pumkinpie Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I was thinking of getting a folding table for assembling my dollhouse. What size table should I get? The size of my assembled dollhouse will be 32"W x 18"D x 32"H made out of plywood (real good toys) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corwin Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 A folding table may not support the weight make sure you have extra room for glue paint etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Mine is about the same size and has been sitting on a 2x4 sheet of mdf on a folding table since August with no problem. I bought two, one for the house and one for spreading out my junk to work on. Which house are you doing? Mine is Victoria's farmhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumkinpie Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thanks Corwin and Sherry. I am going to build the Montpelier. What sizes are your folding tables, Sherry and why is it sitting on the sheet of MDF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I was thinking of getting a folding table for assembling my dollhouse. What size table should I get? The size of my assembled dollhouse will be 32"W x 18"D x 32"H made out of plywood (real good toys) . I'd think you'd need two -- one for the house construction, and one beside it for "stuff" -- tools, paints, stains, the instructions, sandpaper, etc. Pretty soon you'll "grow" into those, plus a tool box, a couple of other multi-drawer units, two or three rubbermaid tote boxes... This stuff has a tendency to reproduce, I think! :lol: I have a couple of those folding tables and they are quite sturdy. Mine are 48 x 24 (inches; approximate). I covered mine with craft paper before I started, and redo the craft paper from time to time when it gets torn or particularly messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 For building purposes DH built me a SHORT workbench, the shelf is only a foot off the floor. If you plan to landscape the house, or just to facilitate transport of the completed house to its final resting place (hah!), you will want a sheet of plywood (MDF?) to work on. My table has no top and we just set the piece of plywood on it for the house I'm building. The Travel Trailer is actually sitting on the box it came in. For the camper DH got me one of those large fiberglas folding "banquet" tables at Sam's Club, I have built the Glencroft and the Orchid on it, and I may have him help me bring it in to the back porch to build the White Orchid on it, since I want the ventilation of the back porch to use the solvent adhesive on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 We put the 1/2 inch sheet of mdf on the table to make sure I had an absolutely level surface. Sometimes tables tend to sag a bit in the middle...maybe just a hair, but it makes a difference when you are dealing with a house measured out in 1/16 of an inch increments. I just felt better doing it that way. And when we moved, it came in really handy. They didn't try to pick up the house at all but just carried the mdf out like an ambulance gurney, with the house sitting on top of it...pretty funny really, especially when they had to carry it down the stairs that way! I imagine when I am done with it, the mdf will be my lawn, and son will build a table base to set it on-at least he says he will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa_F Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I have a folding table - heavy duty plastic table top, metal legs that is 30x72 inches (roughly). I have a piece of plywood on top of it that is 30x90 I think - it's longer than the table. I have two houses on top of this folding table and while I don't know how heavy the houses are, they are really large 3/8 plywood houses and they are quite heavy. I purchased the table at Home Depot for I think $50-60 about a year ago. I saw the same folding table at Walmart shortly after buying it for a little bit less than what I paid. There are two reasons for my having the plywood on top of the table, #1 - it gives me more table surface since the plywood piece is longer than the table top and #2 - I had these houses on a different, cheaper folding table originally and eventually the table began bowing in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumkinpie Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Can I get a sheet of plywood at the Hardware store? What thickness should it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I just use a card table to work on. It folds up nice and thin. I cut the board for the house to sit on (I attach all my houses to boards for carrying and landscaping) and build it on that. I have my large workdesk in the basement almost finished, but it won't be movable. Those fiberglass tables from sam's club are really nice as well and hold a few hundred pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Sure you can, but the mvf will be cheaper, although heavier. Unless you get half inch plywood, finished on at least one side so you don't have knotholes to deal with, and splinters!-which would be expensive-the mvf will hold up better. Any plywood thinner than 1/2 inch could start to warp or bow in the center to match the table's contours, especially under a heavy house. Believe, me-I haven't built a lot of houses, but we have plenty of experience with cheap plywood from building shelves in the garage to hold heavy things! Nothing less than a half inch if you're planning on it supporting any weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATBIDLACK Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I work on two different tables. I have a card table for the initial construction and the papering and painting. I have a shorter table with wheels that I use for the upper floors and for shingling. I also have a small portable black and Decker workbench that I use to clamp things and sometimes to cut things. I always put a house on plywood as I am building it to make it easier to