Drafting Table
The prompt for one of the projects in my Design Studio class here at Brown was “Displaying the Displayed.” As an exercise, we had to bring in a meaningful object from home. I brought one of my drawings that resonated with me because not only was I proud of my work but I made it for a family member that I hold close to me. I had to figure out how to display this object in a creative way. I wanted to use my newly developed woodworking skills and eventually came up with the idea of a drafting table: something that could display art but also had the ability to produce new art as well. Here are some pictures from the first iteration.
Some of the interesting aspects of the design were the height and the angle. It was tall enough to fit an average chair underneath, and had a set angle of about 30 degrees, which I had research and experimented with to find a comfortable position. It also had an area in the back to hold materials, and the table surface could be easily removed. I had a chance to get feedback from my classmates and professor on the table, and many encouraged me to increase the height to accomodate a high stool. They also suggested adjustable heights, which I definitely agreed with and was excited to put into my next iteration.
I added a name plate, the adjustable angle and made the table much taller. I added a pencil holder to one of the legs as well. One thing I wanted to improve about iteration #2 was the dimension of the top frame and incorporate the legs into the frame. For my final iteration, I went out and purchased Poplar, some dowels, hinges for the table surface, and a light finish.
The final product was done almost entirely of dowelling, with the exception of the small screws used for the hinges on the MDF surface. A final touch was a pencil ledge. The table can adjust to four different heights, and can be done with your foot using the bar at the bottom and just one hand to stabilize.
If I could improve upon this table, I would change the material of the surface and add guidelines. I think another interesting improvement would be changing the dowel used for the adjustable function into a metal bar. These are all tasks that would not require a disassembly of the project, which makes them possible for the near future!
Kelly G. Hering 