I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my workshop. Useable
space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the bench, planer,
tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other miscellaneous crap.
One idea I have for reclaiming my space is a folding workbench. I'm thinking
of attaching a ledger board (current bench) to the wall, hanging off some
stubs every 16". The 'joists' for the benchtop would mesh up with the stubs
and be joined to each other with a long metal pipe passing through holes in
both. Likely two shorter pipes, since the room isn't long enough to insert
one long pipe. I'm not too sure about the legs, probably more studs held to
the 'joists' with more pipe. A crosser would hold the legs together on the
outside, so as not to get in the way of folding under the bench.
Probably the biggest issue would be losing the space under the current
bench, which holds the various power tools and other stuff. Maybe a rolling
cabinet that I could move before folding down the bench. Then there's the
stuff on top of the bench, drill press, various tools, etc. Perhaps I'll
have the bench fold in two sections so I can pick my extra space.
Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:8t5hj.8055$6%[email protected]...
> I use a free standing folding work bench, an old B&D work bench about
> 30"x36" surface area. I have been using it for 25+ years. It gets folded
> up and put away nightly so nothing collects on top of it.
> I also have a steel 30"x 60" bench on wheels that tends to be a collection
> area. I would love to add a wood top and vise but I am thinking
> stationary would be better if you are going to actually work on the bench
> rather than use it to hold stuff that you are not working on.
That's the thing with a bench, it tends to accumulate stuff, stuff that
isn't quite finished, stuff to work on other stuff, stuff that doesn't have
any other place, and pretty soon it isn't a bench anymore. So I've been
putting up shelves and hooks and so on to get the stuff off the bench, but
even so one of this year's projects is to build another bench, and *that*
bench won't be covered with stuff. I swear.
"Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
*snip*
>
> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>
I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work surface,
you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your part to dry or
something... Then other things will join what's there, and the idea of
closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your mind. Folding (or
expanding) surfaces are great as secondary work areas, where your normal
bench is 2x4 but you need to work on a piece of 4x8 plywood.
What you could do, however, is make a bench or work table to set up on
saw horses. Give yourself a smaller bench, and when you need a larger
one you can then set up the big one. I've got a piece of 1/2" plywood I
use as a "cutting board" when I'm working with sheets of plywood. Most
of the time, though, my project fits nicely in a 2' area of my 2x4
workbench.
Puckdropper
--
Marching to the beat of a different drum is great... unless you're in
marching band.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
"Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
>
> "Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
*trim*
>> I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work
>> surface, you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your
>> part to dry or something... Then other things will join what's there,
>> and the idea of closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your mind.
>
> LOL, You've seen my Bench. :-)
Only because yours is a copy of mine! :-)
*snip*
> This does give me an idea though. A smaller permanent bench with a
> drop leaf. I get more floor space, keep my shelves under the bench,
> keep space for my drill press/vice/clutter and get a larger clutter
> free workspace when needed.
I have a drawer with a lid on the top that works pretty good for
temporary use. Since it sticks out in to the aisleway, I have to
remember to clear it off and close it.
> I originally built my bench a tad lower than the Table Saw so I could
> use it as an outfeed table. But it was usually covered in crap and not
> wide enough to be of much use. With a drop leaf in front of the
> existing (but smaller) bench, I could move the TS and get a useful
> outfeed table Might work for the planer too, but I think it's too
> high.
>
You could also get one of those outfeed rollers that folds up and not
worry about using the workbench.
Puckdropper
--
Marching to the beat of a different drum is great... unless you're in
marching band.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
"Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> *snip*
>
>>
>> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>>
>
> I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work surface,
> you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your part to dry or
> something... Then other things will join what's there, and the idea of
> closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your mind.
LOL, You've seen my Bench. :-)
>Folding (or
> expanding) surfaces are great as secondary work areas, where your normal
> bench is 2x4 but you need to work on a piece of 4x8 plywood.
>
> What you could do, however, is make a bench or work table to set up on
> saw horses. Give yourself a smaller bench, and when you need a larger
> one you can then set up the big one. I've got a piece of 1/2" plywood I
> use as a "cutting board" when I'm working with sheets of plywood. Most
> of the time, though, my project fits nicely in a 2' area of my 2x4
> workbench.
This does give me an idea though. A smaller permanent bench with a drop
leaf. I get more floor space, keep my shelves under the bench, keep space
for my drill press/vice/clutter and get a larger clutter free workspace when
needed.
