The Upholstery Forum

I have s 10×24 out building ( narrow and deep) and I know I will need a cutting table but with limited space what size table is the bare minimum to adequately be useful for the kind of jobs that usually come through an upholstery shop? Do I need one for cutting and one for layout and glueing? Thanks for any advice.

Bondo,

So far I have done more than fantasic with a 4x8 sheet of Melamine. I picked up an old square patio table from the junk and it sits on top of that. I am cutting and when gluing just throw a sheet over it or newspaper.

Thanks BigRig, I was hoping that was the response I would get because I've seen some very large tables in shops and wondered if that was what I really needed.

I think you will find it large enough and I also have a couple of fold up tables around to throw up beside my sewing machine to run stuff I am sewing onto. I am actually trying to make a real go out of a much smaller space than you have and so far it has been serving me well.

Bondo497 wrote:I have s 10×24 out building ( narrow and deep) and I know I will need a cutting table but with limited space what size table is the bare minimum to adequately be useful for the kind of jobs that usually come through an upholstery shop? Do I need one for cutting and one for layout and glueing? Thanks for any advice.

Yup 4x8 sheet of melamine from homedepot Is what I use in my garage. I wouldn't go any smaller. I made mine with removable legs and a kart that I can stand it up on an roll out of the way. It works good enough. I always keep a big sheet of cardboard around to put on top when I'm gluing

When I had my big shop in Phoenix I had a nice 8x8 table set up. That was really nice.
When I first started about 10 years I laid a sheet of wood over my bed and leaned it agents the wall to sleep. Made a living like that for about a year.

Thank you very much for the information! It would be really nice to have a big space to install a really, really big table, but these 4x8 sheets of melamine would be a good compromise

I have a 6'x10' table on a metal rolling cart. I would love to hinge the center so I could lift a 5'x5' section (using pneumatic lift gate) and a have glue box under it. Think of the time savings.

I had to cut my big sheet of Melamine into two to get it into my work room and screwed 2x2 to the underside and cinched the two pieces together with C-Clamps and have 2x2 legs.

I would think i had died and gone to heaven if i had a 10x24 outbuilding....lol work with what you have in the moment. don't let a small work table be an excuse to not get going. I really like @john 's story about laying a sheet of Melamine on the bed. How many excuses could he have come up with?

lol all that being said, yes a 8x8 work table with a cutout for the sewing maching would be the cat's ass.

vicstric wrote: ↑Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:21 pm lol all that being said, yes a 8x8 work table with a cutout for the sewing maching would be the cat's ass.

If I ever have the space, I would LOVE this configuration!!

John wrote: ↑Wed May 09, 2018 6:59 amWhen I first started about 10 years I laid a sheet of wood over my bed and leaned it agents the wall to sleep. Made a living like that for about a year.

I would have done the same, this is, if I was single, as my wife is very patient, but she has a limit!!

I will post pictures of my table I made for my garage at home the next time I set it up. Its 4x8 I made the legs removable so that I can stand it on end and it takes up almost no space. Its not the best but it works good enough.
I used to have a 8x8 table when I was in Phoenix. That was nice.

kl4bidn wrote:I have a 6'x10' table on a metal rolling cart. I would love to hinge the center so I could lift a 5'x5' section (using pneumatic lift gate) and a have glue box under it. Think of the time savings.

Yeah that would be awesome!

LeatherJohnny wrote:

John wrote: ↑Wed May 09, 2018 6:59 amWhen I first started about 10 years I laid a sheet of wood over my bed and leaned it agents the wall to sleep. Made a living like that for about a year.

I would have done the same, this is, if I was single, as my wife is very patient, but she has a limit!!

Yeah probably not the best idea in your case

Yes, it's really interesting to see what professionals use when they have limited space

I have a pair of trestles (if this word is correct) like these:


And I could place the sheet of melamine on it, or I could cut it in two and use the 2x2s that BigRig mentioned before, so the melamine would be more easily storable when not in use. Thanks for your ideas!

@LeatherJohnny

We call them sawhorses here. Run some 2x2 under your sheet of Melamine and cinch and you going to have a store away table. How big of a working space are you limited to?

I work in a 245 sq/ft room, but I have the sewing machine, a craftsman heavy duty rolling cart, work bench... lots of things!!! So I need something that I can store away with the sawhorses

In good weather I can work in the 645 sq/ft backyard, and that's why it would be a good idea the store away table

I had in my garage a fold down table. It layed up against he wall when not in use and when in use it dropped down of the wall and lay on a portable table, one of those plastic types.

Great setup! I have my walls all used but it would a really good idea to save space I wish I had a barn or something similar...

I use the same method with the saw horses when I'm working on site somewhere away from my garage. Really easy to set up and take down.

These are the tables I built when I was at my old shop in phoenix.

Unreal 8x8 table! I would love an old barn too.