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EFG

Member
Well they turned over the keys to my new airplane factory on friday eve. So I built 4 benches for it. Here is the first. Put on a wider top for clamping (got that idea from the forums) and inset the lower shelf to keep stuff from falling off (came up with that on my own). Finishing the other three during the week, any ideas for other mods?

Ed

RV-8 (emp)

http://i48.tinypic.com/k4cklf.jpg
 
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Workbench Options

With four benches I'd recommend:

1. 1/4" masonite top on one bench with a cutout for your backriveting plate.
2. Metalworking vise with rubber jaw insert mounted on one bench.
3. Get a manifold (available from Cleaveland/other suppliers) for your compressed air supply and you can run air to all benches.

This setup will allow you to use one bench (with the vise) for fabrication, one bench (with the back riveting plate) for sub-assembly work, and leave the other two benches available for final assembly.

Kind of a mini assembly line.

Good luck,
Mike
 
I would coat the surface with a few coats of polyurethane. You are gonna have paint, oil, water, cutting fluid, ect. all links of liquids that will stain or swell your top if you don't.

If you have 4 benches I would add locking wheels to two. Harbor Freight has them cheap.
 
Here's three:

1. Make the top removable. I do that by screwing a couple 2x4s to the bottom of the top while the 2x4s are clamped tightly to the side top pieces. Takes some tapping to get the top off then but it's replaceable after that.

2. Put the tables on casters. All four should swivel, and the two front ones should have locking brakes.

3. Don't inset the bottom shelf. Makes it more awkward to remove heavier things. Sorry 'bout that.....

Dave
 
I put 2 outlets on my workbench with the outdoor covers to keep the dust and whatnot out. I put them out towards the edges but if I had it to do over I'd put them about 1/4 to 1/3 the way in. I sometimes run out of cord if I work one edge to the other. The conduit also makes a handy place to hang the air blower nozzle. :)

I have to ask, where are people getting such straight lumber? Even picking through the piles at my lumberyard I have to run everything through the jointer many many times. I didn't have one when I built my workbench, so my top has some high and low spots in it.
 
All Good Tips

I like the poly sealing, outlets, backrivet plate inset, and removable top ideas. I bolted my vise to one this morning and I have run air along the walls via a system I bought.

Bummer on the inset shelf, I will have to reconsider that on the others.

Got my lumber at the Home Depot plus leftover from the garage build, pretty straight, well straight enough for my purposes anyhow!!!

Thanks...
 
Work table modifications

I built the standard EAA 1000 tables and added T-nuts to the legs so I can bolt them together either side-by-side (5x4) or end-to-end (10x2). Takes less than two minutes to change. Both tables are on wheels and the long table is really handy now that I'm working on wing spars.

DSC00595.JPG
 
Forgot to mention - I like the cheap melamine particle board for tops and shelves. Smooth (too slick maybe?) and easy to clean.

But the cut edges are sharp. I use a round-over bit on my router, run it around top and bottom to make then hand-friendly. Got to sand after routing, more work.

David
 
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