Time for a change - help on folding table

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
So I don't have a lot of room around the house to work on things. I have a 3 car garage that has 3 cars, couple of small duck boats and all the associated house upkeep stuff stored inside. I have tried my best to keep it tidy by putting in an attic staircase and redid the attic for storage. Not enough room up there to create a work space but it is nice to store stuff out of eyesight.

Everything I buy I have to keep in mind that I don't have the space for storage and I don't want to leave things outside under the deck.

Anyway, whenever I have a task, I find myself lacking of table space in the garage. I always jury rig something or another to compliment the couple of benches I already have. To me, a nice weekend afternoon or after work activity is putzing on stuff that needs to be taken care of.

For my next project, I want to create more table space in the garage. I have found online a few folks who make tables that fold up against the wall when not in use. These typically take about 4"'s of space when folded up out of the way. I've looked into ways to create a built in folding table by removing some of the sheetrock and removing a stud or two and framing around the opening. Not being a carpenter, I'm thinking the job may be beyond my limited skills (I was told how much I would need to reinforce the opening and from what I have been told, it involves cutting away more sheetrock that I would like as I don't want to be doing more sheetrock work in the end.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to make a tape that either folds flat against a wall that will only stick out less than 4"'s form the wall when folded against it, or making a table that folds into the wall sort of like a murphy bed?

Final consideration is to buy a cheap plastic table from one of the big Xmarts and just hang it on the way but what fun is that?

Thanks, hope this is clear.

Oh yeah. I want the table length to be around 6' and I want the length to be perpendicular to the wall so lengths it folds out into the garage. Make sense?

Here is an example of what I am looking for. I have found that if I have to drag out saw horses and make a table before using it, I jut don't do it. I have little room in the garage so the saw horses go up in the attic when not in use. Anyway, something like this would be nice and it looks easy enough for low skilled labor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jPlAhcwaNY

Mark W
 
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Hit up what ever local recycle system you have and find wide bi-fold closet doors or other hollow core doors for free. You should be able to find hollow core with flat surfaces. These are about 1.25" thick. I was lucky and picked up four 24" wide bi-fold doors several years ago. Most are narrower. A regular door should be just less than 32"-36" wide. Perfect work table width.

You can set them on saw horses for quick and dirty table set ups. This way they are mobile to fit into any project you could want. I screw them down to the top of the saw horse through the solid wood edges, which makes a large stable platform.

Using the door you can still get your fold down/up table at less than 4". Use folding leg brackets from Rockler and a heavy piano hinge. I have used regular strap hinges and left over door hinges for the legs and found I had to then build a locking brace into the leg. The purpose built brackets are perfect for the type of wall hung table you want to build.

http://www.rockler.com/folding-leg-bracket
 
While I agree that a door can make a great table I would suggest using a solid core door if you are going to be doing any serious work on the surface. A lighter option would be a 3/4 inch piece of plywood cut to 30"x96" and then making using 4" rips of the same to build up the edges. You could then use another 4" rip attached to the wall at 36",or whatever height you prefer, off the floor and get a piano or other type of hinge to us as your pivot. Attach the hinge side of the long side of the table and then to the front of the wall board with the pivot above the top of the board. Then you could use the legs show in the previous post or some other type of folding table leg for the outside prop.
 
Take a look at this link for making a wall mounted folding table. Maybe this will work.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2jPlAhcwaNY
 
I would get a 3x6 stainless food service table and hinge it to the wall. Fasten the two supporting legs in a removable or folding fashion. Creating a pocket table in your wall may be more frustration than its worth. Primarily with relocating any wiring that may be in the proposed pocket area.
 
Mark

I have contemplating the same thing for a few weeks now. I eliminated my large counter top and wooden storage desks and went to all peg board storage but I now lack a solid work bench.

I have been eyeing these hinges up and planned to use the old countertop that I saved but have not pulled the trigger on them yet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Knape-Vogt-12-in-Heavy-Duty-Folding-Shelf-Bracket-in-White-HD-206-12WH/203906168?keyword=folding+shelf+hinge

Let us know if you come up with anything, if I don't find anything better in the next few weeks I will try these let you know.
 
Mark

I have contemplating the same thing for a few weeks now. I eliminated my large counter top and wooden storage desks and went to all peg board storage but I now lack a solid work bench.

I have been eyeing these hinges up and planned to use the old countertop that I saved but have not pulled the trigger on them yet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Knape-Vogt-12-in-Heavy-Duty-Folding-Shelf-Bracket-in-White-HD-206-12WH/203906168?keyword=folding+shelf+hinge

Let us know if you come up with anything, if I don't find anything better in the next few weeks I will try these let you know.
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Hey Andrew -when did you move to Rochester?

I figure out my solution and it is quite simple. Sam's Club had the nice Lifetime 6' folding tables on sale for $35 last weekend so I snagged on of them. When folded it is about 3' X 3" X 3" or so. I am going to hang it, and a chair, on my wall. When I need a table it will take me less than a minute to take it off the wall an set it up. And, I can move the table to wherever I want and can then use it for other purposes should a need arise.

Took the easy way out I realize but it will work well, takes up very little wall space and is a cheap solution. If I use it as much as I think I will, it then may be time to make a wooden folding table.

Mark W
 
Mark

Not a bad idea.

I think we closed on the house in August but moved in September just before season opened last fall. Pits are nice warm down here if you care to join this year.
 
What I would do is screw down a 1x4 to the wall then screw a long piano hinge to that make the the table from 3/4 ply the width and length you want and to support and also hang it get you some small stianless steel rubber coated cable and attach it to the corners of the table and then install some eye bolts in the wall a set height above the table, run the cable through the eye bolts.

So when the table is in use the eye bolts hold the table flat and level and when ready to stow it just lift it up and pull the cables down to a lower hook and whip bam kaboom you got a very strong and level table to work off of and when stowed sticks out less then 4 inches from the wall.
 
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