Easy Collapsible Worktable

Intro: Easy Collapsible Worktable

There's a corner in my garage workshop where I often wish I had another worktable.

However, I don't want it there all the time. The majority of the time I actually just prefer the open floor space.

So I decided to make a collapsible, fold-down worktable that's there when I need it . . . and easily stowed away when I don't.

It was made from a recycled solid-core door, some heavy-duty hinges, pieces of 2x4 lumber, and a handful of fasteners. A person should be able to duplicate this with just a few basic tools, and I'll show you how.

Thanks for taking a look.

STEP 1: How It Works, and Some Logic Behind the Simplicity

The table top (formerly known as a "door") is attached to the wall with heavy duty hinges, and simply swings up to use, and down to store.

The legs are pieces of 2x4 studs attached to the underside of the table top with additional hinges.

I stewed over how to make the legs for a while, and ultimately went with this setup because it packs flatly - the table in the down position only sticks out from the wall a total of 3 3/4 inches.

Some may assume this setup is unstable, and I initially thought the same thing when I was mulling over the idea.

However, since the table is tied to the wall, it cannot "rack" or shift side-to-side whatsoever. So the legs are not subject to any movement initiated at the table top (say, from a person bumping into it).

It's worth noting that a swift kick from the outside of either leg would indeed hinge it inward, but for the table to collapse this would have to happen simultaneously to both legs, which is not probable. (One leg actually holds the table up just fine, although two is obviously better.)

Likewise, a swift kick from the inside of either leg would probably strip the hinge screws right out of the doortable, which would certainly be a pain, but even this would still not collapse the table unless it happened simultaneously to both legs (again, not likely).

So . . . a person building a similar folding table might be inclined to fashion some sort of folding angled support/locks to the legs (and I considered it), but in the end this simple approach has proven more than stable enough to satisfy me.

STEP 2: Support Plan

This sort of table needs to be mounted to studs in your wall to support it.

I began by deciding on the height I wanted the table to be, and used a level to mark a line indicating this height.

I marked an additional line to indicate the height of the bottom of the table top. This line is important, as it tells exactly where to place the blocks onto which the heavy duty hinges will be fastened.

At this time I also located all the wall studs with a stud finder, and chose which ones I would be using to support the weight of the table. These were marked as well.

My table is about 6 feet long, and I chose two studs that were located near the ends of the table. The studs in your walls will likely not be in exactly the perfect places, but you just have to pick the best two and go with it.

For a longer table, you may wish to place additional hinges to support the middle of the table top sufficiently.

STEP 3: Wall Blocks and Hinges

These wall blocks serve a couple of purposes.

One is to provide a solid place to attach your hinges. The other is to directly take the weight of the table top when it is in the up position.

I cut two pieces of 2x4 about eight inches long. These were fastened to the wall studs with four 3-inch construction screws, with the tops exactly flush with the line indicating the bottom of the table top.

It's important to drill the holes in the blocks for these screws. I drilled the clearance holes at 3/16", which was just enough for the screw threads to pass through without getting stuck. You don't need to pre-drill the holes into the wall studs however. When you fasten the screws through the blocks and into the wall studs they will pull the blocks tightly like a clamp, which is because of the clearance holes you drilled.

With the blocks in place, I added the heavy duty hinges next with 1 1/2" long, quarter-inch lag screws.

The holes for these screws were drilled equal to the diameter of the screw shaft minus the threads. This allows the screw threads to bite into the wood of the wall blocks without splitting it. These were installed with a socket wrench.

The hinges were fastened so that when the top half of the hinge is positioned at 90 degrees, it is perfectly flush with the top edge of the blocks. This is very important.

STEP 4: Position the Table Top

I had to trim my old door down to the size I needed. I measured and marked a line, and used a circular saw to cut off the extra material. A sander was used to smooth over the sharp edges.

The door-now-tabletop was propped into position with the back side resting directly on the wall blocks, and the front side resting on a saw horse with some scraps to get it into level position.

