Where do you do your finishing?

[Michael Dunn]

Do you have a finishing bench? Table? I'm using a crappy folding table from BORG. Obviously, it sucks. What do some of you guys do in your finishing area? I'm thinking of building another assembly table type bench.

Any suggestions? My finishing room is about 12'x12'.

[John TenEyck]

Nope, I cover my assembly bench with kraft paper for small projects, or put kraft paper on the floor for larger projects. I also use a temporary spray booth for a lot of projects. That's just sheet plastic draped from the floor joists, kraft paper on the floor, and a blower ducted from the back of the spray booth out a window. The project sits on a turn table whenever possible to make spraying easier. I'd love to have a separate finishing room, but just don't have the space.

John

[Matt Meiser]

I have a junky Harbor Freight Workmate knockoff. I have a piece of plywood about 2x2 with a lazy susan bearing on the bottom and a bunch of the painters pyramids screwed down in a semi-random pattern. There is actually some thought to it so I can balance a filler strip on 3. For large faceframes, I stick a dowel through one of the pyramids. If I'm doing a full cabinet, I use a Harbor Freight moving dolly covered with a piece of kraft paper.

After 2 kitchens, 2 laundry rooms, 5 bathrooms and numerous pieces of furniture, and several pieces of machinery the workmate is getting pretty cruddy so I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap replacement.

I used a nail board before the pyramids and had an occasional scratch from accidentally sliding a piece a bit.

Drying rack is here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?168896-Need-drying-rack-ideas Since these photos I covered the EMT with 1" black plastic pipe due to a possible reaction between the galvanizing and a finish. Fastcap now sells "Fast Pipe" that might be an economical solution for the arms. Drying rack has worked out awesome except that I do get some dust accumulation. WB finishes dry fast enough not much actually sticks and what does cleans off with the kraft paper trick or wax and white scotchbrite after a week or so which I'd probably do anyway.

[glenn bradley]

If you do a lot of the same size items a fixed or folding table would work. I make everything from jewelry boxes to china hutches. Everything up to a small wall cabinet can just set on a drop cloth on whatever surface is the right size and height. For medium object on up, I built a couple of torsion beams. They are light weight, store easily and can adjust to various size pieces. You can kind of see them here setting on a couple of "interlocking panel" legs but, they will stand across saw horses, buckets, whatever. When finishing I drape an old shower curtain liner or piece of drop cloth over them.

273005 273004 . 273006 . 273007 . 273008

[Leo Graywacz]

400 sq ft spray room.

http://www.fototime.com/90982740C06B333/orig.jpg

[Michael Dunn]

400 sq ft spray room.

Nice! What do you do for ventilation/filtering and exhaust of the fumes?

[Michael Dunn]

I have a junky Harbor Freight Workmate knockoff. I have a piece of plywood about 2x2 with a lazy susan bearing on the bottom and a bunch of the painters pyramids screwed down in a semi-random pattern. There is actually some thought to it so I can balance a filler strip on 3. For large faceframes, I stick a dowel through one of the pyramids. If I'm doing a full cabinet, I use a Harbor Freight moving dolly covered with a piece of kraft paper. After 2 kitchens, 2 laundry rooms, 5 bathrooms and numerous pieces of furniture, and several pieces of machinery the workmate is getting pretty cruddy so I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap replacement. I used a nail board before the pyramids and had an occasional scratch from accidentally sliding a piece a bit. Drying rack is here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?168896-Need-drying-rack-ideas Since these photos I covered the EMT with 1" black plastic pipe due to a possible reaction between the galvanizing and a finish. Fastcap now sells "Fast Pipe" that might be an economical solution for the arms. Drying rack has worked out awesome except that I do get some dust accumulation. WB finishes dry fast enough not much actually sticks and what does cleans off with the kraft paper trick or wax and white scotchbrite after a week or so which I'd probably do anyway.

A Harbor Freight knock off?!? Eek, I never knew such a thing existed. LOL! Any pics?

[Leo Graywacz]

Nice! What do you do for ventilation/filtering and exhaust of the fumes?

17,000 CFM 3HP 3PH 36" fan. It's behind the box above the blue filters.

[Steve Kohn]

Mike, I've posted my approach before on this forum. If you have any questions let me know. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201100-Easy-Knockdown-Basement-Spray-Booth/page2&highlight=spray

[Matt Meiser]

A Harbor Freight knock off?!? Eek, I never knew such a thing existed. LOL! Any pics?

http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-clamping-workbench-with-movable-pegs-47844.html

Didn't know it was was on sale now. Need to run and get one with one of my 25% coupons. This one I might go to the effort of wrapping the base in kraft paper before each use. Not that I care about the stand, but the overspray buildup is rough and traps dust.

Seriously, I've found this thing to be perfect for about 80% of my spraying. I hate using sawhorses as they are always in the way of the hose/cup/handle.

[Michael Dunn]

Mike, I've posted my approach before on this forum. If you have any questions let me know. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201100-Easy-Knockdown-Basement-Spray-Booth/page2&highlight=spray

Cool info. Thanx! I vaguely remember that thread from earlier this year.

