Workbench Topper

[IMACmike]

A solid core door is OK, but I think you will find it too small as your building progresses. I just built a 3' X 8' bench with pool table slate for the top over a 4"X4" frame on casters (it is a heavy table) The slate wasn't too bad, I bought an old, beat up pool table at a yard sale. The total cost of everything was about $350.00, but it is rock solid and as flat as you can get with out it being a super-sized micro-flat. I went with the 8' length because the 40% size models don't overhang ( I am also goint to use it to build a 12" to the foot scale airplane).

[zoomer260]

	Quote: Originally Posted by IMACmike
	A solid core door is OK, but I think you will find it too small as your building progresses. I just built a 3' X 8' bench with pool table slate for the top over a 4"X4" frame on casters (it is a heavy table) The slate wasn't too bad, I bought an old, beat up pool table at a yard sale. The total cost of everything was about $350.00, but it is rock solid and as flat as you can get with out it being a super-sized micro-flat. I went with the 8' length because the 40% size models don't overhang ( I am also goint to use it to build a 12" to the foot scale airplane).

I may be picky but isn't 12" to the foot "scale" full size ? I did purdy good in drafting class a million years ago. That seems to translate to 1:1 by my math.

[smokin]

[IMACmike]

You are correct! 12": 1 foot is indeed FULL scale! I thought about how much more I can get for my buck if I go bigger than 50-60%! PLUS, I won't need an XL trailer to haul it around...

[MikeC3D]

A TRUE solid wood door is just fine and if braced properly it wont sag over time. I Think for $50 a cheapy solid core door you guys are refering to isnt solid wood all the way through, it is in fact wood around the perimeter and cardboard filler in the middle, at least they are in this neck of the woods, at loews home Depot and such. Real solid wood doors are very expensive.
I dont think that the size of the table/door should limit your builds, heck Bob is building the 80%er on a solid door top, hell he built the 70% staudacher on the same table 10 yrs ago, and every build since then has been on this same exact table.
I just built mine with 2x4 frame and 3/4" ply top, 32" x 8', and another 2 level work bench for tools and saws and stuff at 24"x8' cost me less than $50.

[jaguar bone]

Dave Platt builds on 3/4" glass ( 6.75# sq ft ).
Call a few glass shops to see if they have any salvage Hurculite (Her-cue-lite) doors you could hacve cheap. If they have them - they most likelt will sell cheap. Doesn't get any flatter than glass , and at 3/4" thick- bowing is very unlikely too.
What is sq. ft weight for 2" solid core (fire rated) door?

I don't know where I pulled the weight per sq. ft before but it is WRONG.
1/4" weighs 3.5# per sq. x 3 = 10.5# per sq. Either way it dang heavy!!

[jwood]

	Quote: Originally Posted by MikeC3D
	I Think for $50 a cheapy solid core door you guys are refering to isnt solid wood all the way through, it is in fact wood around the perimeter and cardboard filler in the middle, at least they are in this neck of the woods, at loews home Depot and such..

Home depot here has the soild all through for $54.00 and the cardboard filler in the middle type doors are $21.00, Still not PINE..but very strong and work great!

[2walla]

The el cheapo 21 dollar doors work fine if you build a good support structure under them. I usually get a piece of 1" Pink insulation foam to put on the top of mine.

[Tired Old Man]

I picked up an old fabric store 3' x 8' cutting table many years back. Solid top and heavy as hell. Over time it developed a very slight sag in the middle so I floated the top with some lightweight type drywall taping mud I had laying around. Used a level to pull the mud. Checked it after the dry and touched up a few low spots with a little more mud. Tossed a sheet of 1/2" drywall on the table and changed it whenever it needed to be tossed. It's still flat after another 12 years from the last floating.

The bear is it's too heavy for one person to move.....

[ben_beyer]

Ok guys, I had a workbench top built and it's not as straight as I would like so I'm back to needing a good working surface. I'm going to be using a solid core door braced with 2x6's. What would be the best way to take the bow out of the 2x6's?

Also, I'll check the door before I buy it to make sure it's true. Could I just built the support frame on the bottom side of the door using it as a reference?

[wylieruneyjr]

Pick out better 2x6's. Go sort the whole stack for ones with little to no crown. I USE A SOLID CORE DOOR PLACED OVER A PORTABLE FOLDING LEG TABLE THAT IS NOT MUCH SMALLER. Its not level , but its flat and I can square off it. That sounds funny, but I'm not.

[ben_beyer]

	Quote: Originally Posted by wylieruneyjr
	Pick out better 2x6's. Go sort the whole stack for ones with little to no crown.

I thought about doing that and then taking a long straight edge and circular saw and cutting them down a little bit to make a nice long straight edge. Think that would work?

[SURREYRCAV8R]

take them to a local wood shop and have the 2 X 6's run through a jointer to remove the crown...once a piece of wood is through a jointer it is pretty damn straight!

[ben_beyer]

The only problem with that is I had it done for my current workbench and the guy didn't get them straight. Maybe I need to look around for someone else though.

[wylieruneyjr]

Pop a chalk line on one side and rip with skill saw. Don't worry about the other side. Once one side is fairly straight run it thur a table saw with the first rip against the rip fence to straighten the other side.