: . . . Going to trim 2x4's to
: eliminate the rounded edge they normally have, probably trim
: them to 1 1/2" x 3" then glue them together to form a
: rigid base for the actual top.

Don't need to trim them or glue them together. When you glue the top on all the joinery is all done at once, and the rounded edges on the inside pieces are hidden.

I've been a bit dismayed at the minor kinks and twists in the 2x4s I've been seeing lately. Individually they are OK, but I'm not sure I'd want to use a lot of them for a table top, and fight every joint. The 2x8s and up at Menards are a higher grade of wood. There would be fewer seams (less cuts if you still want to cut off the round edges) and I think they would be more dimensionally stable. Difference in cost is only a few dollars, and might be worth it, for the time and glue spent on two or three times the joints. Putting together 3 2x12s with 2 joints is a lot faster than milling and assembling twelve 2x3s with 11 joints.

As for your motorcycle maintenance. Do you have a teeter-totter bike lift? This is basically a platform (even a simple 2x12 may work) which is pivoted slightly off center. The pivot is housed in a box about a foot high and as long as the plank. At one end of the plank is a hinged ramp. Stretch out the ramp and the main plank is easy ot roll a cycle onto. Once you get the weight of the cycle past the pivot point the plank comes down to res on the box, and the ramp folds in to keep it there. Pop down the centerstand and the cycle is at a good height for oil changes, tune-ups, etc. Make the pivot from a piece of 3/4" pipe. For really heavy or wide bikes replace the 2x12 with thicker or wider built-up stock.

You going to Canoecopia this year? I'm thinking on making a long day of it on Sunday. 7 hour drive one way from Indianapolis could be the deal breaker, though. Maybe I'll drive up Sat. night after work. Still undecided, though.

PGJ