I originally built my bench a tad lower than the Table Saw so I could use it
as an outfeed table. But it was usually covered in crap and not wide enough
to be of much use. With a drop leaf in front of the existing (but smaller)
bench, I could move the TS and get a useful outfeed table Might work for the
planer too, but I think it's too high.
> Puckdropper
> --
> Marching to the beat of a different drum is great... unless you're in
> marching band.
>
> To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
"Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I'm thinking of going with a smaller permanent bench with a drop leaf in
front. This should free up some space, give me room for the clutter/drill
press/vice and leave me some extra uncluttered space I can fold out when
need.
"Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> "Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> news:[email protected]:
>
> *trim*
>
>>> I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work
>>> surface, you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your
>>> part to dry or something... Then other things will join what's there,
>>> and the idea of closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your mind.
>>
>> LOL, You've seen my Bench. :-)
>
> Only because yours is a copy of mine! :-)
>
> *snip*
>
>> This does give me an idea though. A smaller permanent bench with a
>> drop leaf. I get more floor space, keep my shelves under the bench,
>> keep space for my drill press/vice/clutter and get a larger clutter
>> free workspace when needed.
>
> I have a drawer with a lid on the top that works pretty good for
> temporary use. Since it sticks out in to the aisleway, I have to
> remember to clear it off and close it.
>
>> I originally built my bench a tad lower than the Table Saw so I could
>> use it as an outfeed table. But it was usually covered in crap and not
>> wide enough to be of much use. With a drop leaf in front of the
>> existing (but smaller) bench, I could move the TS and get a useful
>> outfeed table Might work for the planer too, but I think it's too
>> high.
>>
>
> You could also get one of those outfeed rollers that folds up and not
> worry about using the workbench.
>
> Puckdropper
Yeah, I bought one of those for the Planer. Very handy, but doesn't do too
much for the floor space.
Some points others have mentioned:
I've also got a Workmate, but it mostly gets used outside the shop.
Shopvac is no longer in the shop, the new one is bigger than the last.
Compressor actually fits in the offcuts storage hole, so it's OK.
I'm thinking of moving the DC to the closet next to the shop, which should
help with the dust/Asthma and give me 8 more sf. Combined with the smaller
bench I could get 20 more sf. It may not seem like much, but until I win the
lottery.
"Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my workshop.
> Useable space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the bench,
> planer, tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other miscellaneous
> crap.
>
> One idea I have for reclaiming my space is a folding workbench. I'm
> thinking of attaching a ledger board (current bench) to the wall, hanging
> off some stubs every 16". The 'joists' for the benchtop would mesh up with
> the stubs and be joined to each other with a long metal pipe passing
> through holes in both. Likely two shorter pipes, since the room isn't long
> enough to insert one long pipe. I'm not too sure about the legs, probably
> more studs held to the 'joists' with more pipe. A crosser would hold the
> legs together on the outside, so as not to get in the way of folding under
> the bench.
>
> Probably the biggest issue would be losing the space under the current
> bench, which holds the various power tools and other stuff. Maybe a
> rolling cabinet that I could move before folding down the bench. Then
> there's the stuff on top of the bench, drill press, various tools, etc.
> Perhaps I'll have the bench fold in two sections so I can pick my extra
> space.
>
> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>
>
>
I use a free standing folding work bench, an old B&D work bench about
30"x36" surface area. I have been using it for 25+ years. It gets folded
up and put away nightly so nothing collects on top of it.
I also have a steel 30"x 60" bench on wheels that tends to be a collection
area. I would love to add a wood top and vise but I am thinking stationary
would be better if you are going to actually work on the bench rather than
use it to hold stuff that you are not working on.
Leon <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my workshop.
>> Useable space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the
>> bench, planer, tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other
>> miscellaneous crap.
>>
>> One idea I have for reclaiming my space is a folding workbench. I'm
>> thinking of attaching a ledger board (current bench) to the wall,
>> hanging off some stubs every 16". The 'joists' for the benchtop
>> would mesh up with the stubs and be joined to each other with a long
>> metal pipe passing through holes in both. Likely two shorter pipes,
>> since the room isn't long enough to insert one long pipe. I'm not
>> too sure about the legs, probably more studs held to the 'joists'
>> with more pipe. A crosser would hold the legs together on the
>> outside, so as not to get in the way of folding under the bench.
>>
>> Probably the biggest issue would be losing the space under the
>> current bench, which holds the various power tools and other stuff.
>> Maybe a rolling cabinet that I could move before folding down the
>> bench. Then there's the stuff on top of the bench, drill press,
>> various tools, etc. Perhaps I'll have the bench fold in two sections
>> so I can pick my extra space.
