Evolution of a Work Table and Happy New Year

So a couple of days after Christmas, after a little break from being productive, I went back into the studio room of my little bungalow and decided I would paint a picture.  I stared at a blank canvas for about a half hour, hunched over in the little cubicle I had made with doors on saw horses and an old pine kitchen table.  Pondering, I remembered a work table I admired at a friends winter solstice party and the next thing you know I was redoing my work space, it was time.   The table was the easy part, cleaning out the utility shelves on the perimeter of the room was the hard part, dust and art supply catalogues dating back to 2003!  A three day can of worms, but totally worth it.  So now I'm back where I started 3 days ago, staring at a blank white canvas but at a new revamped work space.  I'm excited and inspired for 2013 and I hope you are too!

A seasoned carpenter could have made a perfect work table, like my friends, but I'm not that, so I am pretty happy with it.  How I made my work table:

 I put my wood table on 8" bed risers, in the middle of the room,  so I can stand to work or sit at a high stool style chair (I'm 5'11", so this is good)

 Then I measured 2x4 boards, wood glued and nailed together to rest on the edges of the risers, it worked great!

 I measured boards and placed them across the bottom to store supplies, notching out the corners for the  table legs

 Then I centered two 24" x 80" flush doors on top of the table, securing them with 2 flat brackets and wood screws where they meet on the ends and underside overlaps.  Also 2 1" corner brackets on each side of the table with wood screws to the edge of the table and underside of the doors.  8 corner brackets totaled made it very secure.

Voila,  my new work table!  a 48"x 80" surface, with a storage shelf underneath.  It's plenty sturdy and can all be taken apart should the occasion ever arise!  Now back to making stuff . . .