would you put this on wheels (ironing surface)
 

I'm going to use these as the base for an ironing surface-my plan is to get a 3/4" plywood top that is about 3" bigger all around. I'm not sure if I'll use all 5 across or just 4. I'm thinking 4 would be plenty. So anyway, I need it about 6" higher and while I was doing something near them today, it occurred to me that it would be a pain if I dropped something in behind them (since they'll need to be away from the wall so I can let fabric drape on both sides of the surface plus the topper overhang) and maybe it would be good to put them on a solid board with casters attached, which might add enough height (doesn't have to be exactly 6"). Has anyone done this?

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I would make a base with locking wheels and set 2 back to back and one on the end in the middle with hooks on both sides for rulers, other large objects that need a place to hang, and have a top made and turn it into a cutting/ironing board.

I have my freezer on bricks to raise it to cutting height and it is a pain when something goes over the back. As careful as I try to be it still happens. Planning on getting it on casters.

I would put it on casters, and use all 5, you never have to long of a board when ironing a top. Make sure you get locking ones, if not you will find yourself fighting to keep it in one place. the slightest bump will make it roll.

Actually I'm also going to have a cutting board separate from this. The ironing one will have to be long and narrow so it fits in the space but that is a good idea for my future cutting board! The only reason I don't want them to be the same surface is that's the way I have it now and it's a pain removing my cutting mat, putting on my ironing mat, etc every time I need to iron while cutting or pinning. This ironing one will basically be a permanent fixture on this spot. Cutting one will be in the middle of my room.

Thanks everyone. Casters it will be, then. I'll be sure to get the locking ones. The only reason I may not use all 5 is the space. My room is what would normally be a family room, and the kids have to go through it to get to their rooms or bathroom. This ironing area will be right along the walkway so I am not sure yet if I want to use up that much space. Until I am able to get the base made I'll leave it this way to see how it goes, size-wise.

You're on your way to a good ironing station.

I understand your space limitations. If at times you a longer surface, you could attach a flip up wing on the end, and when not in use, it would be out of the way.

As another suggestion ... do a test run before making things permanent ... with the ironing board on top, will you be able to open the top drawers to access things? Or can you put the drawer in the bottom, and leave that top as an open shelf, instead of the bottom?

Also, 3" extension, may not be enough for your tootsies! Compare and check it with your kitchen counter with the counter overhang and the foot hole at the bottom.

I have two upper cupboards mounted on a large bottom board with six locking casters and a large melamine board mounted on top. I use this for my cutting mat and ironing mat. I love that I can move it away from the wall and walk around it. Between the two cupboards I have stacked my bins with my stash behind a gathered curtain.

You will need to make a 2X4 base with locking swivel casters that are weight appropriate for the cabinets below. (Don't get cheap casters I did and we ended up replacing them.) The top will need to be attached to the base some how so it doesn't move. You will either have to have a lip that goes around the top on the under side of plywood or screw it to the base so that the top won't move on you. My husband has done this for me on a old dresser and I love it.

I Agree with AmyJo would be perfect!!

I love your cabinets! Consider putting your plywood on 4 cabinets and then on the other one separately. You can push it to the end of the 4 or use it next to your sewing area for pressing while sitting down. I covered a board for this use and I really like this convenience for spot ironing. 3/4 inch plywood is very very heavy. You might want to consider 1/4 or 1/2". Just a thought or JAT! My own acronym. Good luck! Be sure to show us your completed project. Yolanda Wood River

I think the casters will make it really easy to pull out, great idea!!

Thanks for all the ideas!! Good point about the drawers-I hadn't even thought of that. I can switch so the open shelf is on top. Otherwise I'd have to take the top drawer all the way out to get anything out of it.

It would still be a little awkward reaching into the open shelf with the board on top ... and a brute if something got lost in the back corner. I'd find some longer things to stick in there that would be easy enough to get out. IN In my room, that might be some of my rulers, freezer and parchment papers, rolls of wonder under, etc.

Just thinking ... looks like you could stash bolts of fabrics easy enough into those open shelves! :)

The cubes are only 14" deep and I keep baskets in the open shelves so as long as nothing fell out of a basket, it shouldn't be too bad.

If you don't put it on wheels...look for one of those extension claws that can grab the items you drop...it's great to have around. I purchased one at the Dollar Tree and it works great! You can find them cheaper than this one but this is what it looks like.
http://www.yourstoreonline.net/grabb...2/product.html

have you thought of turning them upside down ( if the drawers will flip too)? then the baskets would be just under the surface. I have my home made big board ironing surface on top of stacked totes, 3,2, 3 . the cubby formed in the center by the 2 totes is a great shelf for pressing tools. Also, a really neat idea I saw somewhere , make a hammock for your hanging fabric! glue Velcro under the lip on the back of your table, sew up a muslin "sling" with Velcro to match on one edge then a hanging sleeve on the opposite edge, insert a dowel and hang the dowel on café curtain hooks on the wall in back. The table can still be pushed snug against the wall when not pressing and if something does fall behind just unhook the rod and pull the hammock /sling towards you, the item rolls out! I need one of these!

