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Darkroom Furniture: Table
In my first darkroom, I needed a table on the dry side for my enlarger, with some shelf space for storage of dry things, like bulk loaders, chemicals, etc. I decided to build a basic table, with one shelf, out of plywood, 2x2's and 1x4's. I added a drawer for my paper safe. The table worked fine for all the years that I used that darkroom. ToolsMaterials
Construction
Tools
- Screw driver - I prefer a drill with screwdriver bits
- Saw - I use a circular saw, and a circular saw guide, but you will also need a hand saw
- Paint brush
- Carpenters Level
Materials
- Plywood - 2 sheets the size of the top (mine was 2'x4', so I used 1/2 of a sheet of plywood) - A or B grade on one side.
- 2x2 lumber - however tall you want the table, times 4 legs
- 1x4 lumber - these are the rails that support the top and shelf, you will need 4 pieces as long as the table is wide, and 4 pieces as long as the table is long
- 1x2 lumber - used as cross braces to keep the table steady if you don't attach the table to the walls, you'll need 1 piece long enough to go from one corner to the other on the back, and 2 to go from one corner to the other on the side (if the table is 3' tall, 2'wide, and 4' long, you'll need 1 piece that is 5' long, and 2 pieces 4' 6" long, using Pythagoreus' theorem to calculate the lengths)
- Paint - I used flat white latex enamel exterior house paint - how much depends on the size of the table, but you'll probably use less than a gallon - I used what was left over from painting the walls
- Screws - 1 1/2" long, about 60 or so - I prefer drywall screws because they are self tapping and don't require a pilot hole
- Sandpaper
Construction
- Make sure you have the right dimensions for your table, measure the space it will go twice. Allow for the 1x2 cross brace on the back and each side.
- Cut the plywood to 2 equal sizes, the dimensions of your table top
- Cut the 2x2 lumber to the lengths you want for the height of your table top - make them a little longer than they will actually be, you will trim them later after you check for level
- Cut the 4 pieces of 1x4 lumber to the longest dimension of the table top
- Cut 4 pieces of 1x4 to fit inside of the long 1x4's and have the distance from the outer edges of the 1x4's be the width of the table top. (if the table top is 24" by 48", the short 1x4's will be 22 1/2" - 24" minus twice the thickness of the 1x4's)
- Assemble the two frames, glue and screw the long 1x4's to the short ones, to make two rectangles. The legs will fit inside of these frames, the top and shelf will rest on top of them.
- In the darkroom, determine the actual height of the legs. Do this
to make sure the table top is level, even if the floor is not.
For this you will need another set of hands.
- Put the legs where they will stand when the table is in place.
- Temporarily attach one corner of one of the frames to one of the legs close to the top, do this with one screw.
- With the level on top of one of the rails now attached to this leg, attach this rail to the next leg where it is level, with one screw. (only use one, because you may find you have to adjust the rail heights as you level all the rails)
- Now do the same for the other legs, making sure that all the rails are level with respect to the starting point.
- Now screw the rails to the legs more robustly, I used two screws per rail and leg combination, so each leg has 4 screws in it and each rail has four screws in it also.
- Remove the table from the darkroom now (if it'll fit through the door) so that any dust generated in the next steps won't contaminate the dust free darkroom.
- Trim off any excess leg height, flush with the top of the rails. Don't worry if a leg does not come all the way up to the top of the rails, it doesn't have to, the rails support the top, not the legs.
- Slide the other rail box over the legs, and attach it at the height you want the shelf to be, you don't have to be too picky about level with this shelf, so just measure from the top of the top rails to the top of these rails to get it level. Attach with screws.
- Screw the top to the top rails, one screw every 2 feet should be more than adequate. Put the good side up.
- Cut 2 1/4" squares at each corner, of the shelf piece of plywood, so that the shelf can be laid on the bottom rails.
- Screw the shelf to the rails, one screw every 2 feet should be more than adequate. Put the good side up.
- Measure and cut cross braces from 1x2 lumber, unless you can screw the table into the walls to keep it steady. The braces go from the top rail on one side to the leg on the other side, near the bottom. There are 3 braces, one for each side, and one for the back.
- Screw the cross braces to the sides and back. Screw the brace to the top rail on one side, the leg near the bottom on the other side, and the middle rail in the middle. It doesn't matter which direction the braces go.
- Sand the entire table
- Paint it up nice
- Put in a drawer paper safe
