Camping Table

This is a forum for intermediate to advanced woodworkers. Show off your projects or share your ideas.

Moderator: admin

Post Reply
newportcycle
Gold Member
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 5:43 am
Location: Pittsfield, Maine

Camping Table

Post by newportcycle »

Table Resize 3.jpg
Table Resize 3.jpg (367.86 KiB) Viewed 8791 times
I do a considerable amount of motorcycle camping and have need of a small table to use inside the tent when its raining or just to have something to set drinks and the like on beside my folding chair. Several folks make a small roll up table, but being the frugal type, I decided to put the Shopsmith to work and make one.

Started with some 8/8 rough saw ash left over from my canoe build several years ago. I rough cut the stock to length and 4 squared things, then cut out the legs, slats, and reinforcing pieces. Using the sanding disk I got all the legs to the exact size square, then length, then sanded the bevel to the ends. I setup the drum sander horizontally and sanded all the slats to equal thickness and removed saw marks. I tried several times to put threaded inserts into the end-grain of the ash legs but the inserts would plug up with wood and not thread in, so I got some coupling nuts, drilled over sized holes and epoxy'd them in place, never again will I mess with those inserts in end grain. Forstner bit made the recess for the elevator bolts. Couple coats of urethane varnish and good to go. As you can see the slats make up a tambour panel. I used a harbor freight staple gun, but even with the pneumatic stapler, the ash was so tough some of the staples flattened out. It's holding fine for now time will tell. She's heavy, sturdy and stable, thanks to the sanding disk. Now all I need is a velcro strap to wrap it all up, and a waterproof bag, all available on ebay for less than 5 bucks. These things retail for upwards of $80.00. Ill be styling around the campfire with a place for my drink.
Attachments
Table Resize 4.jpg
Table Resize 4.jpg (399.35 KiB) Viewed 8791 times
Table Resize 5.jpg
Table Resize 5.jpg (342.07 KiB) Viewed 8791 times
User avatar
algale
Platinum Member
Posts: 4841
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:13 am

Re: Camping Table

Post by algale »

Looking good!
Gale's Law: The bigger the woodworking project, the less the mistakes show in any photo taken far enough away to show the entire project!

User avatar
reible
Platinum Member
Posts: 11283
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:08 pm
Location: Aurora, IL

Re: Camping Table

Post by reible »

I like it!

Are we talking like 20" x 20" x 20" or so?

Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
newportcycle
Gold Member
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 5:43 am
Location: Pittsfield, Maine

Re: Camping Table

Post by newportcycle »

14" x 14" x 12" high, putting legs inside the top and it will rollup to about 6 1/2" diameter.
User avatar
algale
Platinum Member
Posts: 4841
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:13 am

Re: Camping Table

Post by algale »

Check your PMs, Newport!
Gale's Law: The bigger the woodworking project, the less the mistakes show in any photo taken far enough away to show the entire project!

User avatar
rjent
Platinum Member
Posts: 2121
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:00 pm
Location: Hot Springs, New Mexico

Re: Camping Table

Post by rjent »

That is pretty slick. Nice design! How are you strapping the "top" together with?
Dick
1965 Mark VII S/N 407684
1951 10 ER S/N ER 44570 -- Reborn 9/16/14
1950 10 ER S/N ER 33479 Reborn July 2016
1950 10 ER S/N ER 39671
1951 jigsaw X 2
1951 !0 ER #3 in rebuild
500, Jointer, Bsaw, Bsander, Planer
2014 Mark 7 W/Lift assist - 14 4" Jointer - DC3300
And a plethora of small stuff .....

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine." - Benjamin Franklin
User avatar
jsburger
Platinum Member
Posts: 6585
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:06 pm
Location: Hooper, UT

Re: Camping Table

Post by jsburger »

I really like it. It would be great when we go to the Utah Symphony outdoor in the grass concerts at Deer Valley. Where did you get the nice "bolts" for the legs? I am going to make one.
John & Mary Burger
Eagle's Lair Woodshop
Hooper, UT
newportcycle
Gold Member
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 5:43 am
Location: Pittsfield, Maine

Re: Camping Table

Post by newportcycle »

Algale,
I cannot figure out how to post a reply with that PM system. Yes I've had my canoe in the water for couple years, been a great fishing boat, light weight, shallow draft, bass hate it. I haven't been here on the forum for some time, but just looked up your posts on your boat build, very nice, looks great. The paddles are fun to build, I've built 4 so far, two given as gifts, 2 being used with the boat. I'm thinking now about building a sailboat, I've gotten plans of two different sail boats, reading a book on lap strake plywood boat building so maybe that or maybe a runabout, who knows. Trying to decide which to boat to build is three quarters of the fun.

Rjent,
I used 1" wide nylon webbing stapled to the slats. The bolts are just simple 1/4" x 1 1/2" elevator bolts, I got them at the local hardware store. Slats are 3/8" x 1", the end slats are 1 1/2" wide, the reinforcing pieces below are 2" wide.
User avatar
algale
Platinum Member
Posts: 4841
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:13 am

Re: Camping Table

Post by algale »

newportcycle wrote:Algale,
I cannot figure out how to post a reply with that PM system. Yes I've had my canoe in the water for couple years, been a great fishing boat, light weight, shallow draft, bass hate it. I haven't been here on the forum for some time, but just looked up your posts on your boat build, very nice, looks great. The paddles are fun to build, I've built 4 so far, two given as gifts, 2 being used with the boat. I'm thinking now about building a sailboat, I've gotten plans of two different sail boats, reading a book on lap strake plywood boat building so maybe that or maybe a runabout, who knows. Trying to decide which to boat to build is three quarters of the fun.
Glad you are enjoying it! I've got at least one more boat in me. Maybe more in retirement.
Gale's Law: The bigger the woodworking project, the less the mistakes show in any photo taken far enough away to show the entire project!

Post Reply