FastCap Flex Bench

[DynaGlide]

This just hit my feed and darn if it isn't impressive:



As more and more smart people get access to CNC it's pretty incredible what can be made with the technology. I don't think I'll be buying one but I will certainly be borrowing some ideas when I am able to do CNC work.

Matt

 

[Sparktrician]

A very clever update to the Paulk system!  Good find, Matt!  [smile]

 

[deepcreek]

I love the shop dog!  Not a care in the world.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Long video! Didn’t see very much but it looks good.

Wish I had a flat floor like that.

Is there much adjustment available for coping with an unflat floor?

 

[DynaGlide]

Long video! Didn’t see very much but it looks good.

Wish I had a flat floor like that.

Is there much adjustment available for coping with an unflat floor?

As far as I could tell no there isn't. I didn't watch it all either I just skimmed some parts. I think I'll pick and choose some ideas to borrow. Everything locks together so theoretically the uneven floor shouldn't matter too much with alignment. You'd probably end up having to shim the sawhorses.

 

[DeformedTree]

Yeah, I'm not watching 25min video for something that could be covered in a few pictures.    Lots of wood and weight, but as mentioned it's assuming really good floor conditions.  Not sure why so much stuff gets design not with the assumption that the floor will be horrible un-even, as most folks don't have super flat floors.

Festool and Mafell mess this up with their idea that one adjustable leg is all you need.    ....it's not.

 

[Svar]

Too many pieces and too much fiddling. In the second half of the video 3 people spent nearly 10 min assembling it confused where each piece goes. You see these "Lego" benches with meticulously CNC'd intricate parts pop up on YouTube once in a while. It looks cool, but not practical IMHO.

Good point earlier about leveling. Good luck with that on a flexible 12 legged structure. With 4 legs you need just 1 leveler.

 

[TinyShop]

Setting aside Paul Akers' totally insensitive and homophobic "joke" at the opening (nice workplace environment he creates there BTW) I can't help but feel for Ron Paulk. I really hope that he is able to profit in some way from what is an obvious descendant of his basic workbench concept. I don't have time to watch the entire video but I hope somebody at least mentions him at some point.

 

[Svar]

I can't help but feel for Ron Paulk. I really hope that he is able to profit in some way ...

I might be wrong, but I think he partnered with FastCap to produce his benches in the past.
P.S. Just checked on Ron's channel, FastCap discontinued RP workbench, wasn't profitable.

 

[GoingMyWay]

They pull the whole assembled table at 23:42:=1422 and then around the 23:57 mark Paul mentions that there is no leveling ability, but the floor "just has to be relatively level."  ???

Setting aside Paul Akers' totally insensitive and homophobic "joke" at the opening (nice workplace environment he creates there BTW)

I have no affiliation with Fastcap.  I'm just a fan of some of their products and I admire how the company and all of its employees fully embrace lean.

I listened several times to the intro and I believe Paul said, "if you bend over you should go to prison."  In keeping with the company's philosphy of eliminating waste and increasing efficiency, I believe he meant it should be a "crime" to waste time / effort / risk possibly injury to bend over to pick something up when you should be working up at a normal comfortable height.

 

[TinyShop]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member] - I really hope you're right! Either way, I'm still baffled this made it through the editing process.

 

[GoingMyWay]

The video was originally livestreamed. They just made the live video available afterwards so there was no editing done.

 

[gunnyr]

I looked into ordering a top for my Paulk Compact Bench from FastCap, IIRC shipping was nearly $300 plus another $200-300 for the top.  My time is valuable but for that price I passed.  I ended up ordering the  Parf Guide and making the whole bench myself.  The price for the full bench was in the $600 range, very reasonable considering the time I put into mine.  The shipping was the deal breaker.  I'm sure the same will be true of this work of art!

 

[Dane]

You really have to wonder how this thing is going to be profitable if the Paulk bench wasn’t.  It’s going to be over 1k when shipping gets charged.  I guess if they are just cnc’ing them to order there isn’t much overhead cost.

 

[GoingMyWay]

Paul mentioned in the video that the Flex Bench Max System is $875 and that includes shipping, which he said was worth a couple of hundred bucks:=512.

I was a little interested in possibly getting this setup.  Each bench weighs about 40lbs and the total system is 200lbs.

You really have to wonder how this thing is going to be profitable if the Paulk bench wasn’t.  It’s going to be over 1k when shipping gets charged.  I guess if they are just cnc’ing them to order there isn’t much overhead cost.

My understanding was they stopped making the Paulk Bench because they couldn't make a profit.  I believe the Paulk Benches were also being CNC'd.  I wonder if it's considerably cheaper to use standard baltic birch as opposed to the the Moreland Ultralight Plywood.  Actually, if memory serves me correctly I think the switch to the Ultralight Plywood was relatively recent.  I'm not sure that the original Paulk Bench FastCap was even made with Ultralight Plywood.  I couldn't imagine a royalty to Ron Paulk would have added that much to the price.

 

[Lincoln]

"I listened several times to the intro and I believe Paul said, "if you bend over you should go to prison."  In keeping with the company's philosphy of eliminating waste and increasing efficiency, I believe he meant it should be a "crime" to waste time / effort / risk possibly injury to bend over to pick something up when you should be working up at a normal comfortable height."

Umm, no, I don't think so.

 

[Oldwood]

They pull the whole assembled table at 23:42:=1422 and then around the 23:57 mark Paul mentions that there is no leveling ability, but the floor "just has to be relatively level."  ???

Setting aside Paul Akers' totally insensitive and homophobic "joke" at the opening (nice workplace environment he creates there BTW)

I have no affiliation with Fastcap.  I'm just a fan of some of their products and I admire how the company and all of its employees fully embrace lean.

I listened several times to the intro and I believe Paul said, "if you bend over you should go to prison."  In keeping with the company's philosphy of eliminating waste and increasing efficiency, I believe he meant it should be a "crime" to waste time / effort / risk possibly injury to bend over to pick something up when you should be working up at a normal comfortable height.

I agree I think this comment was not a shot at anyone. It is unimaginable to me that someone who represents a company the size of Fastcap would make derogatory statements in a video they intend to post online.

 

[harry_]

While I think it is kinda cool, I don't see it as something to add to my wishlist.

 

[Bob D.]

"I agree I think this comment was not a shot at anyone. It is unimaginable to me that someone who represents a company the size of Fastcap would make derogatory statements in a video they intend to post online."

When I heard him say that I took it to mean it's a crime to be wasting time reaching for something that should be at your fingertips.

 

[Lincoln]

That may be so, but you don't think he drew a parallel between 'bending over' and 'prison'??