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newtowood
18th September 2007, 11:41 PM
Hi all, just a query, and yes I have searched the threads, about attaching my workbench top to the base. I want to attach from underneath so the top is free of bolts or screws. The only option I can see at this time is to use steel brackets screwed to the legs and the underside.

Any suggestions?

Scally
19th September 2007, 12:01 AM
The tops are usually pretty heavy so you only need to stop the sideways movement.

I put a half inch dowel in the top of each leg.
Then drilled a slightly larger hole in the underside of the top.

Once you drop the tabletop over the dowels it wont move.

It also makes it easier to move because you can lift the top off.


Post a pic of your bench and you will get better and more useful suggestions.

dennford
19th September 2007, 12:20 AM
The only option I can see at this time is to use steel brackets screwed to the legs and the underside.

Any suggestions?

what's wrong with that?

Denn

bsrlee
19th September 2007, 02:51 AM
'Pocket' screws from the inside are another option, use them only on the long grain sides. You don't really need a Kreg jig, but they are SO handy, but you can drill or rout the sloping hole/s and square off the end with a chisel as it will not be seen.

jisk
19th September 2007, 10:06 AM
Cleats are an option. You'd probably use screws, though.

BobL
19th September 2007, 10:44 AM
A safety factor that you need to think about if your bench top is not firmly fixed to your frame is overhang. if you have a significant overhang at the ends and/or sides then sometime you might place something heavy on or some gorilla may sit on one end, or you may want to clamp something to the top and then apply some leverage and accidentally tip the top up. Then whatever is on the bench (eg a your fave plane) may hit the floor :oo:

Another factor is what sort of work you are going to do and how you anchor your vice to the bench. If you want lots of stability and strength for both then firmly attaching the top to the bench will aid that significantly. At various time you might be subjecting the top/bench to various forces through use of clamps or the apprentices screwdriver (ie hammer) where a dowel fixing will be OK for a while but will eventually loosen up. If on the eother hand you are only ever making jewelry boxes , dowels will be fine.

Z-clips seem to me to be a reasonable compromise between a a permanent attachment and a drop-in-on fixing method. They provide significantly more tension between top and frame than L brackets and can also be easily tightened later. They can be removed for top replacement or movement of said item if required. You can also fashion a form of Z-clips from wood.

Cheers

Ekim
19th September 2007, 11:13 AM
I'm researching the process of building a workbench. Here are a few links that refer to attaching a table

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00173.asp (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00173.asp)

http://images.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000346AA.pdf (http://images.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000346AA.pdf)

<o>http://benchnotes.com/Fastening%20Table%20Tops/fastening_table_tops.htm (http://benchnotes.com/Fastening%20Table%20Tops/fastening_table_tops.htm)

The last link refers to using angle brackets. At this stage, I think I will be using these.


HTH

Mike
</o>

newtowood
19th September 2007, 08:43 PM
Z-clips seem to me to be a reasonable compromise between a a permanent attachment and a drop-in-on fixing method. They provide significantly more tension between top and frame than L brackets and can also be easily tightened later. They can be removed for top replacement or movement of said item if required. You can also fashion a form of Z-clips from wood.

Cheers

Excuse my ignorance, but what are Z-clips

bsrlee
20th September 2007, 03:18 AM
'Z' clips are little bent bits of galvanised metal that are screwed to the table top & have one end that sits in a slot in the apron - this stops expansion & contraction from ripping either the table top or frame apart. Unfortunately (as my friends found out) they are NOT strong enough to keep the top & base attached if someone wants to move the table around & lifts it by the top. You can make wooden hold downs out of some offcuts that are free except for your labour, and if properly made will keep the structure together for years, despite whatever over-enthusiastic cleaners do.

This is what Z clips are, even shows you how to use them:
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=3&p=40146&cat=3,41306,41309

BobL
20th September 2007, 09:40 AM
'Z' clips are little bent bits of galvanised metal that are screwed to the table top & have one end that sits in a slot in the apron - this stops expansion & contraction from ripping either the table top or frame apart. Unfortunately (as my friends found out) they are NOT strong enough to keep the top & base attached if someone wants to move the table around & lifts it by the top.

That depends on the type of clip, how many clips and the size of the screw used.

I think the type with the ridges along the sides such as these (I got mine from timbecon)
http://www.timbecon.com.au/assets/images/products/ltcz.jpg
where the screw goes in in at an angle (so can use a longer and also bigger screw) work better than the lee valley ones.

I used 16 clips of these on my 1800 x 900 benchtop have have given the top a real beating in the 18 months and the bench and top are still solid as.

newtowood
20th September 2007, 05:59 PM
This is sort of my bench, minus the stretchers, which I havent put on this sketch yet. I can only attach from the top sides, which is why I think I will have to use L brackets.

echnidna
20th September 2007, 06:50 PM
I like a strong solid workbench, with a top so solidly fixed that it won't come loose if you move the bench around by lifting from the top.

So I'd attach crossrails to the legs/frame of the bench.
I'd screw the crossrails to the underside of the top through slotted holes to allow timber movement.

Samson13
20th September 2007, 07:36 PM
I've also been wondering about the best way to attach the top. I want to be able to move the bench around a bit. Nothing much, but at least to be able to reposition it if required. The only viable way of moving it is to lift it by the bench top which is about 65 mm thick and 1.8 m long, so the drop-on method is not going to work. I think the best way might be to use cleats with elongated screw holes to allow for movement. Shame really because the whole bench frame is made of recycled hardwood and hasn't got a single metal fastener in it, it's all glued, mortise & tenoned, dowelled & dovetailed. Don't want to hijack the thread, but any suggestions?

Cheers
Samson13