Thread: Solid-Core Door Workbench - WIP

Originally Posted by Hermit

Trouble is, then it could slide when I don't want it to and defeat the purpose of the weight.

I'll manage to move it around no worries. I'll lever it into place with a crowbar if I have to, or a couple of trolley jacks as mentioned. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but I don't think it'll be that hard to move - it only needs to shift a couple of metres from where it's being built. Then I never want it to move, unless I move house, and then I can dismantle it to a top, end-frames and rails for transporting, since it bolts together without glue.
(To move the washing machine into place on a tiled floor, I threw down some soapy water and it slid easily, but that won't work this time, with wooden legs on rough concrete.)

Steve,
Your call but with the weight of the bench I don't thing it's move without a lot of effort & force.
Cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by crowie

Steve,
Your call but with the weight of the bench I don't thing it's move without a lot of effort & force.
Cheers, crowie

You're probably right, but I'll manage.

I'm interested now in finding out just what it weighs when done. I might weigh the individual bits before assembly, out of interest.

Steve I know mine has to weigh close to 300 lbs as I can bearly nudge it. If I had to move it I would have to pull the base cabinets off! But that is what I like about it I can plane, and chisel, and hammer and it doesn't budge.

Its looking good can't wait to see it finished.

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Its looking good can't wait to see it finished.
Bret

Me too. Almost there now, then I can get on with the real stuff.

I'll post the final weight when I know it. The heaviest part is the door, but I think my bathroom scales will handle it.

300 pounds is pretty good. Is the frame of your's hardwood? (I forget.)

No the frame on mine is 5 layers of laminated 3/4" ply. The top though is 2 layers of 3/4" MDF. Plus the 2 drawer cabinets are made of 3/4" ply have hardwood front faces and full extension bearing guides. I also filled the bottom compartment with sand.

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

No the frame on mine is 5 layers of laminated 3/4" ply. The top though is 2 layers of 3/4" MDF. Plus the 2 drawer cabinets are made of 3/4" ply have hardwood front faces and full extension bearing guides. I also filled the bottom compartment with sand.

Bret

Right, I'd forgotten it was laminated ply. Taking your drawer cabinets into account, (and the sand), mine might be lighter than your's.

I'm off to bed now, but will start weighing up in the morning. Not a bad plan, then if I decide it needs even more weight, I'll add weight to the shelf - maybe sand as you suggest. Some lead would be good, but pretty expensive I imagine.
Anyway, we'll see. Sleep first. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

I haven't done any weighing just yet. I decided to undercut the ends of the rails, as in the plans, to ensure that everything pulls together well, so that's the current mission. I'm only going in about 0.5mm though, not 1/16" as the plans say.
Using a Dremel high-speed cutter instead of a hammer and chisel. Getting lazy. Actually, I was tempted to route, (rout?), them out.
Not pretty, but it doesn't need to be. When these are all done, I'll do some weighing, then start on the pocket-holes etc.

The undercutting on all 8 rail-ends is done, (only took 2 hours), so I just weighed up the end-frames and rails.

Two end frames and 4 rails totals 77.0kg, (169.4 lbs). About 10kg per rail and 20kg per end-frame.
(Compared to my 50kg, they seemed even heavier than that.)

The vice weighs 13.8kg, bringing the running total to 90.8kg, (199.8lbs).

There's still the door to weigh, along with the plywood for the top and shelf and the shelf cleats, the 30mm vice spacer plate plus a couple of kg of hardware, so the overall total will be a lot higher yet.

I'll update as I get each thing made and weighed. Onto those pocket-holes tomorrow.

By the way, the plywood and 3.6m x 42mm x 19mm of maple for the cleats arrived today, on schedule. I didn't get the other hardware yet, so it won't be finished over the weekend, but on Tuesday or Wednesday now.

I was all set to make the pocket-holes in the rail-ends as per the plans, with a 1" sawtooth Forstner bit, when I decided to check if they were really going to be big enough.

They're big enough to get a nut and washer in, even a spring washer, but there's not enough room to get a spanner of any sort onto the nut, to hold it while the bolt is tightened.
It might well do up fine without a spanner on the nut, especially if I use a spring washer, but then if I try to dismantle it at some time in the future, the nuts might turn with the bolts, leaving no means of pulling it apart, especially if any of them have rusted over time.

A 17mm ring spanner fits the nuts and mine has an OD of 28mm, so I'm thinking of making the pocket holes 30mm diameter instead of 25mm. That still leaves 30mm of 'meat' either side of the pocket-hole and even more under it. Should be plenty.
I'll have to go hunting for a 30mm Forstner bit tomorrow.

In the plans, he also says to tighten the bolt with an open-ended spanner. Impossible - the bolt head is 3/4" into a 1" diameter counter-bore. A socket should work, but I'll double-check that it fits. Might have to go up to 28-30mm diameter here as well otherwise.

I've been laid up for a few days, but managed to get a bit done today.
Finished off the pocket holes etc and fitted the shelf cleats. The base is finished and ready to bolt together tomorrow.
I'll have to re-weigh all the parts first, too, since I've added the cleats: -

Everything fitted together nicely. (Bloody heavy, though. Just dragging the frame into exact position on the door was impossible without 'nudging' it along with a mallet.)
I only need to drill the holes in the top, then I can put this part together tomorrow.
Then there's only the plywood sacrificial top, shelf and vice left to do. At least the shelf cleats are already in place.

Attachment 214212

Due to the weight, I'll disassemble the frame now, then clear a space tomorrow and assemble it in-situ. (That's how I got it together where it is now.)

I'll weigh the parts tonight as I pull it apart, too, so I only need to add the weight of the vice and plywood to get the total.

G'Day Steve,
I read the first part, looked at your photo & thought "how's he going to turn it over"....
Then read that you are going to disassemble it....wooe.
Looks great.
Cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by crowie

G'Day Steve,
I read the first part, looked at your photo & thought "how's he going to turn it over"....
Then read that you are going to disassemble it....wooe.
Looks great.
Cheers, crowie

Hello mate. Yeah, I had to think a little and devise a plan. As mentioned, same goes for assembly. If I'm careful, I won't need to move the whole thing assembled, except maybe an inch or two.
I had no trouble getting the spanner back on the nuts for disassembly - one of my concerns. I made 30mm pocket-holes to suit, but there isn't much clearance.

I just got the weighing done. This time, I weighed the vice, too, whereas last time I went by the weight on the box.

Total is 132kg, (290lb), with only the plywood to go, on the top and the shelf.

The door was 37.7kg, (83lb), less than I estimated, but still good.
Rails (4) were 40.5kg, (89lb).
The (2) end frames were 38.5kg, (85lb).
Vice was 14.3kg, (31lb).
Bolts were a hefty 1kg, (2.2lb). Every bit helps.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased.
I can get it into place tomorrow and use it to help cut the ply for it's own top. I've already added extra power outlets and lighting, so it's all systems go on my projects again in a couple of days, finally.

It's beginning to look a little like a workbench now. Only the plywood top, the shelf and the vice to go: -