Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Apr 16, 2009 01:04am | #1

   I don't have an assembly table as such, but I use some inexpensive indoor/outdoor carpet I got at Lowe's to protect against dings and such. I bought a few square yards a while back, and have cut it up into rectangles that fit on a benchtop, smaller sections that I attached to some sawhorses, etc.

   -Steve

    

2. 
   BG | Apr 16, 2009 03:18am | #2

   boilerbay,

   I recycle my wife's mattress pads and plastic table cloths. I've got an old hollow core door I can set up in the garage for large projects, otherwise I use the out feed table on TS for staging.

3. 
   ring | Apr 16, 2009 08:45am | #3

   Boiler,

   I also have a sheet of rather firm foam insulation that I can lay over the workbench or assembly bench, making a a nice comfy surface. It's also good to sand parts on with the Festool ROS because they don't slide around.

   But the finishing department has entirely different needs - basically to support pieces while they dry with as few contact points as possible. We have a variety of rolling stands and racks for this. The edges of a board with fresh finish cannot contact any soft absorbent material. In my experience, unless you simply drop a piece on the floor there's no actual threat of dings or bruises at the finishing stage.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1

1. 
   boilerbay | Apr 16, 2009 04:41pm | #4

   Ring,"In my experience, unless you simply drop a piece on the floor there's no actual threat of dings or bruises at the finishing stage."Yup, that's exactly what stated me thinking. A drop to the floor.One of two bookmatched 8/4 walnut crotch breadboard pieces (from a 5 inch slab) each with five 3 inch mortises and 6 square chiseled peg receivers, all edges relieved, glass finish with planes, two pre-glue hot coats of BLO over 7 days all waiting for a shellac seal coat when....off a slick surface temp table (with the help of an apron tie) near the traffic work area leaving a 3"long 3/8" gash in the top outside show edge of one of the units. not recoverable. Major multiple repetitive four letter words.Did I say repetitive?I have a separate area for post assembly final finishing but this was not at that stage. Not on your scale of course.BoilerPS: I have admired your kitchens for years. Have you ever done any in the current Italian style of everything hung - even the base cabinets, nothing touching the floor?

1. 
   ring | Apr 16, 2009 05:46pm | #5

   I do know one professional finisher who uses carpet in his spray area. He gets cutoffs from a wall-to-wall installer and lays them on the floor of his finishing room. He says it holds dust better than sprinkling water on the floor, which is what many people do. Needs to be replaced rather often. Of course it also would soften the fall of that breadboard piece...No, we've never done completely hung kitchen cabs, but quite a few bathroom vanities, even large ones, we've hung 8" off the floor. We just made a new kitchen for our showroom, the very first one in a modern style. It's fumed oak that sits entirely on stainless steel toekicks. At some point I'll get a photo made. Personally i don't like the modern kitchens, and the market is flooded with them anyway. But we bowed to market trends and made this first foray into modern design.David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1

4. 
   ASK | Apr 16, 2009 06:07pm | #6

   Shop is in the cellar. The area under the rather large front porch is also cellar with a 3' wide door into it. Long and narrow. 8' X 30' and it is always cool so we keep the wind down there. Built a 2' wide X 16' long table about 2+ feet high to use for finishing. Well over time all those extra pieces, cutoffs, etc have ended up on the table. '

   When I do use it, it is very convenient.

   Time for spring cleaning.

   ASK