Dan’s Multi-Function Work Table

Hey Marc…I’m a big fan of your work and website. I finally finished my work table. It was fun to make and inexpensive. Here is a brief description and a few pics.

I have limited space so I really have to make things practical as well as functional. I started with making the base. It’s fairly simple mortise and tenon joinery using 2x’s. Then I added the doors and drawer.

Looking at the pricey router tables on the market, I figured I could make my own top and buy the essential accessories that would keep everything flush and square. I spent a couple of bucks on the fence and insert, but I still saved on making the top myself. The safety switch was fun to install—just some basic electrical work adding a safety switch and receptacle.

After the router top, I made the assembly top. The bottom is a heavy old kitchen table. I added the hardboard and trimmed it out with Maple. I got the idea for the clamp table from Festool but instead of spending $600 I spent $25 on a piece of MDF and still have left over. I measured out a grid and drilled 1″ holes every 4 inches. All of the tops have 3 coats of wipe-on satin poly. I added 1×3’s on the bottom with t-nuts so that the tops are secure to the base. I am looking forward to making many projects with these tops and maybe it’ll give you an idea on how to do it cheaper with a little imagination. Enjoy!