Chaparral2f Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I have a trough down the front edge of the bench to squegee [?] oil onto so it can run into a handy bucket placed on the floor at the end. This is really helpful if you are building transmissions. Especially fords that don't have a lot of tollerance for dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I made mine out of pipe I got in a scrap metal yard. I think it was used sprinkler pipe. Can't beat 25 cent a pound, and they had a pile of it 20 feet tall. Plus gives you some practice welding pipe, although using a tubing notcher would be an unnecessary complication. I would forget about the castors. Make a separate work table for that. If you make it strong enough it will be too heavy for the wheels, and definitely won't work out in the yard. My vice must weight 65 pounds, which I commonly use with a 2 1/2 pound hammer. Wheels would make everything too unstable. Good luck trying to elevate a 7 by 2 1/2 table by yourself. Make the legs solid and non-adjustable. You want a couple of wide and deep drawers on the sides using full extension ball bearing glides. And make pull handles out of rebar you bend, polish with wire wheel and polyurethane. Gives is a useful industrial look. I made a cut out in the side of mine to roll my mig welder under it. In the front of the welder I made some wooden shelves just deep enough to hold peanut butter jars full of bolts and such. Made a canvas hatch to cover the mig welder cut out, cause my shop doubles as a wood shop. Keeps dust off the welder. Run a power strip or set of GFI outlets so you can plug in just underneath the bench top. Saves power cords draping across the workbench when the plugs are against the back stop. I have a big magnifing glass with internal light that I mount in a hole I drilled in the table. I did it cause I am old and blind. Make sure you leave a lip on the table top to allow clamping stuff down. If it is a metal top you can even drill and tap some hold down holes. I want that adjustability for certain projects, so If I do need to raise the thing, I'll use a jack, as I have many laying around that I can use.... But we'll see when we get there. And the castors HAVE to be there, because It's not my garage, and at any point it may have to be moved to one side to allow the owner of the garage to put some stuff there temporarily. e-racer, there will be a row of rubbermade tubs underneath the thing so that I can put my temporarily used tools there, and anything I don't use, i usually don't leave hanging around, i always clean up. PopnWood, i think i'm going to buy some fence pipe or sprinkler pipe as well, my dad had a bunch, but he left them at the house we moved from. I like the idea of the welding cart, but my welder is 4 feet tall LOL, and it commands it's own share of space, so i'll keep that where it is. great ideas gents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I have a trough down the front edge of the bench to squegee [?] oil onto so it can run into a handy bucket placed on the floor at the end. great idea! just squeege it off to the end and it will leak down into a catch-all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I think i'm going to use my powerwasher/blaster after it's done to get it all cleaned and i'll phosphoric acid bath the thing too so it resists rust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Search at McMaster-Carr and you'll find casters that can support up to 20,000 lbs. I'm sure you can find a set that can easily support a heavy workbench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 Search at McMaster-Carr and you'll find casters that can support up to 20,000 lbs. I'm sure you can find a set that can easily support a heavy workbench. I think the local princess auto carries a set of heavy duty locking casters, so I'll look there first. I think I've seen some fairly well built ones for about 18 bucks a piece, that support about 8000 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 There was an engineer/machinist that owned the building I was working in for a while, and he wanted to roll his very large tool chest out into the parking lot. He built a cradle type frame to go under the tool chest, then had some raised sections that the casters mounted to, because mounting the casters under the tool chest would have raised it way too high. The key for him was using PNEUMATIC casters because the surface of the parking lot was not smooth. Not sure if this project would benefit or not, but it was pretty slick. The bench I built (and left in the house that I sold in CA) was all built from 4x4s that came on pallets we used to get with deliveries at my work. That bench was the strongest, most solid bench I've ever seen. Topped it off with a 3/4" piece of ply and had plans for some shelves in the back, but ended up moving and selling the house. I still regret not taking it with me, even though it probably weighed 150 lbs. My current bench is an 8' long stainless steel chef's table with a cutting board top. It's pretty cool looking, but it ended up being way too wobbly. Some day I'll replace it with something uglier and more functional. In the meantime I'll have bench envy thinking about John's setup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'm telling you you are going to regret those casters. There are times where I wish mine was anchored to the floor. Get some furniture dollies when you want to move it. Or just get a couple of guys and carry it. The handful of times you actually move it will be overwhelmed by the countless swear words you say when the thing starts walking across the shop with each hammer blow or each pull on the piece of steel you are trying to bend in the vice. Not to mention if you bump into it and spill your beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'm telling you you are going to regret those casters. There are times where I wish mine was anchored to the floor. Get some furniture dollies when you want to move it. Or just get a couple of guys and carry it. The handful of times you actually move it will be overwhelmed by the countless swear words you say when the thing starts walking across the shop with each hammer blow or each pull on the piece of steel you are trying to bend in the vice. Not to mention if you bump into it and spill your beer. Pop. It's not my garage, so it HAS to move from time to time, as well as the fact that I have no wall to keep it up against, so it's going to be dead smack in the middle of the garage, or atleast where the second car would go. the first spot is