The DIY Workshop Table is such a useful and enjoyable DIY project for you to do yourself – with just two sheets of wooden plywood and some nails, that’s it! You could probably build this whole table on your lunch break, and have your shop appearing much better in no-time at all. What’s even better is that there are plenty of resources out there to make this, and many other DIY projects, as well. The plans I used were really simple, and I got some good advice from the local shop owner who suggested that I use dowels rather than pliers to connect the edges together. He also pointed out that I would probably be able to cut a few pieces of wood a bit thinner than what I intended and still make a nice straight edge. It was really a great experience and I’m sure it would work out great for you.
I started by measuring the space available, and found that it was right above my bench. It wasn’t too far away, but close enough that it wouldn’t interfere with my yoga practice. Then I bought a book called” benches” and went to town planning how I’d want mine to look. I measured the dimensions of the bench area in my workshop, and it seemed that this was the best way to go about it. I also bought some wood shims to play around with to make the edges of the table nice and smooth.
Once the measurements were finished and the plan was drawn up I set off to the hardware store. There were several options for me, and it was a great thrill to see so many options in front of me. I knew that I was going to buy some nail head shaped nails, so I picked those with small, circular heads. They’re very cheap and you can get several of them for only a few dollars. It was such a simple solution to a long-neglected problem, which was how to secure the nails to the plywood.
With my new DIY workshop table in my possession, all that was left to do was put the nails in place and go nuts with them. It was quite a task, but at the end of it all I had beautiful nails that would definitely beautify any room. It was really fun to pick out the nailheads and put them in place – I think I used up several packs of these nails! I think I even wetted some paint and used a brush to create unique patterns on the nails.
Once I had everything cut and dry, I was ready to put my new table to the test. The first thing I did was to set up my glue gun to the table with the nails sticking up. I laid the flat surface of the bench on top of some tack strips that were already there and slowly drew the nailheads over the tack strip. It was very difficult to draw them over the flat surface, but once I got it the results were awesome.
Once I was satisfied that my drawing was smooth and consistent I moved onto the finishing touches. I added some faux wood grain to the nailheads and sanded the edges until they were smooth. Then I attached some of my spray paint to the bench and picked out any imperfections in the wood grain I could see. Before I was finished, I covered the entire bench in black paint, and used a couple of my disposable markers to write funny quotes and let people know what my new bench was for. I think my new bench has helped me change not only my craft but also my home.
