Thread: Utility Table

Hey there

N here she is in the various configerations

Not sure how long this bench will be but suggest you have either one or two bottom rails lengthwise or else your bottom shelf will tend to sag. That rail will also extra stability to your bench although thats not really necessary considering the box structure at the top.

Looks really good Lou.

Have you considered ply [form ply would probably be the ideal] instead of MDF?

With regards, "The top is a MDF torsion Box featuring dog holes ..." - will the dog holes be strengthened to prevent them from "flogging" out in time or the holes "powdering" with frequent use?

As you can probably gather, I'm not a fan of MDF.

Regards,
Bob

Originally Posted by Bob38S

With regards, "The top is a MDF torsion Box featuring dog holes ..." - will the dog holes be strengthened to prevent them from "flogging" out in time or the holes "powdering" with frequent use?

As you can probably gather, I'm not a fan of MDF.

Regards,
Bob

Thats a really good question BOB luckily for me I've got what I call me gronks Bench. I've got 2 dog holes setup for use with Veritas hold downs on my Gronks Bench.

This Bench cops a caining I slop all manner of finishes solvents water etc etc all over it. Crash n Bash with Hammers; chisels n the like and most importantly get a real 'guage for how the benchtop holds up

Its an MDF slab skinned with Tempared MAsonite which so far has proved quite resilient except where the dog holes are in use. They have almost worn to the point of being useless until I experimented with various washers n came up with an adequate solution (see pic)

REgards Lou

I like your thinking - re the holes - what about a piece of copper pipe, sized to the hole, but slightly flared at the top and epoxied into the hole - just a thought.

Bob

Lou, my test of extendable tables is, can one lean on the edges without it tipping up or collapsing.
I think you'd be better off with fold down panels attached to the 2 sides and the back that you can quickly lift into place and brace by angled supports back to the bench or fold down legs. That way you could very quickly just extend one end or 2 ends, or the back, or all 3.

You could also have a panel on the front that folded back over the top. You could also have the back and front panels fold back onto the top, meeting in the middle.

While this system doesn't give you a completely rectangular top, the superior flexibility of a wide range of sizes all built into the table (and not having to store the bits somewhere elses) could be well worth it.

My 2.2c worth (the 0.2c is to cover the GST)!

Gidday BobL

Yeah I thought about going down that path but I already have enough Benchtop Realestate.

The Design is inspired by Dino's EZ SmartTable system which I have been successfully using as a cutting table for some time now

http://www.eurekazone.com/products/d...marttable.html

What I initially wanted was a torsion box similar to the one made by David MArks here:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_..._26946,00.html

But as I took note of my workhabits n shed space decided I needed a design much smaller. The trick is how do you quickly turn a torsion box/finishing table into a versatile cutting table/ Vacuum press table all in the one unit that can be 'set up' in 5-10mins.

My Vacuum press is 1.2 by 3.0 meters venturi capable of easily veneering 1200 by 2400 sheet goods with ease n the cutting table setup that I've been using easily allows cutting of the largest sheetgood sizes.

I've wanted to refine the design creating a solid versatile table with a small footprint. The next design challenge is to come up with an easy way of getting large sheet goods onto the table which is always a challenge in a 1 man shop situation.

Regards Lou

I get it - shoulda read your first post more carefully!
Cheers