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Forum topic by bmilcs | posted 09-19-2019 11:32 PM | 2282 views | 0 times favorited | 37 replies | ![]() |
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09-19-2019 11:32 PM |
Topic tags/keywords: question Hi Lumber Jocks! For my second thread, I wanted to share a SketchUp design that I’ve been working on. I want to keep it simple, and allow for easy reuse of the MDF/hardboard materials if I decide to tear it down and start over. Space is a luxury in my 2 car garage, and I desperately need an outfeed table for safety and a plumb/level worksurface for many upcoming projects. - Going to be planing basic dimensional pine from the big box stores, expecting final lumber to be 3-1/4” x 1-1/4” 1) I want to attempt my first lap or dado joints (aside from a pegboard and mirror frame). Where would these be best utilized?” 2) For a finish, should I apply boiled linseed and/or oil-based poly on the MDF or hardboard? I’m hoping to seal it as nicely as possible. Any tips welcome! I have no experience, other than paste wax and some boiled linseed. 3) Leveling pegs for the 4 corners of the table. Are these expensive? I’m not sure if I want to sacrifice mobility, but plumb & level are #1. Any suggestions? Pictures have links for better viewing* -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
37 replies so far
#1 posted 09-20-2019 09:13 AM |
If space is at a premium, you are using a bit more than 20 sq ft by having a fixed (although movable) table. I work in my basement, and have even less square footage of floor space. So I opted for a drop leaf style outfeed/assembly table: With the TS on a mobile base, everything moves (once table is down) out of the way. -- "In the end, it's all Hack..." |
#2 posted 09-20-2019 01:13 PM |
For the height adjustability you could use casters that have a threaded stud on top, and then put those into a sleeve in the bottom of the leg and use a nut on the threads to be able to level the unit. |
#3 posted 09-20-2019 01:41 PM |
1) Lap joints and dadoes could be utilized on the aprons and stretchers, where they meet the legs. They would really help with keeping things square and avoid wracking. 2) Be honest? I usually use paste wax on hardboard tops like this (and this is the way I do a lot of my workbenches). I also don’t fasten them in place. I run a lip, like you have and then simply place one or two layers of hardboard in to it. The workbench I built 20 years ago (and just recently abandoned) still looked decent and worked with just wax. 3) Bolts through nuts epoxied into the feet work great… You could do fold down wheels if you really needed to move it. When I recently set up my new shop, in a one car garage space, I did a lot of youtubing and interwebbing. I ended up building a smaller assembly/out-feed table than I expected – 39×50. The 50” is parallel to my table saw’s table, the 39 is butted up against it. The size surprised me. It has been perfect for catching pieces as they come through the saw, small enough it is easy to get around, and large enough to catch anything coming off the saw. It’s also worked out perfectly for building, assembling, etc. The 50” width has been nice when clamping stuff that’s a full 48” wide. I also built it a tad shorter than my table saw’s table, so jigs and fixtures that slide in the miter slot slide right across the top of the table. It kept me from having to rout slots… It made it easier to implement another hardboard top… And, it was an experiment that seems to have worked out perfectly. It’s high enough not to cause any danger when the workpiece tips down. And it made it easier… and avoids one more place that normally collects dust. I also built a torsion box top out of MDF to go underneath the hardboard top. My only regret is that I didn’t make it a bit taller. I left the side pockets open on three sides to hold tools. I find it so helpful to keep a block plane, sharpening stuff, my drawing book, little things I use all the time, at hand under the top. Also, as I work, I have begun building drawers and shelves underneath to keep tools I grab all the time handy. The first thing I added were two ‘holsters’ to hold my screw gun and cordless drill. Next to that, I build a drawer to hold bits and batteries. Straight edges, a cleaning brush, a couple of hand saws, all get screws or hooks into the legs to keep them handy all the time as well. Then, a shelf underneath to hold a glue caddy and my hand planes. Since I am working in a small space, storage is everything! Looks like your design should work, but like HackFabrication says, you might think hard about the size. Have fun with it and enjoy it for years to come! -- John F. SoCal transplant, chewer uppper of good wood |
