big board
 

I would love to have a big board to place on my ironing board. I don't know the dimensions or how to proceed. My husband says a big board wont work because it will be too unstable. I would appreciate some help.
Thanks
geegs

I think your husband is right about that. There are larger ironing boards you can purchase, or you could construct a larger ironing surface that is more stable than a typical ironing board. No doubt others will have some specific suggestions about how to proceed.

My big board sits on top of a regular ironing board -- I don't have an issue with i being unstable. I do love my big board.

I think it was Keepsake Quilting that had the big board for sale. I have just a piece of pressed wood with a large June Taylor cover (20"x 60") sitting on top of two sets of Sterlite drawers. LOVE it. I would check out June Taylor's website to see if they still make them.

to suit hubby, ask for two saw horses and a big board. Just need some 2x4s and a sheet of plywood. Size? What do you have room for? How far can you reach? It could be made to set up just when you needed it and put away other times.

I made a large covered board, set it on top of ironing board but had to be careful a it moved around and would tip if I put pressure on the ends. Added "stopper blocks" underneath (placed the board on the floor, padded side down, drew around the ironing board and added blocks of wood screwed to ends and sides of lines) which helped so much. Then I decided that there was alot of wasted space under that thing, so I purchased a set of shelves and cut one set of legs down a bit (plastic) so it was the right height. Wala! Storage! Much like the Sterlite drawers! I have enjoyed it. It is sturdy (still has the blocks underneath) and no tipping!

I purchased a big board to use over my ironing board at a LQS years ago. It was hand made by a local crafter. I love it and use it all the time, even for my personal ironing. My husbands shirts just fit from shoulder to shoulder--that's how wide it is and I can get new covers for it from the various quilting catalogs for ex., Connecting Threads, Nancy's Notions, Keepsake Quilting and they fit fine. I only paid $40 for it at the time. It measures 22 1/2 x 60 1/2. Pads are also available from the above mentioned sources. It is made of a sturdy wood, and a bit on the weighty side--meaning it is not at all flimsy. There is a piece of wood at the one end on the under side that prevents it from sliding off the ironing board and also on the two long sides. If your hubby does any kind of woodworking, I know he could make you one. As I said, I love mine and couldn't do without it. Every now and then I pull it forward to keep it where it belongs, because it slides a little toward the back end.

I personally don't have one but have friends that do and they are all home made. The key is to put strips - like 1x2 or 2x2 on the bottom that run along the edge of your ironing board top. This keeps it in place. As others have said, lay the big board on the floor, flip your ironing board upside down on top of it and draw around it to mark the places for the stabilizing strips. None of my friends have complained about it being unsteady and when I've used theirs didn't notice a problem either.

The secret is to start with a sturdy, solid ironing table. I have two boards, one of which has those annoying T legs and is definitely not sturdy enough. My other board is built better and can handle the weight. Also - don't use super dense, heavy wood, like 1" thick chipboard and 2x4s for the lip. Have him build it out of lighter weight materials.

My husband built one to put over my ironing board. It is fine; not unstable at all. Cost was low. Mine is removeable in case I want to take it off to use the regular ironing board. I have learned, however, to have my dh take it off and put it on again for me, as it is a little on the bulky side and heavy side to do it on my own. Mine is covered with Warm and Natural, then with Duck cloth purchased from Walmart (all stapled to the board). The underside of the board has lengths of 2x4's nailed on so the board fits snugly onto the nose and sides of my ironing board. Mine measures 21"x54", but you could make it almost any size you want. I would imagine the wider it gets, the less stable it is. 21" was wide enough for my purposes.

There are some websites that show how to make one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...d-Into-a-Quil/
http://www.minneapolismqg.com/2013/1...ing-board.html
https://mulberrypatchquilts.wordpres...ard-extension/
http://wildonionstudio.wordpress.com...-board-topper/