>>
>> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>>
>>
>>
>
> I use a free standing folding work bench, an old B&D work bench about
> 30"x36" surface area. I have been using it for 25+ years. It gets
> folded up and put away nightly so nothing collects on top of it.
> I also have a steel 30"x 60" bench on wheels that tends to be a
> collection area. I would love to add a wood top and vise but I am
> thinking stationary would be better if you are going to actually work
> on the bench rather than use it to hold stuff that you are not
> working on.
Especially if you want to put a vice on it of any size at all, the table
should be stationary and fairly substantial.
Puckdropper <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> "Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> news:[email protected]:
>
> *trim*
>
>>> I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work
>>> surface, you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your
>>> part to dry or something... Then other things will join what's
>>> there, and the idea of closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your
>>> mind.
>>
>> LOL, You've seen my Bench. :-)
>
> Only because yours is a copy of mine! :-)
>
> *snip*
>
>> This does give me an idea though. A smaller permanent bench with a
>> drop leaf. I get more floor space, keep my shelves under the bench,
>> keep space for my drill press/vice/clutter and get a larger clutter
>> free workspace when needed.
>
> I have a drawer with a lid on the top that works pretty good for
> temporary use. Since it sticks out in to the aisleway, I have to
> remember to clear it off and close it.
That works. I carpetted my shop with throw-away carpeting, mostly
because it's a cement floor. Then I wanted a base for the TS so I
experimented with a base and the smaller, 2" casters on it; worked
perfectly. No need to pull casters up or anything; stays well put
during use. If you push strictly horozontally on the top itself it'll
tip over forward or backward before it'll start to roll, so I liked that
and just extended the size another 2 inches in front and back.
Then, while I was at it, I made the table saw match the height of my
workbench plus a half inch for the slope/unevenness of the floor; worked
great. When I finally got my planer I put that on casters too, same
method as the TS, and set the height to use the TS for outfeed rest with
long boards.
Yes, outfeed rollers would be better and work smoother probably but
space is at a premium so anything that can do double duty I try to find.
Bench, TS and Planer can all work together this way. Then I have a top
I can add to the table saw to make it large enough to hold a full size
window and a 4'x8' sheet in a pinch though it extends over all edges.
With the TS on casters it moves around fairly easily too so the faux
table top can be moved to pretty much wherever I want it.
I also have typing-tray-like pull outs above all the drawers of the
bench, except for one area where there's a cutout to mount a router
into.
Oh: Forgot to mention I'm disabled, so the less running around I do in
the shop the more time I can spend on actuall woodworking. At the
moment, the planer lives out in the garage, in front of my wife's car,
while I'm working on refinishing an antique Secretary from my MIL for my
wife. It's completely disassembled into its components parts, so I can
sit down on the stool at my bench, pull out a couple of the pull-outs
from the bench, pull the TX with faux top on it up to me, put all the
materials on one side to start (excepting drawers which are not
disassembled), work on each piece and place it on the other side and so
on until I go through them all. I'll work well for the worst part of
the job anyway: The sanding and initial treatments/repairs/wood putty,
etc.. Thanks to the pullouts I have places to set the smaller
decorative pieces etc. too.
I'm ready to stain now; gonna miss that neat little setup! But, I
have lots of surface areas to put the stained/finished pieces on at
least. I used to hvae to put them in the garage on saw horses with a
sheet of ply over them. Now they can all stay in the relatively
dust-free confines of my shop. Oh, my "shop" is actually one of the car
stalls but smaller than the other one since one end of it was turned
into an inlaw bedroom; it's a huge garage. My wife turned that inlaw
room into a sewing room recently since inlaw passed, so we get to wave
at each other now and then as we pass by<g>.
All possible wall areas are peg boarded and the ceiling as well
provides storage wherever possible except the immediate area over the TS
space so I can flip boards on end.
I hung a couple halogen lights from the old door opener track so they
can be moved from one end to the other easily, and I used the side track
for hanging too.
Made wood storage area from some L brackets I inherited lng ago that
extends out into the garage over the 8' sliding door to the parking
area. Plenty high enough to walk under in the garage & a little high to
reach from inside, but it works. More storage over the bedroom area;
that's a large area so works well and lower than the other since it
doesn't protrude into the garage; it's just insulation thickness higher
than the ceiling of the bedroom, which has a 7' celing.
The "trick" IMO is to be as inventive as possible with any available
space and do as little as possible to block off any usable space. And
take your time and don't be afraid to redo something if it would improve
things. I use screws exclusively for fastening and avoid glue unless
it's certain to be a permanent affixment.
