Popular Woodworking 2000-06 № 115, страница 24

D RY SINK

An indoor/outdoor plant stand that lets you water

without worrying about spills on the furniture or floor below.

This table made a humble first appearance in Popular Woodworking as a prop in a photo of a featured project, the Blacker House's Greene and Greene Bench. Well, not only was the bench a hit with readers, but we had lots of calls about the table as well.

As a table/plant stand/dry sink, the project is a real hybrid. And like many projects produced in home workshops, this one was an answer to a particular problem. You see, my wife presented me with the bonsai tree shown in the photo. All of the sudden I was responsible for an 18-year-old miniature "tree."

Bonsai require frequent watering. Their sandy soils need a thorough drenching every day. The inevitable run-off begged for a solution easier than a daily trip to the kitchen sink. So I devised a plan for a table with a dry-sink top lined with a copper pan to catch the water.

It works well and looks good. The Japanese design influence provides just the right setting for a Japanese bonsai tree.

Construction follows the same principles and techniques as are typical for small tables: an arrangement of aprons at the top and stretchers set about mid-leg. In lieu of a top, the copper pan slips in from below and is supported by a plywood bottom that is held in place with cleats screwed to the aprons. The principal materials are

redwood (although red cedar would be a less expensive alternative) and outdoor-grade plywood. The copper pan is sheet metal and is simple to fabricate.

Cut out the legs, aprons and stretchers following the Schedule of Materials. You can cut the stretchers about ^1/8" wider than given so there's a little left to trim when routing them with a template to finished shape. The legs are cut from redwood 2 x material and the rest is ³/4" stock.

Now use Baltic birch, medium density fiberboard (MDF) or some other material without voids to make templates for routing the patterns on the aprons and stretchers. It's best if the template thickness is at least ¹/4" and not more than ¹/2". Make the templates to the shapes indicated by the diagrams. Be sure the edges are smooth after cutting them.

When the templates are done, position the one for the side stretchers or aprons. Make it easy to find the right position by penciling a center line across the width of the template and the width of the parts. Then it's just a simple matter of matching up the center lines and leaving a fraction of overhang along the width. Now trace the template shape on the parts and cut out the shape, leaving ¹/8" or less waste to be trimmed with the router.

When done, position the template on the part again and tack it in place with

by Steve Shanesy

I

Popular Woodworking June 2000