[Michael Dunn]

17,000 CFM 3HP 3PH 36" fan. It's behind the box above the blue filters.

Where does the exhaust go? Where did you find a fan with that much CFM? Is it specifically for spray booth exhaust?

[Leo Graywacz]

Goes outside. Grainger sells it. Not cheap, 6 years ago when I bought it $1500. A lot more now. It's a hazardous location tubeaxial fan.

[Jim Rimmer]

400 sq ft spray room.

Your spray room is almost twice the size of my shop. :(

[Ole Anderson]

My shop is in the basement, so only small finishing projects get done there due to space and fumes. All of my cabinets and doors are done out in the garage. I lay an extension ladder on a pair of sawhorses, extending the ladder as much as 16 feet to get the space if needed. I cover the ladder with plastic. Twice I have sprayed the Jeep in the garage. Most of my WW projects get a wipe-on varnish finish, not much spraying there.

[Larry Fox]

I do it in the shop but need to clean up and cover everything before putting down the final topcoats to avoid dust and other particles. As far as surface, I use my old front-entrance door. It is a steel one and I mounted a really beefy lazy-susan bearing on it and put a piece of plywood on that. It provides a flat surface but allows me to rotate the work while spraying if I need to. I would really love to have a dedicated finishing area but it is just not in the cards for me.

[Michael Dunn]

Where did you get your lazy Susan? I'm trying to avoid spending $185 for the one at rockler. There's one on amazon with a 1000lb capacity for $17. It's 12" in diameter and says it can hold objects up to 30" across. Would that suffice? I'd obviously have to use a couple pieces of plywood to make base and top for it.

[Bill Neely]

Michael, Just buy a lazy susan bearing and build your own. They're very inexpensive, use a plywood top and base - I have one on a pipe pedestal that's convenient for doors and drawer fronts too.

[Jim Becker]

Some projects get done on sawhorses, some on the bench that's covered with brown paper, some are spread all over the shop if it's something large.

My suggestion for you would be to have dual accommodations...use things that you can leverage for supporting both assembly and for finishing. Rectangular boxes can provide 3 different heights, for example, and satisfy both needs.

[Aaron Berk]

Outside, and inside.

I've got a 17 by 8 room that's still under construction, it works for the small stuff.
I'll get one bigger than Leo's one day, once my work catches up to his quality:D lol

[Michael Heffernan]

When the weather is warm enough, I set up my pop-up canopy in the driveway. I have three side walls and put a large drop cloth down, under the tent legs. Set up a couple of large box fans exhausting at the open side. All of my shop cabinets are on casters (multi-use as work tables, in/outfeed tables for my TS, etc) I cover them with plastic and use them as spray tables. It allows me to roll one piece/component in and out (after it's tack free), then on to the next piece. Just sprayed six tables and four radiator covers this past week in a couple of days.
When the weather turns, I set up a temp booth out of 1" 4x8 sheets of rigid foam insulation in the shop. the center panel has a framed cutout for a cheap 24x24 fiberglass filter. Behind the cutout I put a box fan that exhausts out the window behind.
It's a PITA, but it works. Wish I had the space for a dedicated spray booth. If you do, you'll be better off. Improves workflow, as opposed to breaking down your shop, cleaning up and covering everything before you spray.

[Jim Neeley]

17,000 CFM 3HP 3PH 36" fan. It's behind the box above the blue filters.

Do you live in a temperate climate, have a huge furnace or be able to draw warm air from a giant room? I'm just thinking..

It takes a little over 1,000 BTU/hr to heat 1,000 CFM of air by 1 degree F.

You have 17,000 cfm of exhaust.

Thus it would take 170,000BTU/hr just to heat the air 10*F.

You probably aren't spraying all day, every day though, eh?

Jim

[Stew Hagerty]

400 sq ft spray room.

http://www.fototime.com/90982740C06B333/orig.jpg

Hey Leo.

I can't imagine having that much space. So, consider this just a friendly YOU SUCK post.

Have a nice day... :D

[Stew Hagerty]

Where did you get your lazy Susan? I'm trying to avoid spending $185 for the one at rockler. There's one on amazon with a 1000lb capacity for $17. It's 12" in diameter and says it can hold objects up to 30" across. Would that suffice? I'd obviously have to use a couple pieces of plywood to make base and top for it.

That sounds like the one I have, and it works great. I mounted a 24" square piece of 3/4" ply above & below. For a larger project I can just screw on a larger piece on top of the existing. I usually elevate it on an old Sears tool stand. I have holes drilled through the wooden top of the stand so I can screw up into the base and it makes everything really solid.

[Mark Blatter]

I found this company some time ago when I was making table top displays. They have some 12" turntables that are....well cheap.

http://www.craftics.net/ShowItems.aspx?Category=143&ParentCategory=93

Service is pretty good and the products are OK when you consider the cost. Shipping tends to be high though.

Like others I use an old card table with a large piece of cardboard on top of it. I change out the cardboard when it starts getting much build up on it. During the summer I spray outside in the morning or evening, though mornings are better as not many bugs.