All,
I am a newcomer to this forum, and very impressed with all the creative and knowledgable people out there. I am especially impressed with the respect with which you all treat one another.
My problem is this:
I think I need an assembly table. The pieces I am working on inevitably (sp.) end up on my workbench where they are: A., too high to reach the top of; and B., in the way of my measuring and cutting out parts. Consequently, I am constantly moving my piece on and off the workbench.
Since my garage is so cluttered, I don’t have room for a table unless I can store a lot of junk below it. Still, the table needs to be low enough that I can reach the top of whatever I am working on.
Is this a common problem, or am I doing something wrong? Has anyone built anything similar?
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Replies
Think out-of-the-box. Most people would assume that one table has to be one height. The obvious solution (but maybe not the easiest) would be to make the height adjustable. An out-of-the-box solution might be to make the top divided into two (or more) different height areas.
Another approach altogether might be to look at the problem from another point-of-view. Your assembly table might hinge and fold down from the wall. It could lay out over any machines that you don't use during assembly. It would fold back up (maybe have tack-surface on it's underside) when you're in the making-parts stage.
Or you could fix you. I recently had to remodel the wife's closet to better take advantage of the space there. That put some of the stuff up higher than she could normally reach. We solved that problem by buying a sturdy folding two-step ladder to leave in the closet. It's cute. She loves it. About $10. So get (or make) a little step ladder. It'll put you UP where the parts of your project you can't normally reach are.
Just some thoughts.
4DThinker
Dan:
Not an uncommon problem. It wasn't too long after starting woodworking in earnest that I realized an assembly table is about as crucial as any other tool.
Because your shop is a garage, there are several things you might want to think about as long as you're considering an assembly table. First, ORGANIZATION....you need to make room for this surface, whether it will be fixed or movable, the effort you put into organization now will pay off for all the projects to come. What is the nature of this "clutter"? I hate to tackle clutter, but once done, man does it improve my shop experience.
Next, build yourself a torsion box table, and either hinge it to the wall to move it out of the way when not needed, or prop it on 4 milk crates. Beauty of the torsion box is its low weight to size ratio, so you could handle it relatively easily.
Dan,
Just a couple of ideas that appear to be helping my situation...at least a bit..
Much of our space is consumed by equipment that is primarily used only in the beginning phases of a project....squaring and dimensioning the stock. The next steps of staging/stacking the stock, joinery, assembly, finishing...and our equipment is in the way.
I built a drop down table off the cabinet saw that, inaddition to its intended purpose, provides a great space for staging, assembly...and using the fense to help insure squarness to sub assemblies. I took my old roll-up outfeed table and re-sized it (about 24x24x30h) and use that for staging as well.
Lastly, the torsion box and an old flush door, they sit up against the outside wall when not in use. I also made a couple of boxes with half blind dovetails all four joints...I keep them disassembled...slap them together and I can turn them different ways to support the torsion box/flush door at three different height levels.
It really makes a big difference when your workbench is free of clutter to work the next aspects of your project...
One way to approach the table height challenge is to make a platform on which you stand while assembling the project. The platform could be made of styrofoam sheathed with 3 ply.
Another would be an assembly table mounted on saw horses. a torsion box would be a way to make a light weight stable surface.
Ian
Sorry 'bout my ignorance, but what's a torsion box and how do you make one? Sounds like a great thing to have in the shop.
Marv
Best way to explain a torsion box is to contrast it with something that isn't....
Think of a metal angle..The L shape, or a metal chanel ..the C shape.. We call these open shapes...Suppose you have one of these open shapes maybe a 1"x1" angle three or four feet long...If you put one end in a vise and twist the other end with your hand you will feel very little resistance to your twisting force.
Now think of a closed shape like a square or round tube. Do the same experiment and you will find it is much much more resistant to your twisting force.
Now in the context of table tops, a thin sheet of plywood or MDF has no resistance to twisting. Even if you put a skirt around the edge, it is still like the open shapes described above.
But everything changes if you fasten another sheet to the bottom of the skirt. That makes it into a closed box (aka torsion box) and increases its twist resistance many fold.
The words twist, torque, and torsion have essentially the same meaning.
A hollow core door is an excellent example of a torsion box because it achieves maximum stiffness with minimum materials.
Very cool. Thanks for the explanation.
Marv
see Tom's post #13, it's a pretty good description of why it works.
To make one you need a flat surface. on this you assemble a tightly fitting criss–cross frame. the frame could be made from 1in wide strips of 1/2in MDF stood on edge to form a large number of 6 x 6 in squares. The frame doesn't have to be clued, staples are often sufficient. You attach a thin (say 1/4 in) top and bottom skin to the frame with glue and screws or just glue and voila you have a torsion box. In structural terms you have the rigidity of a 1-1/2in thick slab which, because most of the inside is hollow, weighs almost nothing.