Now if I just had room for the jointer; it has to sit covered out in the
garage which isn't good for it, but with a good cover, wax and calcium
chloride bowls, it seems to stay in pretty good shape. No rust yet
anyway. Yet.
Cheers,
Twayne
>
>> I originally built my bench a tad lower than the Table Saw so I could
>> use it as an outfeed table. But it was usually covered in crap and
>> not wide enough to be of much use. With a drop leaf in front of the
>> existing (but smaller) bench, I could move the TS and get a useful
>> outfeed table Might work for the planer too, but I think it's too
>> high.
>>
>
> You could also get one of those outfeed rollers that folds up and not
> worry about using the workbench.
>
> Puckdropper
I would look at something like this:
http://woodstore.net/mosaroce.html
This was entire series on how to build this
critter for folks with "limited" space.
I recall American Woodworker do a very similar
device with even more options.
With your space issues, this is worth a
look-see....
Bill Stock wrote:
> LOL, You've seen my Bench. :-)
>
>
>>Folding (or
>>expanding) surfaces are great as secondary work areas, where your normal
>>bench is 2x4 but you need to work on a piece of 4x8 plywood.
>>
>>What you could do, however, is make a bench or work table to set up on
>>saw horses. Give yourself a smaller bench, and when you need a larger
>>one you can then set up the big one. I've got a piece of 1/2" plywood I
>>use as a "cutting board" when I'm working with sheets of plywood. Most
>>of the time, though, my project fits nicely in a 2' area of my 2x4
>>workbench.
>
>
> This does give me an idea though. A smaller permanent bench with a drop
> leaf. I get more floor space, keep my shelves under the bench, keep space
> for my drill press/vice/clutter and get a larger clutter free workspace when
> needed.
>
> I originally built my bench a tad lower than the Table Saw so I could use it
> as an outfeed table. But it was usually covered in crap and not wide enough
> to be of much use. With a drop leaf in front of the existing (but smaller)
> bench, I could move the TS and get a useful outfeed table Might work for the
> planer too, but I think it's too high.
>
>
>
>
>
>>Puckdropper
>>--
>>Marching to the beat of a different drum is great... unless you're in
>>marching band.
>>
>>To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
>
>
>
On Jan 9, 10:51=A0am, Brian Henderson
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 21:02:49 -0500, "Bill Stock" <[email protected]>> I was =
trying to look it up quickly and couldn't find it, but I seem to
> remember a folding bench project in Shop Notes in the past year or so
Wood Magazine had one. I think Workbench Magazine (cousin of
ShopNotes)
also had one in the past.
MJ Walalce
On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 21:02:49 -0500, "Bill Stock" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
I was trying to look it up quickly and couldn't find it, but I seem to
remember a folding bench project in Shop Notes in the past year or so
that seemed reasonable but it wasn't in any of the issues I had
sitting close at hand. Maybe check one of the online databases?
My only concern with a folding bench would be stability and strength,
but if you can find a way to make a strong, stable, flat work surface
that will also fold out of the way, it shouldn't be a major issue.
Puckdropper <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> *snip*
>
>>
>> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>>
>
> I've got a couple. If your bench is going to be a primary work
> surface, you're not going to fold it up. You'll want to leave your
> part to dry or something... Then other things will join what's there,
> and the idea of closing it will only be a warm fuzzy in your mind.
> Folding (or expanding) surfaces are great as secondary work areas,
> where your normal bench is 2x4 but you need to work on a piece of 4x8
> plywood.
>
> What you could do, however, is make a bench or work table to set up on
> saw horses. Give yourself a smaller bench, and when you need a larger
> one you can then set up the big one. I've got a piece of 1/2"
> plywood I use as a "cutting board" when I'm working with sheets of
> plywood. Most of the time, though, my project fits nicely in a 2'
> area of my 2x4 workbench.
>
> Puckdropper
Good comments. One thing I did was make a "tabletop" that fit over my
tablesaw. Just a piece of 1/2" ply & legs that rotated down to rest on
the table saw casters area so nothing touched the floor and it'd still
roll around easily (relatively at least). It centers on the fence slots
so it stays pretty stable & can be clamped if needed.
Then on my regular bench, which is 2' x 11', I put something similar to
breadboard "slide-outs" under it, to bring the surface out further. But
I put those in four pieces so I could sit between them on my stool and
pull them out on each side of me if I wanted to; which it turns out I do
very often. Then each of those will fold out another section that lies
on top normally. But those are rather flimsy; only good for setting
stuff on while you work.
