2x4 Workbench Tabletop With Welding Option

This tabletop project is part 1 of 2 projects that i'm going to be working on. This is going to be the tabletop for my woodworking/welding work bench.

I found this project on youtube. Its a video from Homemade Modern describing a efficient yet minimalistic way to have the option to both weld and do woodworking in one piece of furniture.

The Tools:

1. Dewalt Biscuit joiner Link

2. Plainer Link

3. Dewalt Jig Saw Link

4. Dewalt Drill link

5. Tape measure Link

6. Torch link

Material:

1. 20 2x4's

2. Wood Glue

3. Wood Biscuits

4. 2 1/2 Kreg screws (x16)

5. Boiled Linseed Oil (stain)

Step 1: Find Your Source of 2x4

I was fortunate enough to have a stack of 2x4's that were free and available to use at my disposal. I ended up taking a good 45 to 50 mins sorting out the boards I wanted to use.

Step 2: Layout Your Boards

When making this table you want to lay out the boards to give yourself an idea on how much you have to work with and it gives you a rough estimate of how much you will have to take off.

Step 3: Measure the Boards

Measuring the boards is an important step because when you have your measurements you can then decide how long you want your tabletop to be.

Step 4: (optional If You Are Using Donated Pallet 2x4's) Cut Off the Ends With Nail Holes

When using donated wood or pallet wood, the nail holes tend to cause problems like your boards being shorter after you cut them and cracking that occurs when taking the nails out. I knew I had more material in one board than I needed so I was a little less concerned where I cut the ends.

Step 5: Plaining

I plained the 2x4's 3 at a time. They ended up being 1 3/8 in by 3.6 in. This process is very loud so if you have sensitive ears you may want to use head phones.

Step 6: Cut Your Boards to Length

I wanted my table to be 6 ft long so I cut all my boards to 3 ft but left a little extra room for mistakes and such. Then I took 4 of my boards and cut them in half to 1.5 feet or 18 inches.

Step 7: Safety

Always be sure to have safety glasses on and don't let loose items like headphones or jewelry or hair get in the way of your tools.

Step 8: Biscuit Jointing

In this step you will be biscuit joining the boards. If you don't know how to use a biscuit jointer heres a video here. First you want to lay your boards out and mark where you want your biscuits to line up. After that you want to stack them according to how you had them laid out then just go to town with the tool and knock them out it takes about 3 to 4 minutes to get a slab (6 boards) done. Once the boards have been biscuit cut, lay them back out face up.

Step 9: Glue and Insert Biscuit Into the Boards

Each set of boards uses 16 biscuits and i did three sets of 6 boards 3 wide and 2 across

Step 10: Clamp With Plenty of Clamps

This glue starts to dry after 15 min so it is crucial to work efficiently to give the boards the best chance of gluing up right.

Step 11: Welding Rack Cut Out

Once all the sets are glued time to cut out my board for the welding rack. I used the Dewalt jig saw to cut this board out. It didn't come out as straight as I would have liked. I had to sand down the board so I could remove and install it easily.

Step 12: Putting the Table Together

Take the extra 2 boards in order to connect the 3 sets of boards together forming the table top. I cut 26 in pieces and (2) 17 3/8 pieces. I used (16) 2.5 in Kreg screws, 4 in each board.

Step 13: Second to Last Step (almost Done!)

Now go ahead and make sure that the sides are all lined up and the board comes out and goes back in easily.

Step 14: Finish and Staining

I ended up torching my table with a butane torch. I took me about 45 to 50 min to finish the top of the table. I then went ahead and put on 3 coats of boiled linseed oil.

Step 15: Reflection

I had a lot of fun doing this table top. It was a good experience because I learned how to use the biscuit joiner. It was very cheap (or at least in my case) which is a big plus. I would recommend this project to anyone that wants to do any sort of woodworking.