I debated making two threads; one a review of the bench system and the other a project build for the downdraft top, but decided to put a combined thread here in Workshops as ultimately, this is a workshop enhancement.So this will be a two-part thread...building the Noden base and building the downdraft top for it.
Folks who know me know I'm a big fan of adjustable height work surfaces and a Noden Adjust-A-Bench has been the base for my primary bench for many years now. The original design was all steel, very heavy and just plain does the job it's intended to do. Many, many folks use this system including a major name-brand furniture store/manufacturer. The one thing about the all steel setup is that it's certainly not inexpensive. Geoff Noden recognized that over time and recently introduced his new "Craftsman Hardware Package" version which includes newly designed steel parts for the raise/lower mechanism but has the buyer cut the rest from their choice of sheet goods. This option is more affordable yet has the same height capacity, etc. I had the opportunity to be one of the first to acquire one of the kits...in fact, my parts were essentially a "beta" set just pre-production by a week or three so that the product packaging and so forth could be verified. It was a timely opportunity, too, as I wanted an auxiliary bench for a downdraft sanding station that could double as a little extra assembly space for small projects, keeping my main bench clear for client work and bigger jobs.
My original Adjust-A-Bench came in considerably larger and heavier packaging. No surprise about that given everything was made of steel and pre-assembled. The Craftsman Hardware Package came in this box...which was neatly packed and organized.
IMG_6145.jpg IMG_6146.jpg
Inside that box was a bunch of stuff...machined toothed rails, hardware for the counter-weight springs, nuts and bolts, etc.
IMG_6156.jpg
My box, being pre-production, didn't have written instructions as they were finalized after my build was nearly done, but Geoff has a playlist of videos that take one through the construction process. I watched them once through and had them available on my shop computer to touch on a few points as I worked through my build.
There are a few components that one cuts out from sheet goods to assemble the bench base; two for each end that are different sized. These are simple rectangles of specific sizes and the two smaller ones also need an edge relieved so it interfaces with corner of the steel angle that it fastens to. You can use pretty much any saw you have or want to use to cut these panels. Me...I used my CNC.
IMG_6201.jpg. IMG_6203.jpg
Drilling is fast and easy...clamp the steel to the workpiece in the correct place and use the steel as a drilling guide for the included .375" bolts used for the project.
IMG_6377.jpg. IMG_6378.jpg
Once all the holes were located and drilled, I pre-finished the sheet goods panels. You can use any color you want. You can even paint the steel parts if you want to. Whatever floats your canoe.
DLHP0947.jpg
Reply With Quote
I chose to get a little fancy with my stretchers, making them from a "sandwich" of scrap oak with an embedded routed channel for the all-thread. I did this on my CNC machine so I could also personalize them, but a router table would work just as fine. So would a dado blade on a table saw. Pick your poison. 
