The Deck Overhaul, pt. 2

So, it looks like it didn't take us long to get back to it. Today around noon, after our first class, Bryan and I decided that today would be a good day to get moving on the table. After all, it was pretty clear, the sun came and went, and it wasn't too cold. So, after I stopped into work, Bry and I headed to Home Depot to pick up the two surface pieces and the necessary hardware. Home Depot is a pretty good drive away, but it's the closest place that sells lumber, so it was out only choice.

So we took the trusty Ranger out and picked up an 8'x4' sheet of plywood that we had them cut into 2 8'x2' pieces (with a pretty kick ass cutting machine), 6 brackets, a couple hinges, and the necessary screws. We loaded it all into the bed of the truck and headed for home. Right as we pulled out of the Home Depot parking lot though, it started to rain. Figures. But we got home without any damage to the wood, so it didn't really matter. Here's the surfaces against the futon, for reference:
















So, pretty long, but the right size for the space where we're putting it, which is here:
















Anyways, after we got all the stuff home, it was time to get to building. First, we mounted the brackets onto the 2 beams on the wall 38" from the ground, which we determined to be a good height. They're already mounted in the above picture. Then, we got to the surfaces. We put the hinges on after chiseling some troughs so they would be flush with the surface. Here's how that looked:
















Our first accomplishment was that the hinges worked perfectly, that is, the two sides folded against each other perfectly, and when they were folded down they were flush with each other. Next, we screwed brackets on the bottom side of the surfaces for the posts, and then attached the posts:
















Originally, we didn't think the brackets were going to be strong enough, so the legs might not be able to fully support the table. We decided to try it anyway, so we flipped the table over and rested it on the brackets on the deck wall installed earlier. Turns out that, after nailing the legs to the deck floor and screwing the surface to the wall brackets, and it was surprisingly sturdy. That was our second accomplishment. So here's what it looked like after putting it up:
















Pretty nice looking right? Just like the picture. And here's how it looks with the leaf up, supported by Bryan:
















So the only things we had left to do was to put in the support beams for the leaf and we would be in business. Well, not so fast. Since the posts were so far apart, and the only thing supporting the leaf was the hinges, we got a pretty wicked bow in the surface. You can see the difference in the gaps between the two surfaces above. Look at the middle, and then look at the side.

Well, we thought we could get past it with the support beams, so we cut little blocks with Bryan's saw drill-attachment. Everything we cut was with that, and it really does a number on battery life, so we had to be patient and always keep the spare battery on the charger. It worked out though. So we just screwed wood blocks on the bottom of the leaf and the posts to act as stoppers, making sure we could fit our block of wood between them and keep the leaf level when extended. Turns out, we were exactly on, and the leaf was level. That was our third accomplishment.

But the bow didn't go away. We decided to put a 1"x3" board along the bottom of the main surface, screwed into the posts in order to lift the bow. That worked flawlessly too. Here's what the bottom looks like with all that installed:
















So, after all that, here's the finished product, with the leaf extended and nothing but itself supporting it:
















Beautiful! Exactly like the picture. The only thing we still have left to do is go get another 1"x3" for the leaf, because when it;s extended, it has a little bit of a bow, but that's an easy fix.

So the table, aside from paint and finishing, is pretty much done. It only took us about 3 hours of work, and 2 trips to the hardware store. But the most amazing thing is that it all worked out, perfectly. You know that saying, "measure twice, cut once"? Well, it didn't apply to us today. We didn't have to do anything twice, which never happens, and just to reiterate that fact, I'll give you one last picture:
















We didn't really try to get it that level or anything, but this really was the story of our day; everything worked.

Well, thanks for looking at the seemingly endless string of pictures, but like I said last time, I love doing this stuff, so you better believe I'm going to document it. That's it for this installation, and again, I'll post our progress. See you next time on The Deck Overhaul.