I have a drafting table in my office that I work at when I am designing
and planning projects. This table had no lip or edge along the bottom and the surface
of the table is very slick, so anything I placed on the table (pencils, erasers, rulers etc.)
would just slide off. Originally I had a thin strip of leftover scrap wood clamped along
the bottom edge but that didn't really look very nice. I needed something better.
I made this wooden edge that allows me to place, and keep, items on the
table and also dresses up the table a little bit. It is made from three pieces of poplar
that extend the full width (48") of the table. The middle piece of wood is the same
thickness as the tabletop. The top and bottom pieces are 4" wide and extend over and
below the tabletop. This creates a clamp that holds the whole piece to the table.
The three boards are held together with screws only (no glue) because of the flex that
may be induced on the joints.
There are four 3" carriage bolts extending from the top board, through the
gap between the middle board and the tabletop, and then through the bottom board. They are
secured in place with wing-nuts, so that I can adjust the clamping pressure as necessary to hold
this edge onto the table. The heads of the bolts are recessed into holes cut with a
Forstner bit so that they are flush with the surface of the wood.
The middle board extends out away from the table toward where I am sitting.
I flared the edges of that board for two reasons. First of all, I just thought it
looked better. Second, I wanted to have places where I could attach other pieces later
on. I am thinking of making a holder for pens, pencils and erasers to attach to one side,
and a holder for rulers and triangles on the other side. Someday I'll make them, attach
them and then add photos to this section.
I have used the table quite a bit since attaching this edge and it works
great. I have a ¾" edge to hold things in place and the clamp-design of the edge secures
it strongly to the table without having to permanently attach anything or drill through the
tabletop. And it gives a nice customized and artistic feel to the table.
