Jonathan Spool
03-06-2009, 8:57 PM
I am going to retire my Harbor Freight Hyd Cart workbench. Concept wise it has been an excellent part of my shop, serving as a workbench, assembly table, and outfeed table for the tablesaw and router.
However, as well as it worked when I had a small top on it, when I went to the 92"x42" bowling alley slab (which I glued down to 3/4" MDF) for a top, it was, well, a little wobbly.
As I have come to love working with an adjustable bench, I will be building another. This time I will be utilizing a Suspa Movotec lifting system, which is basically four hydraulic rams that raise simutaneously.
While I figure out the best approach to construct vertical sliders to stabilize the top when it is raised 12 inches, I am trying to decide on how to design the top.
I plan to drill a multitude of 19mm or 3/4" holes Festool MFT style, so I can utilize the great clamps put out by Festool, Leigh, and Veritas.
I am constantly dealing with cleaning glue off of the bench top. Yellow glues, and CA glues. I have come up with a few thoughts regarding dealing with the mess I always seem to make, even on a nice bench top!
1) Don't be such a slob and work neatly.
Never happen.
2) Construct a rack at the end of the bench that holds a roll of wax or freezer paper. The paper is always ready to be rolled out over the bench when doing any glue work.
Hmmmmm. As long as I actually roll the paper out, this idea can work!
3) Glue a piece of formica to the bench surface, or better yet a 1/4" sheet of black phenolic. It will provide a excellent durability to my bench holes, and I think any dried glue will come right off with a chisel or scraper without dammaging the top.
Maybe good idea, but might be too slick of a surface. Guess I could utilize one of those tacky sheets to hold the work from sliding, and I will have all those bench dogs available.
The traditional look and feel will naturally be leaving an all wood top. After all it is a woodworking bench. But I am shooting for an extremely utilizable bench here, with as many modern features as I can think of to increase its functionality and flexibility. If there is a better surface than wood for the top, I'll consider it. I have a bench with a replaceable masonite surface, but can't say I enjoy working on it as it is only lightly tacked down and has some spongy movement.
Any thoughts out there?
Jonathan
However, as well as it worked when I had a small top on it, when I went to the 92"x42" bowling alley slab (which I glued down to 3/4" MDF) for a top, it was, well, a little wobbly.
As I have come to love working with an adjustable bench, I will be building another. This time I will be utilizing a Suspa Movotec lifting system, which is basically four hydraulic rams that raise simutaneously.
While I figure out the best approach to construct vertical sliders to stabilize the top when it is raised 12 inches, I am trying to decide on how to design the top.
I plan to drill a multitude of 19mm or 3/4" holes Festool MFT style, so I can utilize the great clamps put out by Festool, Leigh, and Veritas.
I am constantly dealing with cleaning glue off of the bench top. Yellow glues, and CA glues. I have come up with a few thoughts regarding dealing with the mess I always seem to make, even on a nice bench top!
1) Don't be such a slob and work neatly.
Never happen.
2) Construct a rack at the end of the bench that holds a roll of wax or freezer paper. The paper is always ready to be rolled out over the bench when doing any glue work.
Hmmmmm. As long as I actually roll the paper out, this idea can work!
3) Glue a piece of formica to the bench surface, or better yet a 1/4" sheet of black phenolic. It will provide a excellent durability to my bench holes, and I think any dried glue will come right off with a chisel or scraper without dammaging the top.
Maybe good idea, but might be too slick of a surface. Guess I could utilize one of those tacky sheets to hold the work from sliding, and I will have all those bench dogs available.
The traditional look and feel will naturally be leaving an all wood top. After all it is a woodworking bench. But I am shooting for an extremely utilizable bench here, with as many modern features as I can think of to increase its functionality and flexibility. If there is a better surface than wood for the top, I'll consider it. I have a bench with a replaceable masonite surface, but can't say I enjoy working on it as it is only lightly tacked down and has some spongy movement.
Any thoughts out there?
Jonathan