I used some scraps to shim the back of the table top about 1/8" away from the wall at the hinge locations.

STEP 5: Fasten Back Hinges

I pre-drilled the holes for the hinges, and fastened in lag screws exactly as before.

STEP 6: Leg Hinge Shims

The hinges I used for the tops of the legs are 3" by 1 1/2".

Because of their shape, they needed a small shim on the top side (which will face the bottom side of the table top) so they don't bind and are allowed to swing freely. I made some shims with 1/8" plywood with holes drilled to match the hinges. These were simply taped in place, which is sufficient.

STEP 7: Hinges to Legs

I cut two pieces of 2x4 to use as the legs, but cut them intentionally a few inches too long for now.

I pre-drilled holes and attached the hinges to the leg ends with screws (the same 3" style I used previously for the wall blocks).

STEP 8: Trim Legs to Fit

With the hinge sides down, I placed the legs close to where I wanted them on the table and marked a line where the underside of the table met against the wood.

The legs were trimmed at the line indicated.

Tip: If you get the leg heights within about 1/8" of what you need, you'll be fine. If they're not perfect (and the wood will likely acclimatize and shrink over time anyway), you can add a couple of screws to the bottoms later which can be used to micro-adjust the table height.

STEP 9: Fasten Legs

To fasten the legs, you will either need an extra set of hands or some other way to hold them in folded position while you work. I used an adjustable roller to pinch the legs up against the table bottom.

I measured and marked where I wanted the legs, and pre-drilled holes for the screws. Don't drill too far! You really don't want to drill through the topside of your new table.

I then fastened the screws through the hinges.

Note that you'll likely need to offset the position of the legs for clearance so they don't butt into each other when folded. I offset mine exactly 3 1/2 inches so they clear each other, but still touch when folded. This, along with the support block noted in step 1, takes the strain off of the leg hinges when the table is folded in the down position.

STEP 10: Bumper Blocks

I added little bumper blocks to the backsides of the legs.

These don't offer any serious protection against hyper-extending the legs, but provide a small amount of resistance so you can feel when you've swung the legs down to 90 degrees. They also serve as bumpers to protect the wall when the table is in the down position.

They were made from scrap that was cut to be 1 3/4" tall, and screwed in place. I added pieces of foam floor matting to the wall-facing side with hot glue.

STEP 11: Swivel Locks

I made a pair of simple swivel locks with pieces of an old broom handle and pieces from a paint stir stick. These were glued together, and then had clearance holes drilled through the centers.

These were screwed in place at the ends of the hinged legs, just tight enough to allow them to pinch the legs but still swivel easily.

Note that I also added screws the leg bottoms so I could finely adjust the table height. These screws were threaded into pre-drilled holes (I did two on each leg bottom, although you can only see one in this photo).

STEP 12: Finishing Touches

Along the front edge of the table/just below the position of the legs when folded, I added a strip of scrap wood to act as a support for the folded legs.

A little bit of stain was added to the raw edge of the table top, and it was done!

STEP 13: Let There Be Light!

I added a new workshop light and now I've got well-lit, versatile nook to use in my shop.

Got any thoughts? Let me know in the comments. It's always fun to hear what people think, so don't be shy.

Thanks for looking!

Comments

[svetter2]

I've got a whole section of my new garage where I'm planning on doing the same basic thing. I have 2 butcher block tops of similar size which I want put on either side of my main workbench which is a butcher block top on cabinets & casters. Questions to you folks:

1. Like this: Pro = simplicity. Con= you can't keep stuff permanently stored in the open space. You have to move anything there out of the way before raising the bench.

2. Similiar to this, but swing the bench upwards. Pro: you can keep stuff there and just lower bench down over it. Cons: cannot effectively use wall space ABOVE the bench.

