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08-24-10, 02:17 AM
OK, not exactly a Utility Cycling related subject, but these flat pack for storage plywood picnic tables are ideal for cycle events, and can be easily hauled on a bicycle trailer (6 tables flat packed will fit inside my AVD pedal-van with space to spare).
The picnic tables are made from a single sheet of plywood, take about 30 minutes to mark out, and about 1 hour to cut out.
These flat-pack plywood picnic tables have been a God send this summer for both me personally and for for my business; Cargo Cycles.
They have been hauled around to various shows and events that I have attended, been used as canteen seating in the unit workshop for Sammy and I. I've conducted business meetings sat at them. They've been loaned to my neighbours on the business estate for similar duties, have been borrowed by friends, etc. and in a few weeks time the students allocated to me by the probation service will sit at them as I train them in City & Guilds mechanical fitting, and these tables have proven to be a very valuable advertising media and asset for me.
You will need a copy of the plans, which you can download and save from here: http://familyfun.go.com/Resources/picnictable.pdf
To mark out the plywood, you'll need: a rule or tape measure, a pencil, a square, and a straight edge of about 4 feet long, or slightly longer.
I have used a cordless jigsaw for the rounded cuts, and cordless circular saw for the long straight cuts, but a jigsaw will be more than adequate for all the cutting requirements.
Pay close attention to the plans: being originally drawn by an American they are slightly odd: following both a Centre Line set of dimensions, and an accumulated set of dimensions from the bottom edge of the sheet of plywood. The only really tricky part of the plans and the dimensioning is the long recession the seat support.
Note: I have used cheap 18 mm thick shuttering plywood rather than the recommended 1" thick plywood: so if you follow my lead here, you'll need to reduce the joint let ins from 1" to 18 mm.
Ready to mark out:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile195.jpg
The sheet of plywood marked out and ready to cut:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile202.jpg
The best results will be obtained by using a jigsaw blade that will cut on both the up, and down strokes, and is suitable for cutting curves. You will also need to set the reciprocating motion function of your jigsaw to either 0 or 1. A close up photo of a jigsaw blade that cuts on both the up and on the down strokes:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile204.jpg
The first cuts to make are: The table top, seat tops, and seat supports, by doing these first, it'll make the remaining piece of plywood a more manageable size:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile207.jpg
Then cut out the curved detailing:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile201.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile210.jpg
You should end up with something that looks like this:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile216.jpg
The next piece to cut out is the main support:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile217.jpg
And then you can cut out the two end pieces:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile219.jpg
When the plans say that you can make this flat pack picnic table from a single sheet of plywood, they weren't kidding. Here is all the off cuts and the pile of saw dust that I produced:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile221.jpg
The picnic tables are made from a single sheet of plywood, take about 30 minutes to mark out, and about 1 hour to cut out.
These flat-pack plywood picnic tables have been a God send this summer for both me personally and for for my business; Cargo Cycles.
They have been hauled around to various shows and events that I have attended, been used as canteen seating in the unit workshop for Sammy and I. I've conducted business meetings sat at them. They've been loaned to my neighbours on the business estate for similar duties, have been borrowed by friends, etc. and in a few weeks time the students allocated to me by the probation service will sit at them as I train them in City & Guilds mechanical fitting, and these tables have proven to be a very valuable advertising media and asset for me.
You will need a copy of the plans, which you can download and save from here: http://familyfun.go.com/Resources/picnictable.pdf
To mark out the plywood, you'll need: a rule or tape measure, a pencil, a square, and a straight edge of about 4 feet long, or slightly longer.
I have used a cordless jigsaw for the rounded cuts, and cordless circular saw for the long straight cuts, but a jigsaw will be more than adequate for all the cutting requirements.
Pay close attention to the plans: being originally drawn by an American they are slightly odd: following both a Centre Line set of dimensions, and an accumulated set of dimensions from the bottom edge of the sheet of plywood. The only really tricky part of the plans and the dimensioning is the long recession the seat support.
Note: I have used cheap 18 mm thick shuttering plywood rather than the recommended 1" thick plywood: so if you follow my lead here, you'll need to reduce the joint let ins from 1" to 18 mm.
Ready to mark out:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile195.jpg
The sheet of plywood marked out and ready to cut:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile202.jpg
The best results will be obtained by using a jigsaw blade that will cut on both the up, and down strokes, and is suitable for cutting curves. You will also need to set the reciprocating motion function of your jigsaw to either 0 or 1. A close up photo of a jigsaw blade that cuts on both the up and on the down strokes:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile204.jpg
The first cuts to make are: The table top, seat tops, and seat supports, by doing these first, it'll make the remaining piece of plywood a more manageable size:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile207.jpg
Then cut out the curved detailing:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile201.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile210.jpg
You should end up with something that looks like this:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile216.jpg
The next piece to cut out is the main support:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile217.jpg
And then you can cut out the two end pieces:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile219.jpg
When the plans say that you can make this flat pack picnic table from a single sheet of plywood, they weren't kidding. Here is all the off cuts and the pile of saw dust that I produced:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m230/Gareth_Lewis/Plywood%20Picnic%20Bench/Garethtempfile221.jpg