The drawers can go into either opening so I can just switch them out (which I actually did here-in my old room the drawers were on the bottom). The hammock idea sounds cool but I can't picture it. Do you know if there are any pictures of it online?

My ironing station is on castors. I move it all over, depends upon what I'm working on. When an ironing board is nest to a wall/etc. and starch/best press/etc is used, the overspray accumulates on the wall leaving a mark. Coarse if it was away from the wall, it'd go on the floor. As my name says, I like to petthefabric in it's natural state, so I don't use those things.

OMG. I went to Home Depot tonight to look at the casters. There must have been 3 dozen different ones. So now I have to figure out what kind to get. Locking, I know. And some say they're only for concrete so those are out.

For ease of use, you want the shepherd type castors.
They will cost you more, but you will never regret it.

Also, be sure you get ones that are large enough for the size of the cabinet they will carry, as well as the overall weight when stuffed full! Better to oversize!

I did a search and it looks like Shepherd is a brand that makes several types of casters. I also need to find out if one caster says it's good for 100 lbs, does that mean 4 would hold 400 lbs?

Didn't realize it was a brand .... perhaps they were the first ones to develop the type I am thinking about?
The ones with the balls on the bottom, that let you go any direction, easily.
They roll so smooth and easy.

The other type will have wheels on the bottom ... and the larger ones are often black rubber.
No matter the size, they just go the direction the wheel is facing, and you can't shimmy it around easily.

I went with the wheel type for an antique blanket box ... very soon, I was back buying the ball type. Learned my lesson, so now, I don't even look at the others!

The weights ... not sure ... and I would be careful on who I "believed" on that!

I have no idea what the weight will even be. A lot? LOL. My sewing table has wheels but they swivel so it's pretty easy to move. I'll look for the ball ones but I don't think I saw any like that at Home Depot. I won't actually need to move it unless I need to clean or retrieve something from behind it so as long as I can get it away from the wall and back, I think I'm good. My cutting table, however, will need to move easily. Luckily it won't be as heavy (I don't think).

You would want to make sure that they support a lot of weight, so it won't be that 4 hold 400 lbs. I am going to use 3/4 inch plywood with 4 swivel locking casters on the bottom so I can move it anywhere. That way if I change my mid and want to rearrange my room I can do that all by myself. I bought one of the little 4 wheel dollys and did that with it. moves easy and is fairly stable, holding the heavy duty sterlite storage drawers, 3 big ones on bottom and 4 smaller stacked on top of a board so it didn't cave the bottom one in.

This will be almost 60" across the long way, so I think I might go with 6 casters. It'll be tougher to move but since I don't have to move it a lot it shouldn't be a big deal.

i think you could get by with 1/2 of them locking ....i have a machine on wheels and can't get to the back to lock them so i only lock the front ones ...works ok for me

ok, questions---first where did you get these? Second, could you let me know how tall and deep they are? Also what are they made of? Am looking for something like this to fit under a v shaped desk.

I'm going contrary to the general response.

No wheels on my ironing surface. Why? Because wheels move and if they move without me intending them to move and my iron is on the board, it may fall to the floor, or worse, on me!

I can always get a new iron and new floor, but I can't get a new me!

Having said all that, I would probably raise it up without using wheels and put a couple of furniture sliders under it. Then, when I need to clean behind it, I can make sure the iron is both off and moved off the top of the board, then move it.

I will use locking casters so it won't go anywhere. my sewing machine is on a table with wheels and it doesn't move on me if it's locked.

These are Jetmax cubes that I bought at Michaels a few years ago. They're made of fiberboard (??) and are about 14.5".

Remember that when you are ironing yardage, it's 45" wide. You will also need at least 6" at the end to place the iron. My home-made big board is 24" x 60". To save money, I bought 3/4" plywood that was good on one side, not both. I saw somewhere something similar to what you are planning, but they mounted them onto a plywood base with a space in the middle. They anchored the units to the base with L-brackets on both sides of the units. She had storage baskets in the space or you could put shelves between the units that are at both ends. I thought this was the neatest idea. The whole thing was on wheels & the ironing surface on top. I would use the L-brackets to anchor the top, too.

I found the picture - just a few threads away! Here is the link. This is such a neat idea for storage & a multiple use item.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/mission...e-t232092.html

Since I'm getting a new countertop to use as a desk, I can use my old desktop (which is 3/4" plywood) for the ironing board. It'll be about 64" long by about 20" wide (it will overhang the cubes by about 3" all around). DH has 2 x 4 wood that I can use so I should only have to buy the casters and any brackets that I'll need.

thanks for the link to the pictures. That looks very efficient!!

If you have a old sheet or blanket, put it behind on the floor coming out to where you can reach it. when something fall down behind, you just pull the sheet out with what dropped. easy

I would put them on locking wheels, however the ironing space I would do as collapsable board so it would have a gap between wall and the ironing top. Let me know what solution you will go with. Good luck.

Using the baskets on the shelf is a very good idea. I don't think anything will get lost in the corners if the baskets are not overflowing.
Always amazes me how and what others come up with to make things better for themselves.
I have a long handled swiffer duster that fits in skinny spaces. You maybe able to use one to retrieve things that fall behind that row of cabinets.