"Fold up" ironing board (reverse engineering)

Building a functional mock up

So I know I need to work out the sliding mechanism. 3 goals here:

1. Make sure the components fit into the space I'm allocating for it.
2. Ensure all the pieces work and it is easy to slide up and down.
3. Make sure the ironing board is level in the down position.

Here are all the components (minus the door which I will build as part of the Murphy bed complex).



I built a wall (16" stud mockup) and starting assembling the pieces I had cut from my measurements in post #1. The hinges are 3 1/2" door hinges. The pipe is 1/2" galvanized pipe which has an outside dimension of 3/4" strong.



Goal #1 is accomplished, it all fits! Now I need to make sure it works (goes up and down) and it slides easy enough so my wife doesn't get frustrated. I decided I would use 3/4" maple and route the groove that the pipe slides in. This was the most intimidating part for me. How to make a snug enough groove that wasn't too sloppy? Well, they say imitation is the best form of flattery, so I decided I would imitate the pipe thickness by using a pattern router bit. I grabbed some 3/4" scrap material and would use that to create the outline of my desired groove. I then used a plastic circle template as my shim to increase the width of the groove so the pipe had a little wiggle room to slide. I then brad nailed the pattern to the maple and began routing. Note, I intentionally made the groove longer than what I knew I would need so I could trim the maple top length in order to achieve goal #3 (ironing board is level in the down position). This step, which I was the most intimidated with became a rather easy task using the MDF strip templates and the pattern router bit.



Now that I have the grooves for the pipe, I need to incrementally trim it so the ironing board is level when in the down position. If the board is pointed down towards the floor, then the board needs to be shorter. I just took my time and snuck up on this by using my Wixey angle box.



Note, I decided to use maple to route the groove in. However, I intend to attach ¾" plywood with biscuits & pocket holes to the rest of the side to get my height of approximately 47". This is what it eventually looked like.

Parts list

After building the mock up, here is the parts list:

Case:
(2) sides - ¾" maple/plywood combo (46 ½ x 7 ½")
(1) top - ¾" plywood (13×7 ½")
(1) bottom - ¾" plywood (13×7 ½")
(1) shelf - ¾ plywood (13×5 ¼")
(1) back - ¼" plywood (46 ½ x 14 ½")

Ironing Board:
(1) ironing board - ¾" MDF (42 ¼ x 12") the last 13" are tapered down to a 4 1/2" circle (see pic below with cottage cheese container)
(1) board support - ¾" MDF (12×11 ½") rounded - see pic below
(1) sliding support - ¾" MDF (9 ½ x 4 ¼") has a 1 1/4" hole for bolt clearance when folded up
(1) washer - 1/8" hardboard (9×9") this space allows the ironing board cover to wrap around the edges



Hardware & misc:
(1) aluminum sheet 6×24" (thinnest I could find at Lowes)
(1) pipe - ½" diameter x 14" (I had some galvanized laying around that worked great)
misc screws
(1) bolt - 2" 5/16×18
(1) nut - 5/16" x 18
(1) locking nut - 5/16" x 18
(2) washers - 5/16"
(2) 24" piano hinges (1 will be cut to size during door installation)
(2) 3 ½"exterior door hinges
(1) hanger hook for inside of door (optional)
(1) knob or drawer pull for opening door
white epoxy appliance paint for the galvanized pipe (optional)
other finishing paint (or your preference)
Nylo-Tape for smooth sliding action (I had ¾" width on hand, but ½" would work, too) ht
(1) Hide-Away electrical unit (optional) and misc electrical wiring

Other important details

So some important details I have not mentioned yet.

The routed groove:

• There is 2 ½" inches from the front of the case to the groove.
• The top of the groove bends in ½"

Heat Shields:
Use aluminum for protection. I purchased a 24×6" piece and cut it in half. I sprayed it with white epoxy appliance spray paint then mounted it with 3M's Super 77 spray adhesive.

Shelf:
Install in coordination with your heat shields. This put my shelf 12" down from the top.

Electrical Unit:
If you decide to use this, install it as far right as possible. I left about an inch space to the right, but now our iron is a tight fit on the left when in storage. Also, the electrical line comes in from the top. this unit cost around $35. I am glad I got it, but it is also an easy upgrade at a later time assuming getting power to the top of your unit is somewhat easy.



Ironing Board Cover:
Lowes sells a cover that should fit the board dimensions I gave in a previous post. If not, use batting and fabric with elastic to make a padded cover. I rounded over the edges of the board using a 1/8" roundover bit.

Board Height:
Our previous ironing board height was 36" off of the ground. This is a comfortable height for my wife, so when I mounted the completed unit, I made sure the board height was around 36".



Ok, that is all the info I can think of to share. Please let me know if I can answer any questions. Good luck!

-Jeff