Busy two days in the shop

[rjent]

That is awesome!

[jsburger]

Really nice!!!

[masonsailor2]

I had a limited day in the shop but managed to get the components of the lower structure of the table completed. Tomorrow I will start the table top.
Paul

[BuckeyeDennis]

That's a very interesting piece, Paul, and your craftsmanship is exemplary. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and right-side up. The leg design is giving me ideas for end tables on my own honey-do list.

Your workholding system also caught my eye. It appears that you just fasten those wooden clamp bases to your workbench top with drywall screws, wherever needed, correct? What's the benchtop material? I can't tell if it's MDF or some sort of particle board. How often do you need to replace it?

[masonsailor2]

The bench is particle board. The top layer is sacrificial and I pretty much drill, screw, saw and rout on it. The hold downs are just as you described, held down with two dry wall screws which provide more than enough hold for clamping. You can apply enough force to snap the 3/4 ply clamp bars before the two screws will give way. I fasten the top layer of particle board to the lower level first with 1 1/4 drywall screws. Then I drill a 3/8 hole through both layers next to each screw and glue in a 3/8 dowel. After the glue is set in about an hour I remove all the screws. That way there are no screws to hit with saw and router bits. To replace it I just take a 1/2" forstner bit and drill out the dowels, slide the top layer off and attach a new sheet. I probably get a year or two out of a table top. If I am gluing up a big project which takes a lot of force I will drill 1" holes in the table top to allow for short pipe clamps or 2 3/8 holes which will allow a Jorgensen bar clamp to be inserted by angling it through the hole. Although those holes are also through the bottom layer there is still more than enough support for subsequent top layers. I don't think I have ever replaced a bottom sheet. This table is actually 5' X 9' on top to allow enough room underneath to store up to 49" X 97" sheets. Although you can get particle board that size I prefer to make the top out of 4X8 sheets due to ease of availability. The bottom layer is made of three sections and the top layer has an L shaped border on one long and short side which I leave unmolested. That allows me to attach/detach the top layer which is 4X8 and slide a new sheet in easily.
Paul

[masonsailor2]

Managed to get the table top surface sanded and the molding glued on today. Tomorrow I will assemble the whole thing and start sanding. It would be nice to get the first coat of finish on tomorrow.
Paul

[BuckeyeDennis]

The bench is particle board. The top layer is sacrificial and I pretty much drill, screw, saw and rout on it. The hold downs are just as you described, held down with two dry wall screws which provide more than enough hold for clamping. You can apply enough force to snap the 3/4 ply clamp bars before the two screws will give way. I fasten the top layer of particle board to the lower level first with 1 1/4 drywall screws. Then I drill a 3/8 hole through both layers next to each screw and glue in a 3/8 dowel. After the glue is set in about an hour I remove all the screws. That way there are no screws to hit with saw and router bits. To replace it I just take a 1/2" forstner bit and drill out the dowels, slide the top layer off and attach a new sheet. I probably get a year or two out of a table top. If I am gluing up a big project which takes a lot of force I will drill 1" holes in the table top to allow for short pipe clamps or 2 3/8 holes which will allow a Jorgensen bar clamp to be inserted by angling it through the hole. Although those holes are also through the bottom layer there is still more than enough support for subsequent top layers. I don't think I have ever replaced a bottom sheet. This table is actually 5' X 9' on top to allow enough room underneath to store up to 49" X 97" sheets. Although you can get particle board that size I prefer to make the top out of 4X8 sheets due to ease of availability. The bottom layer is made of three sections and the top layer has an L shaped border on one long and short side which I leave unmolested. That allows me to attach/detach the top layer which is 4X8 and slide a new sheet in easily.
Paul

That sounds like an extraordinarily versatile system you have there. But I'm curious ... have you ever had a traditional/massive woodworking bench, complete with vises, holdfasts, dogs, etc? I'm pretty sure that I still want one. I get frustrated pretty often at my own current crappy workholding options when need to use a hand plane. But your system is looking really good to me for an assembly bench.

[masonsailor2]

I have had one in a shop a long time ago ( thirty years ) but when we moved from Southern CA to Carmel Valley I gave it away. I have become accustomed to this style table which works well for me as I don't have room for two benches. I have had a wood vise attached to a bench like the one I use now and it worked fine. I have built this style bench numerous times over the years. I had one that I didn't bother taking the top piece but just kept adding sheets of particle board to it until it was 4 sheets thick. As far as the vise goes I use wood screw clamps secured to the bench with clamps to hold pieces for tooling which gives me a little more versatility. When I ever get back to a larger shop the one thing I miss more than anything is a glue up table.
Paul

[masonsailor2]

Did the final sanding and glue up today. Now for the finish.
Paul

[ERLover]

You do great work and I really like the table legs, but I need to get my head around the base, maybe when it is finished I will get around it.