Thread: table top options for large dining/crafting table?

A slab of Californian redwood would solve your problem. Light weight and stable. How many would you like?

There is usually a significant difference between the heights of dining tables at which people sit and most kind of work tables where people usually work standing, especially wide tables where you have to reach over etc

We discovered this when after upgrading our dining table SWMBO commandeered the old one for a sewing craft table. Its not that big, 1m wide x 2.1m long x 760mm high but after working on it for a few days she deemed it way too low so I made up some 90x90mmx160 mm tall pine blocks and drilled a 50 mm diam x 60 mm deep holes in one end of these blocks so the bottom of the tapered table legs ends could fit tightly into the holes, resulting in a final height of about 880 mm. SWMBO does sits at that table for some activities using a stool.

I've worked on that table on some projects but found it is still too low for me. My workbenches in my shed are 910 and 920 mm high

When having family gatherings we have converted that table back to sit down dining and it is dead easy - just lift each end in turn and remove the wooden blocks.

Originally Posted by rustynail

A slab of Californian redwood would solve your problem. Light weight and stable. How many would you like?

Might be a bit soft - would get dinged pretty easily.

oh yeah: i plan for this hypthetical table's height to be ~1050mm, which is apparently our standard bar height in australia. it's in my comfortable standing-at range, and means i can just get standard bar stools for sitting on (so i won't have to add "bespoke seating" to the project scope). i have no qualms about asking visitors to sit up on bar stools, though i don't really have visitors round anyway

my current fabric cutting table is an event/picnic folding table, which was way too low, but i've raised it up to 1070mm by extending the legs with some pvc pipe. the working height is great now, but it's still too small (and very flimsy). and lately i'm finding myself putting projects off "until i have a bigger table", so i figure maybe i'd better start organising that bigger table

in my mind the legs (and height, etc) are a solved, or at least postponed, problem. but i need to sort out a top, and since the top i need is bigger than i can make myself, that means figuring out what i want to order and where to order it from

Veneered ply/MDF is an option, but you'd likely be looking at over $200 for a 2400x1200x18 sheet... and you'd still need to add a 25+ mm frame around it to give you the desired width.

Still, you could make the frame 50mm deep and use it as the basis for a torsion box. That'd give you the strength you'd need while still being lighter overall than a solid top..

If I was to source this out, I'd be more inclined to go to a bespoke joinery than to a modern flat-pack kitchen manufacturer.

Originally Posted by BobL

Might be a bit soft - would get dinged pretty easily.

Im one of those strange blokes that prefers a soft bench top. Most of my work is in Australian cedar so a soft bench is much more sympathetic. Yes, dings do happen but an annual steam brings the surface back to level after a quick sand. I do have a hardwood bench as well. It is what it is.

I made a bench from recycled hoop for my wife’s sewing spot upstairs.
On danish bookcases to which I added junk drawers.
Its about 2m x .8m x .85m high.
She uses those hobby cutting mats when wheel cutting fabric etc.

Her latest project is a quilt for our first grandchild.
So she could work on it fully spread out I made a foldable larger top from 3mm MDF taped together.
Also a set of spacer/rulers for layout/trimming etc.

Here are the legs for our dining table downstairs, powdercoated junk.
I have more in the garden wot are bench height.
H.