very welcome addition to my shop. I’ve had to assemble many projects on the floor which is not good for my back nor is it a completely level work surface. The table will resolve those two issues as well as give my plenty of extra storage space which is a welcome bonus! I plan on sending before and after photos of my shop once I have the assembly table completed.
By the way, I have been in the market for a new sliding chop saw for some time. I’ve had my father’s DeWalt 12″ compound mider which is great but sometimes I need a deeper cut capacity than my saw provides. I had looked at several different saws and was leaning toward the Hitachi 12″ model with the LED display. After reading your review of the Makita and several others reviews as well, I decided to go with the Makita. I hadn’t even seen that model when I was looking. I picked it up on sale which saved me $200 from what the Hitachi model sells for!
Mike Kapotsy
Marc,
I began cutting out my drawer pieces last night. My opening as I stated earlier was 20 1/8″ wide by 24 3/4″ high. While a tad bit wider that yours (not sure how that happened), the height was the same. I had planned to lay out my drawers the same depth as yours and I noticed the plans show different depths. In the podcast you showed your drawers at 4″, 5″, 6 1/2″, and 8″ depth with 1/4″ spaces top and bottom of each drawer adding up to the full 24 3/4″. The PDF plans call for 1/4″ less on all depths (i.e. 3 3/4″, 4 3/4″, 6 1/4″, and 7 3/4″ which adds to 23 3/4″). I didn’t know if you were aware of this or not. I ended up making some minor changes on mine because I decided I wanted the two bottom drawers to be a tad bit deeper (1/4″ each) so I took it out of the top two drawers. Also on the dado rabbets you showed cutting a dado 1/2″ deep on the drawer fronts and backs but the plans call for 1/4″ deep dados. I think the 1/2″ deep dado would make for a stronger joint.
Thanks again for sharing these plans. I cannot wait to complete the project!
Mike Kapotsy
Hi Marc,
I ordered a 35mm carbide forstner bit (# 46532) from the Rockler link above, but it has a short shank that will not work with the Jig It system. I see now that the “more info” tab on the Jig It system clearly states that long shank bits are required, so I should have read all of that before I started.
Here is a link to the long shank forstner bits that work with the Jig It:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406
I’ll send photos of my assembly table/torsion box when I finish. I still have to put on the doors and their handles as well as finish the trim on the torsion box. As a new woodworker, this has been a challenging project, but I’ve learned a lot along the way.
Thanks,
Jessie
Hey Jessie. That really sucks. Im sorry about that. I looked at the links and it seems that Rockler now has the long shank links on the same page as the Jig It system itself. I posted this a long time ago so I cant know for sure, but Im assuming that’s why I put a second link up for the bits. Had they all appeared on one page, I would not have needed the second link. Its fixed now. But thank you for bringing it to my attention. Please DO send photos. I would love to see how it came out!
Hey Marc, I know I’m really late on this, but I just came across your site recently and have learned a ton. I’m planning to build a table with a base based on your design. I’ll need to put wheels on mine and was wondering how you would suggest doing that. I was thinking of getting rid of the toe kick and using a solid piece of ply on the bottom, but I’m worried that it will sag in the middle. Any advice?
Hey Bryce. Welcome to the site. I would say you are on the right track. The whole unit would indeed need a bottom to support the vertical partitions.
I would also recommend adding some dividers in the middle of the stand that would essentially separate the two sides. This will help the frame resist racking, which will surely happen if you push that thing around.
Those two changes should be all you really need to do to get this sucker mobile. Just make sure you use high quality casters and maybe consider putting a wheel in the center as well.
A comment and some (sort of) related questions:
THE COMMENT
As you noted in your post on June 2, since the base doesn’t have a face frame or a back, it seems like it might have a tendency to rack from side to side, especially if you put it on wheels and wound up pushing it around a lot. Although I suppose the toe kicks in your design help a tiny bit in the regard, I wonder if it might also be a good idea to add dividers as you suggested to prevent racking, or perhaps some corner blocks, even on a stationary version.
