World Map Table Top (Lift Up Lid)

In this Instructbles build, I will show how I built the table, the table storage

and the world map on top.

I am entering this into the 'Make it Move' contest.

The movement being in the hinged, lift up lid.

My boys are home schooled, so I have slowly been turning our outdoor room

into a comfortable and practical school room.

If you wanted to see how I made the 'Booth Seating area'.

Then you can check that video out here ▲

First up we need to create a solid frame.
I attached a length of 70x35mm timber either side.

And made sure they were level.

Before attaching those pieces I pre-drilled pocket holes

so the screws can be hidden from the front face.

I ran the lengths of 70 x 35 through the thickness planer

to remove the fine edges from the visible faces.

And stained them before attaching.

Now to cover in the underside of the table.
I pre-cut and drilled all my lengths before climbing in underneath.

The more I attached the more boxed in and cramped I was getting under there.
I am glad I am not claustrophobic, because I got stuck and needed to do some

wiggling and readjusting to get back out of there.

For the hinge up lid I first attached three hinges between two of the pre-cut palings.

I laid the rest of the palings in place,
then cut all those to length.

I ripped some palings down the center
to create the supports for the underside of the table-top.

Laid them on top to mark the holes and my overall length.

Pre-drilled and chamfered.

Then attached them to the underside of the table top.

For the map. I first measured the length of the table,

worked out how many sheets of A4 paper would fit and in what orientation.

Then took a basic map from google images into Photoshop

and stretched it out over 9 sheets of paper.

Printed it out, taped it together
and taped it to the bench.

Grab a strong pencil, one that is not going to keep breaking under pressure

and start tracing back and forth over the lines.

This will leave a slight indentation on the tabletop.

Instead of using the "Indentation method".
You might prefer the "carbon paper method" I used in this video ▲

Timestamp 03:13

Then I very gently paint in the grooves with dark brown acrylic paint.

I use cheap acrylic paint mixed with a drying retardant

so I could leave the paint out all day without it drying out.

Added the finishing touches of the bench
and it is done.

If you are interested in these kinds of builds.
Then I would love to have you join me over on YouTube ♥

YouTube - Nikita Maree