Ian
Thanks, I understand. After the dovetail try, I will make one.
Marv
Buy a flat, straight, 3/0 hollow core luan interior door, hit it with a couple coats of poly, put it on a couple of adjustable folding sawhorses. I've got 3 or 4 of these I use for assembling face frames and carcases, and they work great. Fold up the horses, lean the doors against the shop wall, no clutter. Fits in the truck too, for OTJ stuff.
Great idea Tom. I'm going to do what you suggested plus add carpet, rolled over the edges, and use it for final sanding, etc.
Forget the carpet. Use carpet pad. Easier to get the dust out of.....
You ainakidden!
Dan
My assembly table is fixed as I'm fortunate to have the space, but it doesn't have to be. You have been given some cheap, simple ideas. I couldn['t imagine not having an assembly table as I find it as important as a work-bench. I have a 32" and a low-boy 18" in the rear of my shop with the wood-rack. I find both in-valuable.
Take downs work just as well. I purchased two of the folding type picnic tables at Sam's club last year to assist with a 50' part counter I was building. They are extremely strudy, fold, store next to wall and come in extremely handy when you out-run your normal assembly. Also when cutting large sheet goods down to size with a Tru-Grip and circular saw.
Regards...
sarge..jt
Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Dag, Sarge. Do you work in that shop, or is that just for show????!?!!
me thinks Ol' Sarge here's in cahoots with some elves that tidy when he's tucked up at night
;)Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
I think he even polishes the workbench....ha..ha
TDF
TUFENHUNDEL
Here's the secret. You take a weeks vacation and clean, paint and put everything in place. Then you get several rolls of film (can't afford digital.. he..he..) and do the photo shoot. The pictures are developed and you add the ones you want to your computer file. The negatives and prints are stored with care for safe keeping somewhere.
When you need to post a pic to demonstrate or illustrate something, you just let your fingers "do the walking". You have pics of shop, tools, etc. in a surgical room atmosphere. The pictures remain just as im-maculate as the day you took them. The shop doesn't have too, just the pictures.
This modern technology amazes me. I do plan to clean it again when I retire though. ha.. ha..
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge
Don't bet on it, I retired 2 1/2 years ago and still have not cleaned the shop, in fact it is worse than it has ever been. Alway have something the wife want completed that seem to take priority.
Scott T.
Scott
I hate to blow down the spider webs with my electric leaf blower. Every time I do my shop cat gets hacked as he has nothing to chase. ha.. ha..
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge,
I too am always impressed by the order & cleanliness of your shop. I just have to comment that it seems that one of the cans on the shelf on the back wall seems to be a little out of order, or is that just the camera angle.
Regards, gotta go clean up the shop.
Hugh
An the complete disarray of the scrap wood under the setup table is just horrible! Just can't get a good elf anymore :-)
Jeff, I was so distracted by the can out of shape that I completely overlooked that unruly mess down there. Probably explains why the photo was cut off right there.
I guess I'm just envious. My shop is cluttered with all the many cutoffs that I just can't seem to part with. Maybe one day I'll have a beer, get crazy and just burn 'em all so I can start over again.
hugh
H M
My real trick is to have your shop in the garage with a half basement behind it. You do the cutting and prepping up front so you can open the doors and blow it out with a leaf blower every couple of hours. Takes about 3 minutes.
The wood rack and stored shorts are back in the half basement hidden from the voyeurs who are seeking dust, clutter and general dis-organization. The sign on the door reads "Un-Authorized Personel Keep-Out". ha.. ha...
Don't burn the scraps. Fourteen of us volunteers made over 500 Xmas toys for needy kids this Xmas. All from donated scraps. I will post a picture of what scraps are capable of with a little in-genuity and hard work. A summer experimental project just to see if it could be done and what would be the results in wood movement a year down the road with the joints necessary to bring it together.
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge:
Just go the rest of the way with your fascade and get a life size poster of your clean shop and tape it up to the door. That way, you now have the whole shop to really do some work...and not just pose...ha ha
T H
And that is not a bad idea! Hmmmm........
ha.. ha..
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge,
You know I'm just pulling your chain about all the order in your shop. Its cool that you can keep it that nice. Its a vicious cycle in mine. I get it cleaned up and looking good and next thing you know I have sawdust & plane shavings everywhere.
The best tip I've had recently was one in FWW where the guy said whenever he walks into the shop he puts 10 things away before he does any work. It really helps me stay on top of my mess.
I'ld be interested in seeing pics of the toys ya'll made. That's a topic for another thread though.
see ya, hugh
Hugh
The tip you refer to is an excellent idea. I actually took a year off from building just to put the shop as I wanted it. I built all my own stands, benchs, etc. Lighting and organization of traffic and tools close to where they are used. I'm pretty good about putting things back as I go as I don't have far to go as they are stored close to where they are used.