move. This also stabilizes it and doesn't allow stress on the joints when it is moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Yeah, what he said! They are just safer on a solid foundation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brezavaqt Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I was thinking of getting a folding table for assembling my dollhouse. What size table should I get? The size of my assembled dollhouse will be 32"W x 18"D x 32"H made out of plywood (real good toys) . I bought a craft table from JoAnne's Fabric store. It has been working pretty well for me. I didn't assemble the top portion, but I use the top and all of its nifty little pockets to store my supplies. Plus, under the table there are two drawers and a bunch of shelves. My dollhouse is HUGE (I've added several extensions to it) and I haven't had any problems with the table holding it. I do have a piece of plywood on the top of the table, which will be my yard when it's all said and done. And, the best part of the table is, it was on sale for $79!! Check out my gallery-you can see the shelves and the drawers. Hopefully they have a JoAnne's in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I use 1/2" plywood for smaller houses (arthur, orchid) and 3/4" for larger houses (for the base). I like to attach them to a board not only for easy moving, but to keep wires from getting pulled from a shifting wall or wallpaper tearing. I saw someone lift a finished house by the roof eaves and the whole roof came off. Mega repairs. Another tip - I always glue felt to the bottom of the board so the plywood won't scratch any surface I set it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avidcrazyquilter Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I made mine with a piece of melamine board from Lowe's. It is 3/4" thick and very strong. I think you could put any weight dollhouse on it with no bend at all. The melamine surface is very durable and even super glue can be scraped off with a razor blade. A scrubbie or magic eraser gets off any paint or stain of any kind. I cut mine down to 6 1/2' and put folding legs off of a banquet table that had seen much better days. You can buy those at Lowe's as well but they are a little pricey. I use my village table for my supplies. I have a pic of it with the village in my gallery and will try to take a pic of it after I put the village away. I made that table out of plywood, dowels and some other spare folding legs. Here is a pic of my table when I was using it for quilting. I set it up on bricks for that to make it the right height for cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom of boys Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I mainly use a fold card table. When I get the main shell done I keep it on a maple sofa table that DS#2 made making sure that I have a cloth on it so I don't ruin it. I would like a bigger table but I live with what I have. It does force me to keep things organized and from starting too many projects because there just isn't much room for them. If I demanded a bigger table then I would lose the sunroom to work in because I would need more space for the table. So it is a choice between a room full of windows or a larger table. At this the time the windows win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 A big strong one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justmesue Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have folding saw benches/horses (not sure if that the right name)and a 2x4 peice of MDF. I can set up anywhere and start building. Works just fine and cost me very little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellee Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Well, I was using a 6 foot banquet table but have downsized to a foldable card table.. I will eventually put the 6 foot table back up but for now itis much simplier and does not take up so much room. The 6 foot table is nice to lay out all the pieces on and all the other supplies & Tools. and then use the card table for the actual building. Kellee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 While looking for a way to store some of my kits, I found this table. I am going to look at it today. Great for wheeling around the house. I could use it in the kitchen, outside for a barbeque table, for minis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Deana, where did you find the table? I have several houses on microwave carts with wheels, but they're not the sturdiest nor do the wheels roll well, and the top isn't very big. Marie Laveau's cottage overhangs the microwave cart top, but I'll bet it would fit on this table very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom of boys Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have seen siemliar ones at Sam's they are for caterers so they look study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Sometime back I had bought two IKEA nightstands with rollers and open shelves underneath for use in a guest bedroom. When one of the kids moved back they no longer "fitted" and were relegated to the garage. I resserected them and use them in my workshop with a piece of plywood sized to the project I am working on. the nice thing is the storage underneath and I can adjust the distance between them as necessary. My large finished projects are on very basic TV stands on wheels that I buy from Target on sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyinOR Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Ikea is a great place to get a cheap table top. I got a 4'x6'x3/4" piece of wood in their As Is room for $5. We are remodeling so I had some left over 4x4's and 2x4's. I was able to make a really nice sturdy table. I had looked and looked for a table but I really wasn't wanting to pay a whole lot, upwards of $200 for a large round table. I am working on an Alexandria and needed a beefy table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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