#4 posted 09-20-2019 03:59 PM |
Like you , I work in a small shop. I built a simple folding outfeed table and it worked very well. My Old Set up My current setup: This may not be what you had in mind but maybe it will give you some ideas. It measures 50”x33” and fits perfectly in the spot I have. I should mention that I share my shop with the wifes car at night so everything I have rolls and has to leave room for her car. -- A bad day woodworking is still better than a good day working. |
#5 posted 09-20-2019 05:50 PM |
I’m in a 2 car with half a car of other stuff, all of my items are convertible to save as much space as possible, and I use every inch of wall space. I have a bunch of the old school workmates and they are great for being a sturdy base for many adaptations, I did a project for an outfeed table a little while ago and am currently in the midst of a project where I’m using 2 workmates and a hollow core door slab as an assembly table, either way it all folds away and I can easily get 1 car in, and with a bit more work I can get the 2nd one in, but you have to get out on the passenger side…lol Workmates are pretty easily found on craig’s list but never consider the newer ones with 200, 300, 400 numbers, you’re looking for the old school ones from the 70’s and 80’s. You only have new England for your profile so I just peeked in New York And saw the most common good one here for $35 but they generally can be had for $20 And I wish I was not down in MD right now but up in CT because this one is the first generation aluminum H frame version listed for $20 and easily re-sale-able for $100 They may not be your solution to your need right now, but they’re damn handy to have around when you’re in a small space and need a table out in the driveway to work on. -- I've decided 1 mistake is really 2 opportunities to learn.. learn how to fix it... and learn how to not repeat it |
#6 posted 09-20-2019 06:39 PM |
Beautiful design. I really like it. To everyone else: I’ll reconsider the size of the bench, but I really wanted a larger work surface to do all my assembly & work on. I did a narrow 24” wall-mounted bench for my miter station and general use.. it spans the length of the garage and hardly takes any space up. What would you go with for the table dimensions? The table saw spans a max of 55”, that is from the edge of the tabletop to the edge of the longer rail. Should I cut this off a bit? Maybe 48” x 48”? or even less? -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#7 posted 09-20-2019 06:41 PM |
I’m a massHOLE :). West Springfield, specifically. But thanks. -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#8 posted 09-20-2019 06:44 PM |
Long day at work, and my brain is not computing this. Can you link me to an illustration of this? These are the casters I got ($2.99 ea – w/ some coupon haggling at Harbor Freight) https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-x-3-4-quarter-inch-stem-swivel-caster-with-brake-90999.html -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#9 posted 09-20-2019 06:53 PM |
Sorry to haunt you, but would you mind sharing your .skp file with me? I would love to be able to go through your design and see how you put it all together. So to clarify, it IS big enough for your needs? IE Full sheets of plywood, dimensional lumber, etc? I don’t want anything crashing to the floor—- leaning foward and putting awkward pressure on the other end of the blade is getting too sketchy for my tastes. Is that torsion top made of particle board? I’m considering changing to that, after seeing it both here and in other projects @ LJ. -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#10 posted 09-20-2019 07:53 PM |
Regretfully, I’m going to share the disaster that is my current garage. 1) We just moved in a few months ago. I cleared enough space to get started on it a few weeks back. 2) Added 2 new dedicated garage 20v circuits. – 1 = Ceiling outlet (garage door) & wall outlet dust collection (mod pending). – 2 = Wall 2-gang 20v outlets (miter station, misc. tools, etc.) 3) Drywall (2 walls so far) – Scraped off popcorny goodness. – Patched a few 2 ft to 6 ft holes in drywall from previous hostile parkers – Mudded 20+ holes from 4-12” peg hooks used for all sorts of lawn stuff – Primed / sealed 4) Threw together floating storage shelf and wall-mounted workbench/miter station. It’s missing my raspberry pi PC setup but I’ve been working on several projects at once… including getting all my tools out and sorted from the basement. Before last weekend: After last weekend: THERES MORE ROOM THAN IT LOOKS :P IE: I plan on getting that metal storage rack out of there, including all of the boxes on it, and putting a wall-mounted lumber storage rack system going over there. And I now have the tabletop space for a benchtop drill press / sanders. -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#11 posted 09-20-2019 07:59 PM |
