Portable Benchwork

[Alexandre Pelletier]

Hi,
Yesterday, I went through an article concerning a portable benchwork from BLUM TOOL. I read this article to find out how it is made. Dimensions: 18'' x 48'' H ? Weighs: 55 lbs. I watched the video to see how it's worked. I read the paragrah: How it is possible? The top. It will cost me around 500$(tax, shipping and handling +customs).
Can you explain with a plan. how I can make the top. It will help me to understand and visualize. I dont' have the height. Are the pipe clamps will go through the grids? Will they weaken the torsion box? When the legs will be fold up,will they interfere with the grids?Sorry about my English. I hope you understand whar I mean.
Thank You,
Alexandre
Montreal, Quebec
http://blumtool.com/pages/benchhorse.html (http://blumtool.com/pages/benchhorse.html)

[David Keller NC]

Well, you could certainly build a torsion box to make a similar bench - there are lots of articles and descriptions about how to make a torsion box on the 'net. When all is said and done, though, you're probably going to have more than $500 in it. Plywood's expensive, and you must have a very flat surface to assemble a torsion box correctly. One way to make that flat surface is with a couple of sheets of cabinet-grade medium density fiberboard on sawhorses - add another $100 to your cost.

If you consider your labor free (i.e., you feel that it will be fun to make and it's a hobby), you might come out slightly ahead. If you consider your shop time to be valuable (even at minimum wage rates), you'll probably spend more than it would cost you to get it from Blum.

[Bill White]

but, sure seems like a lot of money for a light weight bench. I would not want to try to plane anything on such a bench.
Can you expand on your application/need for such?
Bill