Train Table, Mama Made

On Monday, I shared my steal.  My $5.00 train set.  Can't get a better deal than that! 

Well, this week, we took a family outing to Freeport, ME to use gift certificate we got for LL Bean for Christmas (Thanks BOG!).  Somehow, I forgot my camera.  How could that be?!  We love Freeport. Well, our little one fell in love with a train table at the restaurant we ate at.  I suggested to my husband that we should make one later that night.  I think he rolled his eyes at me, although he'd never admit it.  I'm good for my word (much to his chagrin).  He did volunteer to help...which amounted to 2 cuts and a few screws. Then he gave up and watched.  He doesn't like to get involved in my crazy ideas, so he says. 

The whole table is made entirely from scrap wood I found around our garage, paint, nails and screws we had. It cost nothing to make.  It was free.  F-R-E-E.  Those four little letters create that word that sounds off the Hallelujah chorus in my head.  Oh, how I love free.

You can make one too with found scraps!  

*  The legs are 8 equal length pieces of 2x 4s.  Two are nailed together at a right angles to make the legs.  You can make them whatever length you'd like, as long as they're even. Ours are 18 in. high.

*  The top is just a random board.  You can use whatever size you've got.  Ours is  36x45 inches.
I screwed the table legs to the corners of the top board, matching right angles.

* The sides are trim pieces that were removed from the basement when we added extra baseboard heating. They're 4 1/2 inches wide.  I measured the side lengths and cut them to match the length of the table.  I screwed them to the legs and the board, making sure there was a 1 1/2 inch lip above the top board (to catch random fly away trains).  Last, I measured how long the end pieces needed to be, cut and screwed them.

*Paint and you're done.
Believe it or not, it only took a couple hours to make. The priming and painting took a bit of time between dries.  But it was finished in a couple days.  
 
 Is it perfect?  Nope. 
Are the corners mitered?  Nope. 
Are all the screw holes perfect?  Don't look too close.
Could it use an extra coat of paint? Yup. 
Would I be embarrassed for a woodworker to inspect it? Um, yes.
 
But....
Is it solid?  Very.
Is it functional? Definitely.
Is it well loved already?  Oh yes.  
Does it make a mama happy just watching her little angel loving it so?  Oh yes.
Ohh!  Oooo!  Ohhh! Oooo! Ohhh!  was the reaction.  For at least 10 minutes. He was oh so happy.  Which makes this mama grin ear from ear.
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