Workbench Topper

[ben_beyer]

So, I'm interested in maybe building a 150cc kit or even possibly a 35% kit. My current workbench is a heavy duty commercial made table and there is a slight bow in the top width wise. It seems to be fine length wise. It's fine for building .40 sized kits as I just put a piece of MDF on top and that makes for a nice flat surface. However, to build something bigger, I need a better surface. My idea to remedy this is a workbench topper. I would make it to fit on top of my current workbench top and it would be a little bigger. My current workbench is 25" x 72". I would probably use some rectangular aluminum tubing (or steel if cheaper) about 2" x 4" going the length of the bench. I plan to make it at least 96" long. Going the width of the bench would be some 2" x 2" square tubing. It would be cut so the long pieces would straddle the sides of the current top. I would probably use MDF for the topper and use countersunk sheet metal screws to hold the aluminum pieces to it. This would be for only building the fuselage as I'll use a wing press for the foam parts so there wouldn't be too much weight on it. What do you guys think?

[pcsol]

Ben,
I have been contemplating upgrading my twenty something year old bench in this same manner.
I have been looking at the Ware industries metal framing components. I think this is the way to go as the actual decking material will not be critical (Im thinking MDF with a layer of cork) and should be lighter to deal with. I currently use a solid pine surface with screw jacks. Its extremely accurate but at 32" X 96 it weighs a TON !
I also would like to hear from others especially if they have gone this route.

[jwood]

How about a SOLID wood door, flat surface and cost about $50.00 from your local hardware store..

[3D Meatshield]

I agree on the solid door too. Home Depot has all kinds available, and a 36" by 80" panel ought to be more than adequate or all but Hempel-sized builds. As soon as I clear out some of the old stuff in the way I had planned to go just that route, with a 2x4 frame and adjustable caster feet for leveling. All in all I can't forsee it costing more than 100 bucks. Just using the door panel as a table topper makes it easier yet.

[pcsol]

	Quote: Originally Posted by jwood
	How about a SOLID wood door, flat surface and cost about $50.00 from your local hardware store..

That's currently what I have now jwood , an oversized commercial solid pine door. When I first built the bench many years ago it was as flat as a pool table but within a couple of months it was out of true. My basement is my work shop and the humidity levels can go from one extreme to another. After a while I re built the frame and installed the mini jacks (12) and have had a perfectly true bench since BUT, It requires truing every time I do another build. And its a B!tch to move around !
IMO a steel frame would eliminate all of these issues. The steel studding is very light, easy to work with (so Im told) and would never go out of true.

[bobflies]

Ben, I hope it one of our kits. . Just kidding. When we started the business some 30 years ago, we faced the same delima except we were building for customers. After some looking around we setteled on some used slate top pool tables. They are very flat, can be repaired, only check level every year or so and the table structure is already a super duty constructed for the heavy slate. We also have never paid ofer $150 for one. We also made some leveling leg extensions out of 8 1.5" pipe flages and 4 pipe nipples that screw to the botom of the legs and with a pipe wrench are very easy to level the table. Also if needed you can cut the top down with a saw to change the width plus you can drill and tap the slate to hold on the particle board which we change about every 4 years. And on one side of the table we put 60 grit psa sandpaper to have a stationary long board to sand prefectly flat.

[ben_beyer]

I'd like to do a Godfrey 40% Extra 300, but might go another route. My workroom isn't very big so I need something I could get materials into easily too. I'm just trying to think of something that could be quickly and easily built and STRAIGHT (just emphasizing straight). I don't want to worry about messing anything up because it wasn't straight.

[ben_beyer]

Anyone else have any thoughts?

[smokin]

i am using the old "solid door" table top right now... i will use the 2 that i have on the tops of my benches for a couple months and then replace them. i too agree that they will get themselves "out of true" over time... i just don't plan on allowing that much time to pass prior to replacing... they are cheap and easy to acquire. if it costs me an extra $50 every other 40% build to keep it true.... Oh well!

[JimC-MD]

I just built a new table. It is made from pallet racking. I cut the sides off at a comfortable working height and put in cross bracing. Then I used the 8' runners that take 2x4 boards for shelves. In place of the 2x4 wood I used steel channel. I put two pieces of MDX overlapped to get a 102 inch by 32 inch table. I put two pieces of one inch angle iron screwed to the bottom of the MDX and the side runners of the pallet rack that set level side to side. I used shim stock under the cross channel to remove any bow. The table is very flat and will hold hundreds of pounds without flexing. The best part is you can unscrew the whole thing and take it out a piece at a time.

[smokin]

i like it jim! that is all easily accessible stuff and not a ton of $$$. i bet it is as strong as any table you'll ever find too!

[ben_beyer]

	Quote: Originally Posted by JimC-MD
	I just built a new table. It is made from pallet racking. I cut the sides off at a comfortable working height and put in cross bracing. Then I used the 8' runners that take 2x4 boards for shelves. In place of the 2x4 wood I used steel channel. I put two pieces of MDX overlapped to get a 102 inch by 32 inch table. I put two pieces of one inch angle iron screwed to the bottom of the MDX and the side runners of the pallet rack that set level side to side. I used shim stock under the cross channel to remove any bow. The table is very flat and will hold hundreds of pounds without flexing. The best part is you can unscrew the whole thing and take it out a piece at a time.

Cool, I had the same basic thought process for my table. It can hold about 1000 lbs., but the top just isn't as true as it should be. I just need something to hold the MDF true, which is where the aluminum or steel tubing comes into play. The frame is a HD metal frame, but I'd rather not try to build something that I can attach to it. I'd rather just make something that sits on top.

[ChrisHays]

solid core door and sheetrock on top for the pins

[ben_beyer]

This will be for giant scale so I need something that can do screws to hold channel aluminum in place.

[ken crane]

	Quote: Originally Posted by ben_beyer
	This will be for giant scale so I need something that can do screws to hold channel aluminum in place.

i thought the same way until went into building giant scale. i found anything that goes on top of the bench shouldnt be able to scratch the covering . sooo.... no edges in my opinion. heres a tip i learned from a master builder. take some self leveling floor compound. take the top you already have. plop the self level floor compound on the table and drag a long straight piece of wood from one end to another. let the filler fill in the depressions. if the top was sound try using homosote board and skip the cork. a 4X8 sheet of homosote is about 25 clams cork would be 100. heres a picture after a year of working on the surface. if it gets fouled flip it over and use the other side.i also stick some building plastic on top when it gets messy. nice thing is its soft and pins push into it as easy as cork. i put it down with neat rows of drywall screws set below the surface so as not to scratch or catch anything whilst dragging across the surface.