Assembly table?

[Shawn Stennett]

What size assembly table do you guys have? I am thinking about 24'' to 30'' tall and either 4x4 or 4x6. I need something flat to do my assembly my garage floor is not even close to be flat and level. May be I can see some pics and different ideas. Money is tight now days and I would like to get as many ideas as possible.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Shawn...I just bought the plans for Norm's assembly table at NYW. You might look there.

[Shawn Stennett]

I'll take a look.

[Tom Veatch]

... May be I can see some pics and different ideas. ...

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-18-assembly-table-torsion-box/
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-19-assembly-table-stand/
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/assembly-table-project-of-the-week/
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/assembly-table-project-of-the-week/

[Shawn Stennett]

I had watched that video before, I had planed on making a torsion box top for it, I was hoping for ideas about different sizes and heights, and maybe different storage ideas. I was thinking about putting some t tracks in the top as well. I am in a 2 car garage so space is at a premium.

[Ray Newman]

A few years ago, I fabricated the NYW assembly table. It also doubles as a cut off table for the Unisaw -- approx 60" W X 34" D X30" H.

as far as height for a true/dedicated assembly table, I think that is going to depend upon what type of work you do. If you do small boxes,etc., such a table would probably need to be higher than one for assembling large carcasses, kitchen cabinets, etc.

If you need mobility, I suggest you bite the bullet & purchase quality & heavy duty casters. If you ever need to move the table w/ a load on it, better casters will make all the difference in the world. Nothing like be able to move a table out or about so you can work from all four sides if needed I also suggest casters that lock both the wheel & stem. I put them on several tool stands & a shop cart & once locked, the tool stand/shop cart doesn't move.

If you just need a table that doesn't necessarily need to weight, mobility, etc., maybe build a torsion box & then installing a pair of folding legs?? That way when not needed, it can folded up & placed against a wall.

[Shawn Stennett]

Ideally I would like it to be mobile but I am concerned about my garage floor being so unlevel, over time would it start to make the top not flat or would I need to level it every time I moved it? I would need it for cabinets and cases, so probaly lower would be better. My ceiling is 8' 2 1/2'' tall.

[dennis thompson]

Shawn
I just use a piece of plywood on 2 Stanley adjustable height horses, it's cheap & you fold up the horses & put everything against the wall when you're done so it takes up very little space.
Dennis

[Von Bickley]

My assembly table is also my outfeed table. The height is the same as the TS, 4 ft. wide and 6.5 ft. long. Works great and was one of the best shop improvements I ever made.

[Jerry Todd]

I made a table out of two by six's for the legs. The top measures 4' by 8'. I attached masonite on the top of 3/4 plywood with screws.
Also purchased a large roll of commercial brown paper 4' wide and attached the roll to the end of the table so when I start a glue-up or work with a finish I just pull out the paper to cover the table top. (Use the blue painters tape to hold the brown paper in place.)
Also attached a 3/4 inch plywood base, (shelf), 12 inches above the bottom of the table legs to store my cut-offs and misc items.
The table is heavy but is also on heavy-duty casters. Works great for me.

[Mike Wilkins]

Go to the nearest Barnes and Noble and pick up a copy of the Wood Magazine Shops issue. There are some examples of assembly tables that may be a source of ideas for you. Torsion box construction seems to be the preferred method of making a flat and stable top; and a hardboard top screwed to the top would make a replaceable surface when it get chewed up.

[Prashun Patel]

A great assembly table is a 30" hollow core lauan door from BORG. $20. You can clamp it to a small base and move it out of the way when not in use. Perfectly flat. I cover mine with 1/8" hardboard for each project.

Personally, I like my 30" x 72" table, because it provides adequate support for larger pieces.

[Tom Clark FL]

My table is 40x80" and 36" high. Top is two 3/4 MDF and a sheet of 1/4" Masonite over it. Frame is about 1/2 sheet of 3/4 plywood. I put an edge around it to keep small tools from rolling off the edges. After 3 years it has stayed quite flat.

There was a thread on building this table a while back. thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=64672)

[Jim Becker]

I use my workbench for that purpose...it's an Adjust-A-Bench with variable height and the surface is 24 x 64, more or less. The adjustable height is important, IMHO, for any assembly surface unless you only do projects that are all the same size. Proper working height helps with your personal comfort and helps reduce mistakes due to fatigue, etc. It's simple to have an adjustable height without fancy mechanisms, too...some simple rectangular boxes that can be positioned in different orientations to support a torsion box surface, for example. Knock-down, half-lapped "X" supports could substitute for the boxes. That means that for really big projects you can either put the assembly surface right on the shop floor or just not use it. 'Gives you options.

[Alan Schaffter]

I built a torsion box assembly table that is 4' x 7' and added adjustable legs of my own design. If my editor ever gets on the ball, an article on it may appear in a national WW magazine someday.


Low:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5080006.JPG

High:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5080003.JPG

[Joe Scharle]

Not in the same class as Alan's table, but mine is really easy to make. Solid core, scratch & dent ext door from Lowe's ($30.00) over an old cabinet base (free) and $45.00 in castors.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/970/thumbs/Dani_s_Bookcase.JPG (http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=970)

[Eric Gustafson]

I built a torsion box assembly table that is 4' x 7' and added adjustable legs of my own design. If my editor ever gets on the ball, an article on it may appear in a national WW magazine someday.




Nice design. Are the slots in the legs dovetail grooves?

[Alan Schaffter]

Nice design. Are the slots in the legs dovetail grooves?

Yup, big sliding dovetails.

[John Thompson]

Space will come into play probably so... and unless you build the same thing over and over.. I personally think you have to compromise on size due to space if that is a problem and build as large as you can. I have a 30" x 44" permanent table.. a 48" x 60" permanent.. two fold down portables from Sam's Club around 24" x 60" and as smaller 22" x 48" fold down as they can be stood on a wall when not in use.

