DIY folding kitchen table: drawings and diagrams

Recommendation points

• Hanging table
• Hanging table options
• Stages of making an original hinged table
• Folding kitchen table with cabinet
• Stationary folding table with cabinet-shelves
• Narrow book table on casters

Not everyone was lucky enough to be the owner of a large kitchen, but in small ones, every square centimeter counts. That is why folding tables are so fond of our compatriots. The article discusses some structures made of wood, accompanied by drawings, calculation of materials and recommendations for assembly.

You can make a folding table with your own hands, for this you need to arm yourself with ready-made drawings or develop your own, and also stock up on tools and materials. The table can have a different shape and area, but in order for it to occupy a small area, you need to make it in the form of a transformer.

Hanging table

Such a table practically does not take up space in the kitchen until it is needed, it can be easily laid out and assembled, and it is quite simple to make such a structure. The table is a supporting part, fixed on the wall, and reclining if necessary. Moreover, chains, mechanical or folding brackets – wooden or metal scarves and frames, as well as one or two legs folding under the base can serve as limiters and supports.

Hanging table options

The blueprints below will give hints on how to make.

Hinged table with support – telescopic arm. 1. Table top. 2. Furniture hinges. 3. Telescopic supports

Table drawing: support – folding frame made of bars

In addition, watch a video on the process of making a table with folding stops, with a hinge on a tiled wall.

Stages of making an original hinged table

Now let’s make a combined table-sideboard for the kitchen.

1. We will prepare boards (slabs) with the dimensions indicated in the drawing. To do this, we apply the markings, carefully cut out, and then grind each surface with sandpaper or a sander.
2. Using screws, we assemble the frame, checking the accuracy of the exposed elements with a square and a level. Fasten the edge of the upper shelf with wood glue. The middle shelf can be fixed with self-tapping screws through vertical walls or shelf supports – furniture corners (corner brace).
3. To the lower part of the frame, we fix a piano (continuous) hinge or several separate hinges in a row with screws. We attach the second part of the hinges to the inside of the tabletop. If the canvas is not strong enough, you can add two or three stiffeners on the outside..
4. We screw the hinges onto the side surfaces of the frame and in the corners of the tabletop from the inside. We fix the chains by adjusting them in length until the table top is completely horizontal in the open state. We close the door-table top, mark the places for hooks and loops on the end surfaces of the sideboard and table on both sides, and screw in the fittings. The tabletop is now locked in an upright (folded) position.
5. On the back of the frame, we attach the hinges for hanging on the wall. Optionally, the sideboard can be sewn up in the back with plywood or leave the structure open.
6. We paint the surface with a bright, glossy varnish. Buffet table ready!

Folding kitchen table with cabinet

Consider two designs of a folding table with a curbstone. The first one in the kitchen takes up more space, but has a drawer and shelves in the cabinet, which are useful for storing small things. The second one is on casters, narrow, can be built into the line of kitchen furniture.

Stationary folding table with cabinet-shelves

Let’s try to make a pedestal table, as in the photo below.

To make a table, we need a jigsaw, a screwdriver, for grooves for hinges – a milling cutter or a crown-nozzle for a screwdriver or drill.

1. Preparation of elements. Examine the drawings and prepare elements with the dimensions and materials shown in the table.

Table 1. Calculation of materials

Position by drawing	Detail	Quantity, pcs.	Size, mm	Material
1	Folding tabletop panel	1	600×600	plywood 25 mm
2	Stationary worktop panel	1	600×475	plywood 25 mm
3	Wide part of the slide-out rails on the folding part	2	530×30	plywood 18 mm
4	Wide section of rails for extendable leg on stationary part	2	120×30	plywood 18 mm
five	Upper leg movement limiter	1	122×30	plywood 18 mm
6	Narrow part of the rails for the extendable leg on the folding part	2	530×20	plywood 18 mm
7	Narrow part of the slide-out rails on the stationary part	2	120×20	plywood 18 mm
8	Lower leg movement limiter	1	122 * 20	plywood 18 mm
nine	Side walls of the cabinet	2	720×520	19mm MDF plate
ten	Horizontal elements of the cabinet	3	520×312	MDF plate 19 mm
eleven	Vertical partition between shelves	1	418×312	MDF plate 19 mm
12	Wall – drawer movement limiter	1	312×184	MDF plate 19 mm
13	A shelf	1	310×250	MDF plate 19 mm
fourteen	Door	1	447×346	MDF plate 19 mm
15	A shelf	1	310×250	MDF plate 19 mm
sixteen	Drawer decorative facade	1	346×209	MDF plate 19 mm
17	Drawer front panel	1	310×150	MDF plate 19 mm
18	Drawer side walls	2	341×150	MDF plate 19 mm
nineteen	Drawer back	1	272×120	MDF plate 19 mm
20	Bottom	1	341×272	MDF plate 19 mm
	Planks covering the bottom of the cabinet from the end	2	300×20	plywood? 5 mm
	Retractable leg	1	h 702mm, O: 55mm top, 30mm bottom	wood
	The head of the leg, moving along the assembled guides	1	80×80	plywood? 18 mm
Accessories and purchased items
	Door and drawer handles	2
	Drawer guides	2
	Furniture hinges for folding tabletops	2
	Furniture hinges for cabinet doors	2
	Furniture edge for open board ends		6-8 m

