Light Weight Top for Blocking Table

[ChrisA Edwards]

I'm building a knitting blocking table for the wife. The top will be 52" x 72" which is the size of two of her blocking boards. It will sit on a base of cabinets and the table top will be about 36" from the ground.

She wants the table top to turn, like it was on a Lazy Susan, so she can stand in one spot and spin the table as necessary.

For the top, to keep it light weight, I think I would like to laminate/sandwich something like Owens Corning solid foam insulation between two layers of 1/4" plywood.

Does anyone know what glue I could use to gore this bond.

I could build a lightweight torsion box out of 1/2" ply, but I think the solid foam core would still be lighter.

Thanks.

Edit: Looks like this might work.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Why not build torsion box with 1/4" ply tops and bottom, with 1" spacers? Add a solid block where lazy susan beating would be.

[Pat Barry]

They sell adhesive designed for foam boards at HD. Alternatively you could make an internal frame from 1x2s to use for the gluing and fit the foam in the spaces between. With this approach you wouldnt need to glue the foam to the plywood.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Thinking about this some more, my plan was to build a 72" x 52" top, which from 4'x'8 sheets of plywood would have required a joint.

I've decided to make it 72" x 48", and with 1/2" edge banding, will allow me to go to 72" x 49".

As my home made Lazy Susan can be 46" in diameter, I think I can get away making this out of a sheet of 3/4" plywood.

[Jamie Buxton]

Seems simple enough, but how are you going to edgeband the lazy susan? It is possible to buy wide veneer tape banding, but the usual glue is hot-melt, and the iron might melt the foam core.

Or maybe you lay out the circle on the plywood, and glue on solid lumber which will become the edge of the lazy susan. Glue in the foam, glue on the other plywood face, and then cut the circle out. If you did it right, you never break through the "edgebanding" into the foam.

[ChrisA Edwards]

The Lazy Susan will not be edge banded, only the 3/4" Maple plywood, which will have 1/2" x 3/4" solid Maple edging.

I have two storage cubby's 16"D x 34"H x 72"L. These are designed to take the Ikea Drona storage bins, 20 of these, plus room for a drawer on the bottom.

They will sit back to back with a 16" gap between them. I may put a couple of storage shelves to join these two cubby's, but I'm not sure yet. I plan this area to be used to store longish items and cutting boards.

I will connect the two cubby's, on the top, with a piece of 48" x 48" x 1/2" plywood. This will not be seen when the rotating top is on.

A 1/4"ID bearing will be placed in the center of this.

Using a piece of 1/4" hardboard I will cut that to 48" diameter. On this piece I will draw 4 circles, 12", 24", 36", 47", I may do a couple more if necessary. On each of these circles, offset by 22.5 degrees, from the adding circle, I will cut 8 holes, 45 degrees apart, either 7/16" or 13/32". 3/8" steel ball bearings will sit in these holes. I will put a 1/4"ID bronze bushing or bearing in the center of this piece. This piece basically becomes the ball bearing race. I'll probably cut away the areas that are not needed and shim this piece with nylon washers to center it on the ball bearing centers.

The top will have a 1/4"ID bearing in the center and a 1/4" rod will connect all three pieces.

This top will be rotated, in use, but not enough to wear the plywood top of base.

Worse case scenario, if my Lazy Susan experiment fails, I'll make the top fixed and she'll have to walk around the table.

Space is limited in her sewing room, which is why I'm going for the Lazy Susan approach.