Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Building a "park under" garage table. 

Those cryptic squiggles and numbers 
are the basis of my project.

As well as other garden and home projects. 

Another installment in my "Nothing to be proud of here!" series.

It's no wonder that I'm not doing much with my cars, these other projects are taking up too much of my time. Maybe that's my intention? 

In a bid to expand the versatility of my garage as a workspace, I've been wanting to build a table that would straddle the hood of my XJS. This would take advantage of some of the occupied space taken up by having the car parked inside.

This would also eliminate having my current smaller table positioned in front of the car, which reduces the access to the fridge and laundry equipment. The larger table could be used to fold laundry as well a work bench and project center when needed. 

I have lots of experience with simple carpentry, the circular saw is my friend! More specifically, fence building. I've built upon these rudimentary experiences and have improved my skill set. I've even fashioned some rather crudely built furniture. I have built a couple of sliding door wall cabinets to house a TV and one for my Wife's craft materials. I put together an odd sized set of shelves to fit an odd sized space in my Wife's studio. I even built a printer's drawer cabinet for my daughters antique printer's drawers. It held five drawers and was made from reclaimed wood. The terms "rustic" and "primitive come to mind. I may not know exactly how to do the job correctly, but I try not to let that stop me!

As Master Yoda has said, " There is no Try, there is only Do."

I have to admit that I've got a thing for "reclaimed wood." Primarily old fence boards that I cut down and combine with new 4x4 fence posts and 2x4 stringers to rebuild my fences. I had used a lot of 2x4s to prop up a decrepit garden structure. When I tore it down last Summer, I put all the re usable lumber aside for future projects. 

I had also built a lean to shed last year, using some of the old 4x4s and 2x4s that had propped up the arbor. I used cut up fence boards as the deck for the roof of the shed, and used asphalt roofing shingles that had been left over from the construction of my two sheds. It actually came together rather well. 

It is a real challenge to make all the different dimension, warped, and weather hardened lumber work together to form a cohesive structure, but it is fun and satisfying. And it satisfies my need to be cheap. That old Douglas fir is like iron! Sometimes it's very difficult to cut, though this quest often leads to a mistaken satisfaction of false economy. 

After tearing down the old arbor we felt that we had a little too much exposure to our rear neighbors. That's why we, actually my Wife,  had made plans for me to erect a lattice privacy screen. We had bought the materials in advance and it only took several months for me to get started on the project. 

I will admit that using all new materials makes the work so much easier and faster, Did I have a set of plans or blueprints to follow?  No. Did I at least have an idea of how to build the thing? Yes. Did I have everything well planned out? Not really.

I thought that I should make a free standing portable screen, instead of a permanent replacement for the arbor. We really needed something right now, though I haven't given up plans of building a nicer structure... Someday. 

I had my ideas and figured out the design on the fly. Making the needed adjustments when necessary. The 8 ft.x 20 ft.  screen is supported by four, braced, 6 ft. long 2x4 out riggers. I built it in three days of part time labor. Now that I'm retired, there's no way you can get a full days work out of  me! 

My Wife is very tolerant of my methods and accepting of my efforts. I honestly think that she gives me too much credit. Of course this encouragement keeps me plugging away at my projects. 

After building the screen I decided to tackle a project that I'd been thinking and talking about for years. 

The photo at the top displays the scribbled notes and sketches that I hoped to turn into a finished project. 

First, I took some measurements to determine the height needed to clear the car's hood. 

I still had  a sizable quantity of re claimed 2x4s of varying lengths, dimensions and condition. My initial goal was to build the table completely with materials that I had on hand. I still had some 3 1/2" wood screws left over from the construction of the sheds, and a large box of outdoors Phillips wood screws that had been given to me by my Brother when he moved.  

I decided that I didn't want to use 4x4 legs, I would instead build two 2x4 end panels that would support the sides. My inspiration was to add an internal X cross member for bracing, this would be my artistic "Craftman's Touch."

There would be a top and bottom plate with 2x4 uprights. I've learned that a simple box design like that is not very stable without adequate cross bracing. Any lateral loads would result in the assembly deforming, so I decided to go with the internal cross member.

I plan to attach casters to the bottom of the end panels to make the table easily movable.

Luckily my Wife was available to help me figure out the angle cuts to the cross members by fashioning templates out of cereal box cardboard, I've got to learn to use a protractor!

After I fashioned the first cross member, I just repeated the process three times. I test fit each cross member after I completed it.

Voila!

After I built the other end panel I had to build the top connecting rails. I decided to notch the ends so they the top boards would have a level attaching surface. 

