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Quest for a workbench

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Radicaldude1234

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
430
Location
Front Range, Colorado
So I recently got a place with a garage and, with that, a place to build a workshop. After epoxying the floor, I decided to build the centerpiece of such a shop: the workbench.

But it couldn't be any workbench...I got a TIG welder during the holidays and had to both justify its purchase and practice welding. Plus it had to be 4x8' to process similar sizes of sheet metal.

So I designed and bought the following:

1x 4'x8'x0.75" Oak Plywood Sheet
1x 4'x8'x0.75 Particle Board (sacrificial sheet)
3x 2"x2"x32' Square Steel Tubing (Cut into 8ft sections for transport)
4x Leveling castors

TableCAD.jpg

The problem with jigging all this up was that I had no existing table...save for a relatively small folding workbench.

So I put the plywood sheet on top of the folding workbench, clamped the tubing to side of the plywood and tacked the sufrace together:

IMG_2125.jpg

Then squared the legs with tacking magnets and tacked those together. Also added plates on the bottom of the legs for the leveling feet.

IMG_2126.jpg

Gave it a good coat of paint. The toughest stuff I could find at the local hardware store was "refrigerator paint".
IMG_2127.jpgIMG_2128.jpg

Drilled and tapped the tubing to screw on the tabletops and viola:

IMG_2129.jpg

Accuracy: I have a digital level and it shows the surface is level to 0.2°, which is the tolerance of the tool.

Lessons:
-2x2 steel tubing is way way WAY overkill. I could probably park a car on top of that table and it wouldn't as much as creak.
-Tubing wall is too thin for tapping. The threading strips rather easily. Threaded components should be welded to the tubing.
-Do not paint in cold weather. It took a week and half for the paint to dry.
-The only table in a garage tends to pile up with stuff and is difficult to keep clear....maybe time for a smaller bench against a wall just for tools....stay tuned
 
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