occupied by some rust, and somewhere under that rust is a Z waiting to have its rear quarters replaced. So in order to have room to make it happen, it has to be movable to a certain degree. Locking castors is where it's at. perhaps only on one side, so that I would be able to lift one side with a dolly and push it. Spill beer? locking castors and a lot of weight will help to some degree. Maybe I'll put a separate drip tray on the other end that I can squeegee my beer into and recycle into my belly refinery at a later date LOL. albeit with added taste and texture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I had a bench at a previous job that had adjustable feet AND casters, which I thought was just for leveling... until we had to move it. Empty, the thing had to weigh 300lbs plus, and the feet were practically welded to the floor due to years of spills. (photo chemistry and various cleaners) We realized after after nearly giving ourselves a mass hernia that you raise the feet to drop the table on the casters, move it, and then lower the feet to take the weight off the casters. Ours weighed enough that we had to put a lever under the end while screwing the feet out... All in all it worked well, and I would build one that way if I had to do it again. As mentioned though, I would use the largest practical pneumatic tires you can find. I also wouldn't count on "locking casters" to secure a table from shakes and wiggles... but the adjustable feet will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 I had a bench at a previous job that had adjustable feet AND casters, which I thought was just for leveling... until we had to move it. Empty, the thing had to weigh 300lbs plus, and the feet were practically welded to the floor due to years of spills. (photo chemistry and various cleaners) We realized after after nearly giving ourselves a mass hernia that you raise the feet to drop the table on the casters, move it, and then lower the feet to take the weight off the casters. Ours weighed enough that we had to put a lever under the end while screwing the feet out... All in all it worked well, and I would build one that way if I had to do it again. As mentioned though, I would use the largest practical pneumatic tires you can find. I also wouldn't count on "locking casters" to secure a table from shakes and wiggles... but the adjustable feet will! I was toying with the idea of hinged castor plates, and when it needs to be moved, we could jack up the sides, flip the feet in, lock them with a pin, and roll it out of the way, with locking, if it's to be moved within a short period of time. lift and flip seems like the best idea so far. I'd probably consider connecting the two hinged castors at the plate, so that they're easily flippable at the same time. that seems like the best idea so far. What do you guys think about threaded pipe for the adjustable feet? sort of like coil over spring perches. That would make it really easy to adjust. I'd just weld in a small handle so it's easy to turn. A little bit of antiseize, and some rubber feet, and I think it would work out well. I just need to find two compatible pipe sizes. so heres my list so far. 1) fliping castor feet 2) adjustable threaded legs 3) locking castors for temporary positioning 4) two separate steel plates on top -----a) two plates will be blanks with various holes for mounting transmissions in an easily workable position (or various other large components with protruding driveshafts or whatever. ----- third plate will be a plate that is made to hold my portable table saw, so that I can mount it within the work table and make cutting long boards easier. 5) drill press on one side 6) overhanging clamp, or vice on the other side 7) storage chests with ball bearing drawers (i think i have some tracks laying around, actually) 8) drip rail with slip-fit wire mesh filter to catch bolts and such, before final drain. 9) rubbermaid bins for storing tools or parts while i dismantle 10) provisions for extending arm magnifying glass/lights. 11) power bars for power tools 12) knee-wells for comfy sitting. perhaps I will include a second level of desk area underneath, that slides out to reveal my engine head and such, so that it's not laying around out in the open. maybe with some small trays to hold various things (valves, seals, cams, etc etc.) that would only have to support about 75 lbs or so. I think I'm liking the outcome here, gents. You guys have some really great ideas and experience in this. This will be my second major welding project. my first was a water heater tank that weighs 700+ lbs when full, and it was made out of a bedframe. It's been subject to people standing and hammering and working around it and ontop of it WITH the water tank, as well as a stress test with 4 x 180lbs people standing on it. This new project is going to be quite fun =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCchris Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I was toying with the idea of hinged castor plates, and when it needs to be moved, we could jack up the sides, flip the feet in, lock them with a pin, and roll it out of the way, with locking, if it's to be moved within a short period of time. Checkout the feet on my rotisserie: To make it stable, screw down the "foot" (large bolt) untill it makes contact with the floor and a turn or so more. Yes, as Pop said, it will move about when working on it. I can move my shell easily but need it to be stable when working on it. You might be able to design an arrangement like this for a workbench. chris As for your other "problem". I'm not sure what to think of anyone who does not have cupholders on his toolbox, workbench, etc, etc. j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I don't have a ton of room available so I made mine movable. I found a sturdy 2/4 frame design somewhere online and started with that. I used a solid core door for the top which is easy to mound things too and takes lots of abuse and is soft and not too hard on anything you plop down on it. I added some drawers for all my bulky tools and hardware. All this sits on some 4" lockable casters. So it's sturdy, easy to move and can hold lots of junk. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 good stuff you guys use 4 inch locking castors and they don't move about? I think everyone think's i'm making the most badass and heavy work bench here. It's going to take some abuse, but I don't need to overbuild it TOO much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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