[probablepossible]

I would mount shelves above the table height, and let the table drop down. I'm pretty sure there is more wall above the table than below it. :)
Have you solved your problem yourself, yet? What did you decide?

[svetter2]

Well I haven't officially solved it yet, as in actually having done the work. That's coming but a whole lot of life keeps getting in the way.

I did solve it in theory; one of each. I spent some time looking a my layout (kinda simple really, a 10x10 'room' in back of my 3rd stall. I have one stand-alone workbench I have on casters already to go along one side *kind of like his fixed bench". I have 2 large 2" butcher block tops from years ago I'm making into similar 'fold-able' shelves on the other 2 sides.

One I'll use with very easily mobile stuff underneath. Like your example; my welding cart, shop vac, lift table, etc. On the other I will not make plans to use the wall space above it except for something simple like a wipe-board to make lists, keep measurements, etc. I'll try to remember to come post pics if/when I ever get a chance to finish (seems like the never-ending story on that front).

[seamster]

Great points. Yes, there are pluses and minuses to every setup. For me, the upper wall doubles as a background for photographing small objects, so that's why I went with a fold-down-to-store setup.

In the space underneath (whether the table is up or down) I store my welding cart. It's a good point to consider though.. anything stored in this area has to be by nature very mobile - like a welding cart, or something like a shopvac.

Good comment, thank you.

[pawtanwar]

Great idea!! I will try to make it.

[stefan.hermannsson.58]

I would like to see the foam bumpers in action!

[seamster]

They're just pads to keep the wall from getting dinged.. The door/table is super heavy, so I have to let it down slowly and carefully. The bumpers wouldn't do much to protect the wall if I just let the table drop from full height ;)

[DaveD17]

Excellent! A perfect balance of simplicity and functionality. I'm going to make this for sure.

[Daisytikityke]

Depending on the width of the table and the length of the legs, the legs could fold toward the wall which might be useful if you wanted to use a hollow core door. It would mean the interior framework of the door could be the support for the hinges as the legs could be on the outer edge of the door.

[signOnthe]

Nice table, thank you for sharing. I'm wondering one point; Neodymium mangents would be better for holding legs instead locks?

[SFHCrispy]

Simple and effective! Great job

[SteveSi]

I did a similar thing in my garage, but I used two strong magnets screwed to the underside of the table and I screwed a small metal plate to the end of each leg.

P.S. If you have an old hard disk drive around, the magnets inside are really strong and usually are mounted on a convenient metal plate with holes for screws!

[HollyMann]

This look great - I love it! :)

[The Electrobot]

Love this design. Good use for an old door.

Thanks for sharing!

[xxlauraxx]

It feels so good to figure out the most efficient use of a space. Nice work!

Also, great reuse of a solid door!

[seamster]

Thanks Laura! :)

[AmluxGaming]

What thickness of plywood/osb would you use for a tabletop? I have been trying to convince my dad to let me build a little woodworking station in our garage and this would work perfectly.

[seamster]

I guess it all depends on what you plan to use your table for.

For general use, if you couldn't find a suitable old door like this, I would actually recommend 3/4" MDF. I would double it up by gluing or screwing two same-size pieces together and then using that as a table top. A 4' by 8' sheet split down the middle lengthwise will give you a 24" by 8-foot tabletop (or anything shorter, as needed), which would be perfect for most garage spaces.

Otherwise, any single layer of sheet material will work for a light-duty table surface for everyday tinkering . . but thicker is always better.

[RandyPerson]

If you are crafting, consider whether you need the strength of the solid core door, which is really heavy. Slab hollow core doors are usually available cheaply at re-use stores, or free on exchange sites. 30, 32, and 36 inches are common widths, and if you seek out sliding closet doors, you may find wider. Look at the ends to see the thickness of the perimeter frame. You may need to glue some reinforcing plywood on the thin skin for secure fastening points, but you'll still have a very light but stable work surface.

[seamster]

That's a very good idea for light-duty use. Great comment, thank you :)