QUESTION 1
Aesthetics aside, I wonder if you could give your opinion on using particle board or the base instead of plywood. Also, how about MDF?
QUESTION 2
Assuming that particle board is an option, how do you specify the “good stuff”, and where can you buy it? The particle board I have seen lately in the local (Phoenix) BORGs has been marked “underlayment”, and doesn’t seem as dense or as strong as some particle board that I have seen in the past.
QUESTION 3
In general, do carbide router bits and saw blades dull faster when used on particle board and/or MDF than on real wood? When you go to make a million little MDF pieces for a torsion box, do you switch to a junker blade in your saw in order to save your better blades from premature destruction?
Hey Russ. I can say that after over a year of use, the cabinet shows absolutely no sign of racking. Now of course, I don’t move it around. But in general, a torsion box is best kept station when possible anyway.
Particle board and MDF would certainly work for the base, but you would confront the same issue you are likely to find when you use those products for any cabinet. Most folks don’t like them because of their inability to hold a screw very well and their susceptibility to water damage. But, if that was the material you had access to, there is no reason why you couldn’t use it.
As far as particle board goes, I can’t tell you much about it. Honestly, I never use the stuff. If I were looking for the best quality particle board I could find, I would skip Home Depot and go to a hardwood supplier like Spellman.
Interesting question. I can’t tell you from personal experience whether or not this is true, but that is what I’ve heard. I wonder if someone with a bunch of MDF experience will chime in. But I can tell you that the times I’ve worked with MDF, I use all the same blades. Usually because I still want good results, regardless of the materials I am using.
Marc – I like the design of the cabinet. My question is about the compartment for the air compressor. I have seen other designs that allow for air holes or ventilation holes for the compressor. Your’s doesn’t. Do you anticipate adding some vents – maybe covered with some of those small circular vent covers that Lowe’s sells?
Thanks,
Bob
Hey there Bob. I thought about adding ventilation but decided it wasn’t really necessary in my shop. My compressor is nearly always off. When I need it, it cycles up once and the air lasts me quite a while. I am only popping a few brad nails here and there or blowing some dust off of something. Now if the air compressor was constantly cycling, we’d have two problems on our hands. In addition to the heat issue, I would really have to think about investing in a bigger compressor. So it all depends on how much you use the air and how much it cycles. If there isn’t enough time in between cycles for the heat to dissipate, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to vent it. And in fact, with this stand it would be very easy. The top compartment above the compressor is vented. There is a nice gap at that top where it meets the torsion box top. So all you would need to do is make sure the bottom compartment can vent into the top compartment, and you’ll probably be in good shape.
That’s why you’re the man. I overlooked the gap at the top of the carcass below the torsion-box. That would probably do it. Thanks.
Hello there, Great Stuff! Really Great!
I am doing a moderate project of my own posted here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com.....#post62135
I was wondering if you might have any further ideas, suggestion or tutorials that would help me out. If I need to call you I will. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
Hey Stephen. To be honest man, this goes well beyond my level of expertise. That is a heck of a lot of weight and I have never built anything that would need to stand up to that. But if I were doing something like that, I might be looking toward the world of steel to build a proper frame. Then I would simply build my top surface on top of the metal frame.
Good luck. Hopefully someone with some experience in this area will be able to give you solid advice.
I liked this project alot and would like to try it – Hope you plan on keeping it on your website, because it will be a year probably before I can build this. Garage is a little full of car projects currently. 78 corvette & a 78 Truimph spitfire. Any ways I used to be afraid of any thing that had to do with wood but between you and my Dad I am very excited about doing different things. Wish I could get my Dad on a faster internet because I know he would love your website as well. He is very good at wood working. He has made several items for the family since he has retired. Coat racks, cabinets, refinished an old bread making station of his mothers. Keep the videos coming.