Make a flip-up | flip-down table

Making use of a small space requires out-of-the-box thinking. Here's a project that makes smart use of space. Make this flip-up | flip-down table for a small townhouse or flat and simply flip-up the table when you don't need it.

 

Great idea for a temporary place to work on a laptop! Even a beginner DIYer can make this table with a few basic tools and materials.

YOU WILL NEED:

Wood glue
Wood filler
8 x 8mm dowel pins
6 x 50mm butt hinges
Piano hinge 610mm length
Barrel bolt latch
65mm wood screws
Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint
Rust-Oleum 2x white - gloss
Drill/Driver + bits
Dowel centres
Wall plugs and screws
Foam roller
Paint tray

CUTTING LIST

	1	19mm	board	610mm	915mm	top
	2	20mm	pine	76mm	880mm	leg sides
	2	20mm	pine	76mm	458mm	leg top/bott
	1	20mm	pine	40mm	610mm	lock frame
	1	20mm	pine	20mm	610mm	wall support
	1	20mm	pine	20mm	610mm	table support

HERE'S HOW:

Step 1
Have your timber and board cut to size at your local Builders Warehouse. For the top you can use 19mm plywood, 18mm SupaWood or 20mm laminated pine shelving.

Consider painting the chalkboard on your tabletop before you assemble everything, that way you'll only have to do touchup painting later, but it’s easier to do the bulk of the work now rather than working around the other components later. Paint the bottom with chalkboard paint and the top and edges with Rust-Oleum high-gloss enamel. With the high gloss, paint the pine you’ll be using for the leg, too. Take the pieces outside to paint.

Step 2
To make the leg unit, which does double duty as the chalkboard frame, clamp the boards to your work surface, then drill two 8mm holes to a depth half that of the 8mm dowels.

GOOD TO KNOW
Wrap a piece of masking tape around your drill bit so that you know how deep to drill.

Step 3
Place dowel centers in the holes and then press the edge of the long side members against the dowel centres to mark the exact location of those holes. Use an 8mm wood bit to bore those holes, again to half the length of the dowels.

Step 4
Apply wood glue to the dowel pins and boards, push in the dowel pins and clamp the frame together.

Step 5
Once the glue has dried, attach the legs to the top using two butt hinges. Screw one leaf of the hinge to the bottom of the tabletop, 19mm back from the end and the other leaf to the back edge of the leg. Attach the bottom wall support with plugs and screws and then attach the table section to the top of the wall support with a piano hinge.

Step 6
Build the upper lock bracket by securing the 20mm x 20mm wall support to the 40mm lock frame flap with two butt hinges. Have a helper raise the table into the closed position while you mark the location of the top bracket. Lower the table and secure the top bracket to the wall using plugs and screw.

Step 7
Raise the table top up and install the barrel bolt.

Finishing
Touch up paint as needed.

GOOD TO KNOW
To prevent the leg of your table from kicking out in the down position, install trunk lid supports on each side to lock the leg in place.