DIY Drafting Table Built with Kee Klamp
When Mike needed to build a set of drafting tables for his company's new bid room, he thought of Kee Klamp for the project because he had used our products in the past and felt it would be a good fit for his new tables.
In this post, we'll take a closer look at how Mike and our design team planned out the drafting tables, how they were constructed, and any other important details along the way.
Designing a Drafting Table
Fite Building Co. uses sets of drawings during their bid and building process. This type of table allows people to see a larger format to make every detail clearly visible.
The bid room gives workers a space outside their offices to review these drawings and have a larger workspace.
The company's old bid room was getting a bit crowded, so they moved into this new one. In doing so, however, they needed a few new drafting tables. Like mentioned earlier, Mike was familiar with Kee Klamp and decided to reach out to Simplified Building to see if our fittings would be best for this project.
Mike was looking for an industrial look and needed a heavy-duty solution that would be reliable and look professional.
For a drafting table, the table needed to be at angle to provide an ergonomic system for people working on it.
Mike and our team came up with a design that utilizes the Swivel Flange fitting to create the angle needed. Mike wanted the tabletop for each of the drafting tables to be 35" from the ground in the front, and 42" from the ground in the back.
The Swivel Flange has a joint in the middle of the fitting that gives the flange a range of motion of 160 degrees. This allows the frame to create the angle needed to achieve Mike's vision.
Large Drafting Table
Specs:
- Customizable
Assembly:
- Hex key
What's included:
What's not:
Above you’ll see the layout of all the pipe and fittings use to make this larger drafting table. Because this drafting table is 10 feet long, it required an additional brace in the middle to provide great support and stability to the table.
Small Drafting Table
Specs:
- Customizable
Assembly:
- Hex Key
What's included:
What's not:
Above is the smaller of the two drafting tables Mike and our design team came up with. It is the same height and angle as the larger table but is only 6 feet in length.
Building Custom Drafting Tables
So, while we do provide all the pipe and fittings necessary for building a table like this, we do not provide the tabletops.
For this project, the tabletops were built using 3/4" plywood with 1” oak plywood on top and a solid oak band. After building the table tops and sanding them down, Mike and his team stained the tops and applied four coats of polyurethane.
Now it’s time to install. Our pipe and fittings use a set screw system that anyone can simply put together with no prior experience.
Starting with the frames here, you can see that they are large, strong, and have that industrial look. One thing to note here is that you want to make sure you have your tape measures and leveler out for the install. Making sure the angle and measurements are exactly where you need them to be is crucial before you move on to the next step.
Next was mounting the tabletops to the frames. We do not provide the hardware for mounting the tabletop to the flanges, but those can be easily purchased at your local hardware store or online.
One final check to make sure everything is level and secured and we are finished! Mike and his team had these two tables built in no time and were able to use them right away.
Benefits of Modular Tables
In this case, Mike and his team wanted a set length, width, and height for their tables. However, with our modular system, you can design a table that is adjustable in height so that you can both a sitting or standing table. This allows for different options for individuals who prefer to work standing or sitting.
If you're looking to build a drafting table like the ones Mike built, reach out to our projects team for free design assistance. Or, if you're looking for a ready-made solution, take a look at our table kits and your new table today!
