How would can I raise and lower a work surface?

[jholder]

Just a generic question, and I'm not really sure where else to put this.

I'm in the early planning stages of a two part work bench, with a fixed area for welding, and a thick and heavy wooden surface for other work.

I thought it would be interesting to be able to raise and lower the wooden section at will, either electrically or manually with some type of wheel....

I'm usually pretty mechanically inclined, but this time I'm having trouble visualizing a mechanism that would allow me to do this. Give the wait a single center pole is probably out. Some type of heavy duty screw gear on two sides? But how would a single crank tie them together?

Anyway, if anyone has seen anything like this, or has plans lying around, or heck even any ideas on how to go about achieving something like this, I love to hear about it.

Thanks!!

 

[jholder]

Wow, that's actually a really fantastic idea.

 

[jholder]

I actually really like the hospital bed idea.
So let me ask the other side of it, from a strictly manual standpoint, what type of gearing could take small circular motions and transform it into vertical movement (that stayed in place when you stopped turning it.

 

[Farmerjonathan]

Built my mom a wooden countertop that fit over a HF motorcycle lift. She can raise or lower it depending on need. Sewing machine, laying out patterns or rolling out pie crusts. All require different heights to keep her back happy. Has worked better than anticipated. They roll it to the kitchen table when a bunch of people come over and expand their table!

 

[zkling]

Electric hospital bed.
$35 at goodwill.

What the heck kind of goodwill do you have out there? About all I ever see is $25 bent or rusted file cabinets.

 

[larry_g]

Have you looked at the mechanism on a scissors jack? could work. If you want a two position then a toggle mechanism would work. You could use a hydraulic table under the table top. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200365546_200365546 .

Many ways to do it, what is your budget, what weight rating do you need, how stable does it need to be?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[nanofrog]

As per your original idea, you could connect a couple of lead screws via a sprocket on each, and run a bicycle chain between them. Attach the crank to one of the lead screws.

That said, I like the scissor jack idea. Attach the lead screw to an electric motor (bi-directionally wired) if the hospital bed proves too expensive or hard to find in your location.

 

[bsg]

As per your original idea, you could connect a couple of lead screws via a sprocket on each, and run a bicycle chain between them. Attach the crank to one of the lead screws.

I have a couple of these tables, a different brand, and they are rock solid compared to the scissors lift.
They have a two speed crank mechanism and lift straight up and down.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_47711_47711

That said, I like the scissor jack idea. Attach the lead screw to an electric motor (bi-directionally wired) if the hospital bed proves too expensive or hard to find in your location.

Unless you buy a high quality table, the cheaper ones are little wobbly.
If you use the hydraulic tables they can be problematic just like a cheap bottle jack.

Kevin

 

[softailgarage]

I've seen a portable hydraulic work bench that I would like to re-create, but get's a little costly. But, on the other hand I could be "hittin the switches" like the homies and their lowriders
Seriously, with having back problems, the idea of a raiseable work surface would be awesome and I'll be watching this thread closely. Don Long has a good size lift he uses that works real well as a work table.

 

[MillerMav]

Go on eBay; type in LINAK; buy something with a control box and handset.

 

[e-rockin-it]

Depending on what you're doing you could use a linear actuator. Sounds crazy and overkill, but we just got one at work and I'm pretty impressed. It looks cheap but it does work well and can move a fair bit. You can also get a control box that lets you move it up and down with a remote. They range from 100lbs to 1000lbs capacity, but the cost goes up.

http://www.progressiveautomations.com/

I might add one to my next workbench

 

[Spareparts]

Landing Gear off a over the road trailer, some are 2 speed, furniture trailers are short, take the foot off the bottom and weld angle or box tube for the feet and and the same for mounting the top. How about a work bench with a 20 ton rating.

 

[nine4gmc]

I saved the gear box and pole from an old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw just for this reason but have yet to put it to use.

 

[slickgt1]

Ha what a kowinkidink, lol.

I'm building a watchmaker table for my pops. His fingers are messed up, so spinning a crank is not what he really wants to do.

I bought this, although the price seems to have gone up a lot, I paid $300 for this kit.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002T44Z8S/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I made a quick support system for it to test how heavy his desk can be. I ran out of **** to put on it, and it didn't even faze it. I put my compressor on it, lots of plywood, few buckets of compound (3 or 4), and I sat on it.

The amazon description is a bit retarded too. It doesn't go from 8-16" lift. It goes from zero, to 15.75". Has a two button controller that can be mounted anywhere.

My pops is giddy as a child, and I only made the drawers so far. lol. Says the table will be cooler than the one he has at Rolex.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I saved the gear box and pole from an old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw just for this reason but have yet to put it to use.

Is it AM/FM??


I get a kick out of the radio arm saw thread every time I see radial arm saw. I know you said it correctly...

 

[rockwithjason]

you can also use the mechanism from one of those recliner chairs that lift you up to stand. you have to think about the weight limits tho.

 

[rockwithjason]

Is it AM/FM??


I get a kick out of the radio arm saw thread every time I see radial arm saw. I know you said it correctly...

yeah, that is a funny one

 

[91bronc300]

Ha what a kowinkidink, lol.

I'm building a watchmaker table for my pops. His fingers are messed up, so spinning a crank is not what he really wants to do.

I bought this, although the price seems to have gone up a lot, I paid $300 for this kit.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002T44Z8S/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I made a quick support system for it to test how heavy his desk can be. I ran out of **** to put on it, and it didn't even faze it. I put my compressor on it, lots of plywood, few buckets of compound (3 or 4), and I sat on it.

The amazon description is a bit retarded too. It doesn't go from 8-16" lift. It goes from zero, to 15.75". Has a two button controller that can be mounted anywhere.

My pops is giddy as a child, and I only made the drawers so far. lol. Says the table will be cooler than the one he has at Rolex.

Hey, that's cool. Do you get to adjust each leg independently or is it all or none?

 

[slickgt1]

They have independent controllers. I got the one to have all 4 equal rise. They have a ton of options though.

My pop's exact need, is to bring the entire table up to his eyes for the fine work, and not be bent over. So 1 button, all 4 legs go equal distance.

 

[yhprum]

Have seen some DIY woodworking benches that have a scissors jack at each end. Joined together with chains and sprockets to work together. Google diy adjustable height workbench for some ideas.

 

[Playwme]

I've got a whole bunch of ex- government desks out at the farm that have electric screw mechanisms built into the legs. You can run up to 3 legs to a single control switch (for big L shaped desks).

One of them even has a knob where you set the height you want, then push the go button and it adjusts to that exact height. I think I paid $10 for that one. The other 5 were free (I actually got paid to take them away).

 

[KCarGuy]

A co-worker built his bench out of steel square tubing.
the legs are adjustable, with the "feet" being able to slide inside the Main stucture.
He drilled holes every 2 inches that he was able to "Pin", so he could raise or lower his entire bench.
Due to the weight, he mounted a HF electric winch over the bench with a "D" ring recessed into the middle of his bench top.
He simply lowers the hook, clips it to the "D" ring, pulls the pins and raises or lowers the bench, and replaces the pins.
It sits as low as 2 feet and as High as 43".
Its a Slick setup!