18" Doll: Folding Ironing Board

How about an Ironing Board??? :)

SHOPPING LIST: (You may have some of these pieces on-hand as SCRAP)

1 - 1/2"x6"x24"long poplar craft board @ 14"long (for ironing board top)***

2 - 1/2"x1/2" square dowels @ 11.25" (for the back legs of the ironing board)

1 - 1/2"x1/2" square dowel @ 11.25" (for the front leg of the ironing board)

1 - 1/2"x1/2" square dowel @ 1.5" (for the front leg "stop" on underside of board)

1 - 5/8"x5/8" square dowel @ 2" (for the back leg "hinge mount" on underside of board)

2 - 1/2"x1/2" square dowels @ 1" (for the back leg "T")

2 - 2"long machine bolts (for the the upper hinge and middle X hinge)

1 - 3"long machine bolt (for the back leg T)

5 - NUTS (to fit the diameter machine screw you choose)

4 - WASHERS (to fit the diameter machine screw you choose)

    ***You can find these at craft boards (1/2" thick) at Lowes

Drill / countersink bit

square (for making square marks before cutting)

tape measure / pencil / level / ruler

small hand saw

adjustable clamps

120 Grit sand paper

wood putty to fill holes and knots

Paint or stain to finish your piece (if desired)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Cut out all of your pieces of wood to the sizes specified in the shopping list.  Sand the edges well to prevent future splinters and burrs!

2.  After cutting out your ironing board top, you will need to find the "center" of the END of the board from side to side (5.5" wide, so center is just under 3").  Mark:

 3.  Now measure in 5" from the END you picked previously and mark on each SIDE.  This will be where your "triangle" you make for the ironing board top will "finish".

4.  Then, on the END that you have been using, measure out from your CENTER mark (on each side) .75" (for a total from one point to the other of 1.5") and mark.  This will end up being the POINT of your ironing board:

5.  Now connect your POINTS using a straight edge (ruler) and pencil:

 6.  Now cut on the LINES you just made by connecting your POINTS to get your ironing board top.  You have now created the NOSE point.

7.  Measure in 4" (on underside) from the NOSE of your ironing board top, and mark (on center).  Pre-drill down through the TOP of the board into your 1.5" piece of square dowel, and then attach with two screws, as pictured below and left:  (NOTICE THE POSITIONING OF THE SCREWS>>>)

8.  Now take your 5/8" square dowel piece (2") and find the center (from end to end - 1") and pre-drill a hole THROUGH the dowel.  This will be used for the back leg hinge bolt to connect the 2 back legs to the dowel.  It will eventually look like this:

9.  Now that your 2" square dowel has it's hinge bolt hole, you need to measure in 1" from the END of the underside of the ironing board top, and mark.  Pre-drill down through the TOP of the ironing board into the 2" dowel piece, making sure to drill at the ENDS of the piece so that you don't interfere with the hinge bolt hole you have already drilled, as pictured below and right:  (NOTICE THE PLACEMENT OF THE SCREWS>>>)

Remember....it should look like this (but no legs yet):

10.  Take your two back legs, and lay them side by side on a flat surface, making sure that their ends are flush so that you get a true measurement.  Decide which set of ENDS will be the bottoms (touching the floor) and color those bottoms with a bit of pencil. 

11.  From those BOTTOMS, measure up 5.75" and make a mark (on center) on BOTH LEGS.  This will be your X hinge bolt hole.  

12.  From the top of the BACK LEGS, measure DOWN 1/4" and make a mark (on center) on BOTH LEGS.  This will be your upper REAR hinge bolt hole.  

13.  NOW....take your back legs, stacking them one on top of the other so that the marks LINE UP over each other, and CLAMP the legs together, at the BOTTOM END of the legs (so that you can drill into their center and top end).  Keep the legs lined up, and then carefully drill down through the CENTER X HINGE MARK and the UPPER HINGE MARK.  You will have to turn the piece over and drill through the other side to make sure your holes are clean and large enough to pass the bolt through.

14.  Take your FRONT LEG and measure up from the bottom (mark it with pencil) 5.75", mark on center, and pre-drill from both sides so that your bolt hole is large enough.

15.  Now take a 2" bolt.  Thread on in order: 

  1 back leg

2 washers

front leg

2 washers

1 back leg

2 nuts

This will create your X HINGE:

 16.  Now....take your other 2" bolt and thread it through the upper hole on one back leg, then through the 2" dowel (underside of ironing board), through the other back leg, and then add 2 nuts to tighten off. It should now look like this:

17.  Use your saw and sand paper to carefully NOTCH the upper part of the front leg where it meets the dowel "STOP" on the underside of the ironing board top:

 18.  On that same leg....measure up from the bottom 1/4" (on center) and PRE-DRILL through the leg so that you can attach the 2 pieces of 3/4"dowel and 3" bolt.  Pre-drill THROUGH both pieces of 3/4" dowel FROM END TO END.  Now assemble by placing the 3" bolt THROUGH the end of a dowel, through the end of the front leg, THROUGH the other dowel, and then finish with a NUT.  It should now look like this:

 19.  I chose to SLIGHTLY NOTCH the 2 back legs (that point forward) so that they would sit more level on the floor for play:

 20.  Your ironing board is now finished!  It should look something like this when viewed from the back:

 And like this when "folded":

 21.  You can now "finish" your ironing board as desired...paint it, stain it, or even leave it "natural"!  I will eventually add a "pad" and "cover" to mine.  Have fun with it!!

Please feel free to use these plans to build furniture, for sale or for pleasure, but please do not sell the PLANS as your "own".  Please also give credit to me and link back here!  I hope you enjoy them!!

***I am NOT LIABLE for any plans featured here. Please take every precaution and use your own discretion to make sure these toys are safe for children to play with them.