Idea: Let me surround myself with my work, so to speak. ymmv I'm
sure.
Better than fold downs because it leaves room for storage under the
bench, but be sure to give the slide-outs enough STRENGTH to stand up to
your punishment; I used 45 degree rotating legs that brace to the legs
of the main bench.
In article <[email protected]>, "Bill Stock" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my workshop. Useable
>space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the bench, planer,
>tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other miscellaneous crap.
I've had an old B&D WorkMate for ~20 years and love it.
Of course, the size is limited but that's sort of the
point.
--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| [email protected] Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Stock wrote:
> I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my workshop. Useable
> space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the bench, planer,
> tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other miscellaneous crap.
>
> One idea I have for reclaiming my space is a folding workbench. I'm thinking
> of attaching a ledger board (current bench) to the wall, hanging off some
> stubs every 16". The 'joists' for the benchtop would mesh up with the stubs
> and be joined to each other with a long metal pipe passing through holes in
> both. Likely two shorter pipes, since the room isn't long enough to insert
> one long pipe. I'm not too sure about the legs, probably more studs held to
> the 'joists' with more pipe. A crosser would hold the legs together on the
> outside, so as not to get in the way of folding under the bench.
>
> Probably the biggest issue would be losing the space under the current
> bench, which holds the various power tools and other stuff. Maybe a rolling
> cabinet that I could move before folding down the bench. Then there's the
> stuff on top of the bench, drill press, various tools, etc. Perhaps I'll
> have the bench fold in two sections so I can pick my extra space.
>
> Any thoughts/pit falls on a folding bench?
>
>
>
My thoughts on a folding bench might be
discouraging. I like my benches as solid
as I can get them, which to my mind
would preclude making them folding. I
do a lot of hand planing and need that
stability.
What I've done in a similar sized space
(actually smaller than yours) is to move
unnecessary stuff outside. All wood,
except scraps is out. The shop vac is
out. Compressor when I get it will be
beside the shop vac.
The router table is on a rolling cart
that stows out of the way when I'm not
using it.
Everyone likes their workspace set up a
bit differently. However, I'd find, like
you have mentioned, that moving the
stuff on the bench to be a PITA every
time I folded the bench up.
--
Tanus
This is not really a sig.
http://www.home.mycybernet.net/~waugh/shop/
Malcolm Hoar wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, "Bill Stock"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I'm really getting cramped for space in the hole I call my
>> workshop.
>> Useable space (excluding storage) is about 10x14, which holds the
>> bench, planer, tablesaw, dust collector, drill press and other
>> miscellaneous crap.
>
> I've had an old B&D WorkMate for ~20 years and love it.
>
> Of course, the size is limited but that's sort of the
> point.
The new Stanley FatMax Project Center is similar in concept--not sure
if it's a real improvement though.
The Fatmax is narrower, has built in cord storage and a power strip,
folds and unfolds in a single motion, and doubles as a hand truck.
Downside is that being narrower it's not as stable, and it lacks the
Workmate's step that makes it easy to hold the Workmate down with your
body weight.
>
>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
>> Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
>> [email protected] Gary Player. |
>> http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
B A R R Y wrote:
> Tanus wrote:
>>
>>
>> My thoughts on a folding bench might be discouraging. I like my
>> benches as solid as I can get them, which to my mind would preclude
>> making them folding. I do a lot of hand planing and need that
>> stability.
>
> While the portable won't replace a good joiner's bench, tube sand
> can
> greaty increase the stability of a small or portable bench used for
> hand work.
If you're careful with the design and the folder is folding against a
wall then you can use the wall to obtain a great deal of rigidity.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Tanus wrote:
>
>
> My thoughts on a folding bench might be discouraging. I like my benches
> as solid as I can get them, which to my mind would preclude making them
> folding. I do a lot of hand planing and need that stability.
While the portable won't replace a good joiner's bench, tube sand can
greaty increase the stability of a small or portable bench used for hand
work.
Malcolm Hoar wrote:
> I've had an old B&D WorkMate for ~20 years and love it.
>
> Of course, the size is limited but that's sort of the
> point.
>
I still do!
Mine gets used as everything from a finishing table, to a shop dummy, to
an actual mini-bench.
The OP should check out the "I Can Do That" series in Popular
Woodworking Magazine or on popwood.com. The whole point of the series
is to show real woodworking done with basic tools. The "bench" of the
series is a Workmate.
On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 12:36:23 -0800 (PST), "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Wood Magazine had one. I think Workbench Magazine (cousin of
>ShopNotes) also had one in the past.
That could have been it, I just remember it had a red top.