At the moment I have both wooden assemblies in action along with one of the larger fold downs and will probably have to go to the second fold down today as I have two projects working at once. But.. fortunately I do have the space which you may very well not.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Jeff Cremers]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZyguUCdw4s&feature=related

What about something like this
Jeff

[Scott Schwake]

I made this one out of plywood with an MDF torsion box top, it's 4'x8'. It doubles as an outfeed table and is about the same height as my tablesaw, 36"+/-. My garage floor is not very level either, so I added levelers on each leg, as well as casters to move it, it's kind of a beast. I mortised in one of those Kreg clamp plates, but T-tracks would be kind of nice. I hope to add some drawers & cabinets to the bottom at some point.

[Dave Falkenstein]

My assembly is two Festool Multifunction Tables (MFT) fastened together for a work surface of 46" x 60". This setup, while expensive, offers a lot of versatility. It is an assembly table, clamping table, cutting table and utility/workbench. I seldom need any other work surface, but then again I don't do hand planing.

[Shawn Stennett]

Scott, your table is really close to what I was going for. I really like the way that you did the casters and leg levelers. I was wanting to do something with t tracks and clamps, since I do a lot of pocket holes and face frames. The clamp that you had, will it work in a standard t track or does it need to be a Kregg track.

[Shawn Stennett]

Could you take a picture with the casters down, how do they lock? Any problems moving it around and the levelers, they seem small for the weight any problems there?

[Scott Schwake]

It is a Kreg brand clamp, not really sure about it working in a standard t-track, seems like I've seen other posts about t-tracks vs Kreg tracks here on the forum, you could try a search.

The casters are mounted on 2x4's that are attached to the base with hinges and lift the entire table off the floor when I engage them. First, I step the shorter 2x/caster down (the one on the left) and lock it in place with a sliding block fastened on the bottom of the 2x. Then I step the other 2x/caster down, and lock the 2x's together with a cheap sliding door lock I found at H Depot.

No problems moving it around unless I hit an extension cord or something like that, rolls pretty smoothly.

The levelers I used are from Rockler and are rated for 600lbs each, they seem solid.

[Russell Tribby]

Shawn, here's what I did. The table is essentially 4'X6' with a 4'X4' torsion box underneath. I just finished drilling the holes in the overhang portions that allow me to use a variety of clamps. I routed a groove in the front apron to allow me to do the same thing there as well. As you can tell from the pics I'm in the same boat as you...two car garage and everything has to be on wheels. I'd caution against just having a flat surface and nothing else. I did that for a while and even though it serve it's purpose it was very one dimensional. The bench dog/clamping holes and groove and greatly expanded what I can do with this table/bench now. BTW, don't skip on the castors, it's not worth the headache.

[Shawn Stennett]

Russell, that is a nice table I think I will take your advice and incorporate the bench dogs into my table but with t tracks as well.

[Jeff Miller]

These are old heavy flat kitchen table tops,the green one is a little low but it depends on what I'm working on. Make sure you put wheels on it.


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f32/woodfarmer/Harley/Harley039.jpg



JEFF:D

[Craig Johnson]

Heres a pic of mine. This is from the wood whisperer Marc Spagnuolo.
This is from the video titled "Somebody feed me."
Very happy with it and I use it as an assembly and outfeed table.
Made of 3/4" ply.


http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x123/gearhound17/IMG_2087.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x123/gearhound17/IMG_2088.jpg

[Danny Thompson]

4x4 & 3x7 here. The 3x7 on wheels is the more useful one.

[Tony Bilello]

My assembly table is my Table Saw Outfeed Table. I build furniture on a part time basis now and space is a premium.
When I had a large shop (4000 sq. feet) I still used my outfeed table more than my other assembly tables. It is a handy place to asemble because if you have to tweak a board slightly to get a better fit, the Table Saw is only a few footsteps away.

[Ron Dorsch]

I use an old trestle style drafting table, It adjusts to just over the height of my TS & as low as 28". I tilts too. The pencil tray serves to hold pencils & other small tools as well. Size is 48"deep x 6'. 1" thick made of maple w/ a varnish finish. I picked it up from an archtectural firm that was dumping it's old desks for computer stations. Give some engineering or architectural offices a call or any place that used to do olds school drafting, you might get a deal. Works great for me:)

[Shawn Stennett]

I am thinking about making two, now. One will fit under the other, the small one being about 36 +/- with 2 or 3 small drawers, about 4x7 and the other one about 24 +/- with as many drawers as will fit. Both having levelers and casters like Scott's. In the taller/bigger one I will have t tracks in the top. I believe it will all work out, I have done a few sketches, it seems to work.

[Shawn Stennett]

I finally got around to building an assembly table, I job ended up dictating the size of it. It is 4x8, it is not done yet, still needs hardboard top and trim. I will eventually put some drawers or something on the bottom, any ideas?

[Dave Cav]

My assembly table is also 4x8', 4" thick torsion box top, but I also made 3 full legth/width shelves underneath, and that's where I store my sheet stock. I usually put full sheets on the bottom and middle shelves and partial sheets on the top. The whole thing is on 6 fairly large casters, and the height is the same as my TS so I can use it for an infeed table if need be (I don't like to do assembly on my outfeed table because I always need to cut something.) I also mounted an extra full size cast iron woodworking vise on one end, and a machinist's vise on a corner of the other end. With the sheet goods stacked under the top, it doesn't move on the casters unless you want it to.

[Shawn Stennett]

Dave, you wanna post a pic of yours? Here is a picture of a workbench I am in the middle of to.