Questions about a new assembly table

[Jon Farley]

I am in the process of building a new assembly table for my shop and I had a couple questions. The torsion box "guts" of the table are already under construction and made of 3/4" MDF. I was wondering what material people might suggest for the top. I personally was thinking about white melamine. Also, a more pressing question is regarding leg levelers for the table legs. I've been looking for them at Lee Valley and Rockler, but the only ones that seem to be rated as "heavy duty" mount on a bracket that attaches to the side of the leg. I sort of wanted something that mounted directly on the bottom of the legs. Any suggestions?

[Dave Richards]

White melamine seems like a good choice for the top. As for the leg levellers, why not make your own from some bolts and nuts? For a shop thing, I wouldn't spend the money on store bought when I could make my own for less.

[Matt Meiser]

I made my own leg levelers with some T-nuts and carriage bolts. I put the T-nuts into a block of wood and use the carriage bolt head as the foot. Works great.

David Marks finished his MDF tortion box with butcher's wax. I have a melamine top on my outfeed table and it hasn't held up real well. It has a lot of chips in the surface.

[James A. Wolfe]

I have had good luck making my own levelers using 1/2" T nuts and carriage bolts. If I am making a project for someplace other than my concrete basement floor, I substitute 1/2" eyebolts for the carriage bolts and drill a 1" thick hardwood square with a forstener bit just slightly larger than the eye. Notch one side for the shank and place the eyebolt in the block and glue on a 1/4" face. Finish and add some felt and you're good to go. This gives a better look to the levelers and allows the block to rotate slightly around the eye to accomodate uneveness in the floor. Plus, nobody else I know does this and that's half the fun.;)
Jim

[Steve Ash]

Here is a pic of my outfeed table/assembly table. I had some old steel base cabinets I used for the outfeed/assembly part of it, and the legs on my unifence came with it when I bought it.

It is made out of white melamie and has held up pretty fair given how much it gets used. An added bonus to the melamie is I can use a pencil and scale out projects on it (like a big drafting table) and it wipes clean after use. I would caution leaving anything wet on it as it will swell...so just wipe it as soon as you make a spill.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/GardenBay/100_1317.jpg

[Jon Farley]

Thanks for the replies and the input, guys. Since I began this thread two weeks ago, I actually started and completed my assembly table. You can see it here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30962). As far as leg levelers go, I decided against them for the time being, as I just shimmed the bottoms of the legs for now, which is a fine solution unless I decide to move the thing on a regular basis. I like the idea of shop made levelers, especially James' "fussy feet design." Thanks again...Jon

[Steve Clardy]

I just use a sheet on 3/4 marine ply on top. When it gets nasty, just sand it down some.
Levelers, I just use lag bolts, with a block of wood between the floor and lag bolt head. Lag bolt screwed up into the bottom of the leg.