large workbenches

[Chris Wool]

try a dexion supplier might be very pricey thou

chris

[Martin Cole]

Try your local steel fabricators (yellow pages) Should have no trouble making that, might have to locate your own wheels but still no problem.

Regards Martin

[David Rowland]

Normally cost effective to use a steel fabricator… then u just got to think about your surface if cutting vinyl etc.

[Hugh Potter]

use the wheels from scaffold towers.

[Kevin.Beck]

i made my 8×5 out of timber, wheels from machine mart, topped of with a cutting mat from graphic supplies.

also made a similer one with a mdf top, but had it laminated. the top alone cost £120 ish.
wheel were approx £6 each.

then the next day walking around car boot and found 6 for £2….

[Hugh Potter]

lol Becky !!

mine is about 12x3ft, and not on wheels, but it cost around £80 for the timber/screws/bracing plates etc, the glass top was about £110 for toughened, i’m sure you could make yours for not alot more,

[Kevin.Beck]

a good bench is worth its weight in gold, get the height correct or you`ll suffer with back ache.

I got a floor on mine and another shelf, get loads of stuff under it.

lights above the betch are also essensional

[Kevin Flowers]

Hi
i use these benches from this company, good starting point to customise to your own needs
http://www.rapidracking.com

Kev

[Peter Normington]

Why steel?

[Simon Kay]

You should know that Peter! :lol1:

[Peter Normington]

Yes simon
I do know Why, but it is better to let others verify there preference.
Peter

[Simon Kay]

Sorry Obi Wan,

I was just drawing reference to your most magnanamouse (?) knowledge trip very recently. In fact you replied to this while you were being magnanamouse (?) recently and I think I was being amusing/flippant or at least at the time I thought I was having got into the mood and followed your lead.

🙁

[Dave Harrison]

I am in the middle of building myself a new bench. I am considering suitable materials for the work surface, so far I have come up with Perspex. . ( because I have a load of scrap ) , glass which could be illuminated from below or mild steel sheet over mdf. I think I’m going to go for mild steel. I know it will be hard on the scalpel blades, but it’ll be great for working with magnetics ! I just hate flood coating magnetics, no matter how much you tape them down they always seem to move or curl !

[Stephen Morriss]

I wouldn’t use a steel top (unless it was hardened) as all the scores from the blades will be sharp I would have thought.

Maybe I’m wrong, most likely am 😀

Steve

[Martin Pearson]

Problem with some materials is not only the fact that they sorten the life of the blades but also once you start to get some scores in them from cutting stuff the blade will want to follow these scores whenever you cut stuff on the bench making it very awkward to trim things.

[Stephen Morriss]

Good point Martin.

I use 8×4 sheets of polyurethane as they are cheap but they do suffer from blades following a previous cut mark, I’ve been wondering about the toughened glass tops.

Steve

[Dave Harrison]

I think I will experiment over the weekend. . I have a small off-cut of mild steel sheet. . I’m going to see how easy i scores, I’m sure it will scratch easily but don’t think with the amount of pressure we need to trim vinyl will produce deep scoring. I will post my findings 😀

[Marekdlux]

I use self healing mats on my tables.
http://speedpress.com/products.asp?id=9
-Marek

[Hugh Potter]

toughened glass works well for me, been using the bench for about two weeks now and not a scratch on it !

[Lynn Normington]

So have you been quiet Hugh 🙄 😀

Lynn

[Hugh Potter]

lol ! i’ve not been what i’d like to call busy ! but then i always find someting to do, spent half a day sorting out all the offcuts for my little girls art class at school, cut loads of it up with the scalpel just to see if it marked the glass 😳 ,

then i messed about with some frosted on my shed windows, then figured i didnt want it on there !!

err, mostly quotes this week, need to get more organised and keep an even flow of work and quotes, seem to get 10 jobs at once and then nothing but quotes the next week, must spread em out !! stil, i can’t complain at the time i get to do all the jobs around the house, i’ve not been nagged to ‘get something done’ in weeks !

still, the bench does it’s job !

[Simon Kay]

I use an 8′ x 4′ sheet of colorbond metal sheeting (good side down of course).
It does score with the blade but I have yet to have problems with the blade following old cut lines.
The old cuts on the table can be sharp so I try and limit the amount of time I spend rolling naked on the table. 😮
Seriously I have no problems with using the metal as a base.

Oh yeh I forgot to mention the blades. I’m sure it does blunt them quicker than other things but you’re not about to break the bank buying a few extra are you ?

[Stephen Morriss]

I find that the tips break off Stanley blades before they are worn out, took to using a Stanley break off blade, much cheaper.
I still use a normal Stanley blade for cutting up sheet plastic though.

Steve

[Chris Hooper]

For work benches we have two lots of four 2’x4′ steel dexion type frames with an 8’x4′ sheet of pilkington K safety glass over the top of each . Seated on non slip mesh. We have set this up in “T” shape because of the room size, but it gives us an overall length of 12′. A flip up extension at one end adds another 3′ to the overall length when working on two boards.

Glass tops work well for me as well – no scratching and no score marks. Check the local double glazing companies, they sometimes have sheets that have come out from shop front refits, that they will cut to size. But do go for safety or toughened glass.

[David McDonald]

I’ve just bulit two 10’*5′ wooden benches with a ply top that I’ve laminated in Formica. I’ll be placing something consumable over the top for when I’m cutting anything.

Only down side was cutting the Formica – has anyone else ever tried doing this and have any recommendations as to how best to get a clean splinter free cut?

Macky D

[Hugh Potter]

use a jigsaw blade with a downward, rather than and upward cut, 95% of blades rip upward, if you go to a proper tool shop they should stock them, (don’t bother with the likes of focus or B and Q,)

alternativley, mask the cut line and use a fine cut hand saw, stanley do a ‘fine cut’ version of the jet cut saw, excellent for this type of thing !

[mark walker]

The best method of cutting formica other than the jigsaw is to score it very deeply using a stanley blade or a purpose made formica scorer available at good timber yards. Then support the sheet along the scored line and snap it off (along the bench side is good) once this is done finish the edge with a sharp timber plane. Be VERY careful, formica is as sharp as a stanley blade until it is finished properly. I once laminated 58 bowling bowl stands that got sent to Portugal for a job, must have cut and fitted about 2000 pieces of formica on that job, high as a kite by the end of it!! :lol1:

Mark.