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Setting Up Shop - Worktable size

G

gpiney

Well Known Member
I have my shop pretty well cleaned up and organized. I need to build a worktable. I was wondering about how big to build it. I will build it overtop a
16' x 3' strongback. I don't think 16' x 4' is necessary and was thinking 8' x 4'.
Is 8' big enough? I am only planning on building the emp and wings with it. I plan on a QB fuse.

Thanks in Advance

Greg Piney
RV-8 Real Soon Now
 
I did a QB wings and fuselage and made my table 4' x 8'. It was fine for that. The wings are 9 ft, so plan on that. Once the wings are roughed in like the QB, a shorter area is fine.

I made my table using 6 4x4posts for legs, placed leveler bolts on the bottom of the legs (levelers were 1/2" bolts with blind nuts driven into the bottom of the legs), used 2x8s for the rails (sideboards), 3/4" plywood for the underlayment top, followed by 3/4" particle board, and topped with MDF(?). It's like particle board, but smoother.

I added some extra rails in the area where the C frame sat and where I would be doing most of the backriveting. The whole thing was very flat and level and never sagged anywhere. All my parts came out straight. The MDF board is great for drilling into and clecoing parts to. It does not shred like particle board.

Here's a shot of my table. Pardon the mess. Hope this helps,

Roberta

shoplites1hr.jpg
 
You can also download plans from the EAA web site for the Chapter 1000 Work Table. They have worked well for me. I also made two smaller ones with casters (2ft by 3ft) and mounted Bandsaw, grinder on one, Vise and sander on the other. Very easy to move around when not needed.
 
I made mine about 3' x 7' and added a hinged 2' extension on each end. This allows for me to adapt the size to the task at hand without always having a large table to walk around.
 
I made two worktables based on the Chapter 1000 plans. I made them both only 24" wide. One 5' long and one 4' long. So far I've been happy with how they've worked out. When I put them end to end a wing will lay on them just fine. When I lay a wing on the tables (top skins down) it only makes contact with about 12" of the foam anyway.

My two car garage is only 19' X 19' so I didn't want BIG tables.
 
That's a gorgeous workshop, Roberta. Makes me want to drive over and build a plane. :D

Seriously, though, if I had a set-up like that, I think the first thing I'd do after building an airplane, is build another.

Throw in a small fridge, a big chair, a stack of aviation magazines and a satellite TV feed and, well, that's darn near heaven right there.
 
workshop

Bob Collins said:
Seriously, though, if I had a set-up like that, I think the first thing I'd do after building an airplane, is build another.

Throw in a small fridge, a big chair, a stack of aviation magazines and a satellite TV feed and, well, that's darn near heaven right there.
Click to expand...
All that comfort and you'd never touch the kit! My shop is cold and damp. That makes me want to keep moving - from one space heater to the other!

I agree with the suggestion to use the EAA1000 workshop plans, but with the addition of a lip all around the edges. I hadn't seen that tip until after I had built mine, but the tables still work fine. If you have the room, lots of table space is really nice.
 
i went with a 4 x 8 table as well. mine is 3/4 inch mdf, white finish, built with five 4 x 4 legs. i also have a few other tables and benches available.

12-4-05-workshop-1w.jpg


i built the emp on the table, and rearranged the shop to accomodate the sb wings (on the way), which will be built in the space you see above. it'll have to be rearranged again for the sb fuse. :)
 
Not the RIGHT way, but....

A lot of those pictures make me want to hang my head in shame....what great workshops!

I built my -8 in the garage, with one work table made out of an old solid-core door (40" x 7' maybe?), hinged off of the wall studs. That, plus my table saw were the major flat surfaces available to me. (Boy, it was a pain when the Wife wanted me to build something for the house and I had to clear off the table saw....I kind of miss the wife....)

Maybe that is why it took me only 18 months to build - I couldn't wait to get out of the shop!

