I know this has been discussed fairly recently, but this just came up on my local Craig’s List:
“bowling alley floors avg 22 feet and longer make good work bench tops $ 10.00 a Lineal foot”
Has anyone ever successfuly built anything from an old bowling alley lane?
Replies
I have an eight foot section that I use for a workbench/assembly table. It's a Southern yellow pine section, but works for me. Mind you that they are only nailed together and not glued. (at least mine).
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I have heard of them just nailed, or glued and nailed. Most of the bowling lanes in my area are (or at least used to be) Maple.
Have you had any difficulty in getting/keeping the surface flat?
I'am too chicken to check it for flatness. If I did then I would be forced to dig out the #7 and go at it. Uggh. But it is flat enough so that whatever I have assembled doesn't rock on a different surface.
A lot of lanes are SYP after the Maple approach foul line, or sometimes it starts after the "aiming arrows"Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Did you use the full width of the lane? Did you cut it to length yourself?
It was cut to length of 8' prior to my getting it. And it is the original width 42"? I have it sitting on 4x4 legs and 2x8 stringers. Must be all of 500lbs. Not a problem with it moving while hand planing stock.
Also have my Emmert's pattern makers vise mounted to it.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Sounds like a pretty sturdy bench! Congratulations!
Sturdy YES, Pretty NO. But very functional.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 1/8/2009 11:10 pm ET by BruceS
Can you send some photos of your bench?
Sorry no pics, still on the computer learning curve for photos.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
The stuff has always sounded like a good idea to me but, not knowing anything about how they're held together, I would be afraid to cut it in either direction. Is that a problem? How do you cut it?
A nearby salvage yard has bowling alley sections all the time. They tell me that if I provide the blade(s) they'll cut it to any dimension I want. Mebbe that's an option in other places?
Obviously you wouldn't want to provide expensive blades and there might be some amount of dressing up aftwards, but what the hey.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 1/9/2009 5:26 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
100% chance of hitting nails when ripping, 50% chance of hitting a nail cross cutting.
Freud Steel deamon blade is the answer.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
"But it is flat enough so that whatever I have assembled doesn't rock on a different surface."Was that meant to be comical?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I have maple ones for my main bench and my lathe table. You have to flatten them though. They shure don't move!
Did you flatten by hand or router?
By hand. A Stanley #6. It originally started out as one piece. I split it lengthwise. THe lathe top is 18" wide and the bench top is 25" wide. I wouldn't try and flatten the whole thing all at once. If you have access to a 20" planner, you might want to try that.
TX PS
They make good workbenches. It's a lot of work and if you have to cut it, there's the sacrificial carbide circ. saw blades (about 2 cuts per blade). Split off the excess width with a crowbar & cut the nails. The top is flat unless it's been stored improperly, you'll have to take off the angle iron support and replace it with a couple of wooden cleats.
I have ,because I used to work for Brunswick installing lanes. The lanes are southern yellow pine except for the approach and under the pinsetter. The lanes are between 41-15/16" and 42" wide for tourament play. The lanes will be flat if they were recently refinished.The approach and the pinsetting piece are maple.
The lanes are t&g ,nailed 4" centers with 8d screwnail.Inbetween the screwnails are 8d boxnails, thus nails are on 2" centers.If I recall each piece is 1" wide and 3" deep when new,2-1/4" when needing replacement.Not positive as it was back in the early 60's when I worked on alleys.No glue was used ,nor needed.If you have to cut the alley you can use a dewalt demolition blade.Buy two just in case, they are about $10.00 or so.They are heavy,make sure you have help lifting and turning over the lanes.
mike
I just put up a post about the same thing. I purchased a section 19' long 22" wide and 2 1/2" thick. I only needed 8' so the other half is up for sale. I think it will make a great bench top. Better than the solid core door I'm using know.
My dad built his workbench from maple bowling alley flooring, in 1954. That bench is still alive and well today. Sorry I can't post a photo 'cause it's in my brother's shop some 10,000 miles from me.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
bowling alley flooring.. I did one once and it was full of all sorts of metal things inside.
Worked great but something to think about.
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