alternative worktable.
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:39 pm
If you have access to a welder...
As an alternative table which actually proved cheaper than the plywood for me
and very solid, I obtained an an end rack from a shelving unit (you know
those big racks that all the pallets are stored on at Home Depot - well one
of the vertical sections). They come in different widths and lengths ..mine
is 42" wide and about 14' 10" long. I also picked up several of the
horizontal beams that hold the shelving. I got these all used from a supplier
and if I remember correctly it was less than $60C
I cut the beams and welded them to the frame as legs and added some cross
bracing from scrap steel Large nuts welded to the bottom of the legs and
some bolts provided height adjustment. For the top I used two full sheets of
that cheap melamine? covered particle board. This leaves about 3" of overhang
on the sides (great for clamping stuff) and less than a foot on the ends.
It's been up for many years now (too many) and hasn't budged an inch.
(cheated a little ...added a couple of angle brackets and bolted it to the
garage floor :-) Withstood all the control surface and 1 and 9/10 wings so
far.. ...Wray
T L McClary wrote:
Wray Thompson ...Rebel 306 ...home page http://www.globalserve.net/~cobbg/
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As an alternative table which actually proved cheaper than the plywood for me
and very solid, I obtained an an end rack from a shelving unit (you know
those big racks that all the pallets are stored on at Home Depot - well one
of the vertical sections). They come in different widths and lengths ..mine
is 42" wide and about 14' 10" long. I also picked up several of the
horizontal beams that hold the shelving. I got these all used from a supplier
and if I remember correctly it was less than $60C
I cut the beams and welded them to the frame as legs and added some cross
bracing from scrap steel Large nuts welded to the bottom of the legs and
some bolts provided height adjustment. For the top I used two full sheets of
that cheap melamine? covered particle board. This leaves about 3" of overhang
on the sides (great for clamping stuff) and less than a foot on the ends.
It's been up for many years now (too many) and hasn't budged an inch.
(cheated a little ...added a couple of angle brackets and bolted it to the
garage floor :-) Withstood all the control surface and 1 and 9/10 wings so
far.. ...Wray
T L McClary wrote:
--Roger,
I finished my table about 2 weeks ago using the Murphy plans. If you use
their plans the table is one unit 16 feet long. You will have to modify
the plans to make it 2 tables of 8 feet. I was told the flatter the work
surface the better for the accuracy of your fuselage. I am far from that
point but I built the table like flatness mattered.
Two things that I did that aren't on the plans. I used 1/2 inch bolts,
nuts and washers in 2x4" pieces on each of the 6 table legs. My basement
floor isn't level and the levelers made a difference when it came time to
level the table top. Secondly, I used 1/2 particle board with a Melamine
laminate for my top. I searched Georgia Pacific's web site before I
bought it and felt it was strong enough to support the fuselage weight.
The Melamine gives a nice, smooth work surface and the sheets were
cheaper than 1/2 BC plywood at my local Home Depot lumber yard. The
Murphy plans call for 6 sheets of plywood but if you plan your sheets you
can cut the table out of 5 sheets.
Terry
Wray Thompson ...Rebel 306 ...home page http://www.globalserve.net/~cobbg/
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