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Folding Work Table and Storage Bracket #6: Finishing and Final Assembly

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This is part 6 in a 8 part series: Folding Work Table and Storage Bracket

Design

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Legs

Finishing and Final Assembly

Storage Bracket

Leg Locks

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Because the tables will reside in an unheated garage, I decided to finish all surfaces with three coats of water-based poly (General Finishes High Performance).

I started by filling some gaps between the tabletop panels and frames with a sassafras dust and glue mixture.

I wanted to apply finish to the tabletops last, so I set them aside for now.

I used a foam brush to finish the legs, using the hinge bolts as handles so I could balance a leg on one corner and access both the front and back. I used my table saw as a drying rack.

Finishing the support structure and tabletop underside with a foam brush was tedious. I was most definitely ready to trade my kingdom for a sprayer.

After that, finishing the top surfaces and frame was a breeze.

After the finish dried, all that remained was attaching the legs (installing the hinge bolts). I used 3/8” diameter hex bolts, washers, and lock nuts. The sides of legs without the offset spacers use 2 1/2” inch long bolts, and the sides with the spacers use 3 1/2" long bolts. Each hinge has three washers (inside, outside, and between the leg and support beam).

Here’s a photo showing how the support plate under the beams stops the outward rotation of the legs.

Here’s a photo showing the table with the legs closed.

This closeup shows how tight the clearance is between the folded legs. If the legs were any longer, or the support structure any shorter, the legs would not close fully.

At this point, the tables were functional. Setting them up was a bit awkward because of the free-swinging legs. I had suspected that might be a problem, and it was. Instead of working on a solution now, I decided to work on the wall-mounting bracket.