Another Work Table Idea

That is an awesome design Peter, thanks for posting it!

FWW had an article a couple years ago using the same concept but it was very basic. I used their design to make a somewhat similar worktable that I wanted to be very portable and not take up much storage space.

The primary surface is about 12" by 96" and I routed out the top to facilitate clamping and reduce the weight. Construction is a basic torsion-box and I used panel adhesive to hold the top on to avoid cutting into screws.

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Both the top and bottom surface have the openings routed out. I ended up cutting some small pieces of plywood that drop inside to be able to use the open area for clamps, etc. The drawback to this is I invariably need the clamp or tool that is sitting under whatever I have already clamped to the table.  [embarassed] [embarassed]

The legs are held on with a single carriage bolt and knob.

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When I want to work on sheet goods I just screw a few sacrificial strips on to extend the surface area. I attach the strips with one screw so I can pivot them as needed to clamp any length of material. (Sorry for the blurry photo)

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I also made up some strips with 3/4" foam on the top to protect finished materials. They are 48" wide which lets me put pretty much anything on it, clamp and have plenty of room to work.

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Looks like a very nice solution for a worktable, how it all fits together and is light weight but yet rigid and has all this storage space. I only don't like how he put that table saw there, dangling in the air on a few thin strips, without even fixating it. That's an accident waiting to happen.
 
Nice find Pete.  That is a really good design, its a pity there are not any plans with sizes ect but i suppose you could make it any size you want.  Do you know what thickness the top is & what material it is ?  The stands ect looks like Birch ply.

I agree with Alex on the saw, not keen on that idea  [blink]
 
Brilliant....I think the tablesaw attachment looks a lot more secure than most stock stands.

Peter, can you post a link to the JLC post?  I can't seem to find it over there.

 
I like it nice idea!  Just wish we had the room here in UK! That thing would take up my entire Van and some ones downstairs lol!  What is that he has backup onto his garage a Lorry? lol  Looks like a massive trailer!

JMB
 
RMW said:
FWW had an article a couple years ago using the same concept but it was very basic. I used their design to make a somewhat similar worktable that I wanted to be very portable and not take up much storage space.
Click to expand...

Nice, thanks for posting your similar idea.

Regards,

John
 
great table.
looks very handly for a small shop where it can come apart to make more room.
i dont think i would use it on site too much  as it is very big, if i was there for a few days or more then it would be worth it

is it torsion box construction or is it 2 layers of ply with a few ribs in between
 
doesn't even look like there's any ribs in it at all just an enclosed box with holes in the ends and sides. a 2' span is ok if the box is built properly. I would assume that each section weighs a little more than a sheet of 3/4 plywood as it looks to be just over a sheet per section. just an idea, i wonder if there's a way to make each 2' x 8' section to fold and lock in half so you could carry both sections like a couple of suitcases and make them easier to store. The girth of the table sections is mainly so he can store tools and whatnot, this could be reduced if it's not as important to you. Just some quick thoughts on making it easier to store and transport
 
There are some ribs with cut outs in them going across the 2 ft dimension.  You can see them in the intro and then also at about the 8:40 mark.  The top and bottom are 1/2 ply.

Peter
 
jmbfestool said:
I like it nice idea!  Just wish we had the room here in UK! That thing would take up my entire Van and some ones downstairs lol!   What is that he has backup onto his garage a Lorry? lol  Looks like a massive trailer!

JMB
Click to expand...
I think so too.A trailer.I like the idea but it is somewhat bulky.I don't have room anymore to haul some like that.I do like the table saw set up,but like Alex said,unless you have a way to secure it,it is an accident waiting to happen.
 
RMW said:
FWW had an article a couple years ago using the same concept but it was very basic. I used their design to make a somewhat similar worktable that I wanted to be very portable and not take up much storage space.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I posted about that same one a few months back. Don't remember the thread/context. Title of the FWW article was "Best Workbench Ever", IIRC.

I built it as shown in FWW, here are a couple pics of it.

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The plans called for "homasote" on one side of the beams, to create a high friction surface to avoid need to clamp (like a router pad). I couldn't find any locally, so i used "insulation board" from Home Depot. Not sure it's the same durability, it tears up easy.

I do have plans to modify it similar to the one shown in this video, as such:

- Surface both sides with 1/2" ply instead of 3/4
- put 20 mm holes on a grid for clamping
- Use dominoes instead of screws for the cross ribs
- top and bottom skins should be glued on also. Not doing this has allowed the pieces to slip and the beams now have a slight bow in them.
- for "glue surface" side of beams, use 1/2 ply and laminate formica on. Will be much lighter than 3/4" melamine called for in plans.
- Add 20 mm clamping holes to the tops of the saw horses too. That will allow beams to be clamped to the top if needed (I've never needed this) and you can then remove the lip overhang which serves that purpose now. This will allow the horses to stack.

I do have a few concerns with the design in the video:

- A 2 foot wide (mine are 9"), I think those beams would be too heavy. Even the 9" ones are pretty heavy.
- The saw horses don't have the large surface area, which would make the beams move easier (lower coefficient of static
friction at contact points).

Will post pictures of it when I get it finished.

 
Your Finn workbench looks pretty good, one challenge you might have going to 1/2" ply for the beams is warping.  Maybe consider laminating the one side onto MDF to have a flat platform to build your torsion box.

The sawhorses in the video key into the box tops and also are attached with some type of fastener.  You can see him snugging them down after he places them on the horses.

I bet those 2' wide boxes with the cutouts weigh about the same as your 9" rails, melamine is heavy stuff.
 
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