Paul
 
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Thanks Bob and others. I actually do have cable TV down there. That doorway leads to our rec room with fireplace, another TV, refrig, pool table, microwave, etc. Yes, it's airplane heaven!! Airpark living is the best.

I'm building a Guillow B17 down there now. It will grace our living room ceiling along with some 1/32" scale WWII fighters. I wish I could build another full scale plane, but Rich would shoot me. Maybe later.

Roberta
 
3X6 Minimum

Wow, how I would love a huge workshop. My current hanger is a one car garage and the work table is a 3"x6" with a shelf undernieth that has worked out fine. When building my wings, I used a raised saw horse to catch the length. The wings are now in my living room along with the canopy, the empanage is both hanging off the walls and suspended from the ceiling in the one car hanger. All the other parts are sitting in my foyer including the propeller.

One thing I have found over the years is that a small work area makes you keep things clean. An example is my office desk. It's huge so I have found a way to keep 4 layers of crap on it for over a year. Maybe when the plane if flying and I have time again, I'll consider seeing what is in layers 1-3....maybe there is treasure in there :D
 
Think Storage

One word... storage! 8'X3' table pictured. With two shelves, I could store all the wing parts and my DRDT-2, except the skins and pushrods. Picture doesn't show it, but I got my tank and LE skins under the shelf as well.

051004_003.jpg
 
Ditto,

Use the EAA1000 table and improve on it. Storage space + wheels + 1" clamping overhang. I think I have a link to my original post somewhere where I changed the EAA1000 table designs, if you want it just ask and I'll look for it.

Kind Regards
Rudi
 
I was fortunante to have a heavy duty work table 4X8 with two layers of pressed board and a thin fiber board top, a big reloading bench, and two old folding banquet tables. The banquet tables had the most use. They have the steel legs, steel frame, and pressboard top with the fake wood grain vinyl coating. They were actually very flat. They were moved all over the place, used one at a time, put together side by side, end to end, held up the wings when fitting to the fuselage, drilled on (some neat patterns with a couple of hundred, thousand? holes). I dimpled on them, riveted, drilled, glued, etc. Then I moved both to the hangar and put both to use there.
 
4x8 worked for me

When building a -9 (and I know you are building an -8) you will have to drill some big holes through the surface of your work table, so as much as I like Rudi's table, he is going to cry when he gets to his flaps.

I used a sheet of 5/8" thick 4x8 foot sheet of particle board for the surface and built a frame of 2x4's with a 5/8" rabbeted edge and 2x4 studs set 12" on center across the width of the table and below the edge of the rabbet. I braced all six 2x4 legs in both directions so it wouldn't move.

The advantage of the rabbeted edge is the 2x4's will protect the edge of the particle board, and since the surface is not fastened down to anything, it was easy to replace after I drilled a number of holes in it.

The reason for particle board over plywood or chip board is it seems to hold cleco's better than the others and you will do a good bit of match drilling on the surface of your table and clecoing parts to it.

This is probably the best picture I have of my table. You can see the end of the 2x4 where it is cut to accept the rabbeted cross 2x4.
 
Wow, my 1/4 of a hanger setup looks puny, old, handed down and VERY cold compared to the nice workshops you guys have.
 
I recycled some stuff

Here is a photo of my main table. I used the wing box to build it. Makes a good place to keep skins safe and out of the way also. I was going to add another set of legs in the center but it is sure easy to get into the box with it like this and it has seemed pretty sturdy and is staying flat so far so I haven't added them.

I also have a EAA workbench (you cna see it in the background) and will probably build one more. I made mine all a little taller than the plans due to the fact that I am tall.

hs-fs-rv-sm.jpg
 
I have a couple of EAA workbenches that I built, and also a larger bench I built out of a solid core fire door (the sucker is VERY straight and is pretty much imposible to warp). Here's something I did on ALL my benches though, and it makes a huge difference: Make the top overhang at least a few inches on all sides....you will be kicking yourself if you don't do this the first time you need to clamp something down to the bench and the clamp you're using doen't open wide enough because it needs to get around a 2X4 first.
 
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