Here is the table with the main cutouts completed.

I still will need to cut holes for the hinge pins, thread stand, and light mount when I receive them, but this is how the main cutouts turned out. The template worked. It was a tight fit on the back edge, so I still needed to route a little more out (maybe 1/8″?) to fit the machine well. ** (addendum: 06/13/08 It ended up being a lip that was 3/8″ deep, corners at 1/4″ deep, 1/2″ deep at hinge pin locations on the lip portion — 3/8″ deep where hinge pins (circular portion) fits into top, and 1/2″ deep x 1/2″ back into that circle for movement where hook and pins meet at the top. Also, the belt opening needs to be a 1/4″ closer toward the back of the machine - wider than I have marked.) That may be because I traced the inside edge of the template line, rather than the outside. If you use this template, you may want to go along mid-to-outside edge. It is a close-enough tracing to allow for adjustment without the machine falling through the top. I used a sharpie marker and should probably have used a pencil to get a cleaner line.

The routing went much better than I feared. After making the initial inside cutout, using a jigsaw, I almost went to Home Depot and bought a sheet of 1/8″ luan to put on top rather than attempt routing the ledges. But alas, I had that thought at 8:49 pm and Home Depot closes at 9 pm. So, I took a deep breath and did it! It worked out really well, I think.

A tip: whenever you use a jigsaw to make a cutout (such as a sink cutout or for a machine, it’s helpful to use a scrap of lumber (in my case a 1×2), put a nail into it’s center and nail it to the center of your cutout. It must be long enough to extend beyone your cut. This will in effect hold the cutout from the top of the table and keep it from slipping down before you are finished your cut - this slipping could - at best - jam your equipment - at worst - break your saw blade.

For the inner ledge cutout, I used a straight cutting bit and made successive passes to get the depth of the profile needed (as my old Black & Decker Router) isn’t too accurate. Once I had the depth of the corner pieces, then I lowered it another 1/8″ to get the ledge. This depth requirement did end up deeper than I originally had thought (about 3/8″). Still, it was a matter of just slipping the machine in and out of the hole until I got a depth I was comfortable with. Here is a closer look at the cutouts.

If you don’t have access to a router, gluing up another sheet of 1/4″ or 1/8″ (whatever the necessary depth of the reveal is), will work. After you make the outer edge cutout, just make sure it’s glued down into a position that will leave the necessary reveals. Without a router, you will need to probably use a wood chisel to dig out any spots lower than the base of the machine, like in my case, the hinge pin base clearances (they rounded down slightly in the back, like a 1/2″ half circle of steel).

Here is a view of the edge profile. I used a rounding-over bit (Norm would be proud!). Mainly because it seems my kids are always hitting table top edges with their foreheads. This step isn’t necessary, but you do want to make sure you seal and sand those edges. I’ve seen where people have used wood putty on a spatula to fill the edges of plywood, but I really like the toned lines in finished plywood.

I put two coats of water-based poly on the top and bottom and cutout edges (remember, if you seal the top, you need to also seal the bottom and any edges. or it may warp (the unfinished edges will absorb moisture from the air). I’ll sand the works down and continue putting more coats until It’s as smooth as I need. Water based stains and sealers raise the grain, so you must sand in between. This isn’t difficult tho, a fine sanpaper on a dense sponge or a block of wood works really well and quickly. Just take your time and do several coats sanding in between and the results will be really pretty.

In the past, I’ve used the oil based sealers and Johnson’s Paste Wax and Carnuba Car Wax. Most of the furniture in my house, I refinished with the waxes, as this is a hard durable finish that I can recoat as kids muck up without stripping. In this case, tho, I just knew if I waxed it, I’d set a hot iron down on it one day. So for now, I left the poly. Granted it still won’t hold up to an iron, but it will most likely leave a nice milky white spot to remind me never to do it again! I’m not sure how the oil based finishes would have dealt with it. But, hey, I’ve got to stop being lazy and use my ironing board for it’s intended purpose anyway.

All in all - I highly recommend making your own top. It really isn’t difficult and took me, using power tools, about 4 hours total (to the end of the 2nd coat of sealer) If you don’t have access to power tools, you can cut it with a hand saw that you can put through a drilled hole. It will just take awhile. The top cost: 30.00 + tax. The birch ply was 15.00 for a 24×48 sheet. + wood glue and sealer if you don’t have them. Not too shabby!

I’ll wash, sand and repaint the legs today, in between the coats of sealer. I’ll also add a tape measure to the top’s edge. It should be nice and dry by the time my parts come. Yippeee!

A HUGE THANK YOU in appreciation to the folks on the WEFIXIT group on Yahoo! Especially Bob Cavenagh! His encouragement and informative answers gave me the needed confidence to tackle this job. I highly recommend doing it yourself!

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