Workbench/assembly table

[kmealy]

A couple years ago, Sam's Club was closing several of their local stores. A local liquidation auction site cleared out all the fixtures. I was fortunate enough to win the bid for the wine rack for $8 and change. I got about 30 baltic birch boxes (my main aim), a bunch of 3/8" plywood, some SYP 2x4 and some metal racks. I routed out some handles in the boxes and have used them quite a bit.

Last winter, I decided it was time to build a better assembly table and finally find a home for the Emmert vise. Concurrently, I decided to retire and unload the van. My other workbench is one from Tage Frid's plan that I made in the 1980s. It has served me well, but is a bit to small for most of the casework I do. And I broke a toe when a piece fell off my 3'x5' prior assembly table (an old office desk). So on with the plans.

I was looking for something that would easily hold the 7' tall cabinets and beds that I often have made. So the top would be 4'x8' sheets of BCX.

The frame is SYP that I buy in joist sizes and rip down to get rift-sawn stock. Because it's in the basement, I made it so that 4 bolts on each end will pull the lower frame apart and all the drawer glides are just locking dado joints.

I have it set up so that my most common portable power tools (drills, routers, sanders) all have drawers to store them and bits and pads, a drawer for most used planes, chisels, measuring tools, small clamps, glue, and a variety of hardware totes (screws, nuts & bolts, etc.) Never was much of a fan of pegboard tool hanging.

At 70 lb. of steel and cast iron, the vise was a challenge to get in. http://www.mprime.com/Emmert/index.htm

IMG_20200808_152829284.jpg

[kmealy]

Oh , and inside was a box of several hundred unused square drive screws, worth at least $8. Plus a bunch more that I got "only used once" from the disassembly. I sold the metal frames for $40, so came out way ahead.

[Cherryville Chuck]

That looks like a good sized work surface. I built an outfeed table for my TS that has drawers like that in the outside face. I built it about 63-66" wide (can't remember just exactly right now) and 4' across so that a full sheet of panel would sit without tipping after being cut. You need lots of drawers for the small stuff and they can't be too deep. If the stuff in them is more than 1 layer deep it's easy to forget what's on the bottom.

Up here most of our hardware stores sell square drive screws in bins just like nails. The closest one to me sells standard zinc coated for $3.99 a pound. Coated deck screws are a bit more but most have them in bulk too. We love our square drive screws.

[kmealy]

Yes, I use square driver whenever I can. Some construction projects I use Torx. When I started with the theater set build, all they used was Phillips. During build days all you could hear was bits slipping, then of course, similar problems getting things disassembled after the show. I convinced the shop manager to get Torx and we never looked back.

I have 5000 square drive screws arriving UPS tomorrow for the furniture bank. I get them from http://www.wwhardware.com/ I have been really happy with them. Ships out in a day or two, and whether I order 1 or 5000, the order is always correct.

[DaninVan]

We love our square drive screws.

Yes, we do. Not sure "love" is a strong enough term...

[kmealy]

You need lots of drawers for the small stuff and they can't be too deep. If the stuff in them is more than 1 layer deep it's easy to forget what's on the bottom.

Had I make the drawers from scratch, I would have made a few shallower ones, but the boxes were already there. The drawer for chisels and marking tools has a sliding till that divides the vertical distance in half. The other shallow stuff, like screws, nuts and bolts, and misc. hardware were already in HF storage boxes from my on the road days. Serendipitously, they fit perfectly in the drawers, two layers deep.