New Cutting Table
My original cutting table was an IKEA GALANT Conference Table. IKEA has since redesigned the GALANT line into something that is no longer modular and no longer has clean straight edges. I am slowly replacing each of the GALANT pieces with something more substantial, and something I no longer must rely upon the manufacturer to keep in stock. Yeah, mildly irritated about the redesign of that product line, even though it has been many years since that has happened. Anyways, on to happier times!
Over the past few months, I have been wanting to replace my cutting table with something bigger, more substantial, and more functional than a conference table with angled legs and two 2×4 IKEA KALLAX units shoved underneath for storage. I just didn’t know what I wanted yet. At the end of the existing cutting table, I also had a 2×2 KALLAX unit with an ironing surface secured atop the cabinet. This layout served me well for a few years, but my needs changed as I started to use the space a lot more frequently than I had previously.
I started searching for Sewing Tables, Cutting Tables, Craft Tables and happened upon https://brooksann.com and found a post about a DIY Professional Sewing Room Table. I thought, “Well, that’s the right size I am looking for, but the pieces of kraft paper and tape are things I want to have nothing to do with.”, so I kept looking around at other ideas and getting inspiration from others along the way and making sure the new table was able to provide all the “needs” I wanted:
- Vertical storage for fabric bolts, interfacing
- Stowage for a light box
- Easy roll batting access to make cutting lengths easier
- A place for the ironing board to integrate
- Storage for everything moved out from under the old table
- A surface for working with clothing patterns
While mounting the rolls of batting underneath the table on pipes would make cutting easier (just roll it up over the table and cut the length you need), I opted to keep my roll batting propped in a corner, as I really wanted all of the space under the table to be used for fabric storage (priorities, right?). And instead of integrating the ironing board, I made the entire top surface an ironing board.
For the most part, I kept the design of the table super-simplistic and easy, but added an extra leg on each side of the table since I was using ¾” cherry for the framing of the table. I had some extra wood left over from prior projects, so I built the table with it. I also used dowels and glue in the joints, so I had to do final assembly in my studio since the assembled table would be too large to fit through a door. When it came to the final top surface, I used a full sheet of ¾” plywood as the subsurface then I trimmed 2 inches off the length and width of the homasote, wrapped it with heat reflective fabric, a layer of batting, and a piece of quilt backing and now I have a 4ft x 8ft ironing surface. The intent of the 1” perimeter from trimming the homasote was to tack a 1” piece of trim along the edges of the table to keep the homasote from sliding around.
I’ve been using the table for a couple of days now, and I am glad that I converted the entire surface to something I can iron on. The homasote underneath is firm enough to support a cutting mat while I am cutting fabric, so no need to use another hard surface on top just to lay a cutting mat on it.
Once the table was built, I went to review the original design on brooksann.com, I happened upon another post for a large ironing table. I completely missed it the first time I looked, but I am kind of glad that I did or might have ended up with something that didn’t provide what I wanted in a single table.