A lot of folks around me are getting older and having trouble walking, one of them my wife's grandmother (grandmother-in-law?). Thanks to Medicare, every time she falls and goes to the hospital she gets a shiny new walker to help her get around. Suffice it to say she's developed quite a collection so far (five, by my count). She gave me two of them (one wheeled, one standard) and said I'd be able to find some use for them. After scouring the interwebs and finding really nothing (gasp!), I began to look around at my own needs. Usually any horizontal space I have (work bench, tables, car, sleeping house pets, etc.) quickly becomes storage or the start of a new project. I figured a steady, portable and compact work bench would work perfectly around Casa de Jiggsy. And here it is!
Since a walker is designed to support much (if not nearly all) of the weight of an elderly human, the table is surprisingly strong and stable. I was able to stand my Clydesdale-like frame upon it during testing, though I don't recommend this as a substitute for a ladder. The design uses ordinary components from hardware stores and can be built for very little cost. If I were to make a Mk. II version, I'd find some way of attaching the work top to the walker once the walker is folded. Since this is such a basic design, it leaves a lot of room for customizing (larger or smaller work surface, small vice, tool storage, etc.) but this is my first go at an Instructable and I hope I did well! Comments and criticisms welcome.
Since a walker is designed to support much (if not nearly all) of the weight of an elderly human, the table is surprisingly strong and stable. I was able to stand my Clydesdale-like frame upon it during testing, though I don't recommend this as a substitute for a ladder. The design uses ordinary components from hardware stores and can be built for very little cost. If I were to make a Mk. II version, I'd find some way of attaching the work top to the walker once the walker is folded. Since this is such a basic design, it leaves a lot of room for customizing (larger or smaller work surface, small vice, tool storage, etc.) but this is my first go at an Instructable and I hope I did well! Comments and criticisms welcome.
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These are going to be the basics of what you need to get started. Since walkers come in many shapes, sizes and styles, I will not be providing detailed measurements or figures. Often I'm winging it just as much as you might be. Links will be from McMaster-Carr (their pictures clear up many a dispute as to what something is and should be called), but definitely feel free to support your local hardware store (I did).
* A walker, preferably four legs with rubber caps (no wheels or skid pads) and currently not in use by someone (Aunt Edna and Uncle Sal will thank you)
* Four (4) split ring clamping hangers for 3/4 inch pipe (measure the diameter of the tubing near the walker's hand grips to make sure this is the right size; if yours is larger/smaller, purchase the correct size hanger for your tubing)
* Four (4) socket head cap screws , 3/8-16 thread, 1 inch long OR four (4) standard hex head bolts, 3/8-16 thread, 1 inch long
* Utility knife
* Screwdrivers, Phillips and flat head
* Plywood, 3/4 inch thick, 2' by 2' square or similar (used counter top section, butcher block, reinforced sheet metal, etc.)
* Drill or drill press with various metal and wood bits (Forstner bits if you want to make the bolts flush mounted)
* Hex key, 5/16 or sized to fit the bolt head (alternatively, you will be using a socket set for hex head bolts)
* A walker, preferably four legs with rubber caps (no wheels or skid pads) and currently not in use by someone (Aunt Edna and Uncle Sal will thank you)
* Four (4) split ring clamping hangers for 3/4 inch pipe (measure the diameter of the tubing near the walker's hand grips to make sure this is the right size; if yours is larger/smaller, purchase the correct size hanger for your tubing)
* Four (4) socket head cap screws , 3/8-16 thread, 1 inch long OR four (4) standard hex head bolts, 3/8-16 thread, 1 inch long
* Utility knife
* Screwdrivers, Phillips and flat head
* Plywood, 3/4 inch thick, 2' by 2' square or similar (used counter top section, butcher block, reinforced sheet metal, etc.)
* Drill or drill press with various metal and wood bits (Forstner bits if you want to make the bolts flush mounted)
* Hex key, 5/16 or sized to fit the bolt head (alternatively, you will be using a socket set for hex head bolts)
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2nd great application- college dorm room living- need a Microwave table? Laptop desk? Extra worktable that you can put out of the way at times? This is perfect for 2 projects for me right now. I will post back with any hardware ideas I come up with as variations. THANKS SO MUCH!
Don't anyone feel bad, you haven't ruined it for use when you might need it down the road, just keep the parts. Sooner or later, it may come in handy for it's original use.
Despite all the wonderful comments on here, my family can't stop mocking me about it! They consider it far too redneck to even consider the practicality of it.
What about using any of the variety of conduit clamps applied to some (rough size variable)18" x 4" pieces along the sides of the swing-out handles, thus creating side supports without cutting the handles at all. They could be attached to the outsides just above the crossbar (below the handles). You could leave these in place even when folding. The top could then be attached to these side pieces with some latches, catches, L-brackets, or 90-degree hasps for a quick-release. So much fun hardware out there to choose from. I looked up some new ones with a google image search for each of those terms. I will probably make mine this way, since I would want to keep the original use intact for future. Getting older.
I too get a lot of grief from my family, as they seem to dislike my inventiveness, & prefer "new" & "store-made" things. Where is the fun in that! I say use your brain people, design something new. There are so many wonderful discarded materials out there now in abundance. I spent my childhood in my G'pa's workshop & was allowed to create anything I wanted with his materials; best times ever. Would love to get my kids off the video games & get them inventing instead. They are quite skilled relative to their peers...but still, hope they will do more.
If you want to survive in my family, you have to be pretty thick skinned. I think they tease me more for it's redneck qualities rather than its usefulness. Maybe just to get back at them, I'll make a goldfish pond out of a discarded toilet bowl!
Thank you professor2005 for bringing up the subject of used Assistive Technology (walker) and Jiggsy for taking the pro-active approach of trying to find out about recycling a used walker. You are both right. The solution? Check to see if your state has an Assistive Technology (AT) Re-use Center and if not, start one. The U.S. Department of Education established Grants for AT Re-use in all states. I work in such a place in Maine (TEC Assist) and we add value to those products that are donated to us by cleaning, sanitizing, repairing, and reselling them at 50-80% off the MSRP. Our suppliers are people, organizations, institutions and others who have gently used AT items on hand not being utilized. Our customers are Maine citizens who have maxed out their insurance, don't have insurance, or need items that are not covered by insurance. Our product line consists of walkers, wheelchairs (manual and power), commodes, canes and crutches, exercise equipment, standers, bath equipment, devices for people with impaired sight and hearing, ramps, stairlifts, and any other type of technology (provided it fits in the shop) that helps individuals adapt to their world. Please ask and find out about us. For poor people, recyclers, anyone who pays for Medicare, anyone concerned about depletion of natural resources, and the loved ones of those who need AT, it's a win, win, win, win, win. (nice Instructable, BTW)
I am wondering if there is a quick release clamp that would allow this to be folded up very quickly.
Honestly, I'm kind of surprised at my own ingenuity on this one! The cost is minimal (I'm pretty sure that, without the plywood, I kept the everything under $20), it's infinitely customizable, folds flat, and (best of all) uses something that would have otherwise been tossed out or gathered dust in my way too crowded shed.
Ooorrr even a fold up router table, TV tray, ... I better stop or I'll go on for hours!
That being said I can't help but feel that Grandma getting a "shiny new Walker" every time she goes to the hospital "thanks to Medicare" is a sad example of our tax dollars at work.
Good I'ble though.