2. The details of pos. 1 Draw an arc that will be the rounded edge of the reclining part of the countertop using a homemade compass: a nail, thread, and a pencil. Place the stud exactly along the axis of the workpiece. Cut the arc with a jigsaw.
3. On a flat surface, place two pieces of worktop side by side, with the flat side facing each other. Using a router or a crown, drill the grooves to the size of the hidden butterfly loops. Secure the hinges with self-tapping screws. Before you start drilling, attach the hinges to the workpieces and mark with a pencil.
4. On the reverse side of the countertop from the details of pos. 3–8 form and fix with self-tapping screws the guides with the stop – the channel for the movement of the leg. Details of pos. 5 and 8 saw down at 45 °. Please note that the ends of the upper planks (pos. 3 and 4), directed to the junction of the countertops, are also sawn down at 45 °, otherwise they will prevent them from folding. Fix the head on the retractable leg – a square of plywood that will move along the guides. Insert the head of the stem into the channel and check its movement. If something gets in the way, you need to grind it. Paint or varnish the countertop.
5. All details of the cabinet pos. Saw 9–20 with a jigsaw, router, or smooth the edges by hand. On the end surfaces that will be visible, use an iron to fix the furniture edge. Having stepped back about 100 mm from the edge and having made the markings in the door and side wall of the cabinet, drill the holes for the hinges. Attach the handle to the door.
6. Paint the details of the cabinet. Using the square and level, assemble the curbstone according to the drawings, starting from the lower parts. Use wood rods, self-tapping screws and wood glue to hold the elements together. At the place of movement of the box, fix the guides.
7. Make a drawer, controlling the right angles and diagonal. Attach the guides to the side walls. Fix the facade panel and handle.
8. Install the countertop. To do this, fix the stationary part on the curbstone using wood glue, and then fix it on the inside with self-tapping screws. Insert drawer.

The table is ready!

Narrow book table on casters

Now let’s make another table that can be folded compactly and open one or two folding tabletops. For ease of movement, the design is complemented by wheels.

All units and parts are made of chipboard, the edges are finished with furniture edging. The table can be painted, laminated with foil or varnished. Consumption and dimensions of parts are shown in table 2.

table 2

Knot	Detail	Size, mm	Quantity, pcs.
Frame-base	Cap	560x160x16	1
Stiffening rib	528x160x16	2
Rack	739x160x16	2
Wheels	–	2
Tabletop support frames	Cap	518x70x16	2
Stiffening rib	486x100x16	4
Rack	707x70x16	4
Bottom	518x70x16
Wheels	–	4
Countertops		739×560	2

1. We will make a base frame according to the diagram below. For this we use wooden rods, screws and glue. U-castors are self-tapping.

2. Now you need to assemble two supports for the countertops, which, when closed, are removed under the base.
3. We attach the supports to the base using piano hinges. Optionally, you can fix them on one or two posts. We control the assembly by level, and upon completion we check how the parts move relative to each other.

4. We also attach the tabletops to the base with piano hinges. If you are worried that the leg will “leave”, attach a corner to limit movement on the inside of the tabletops.
5. If you want the wheels not to be visible when folded (when stored in a niche of kitchen furniture), add a plinth to the base by cutting a groove for it in the stiffener.

In conclusion, watch a video on how to make your own sliding table in the kitchen.