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Sewing needs a huge table occasionally and floor space the rest of the time, and this build refuses to compromise on either: a compact rolling cabinet with a hinged leaf on each side, each leaf carried by a folding 1x3 leg. Open, it's a cutting table over six feet long; folded, it's a cabinet that rolls into a corner. One sheet of 3/4" plywood does everything but the legs.
The cut list hides one instruction in capital letters — the legs say MEASURE THESE — and the build order explains why: the legs are cut to the distance from the leaves' undersides to the caster bottoms of YOUR assembled cabinet, not to the list's 29-1/4". Casters vary; the measurement doesn't lie.
The stability detail is in the final step and easy to miss: the legs should open slightly PAST 90°, splayed in opposite directions. A leg at exactly 90° can fold under sideways pressure — past-center, pressure seats it tighter instead. That one detail is the difference between a table and a trap. Fold-out leg hinges or locking braces are the belt-and-suspenders upgrade if the table will see a rotary cutter leaned on hard.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4" sanded, 4x8 sheetThe entire cabinet and both leaves. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftThe four folding legs. | 2 each |
| Caster wheels, 2"~2-1/2" installed height, with 3/4" pan-head screws. | 4 each |
| Hinges, 2-1/2" to 3"Five sets: leaves to cabinet, legs to leaves. | 10 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, #8 x 2"Trim screws work — smaller heads on visible plywood. | 40 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet tops/bottomsPlywood | 2 | 3/4" × 20" × 32" |
| LeavesPlywood | 2 | 3/4" × 26 3/4" × 32" |
| Cabinet shelfPlywood | 1 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 32" |
| Cabinet sidesPlywood | 2 | 3/4" × 12" × 32" |
| Folding legs1x3NOMINAL — measure your assembled cabinet, leaf underside to floor, and cut to that. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 29 1/4" |
Buy 6 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
1 board
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Support the plywood on scrap 1x boards or foam, mark it every 32" across the width, set the saw just past the plywood's thickness, and cut three equal 32" x 48" pieces. Then cut each down per the list.
The good face goes DOWN for circular saw cuts — tear-out lands on the underside where nobody sews.
Screw the cabinet together per the diagram — top, bottom, sides, and the interior shelf — with the 2" screws, pilot-drilled. The shelf is fabric-stash storage and, structurally, the box's mid-span stiffener.
Screw the four casters to the cabinet base with their pan-head screws. Locking casters are worth the dollar upgrade — a cutting table that creeps while you cut is a special kind of maddening.
Lay the cabinet FACE DOWN on the floor with a leaf positioned against each side, and attach the hinges across the undersides. Working face-down like this self-aligns the top surfaces — hinged upright, you'd be shimming and cursing.
Measure from the underside of a raised leaf to the bottom of the wheels — THAT is your leg length; cut the four 1x3s to it. Hinge each leg to the underside of its leaf.
The list's 29-1/4" is a placeholder for a cabinet with these exact casters. Yours is whatever the tape says.
Flip the table upright, raise the leaves, and swing the legs into place. They should open slightly PAST 90°, splayed in opposite directions — past-center means downward pressure seats them tighter instead of folding them. Trim leg length if a leaf sits proud.
Lean on it, roll it, fold it, unfold it. Then sand the entire top until fabric glides, and go cut something out.
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