Interstate counter extension

[Pahaska]

These cold days leave me looking for things to change/improve.

We have really never used the swing-up counter extension. It adds very little space. I have wondered why Airstream didn't put something larger there. I removed the original extension. Boy! That thing is a boat anchor. It weighs a ton.

I had replaced my Corean table with a smaller and much lighter wood cutting board; the Corean table has been taking up space in my shop. I decided that 1/2 of the table would make a great useful counter extension. A few passes through the table saw and some edge smoothing and I have the basis for a 11" x 20" extension. It angles back at 45 degrees at the aisle end and squares off at the window end. About twice the effective space of the original and, even with about twice the area, it is lighter than the original. The sketch was my first thinking on my Galaxy Note.

I was surprised at the way Airstream mounted the table. The photo shows the cross section of the mounting area. Over engineered!

I found that JBWeld works well on both Corean and wood. I am building up the underside of the extension with 3/4" wood to match the mounting height of the original extension. The underside will be covered with felt, as was the original extension.

[txntravlr]

That looks like it’s going to be a great mod - can’t wait to see the installed pics!

[Alex AVI]

JOHN - GREAT idea. Can't wait for pics. I want do something along same lines of getting rid of little flip-down extension but I am not quite ready for primetime yet to post any pics.

[Pahaska]

I used the gray felt that was on the bottom of the original extension plus some black marine bunker padding to finish off the bottom of the new extension. The original hinges are mounted.

At the bottom of the photo is a piece of salvaged laminate that I will use as a spacer to mount the new extension. It happened to be the perfect size and I will only have to apply edge binding and plug the one unfortunate hole.

Once I have the piece edge bound, I will use the old extension as a jig to position the hinges such that the new extension is at perfect counter height.

[Pahaska]

All done except a little bit of trim on the edge of the Corean. It sure adds some useful space to the counter. We never used the little original extension because it didn't add enough space to be useful.

[bugsbunny]

Well Done Sir

Bugs

[Lily&Me]

Very nice!

Maggie

[Boxster1971]

Nice work John!

[rowiebowie]

Very nice work Pahaska.

Nice to see you've found what you want to be when you grow up. A furniture craftsman.
.

[Pahaska]

We just had our first 4-day rally with the new counter extension in place.

This is one of the best changes I have made. We heated the AI with a ceramic heater. There is really no floor space for the heater, so it sits on the galley counter. With the extension up and the heater on it, we still had more space than the original setup. Except while making the twin bed, it stayed up continuously and was never in the way.

I still have half the table to find a use for.

[InterBlog]

Little things mean a lot when we've only got a little to work with in the first place. I'm still noticing substantial efficiency gains just from the mods I've done in the past 6 months or so. And I'm not done yet.

[Alex AVI]

JOHN - That very nice table

[wachuko]

John,


That came out very nice and usable.



The one I purchased from Airstream is small, but that was the size they provided... had I done my homework better, I would have tried to do something larger.





I really like how yours came out. More useful counter space.

[Pahaska]

wachuko:

My original was a little smaller than yours and was mounted clear out at the aisle. The perspective of the photo may make yours look larger.

A larger one like mine, in your rig, would cover the fridge vent on your cabinet end. Mine does not have that vent.