A table saw would have made a better cut. I had even considered using my little band saw, but thought that trying to maneuver a full length 2x4 would introduce "a greater opportunity for error!" I marked the cuts by presenting a section of cut 2x4, marking it, and tried initially to cut it with a jig saw. Poor thing, it was like trying to make it cut a steel beam! It was slow going and I decide that I didn't want to burn out the machine. I switched over to the circular saw and made 90% of the cuts. I only finished off the last bit with the jig saw. Is this how they would do it on "The New Yankee Workshop?" I certainly hope not.

Ben on the TV show Hometown, is right, you can never have too many clamps! You glean what wisdom you can from these shows. One problem is that they make any women's whim seem easily do-able. Sure it's easy when you have a full dedicated crew, and the corresponding budget. I find that I like these shows depending on the personalities of the couple. Ben and Erin are easy to watch, Chip and Joanna, not so much. I particularly like seeing what goes on in Ben's wood working shop. The sign about the clamps is posted on the wall inside.  

I made an initial fitting of the frame by clamping it all together first. Didn't look too bad. Then I fabbed up the corner braces. I went out to the garage to measure the spot and realized that 8 ft. was going to be a bit too wide for my garage set up. So I went back and shortened the cross pieces by a foot.

The table, once assembled, would be too large to fit through the garage side door and too wide for the side gate, so I figured that I would just assemble it inside the garage in the spot that I planned to place it. It it ever leaves the garage it'll go through the big door. 

But first I went to Home Depot to buy a sheet of plywood. I got a nicely finished one, exactly like the one that I had bought when replacing the top of the Wife's craft table. Plywood is expensive, the sheet cost me 65.00 but it will make for a nice top surface. 

It will be much smoother and provide a more even surface then trying to make something with these reclaimed fence boards. Also, less chance of picking up splinters. Quality is Job One!

I backed both Cars out of the garage after freeing the Jag of it's burden of piled on stuff. I let the Jag have it's customary 30 minute run time, it gets fully warmed up by then. After the table was mocked up I attempted to put the Jag in place.

Once I was certain that the car could comfortably fit under the table I proceeded to screw it together and add the braces. Lag bolts may have been a better choice than screws for the connection with the end panels, but I used a 31/2 inch screw that was driven in by an impact driver, ( a present from my Son) that really makes some tight joints. 

Fitting the top panel was interesting, frustrating, and humbling. The plywood was cut on the big saw at the store, I'm assuming ( hoping)  that the cut was truly square. I'd been checking the framework for level and plumb and was happy to see that it was almost perfect. However trying to align the plywood revealed that the frame wasn't properly square and there was some nagging problems with aligning it satisfactorily. I figured that I would just have to split all the differences. My Wife came out to look at it and told me to concentrate on the parts that are most visible, which makes sense. Like I wrote years ago when discussing auto body paint prep and sanding; you just fiddle with it until you are sick and tired, and then just finish the job. To Hell with it! 

It looks good enough for me. I'm sure that it will become a treasured heirloom in my family. I plan to add my initials and the date: 2/22. 

It looks pretty tight, but I found that it is easy to gauge the available clearance when pulling the car into position underneath. 

The table still needs some side braces added, but it's already pretty stable. Once I add the casters I'll pick up a few inches more of height. If I was to park an older car with a higher hood in that space I can just place some 4x4 spacers under the bottom rail.

You can compare the situation before, with the little table placed in front of the bumper of the XJS, which intruded into the space in front of the fridge.

Making the most of what you've got.

This has clearly opened up a lot more space. The table will be counter height and the stool tucks neatly under the edge of the table. I still have some rethinking to do over the shelf and locker visible against the wall. The hardest job will be getting rid of extraneous "stuff." That's always the hardest part.

My Wife was very excited about the project, she hinted that I could build a long outdoor table for the patio. I told her that in that case, I would buy much better materials to construct it with. My Daughter uses a lumber supply in Mountain View that sells high quality lumber. It is much more expensive than what you would find at Home Depot, as well as drier, straighter, and with less knots and imperfections. If I do embark on this more demanding task I will have to step up my game. I'm not going to ruin that good wood! More precise measuring to begin with, I just picked up that combination square a Harbor Freight and will have to learn how to use it. More precise and more consistent angle cuts will be of paramount importance. I can't always "wing it" with the circular saw. I think that I will pick up a heavy duty miter saw and will also use a table saw. The need for more precision in making the cuts, and the need to constantly check that the assembly is square, should result in a higher level of craftsmanship, as well as much more satisfaction with the finished product.

This is not to disparage the current fruits of my efforts. I'm learning more all the time, and I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished so far. 

It beats looking at a pile of old wood!