Hey all. I had some time to do a project that had to be done. There’s a finished room in the Basement where I have most of my stuff but there’s also an unfinished part that is where the laundry apparatus lives. My timps live there also and take up too much square footage for my liking. I’ve thought about a remedy for some time and this is what I came up with: a workbench/table that would go over the drums. It would be on casters so I could roll it around or even outside if I wanted.

I sketched out a few ideas and realized that I couldn’t have the legs go under the table edges. This is not ideal table design, since you’d lose a lot of strength but it couldn’t be helped. I sandwiched 2x4s together and created a sort of lap joint so the bulk of the weight rested on top of a board, rather than just on fasteners. That was important. Another thing I couldn’t do was have nice diagonal supports, at least on the front. Again, this would interfere with being able to roll the drummies in and out of their cubbyhole. I added strength to the joints by using 90 degree steel bracing under the table and steel strapping on the outside edges. I wouldn’t get up on top of it and do the watusi, but for basic tasks it should be just fine.

It’s not a thing of beauty, as I am a relative newbie with tools and handiness, but I’m very happy with it. Here’s the pic.

Posted on: January 2, 2008, by : Ted