With the leaf blower and a DC, it is even easier to maintain as they keep the dust accumulation down. It isn't perfect all the time, but it is at least navigable. ha.. ha...
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
HM
You guys have convinced me that I need to hire "proof-watchers" to carefully go over the details before I take one of my high-tech photo shoots. If I was still married to my first wife, I wouldn't have the problem. You could have 99 points out of 100 correct and the only thing she would notice was the 1 mistake. That's why they added the word "ex-wife" to the Webster's Dictionary. ha.. ha... ha.. ha.. ha..
You guys are pickin' on me and I'm gonna tell my big brother. :>)
Regards to all and to all a good morning...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Ya Sarge are you a woodworker or a tool collector. Every picture you have ever posted shows a shop so clean you can prepare a meal on the work bench and eat it off the floor.
As for an assembly table I don't have one and don't need one. I have a spot on my shop floor that is for assembly work. It is out of the way of all tools and not in the way of work flow. The floor is spot on level and is never to high. The last three jobs have all stood between 6' - 7' tall and the present one getting close to 8' in height. A table would only make it harder to work on. In my old shop I used saw horses with a plywood work surface but I always found that the work surface was either to big or to small or to high or to low.Scott C. Frankland
Scott's WOODWORKING Website"This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"
Scott
See post #20. Did I not mention that I'm a brain surgeon? I have a combo operating room-shop. Surgery by day and WW by nite. Creates some interesting situations. Sharpening stain-less steel surgical instruments with a grinder and water stones is a real trick and it gives you real meaning of a "scrub" plane.
I love assembly tables. Gives me somewhere to sleep when the wife bans me from up-stairs. ha.. ha....
Regards...
sarge..jt Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
With the American health care system I can see why you do both kinds of work out of your shop. It would also explain where you got the money to buy all of those LN planes.Scott C. Frankland
Scott's WOODWORKING Website"This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"
Do you have a wait list for brain transplants? I'm thinking about getting a new one from a nymphomaniac....
Jim
Your idea of a brain from a nymph is an excellent one indeed as I had it done years ago. I will try to squeeze you in for the trans-plant. It would probably be latter next week though as I have checked on already booked operations.
I had to re-schedule two trans-plants that were to occur this week-end to the beginning of next week. My teen-ager needs his carb and radiator on his car re-built. Priorities are priorities. It suprises me how we "professionals" have to handle all the stress sometimes. ha.. ha.. ha..ha..ha..
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Egad! I'm not going to get YOUR brain, am I?
Jim
According to my wife it was mis-placed years ago and hasn't turned up in an extensive search. I highly suspect she has it stored in one of those little rental storage sheds somewhere. Would make a wonderful gift to the Smithsonian someday in the future for their "Neanderthal Collection".
ha.. ha.. ha..ha..ha..
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Like a lot of the ideas I heard here. One additional: I like tempered hardboard for the top of mine, a little wax and it scrapes clean pretty well when you are done, when it won't anymore, take it off a put on another.
Thanks ya'll, for all those great ideas.
The idea I am mulling over is a sort of torsion box with fixed internal dividers. It would be about 20" thick. If we put a hinged top on it, we could use the internal compartments for storage.
It shouldn't lose too much stiffness if the internal dividers are well-braced, would it?
Thanks, again,
Dan
"The idea I am mulling over is a sort of torsion box with fixed internal dividers. It would be about 20" thick. If we put a hinged top on it, we could use the internal compartments for storage."
<b>Dan: </b>The whole idea of a torsion box is that it's high rigidity comes from the top and bottom pieces both being rigidly coupled to the dividers. If you hinge the top, you no longer have a torsion box, and you will definately lose rigidity. If you are interested in making a giant-storage-chest-type assembly table, you might want to consider using a hollow-core door for the hinged lid. That way, you still have a highly rigid assembly surface.
Here's what I did that worked really well for me. I measured the distance between the inside of my trucks tires which was over 48". I made a table out of 2x4's and particle board which I covered with a sacraficial piece of masonite. I used two Black & Decker folding shopmates for support. I then made some 2x4 that would clamp into the shopmates abd configured them to lock into the bottom of the 2x4 structure. I drive the truck into the garage using a tennis ball on a string for a guide and keep it parked on top of the platform. When I need the assembly table I simply leave the truck outside and put it on the shopmates. Has worked well for years but now I leave it up all of the time and the truck outside!
John
Dan,
Hate to bring "Norm" into this but, he built a neat assembly table on one of his shows. You could use his ideas (torsion box w/ mdf top) on most any size or height. Looked like one of his projects that I would like to build if I had the room. The plans for his are probably available on his website.
I didn't see anyone with this solution...
http://www.ergonomix.com/applik.html
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled