When I first built my shop, I had several bench top tools and
planned to add some others. Getting each one out, setting it up
and securing it was a slight PITA, so I built a dedicated bench
for just that type of tool. The bench was built very, very sturdy
of lagged 4X6 material, then a plywood top was added. The bench
was small by shop standards- about 30" X 48", but was extremely
heavy and stable. The size was partially dictated by the need to
get to all 4 sides of the bench to work using the tools mounted to
its top.
To gain more room, and for the smaller, lighter bench tools, I
added flip up wings to the side. The wings locked in place
automatically by using coffee table wing/braces, which also
permitted them to be easily flipped back down. By thinking
through where the tools were mounted, how they were angled and how
they would be used, I have little, if any, conflict between the
closely packed bench tools. Later, I added an outlet for my dust
collector. There were also many (you can't get too many)
electrical outlets.
--
Nonny
You cannot make a stupid kid smart by
handing him a diploma. Schools need standards
to measure the amount of education actually
absorbed by children. Don't sacrifice the smart
kids to make the dumb ones feel good about themselves.