This forum is all about sharing information. I don’t mind one bit. Many here have helped me over the years. Yes, this size table fits my needs very well. Both my outfeed table and my work bench are mobile so I can use them in any direction that fills my needs. My new OF table can be turned long ways if needed. I kept the 12” extension that my original OF table hung off of so when I turn the OF long ways I have almost 84” of support. I use my circular saw and a jig to break down 4×8 sheets. I never felt real comfortable muscling around full sheets on the table saw by myself. The web and the frame of the OF table are made from 1/2” MDF. I used The Wood Whisperer’s method of building it. It is pretty darn flat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Hbsou6cWo Looking back, I wish I had taken a few more pictures during the build but I didn’t really think anyone would be interested since it’s not very big. -- A bad day woodworking is still better than a good day working. |
#12 posted 09-20-2019 08:41 PM |
Just skimmed through and took notes on that video. I’m going to have to adjust them to a proper size. I’m leaning toward going 48” x 48” or maybe 48” x 36” (without trim added) at this point. With a grid top, you can easily bring the legs inward more and obtain a nice overhang since the top is properly supported. Do my notes look correct? all 3” wide strips outer frame inner grid ;—-> CUTS ;————————————————————————————————————————————; 3” 3/4” mdf 2x 70” 2x 46” 1/2” mdf 8x 46” 40x 7-1/4” ;—-> STEPS ;———————————————————————————————————————————-; 1 wax surface prevent glue sticking 2 assemble entire outer frame – framing square – glue / brad nails – clamp all 45 angles – let dry 3 assemble first row of grid ||||||| – utilize 7-1/4” piece as spacer – glue / brad nails 4 add full length piece & complete first row 5 rinse & repeat -- bmilcs - woodworking wanna be |
#13 posted 09-20-2019 09:09 PM |
This forum is all about sharing information. I don’t mind one bit. Many here have helped me over the years. Yes, this size table fits my needs very well. Both my outfeed table and my work bench are mobile so I can use them in any direction that fills my needs. My new OF table can be turned long ways if needed. I kept the 12” extension that my original OF table hung off of so when I turn the OF long ways I have almost 84” of support. I use my circular saw and a jig to break down 4×8 sheets. I never felt real comfortable muscling around full sheets on the table saw by myself. The web and the frame of the OF table are made from 1/2” MDF. I used The Wood Whisperer’s method of building it. It is pretty darn flat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Hbsou6cWo Looking back, I wish I had taken a few more pictures during the build but I didn’t really think anyone would be interested since it’s not very big.
You can make the grid any size that works for you. You can also make the grid depth what ever floats your boat. I just took what Marc did and kind of re-sized it for my application. I felt really dumb waxing that sheet of MDF but it really did help in preventing glue from sticking to it. Have fun and post your finished table so we can see it! -- A bad day woodworking is still better than a good day working. |
#14 posted 09-21-2019 01:52 AM |
I built my torsion box grid on one of my faces, then built the frame and trim around it. I also used two pieces of plywood for each corner (joined at a 90 deg angle). I added plywood stretcher strips between the legs and those are getting used to hold the shelves underneath. I cannot stress enough how convenient it is to have little ‘cubbies’ to put tools and ‘stuff’ in while working. It was as simple as not putting anything over the open grid ends (although, I did fill them in in the corners where the legs are attached). Here’s a pic from three weeks ago: Things have changed since… I have more storage underneath and the Miter saw station has gotten several drawers and two upper cabinets. -- John F. SoCal transplant, chewer uppper of good wood |
#15 posted 09-21-2019 12:53 PM |
My outfeed table is a torsion box design with a removable melamine top. The skins are 1/8” hardboard with a 4” plywood honeycomb at about 9” centers. Cheap, light and effective. |
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