How To Build a Table for Budget and Space Constraints

  

Build a 
Counter/Island/Work/Dining/...   
ALL -Purpose Table

I am in the process of designing an industrial-ish workbench for my kitchen/dining area. Since all of our counterspace and kitchen utilities are located along one wall , there’s a bunch of open space that would be perfect for a kitchen island or work surface.
I want a work surface that is:

1. Counter-height (about 3 ft high), to increase my counterspace during food prep.

2. Long. Enough to fit three workstools per side so that people can eat and work comfortably, as well as have space to spread out when they are working on projects.  =)

3. Narrow, because my apartment isn’t very large, and I don’t want to have to “suck it in” everytime I have to get around the table to go from the kitchen to the living room.

Other than those specificities, I really don’t want much (no designs, no special lumber, and so on…). Oh right, I DON’T want to spend $1,000, which seems to be the going rate for plain, large, industrial tables/benches.


I’m looking for something like this from Infusionfurniture.com:

But without the potentially high price tag.

I would be perfectly happy with a workbench, but they are either too wide and short, or too long and narrow. I’d like to get rid of the bottom shelf on workbenches, too, so that [my eventual] shop stools can slide freely underneath and out of the way.

Or I’d like something like the simple counter top + panels from Ikea pictured at the top of this post (the length is okay, but it’s still too wide; plus these panel have to go on and around something, like the kitchen island stuff that Ikea sells, and I just want the “shell”).

Totally uncomplicated, right? 

Well, after weeks of searching online retailers, restaurant supply stores, Craigslist, and getting quotes from local furniture builders & designers, I don’t think that I’ll find what I’m looking for, unless I’m willing to pony-up the cash…

In my search, however, I found a great blog by designmom.com. It really fits my desire for simplicity and industrial- where the elements that the table is made of look just like what they are- no frills.

So I’ve drawn-up plans to build this table as per my specific dimensions, and I also contacted a local sheet metal contractor in Ballard for the table’s surface. (I’m also considering a butcherblock surface instead of the galvanized sheet metal.) Overall, I think I could do this for under $200. The main problems are as follows:

1. Finding a place to build it (an apartment just isn’t the environment for construction and woodworking);

2. Finding a large enough vehicle to transport it when complete; and

3. Finding quality expertise and willing volunteers to help out - people who will settle for payment in food and drink rather than in cash.  (Any takers?)  =)


Actual design and construction to follow...