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Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT My Five Pound Garage.

Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
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854
Location
Grove City, OH
So the plan all along has been to have the tablesaw up against the wall on a mobile base with some sort of table top over it, to serve as a bench. Fairly early on I decided I wanted a do a torsion box but wasn't sure how I was going to support it on the ends.
Cue the big steel tables showing up.
Then to top it off the one table had a part that we could turn into a work surface.

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We decided to shim one end in order to level out the table against the run of the floor and keep nice lines with the outlets and cabinets. We're contemplating shortening the table approx 6 inches left to right in order to buy some more room on the left end of the table where the second table and chop saw will go.

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For shits and grins, we threw the torsion box materials on top to get a feel for how high the work surface would be.

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Two sheets of 1/2 b/c plywood and poplar ribs ripped to 1 1/2 adds two inches to the top and puts us around 39". A little high but sturdy as F, with a full size table saw under it.

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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
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Grove City, OH
Oh man, didn't mean to confuse. That's the rough materials set up there as a mock up.

It will be screwed and glued for sure. Thinking about connecting it all with four 3/8" bolts on the corners. It will also be only 32" "deep" and two inches thick.
 
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
I had a little help so I decided to get to work in the torsion box. I'd already ripped a 3/4" by 9' poplar board into 1 1/2" wide boards.
Time to cut them to length. Decided we' re going to make the box 36" wide instead of the 32" wide so we can cover all the way back to the wall as the table won't because of the foundation lip.
Chop saw made a quick job of that.

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To add to the rigidity of the box we're doing half lap dadoes, so I wheeled out the table saw (man these mobile bases rock) and chucked up the dadoe blade (should have taken a picture but didn't)

First test fit. Always keep extra cut offs for lining up measurements and dialing in machines!

Not to shabby. The width was dead on but the height was just a touch off.

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With a little adjustment, it was dialed in!

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In order to make sure everything lined up correctly, I clamped and then screwed the boards together and cut them in groups of four or five for maneuverability sake.
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Lots of stuff happened that I didn't take pictures of (again) and then dry fit.

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Tomorrow I'll glue it up and take better pictures for sure. "Skins" to come as well
 
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Tyberius

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Nov 26, 2013
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312
Location
Wilmette, IL
Tyberius said:
Ok, I'm a little confused. With the steel underneath, what is the added benefit of the tortionbox design?
Click to expand...



Ok, I see it a bit better now. There is no support underneath the u-shaped bench. The steel under the u-shaped bench is for the rolling saw. The torsion box will provide a rigid surface for the quite long unsupported length of the topmost nesting benchtop.

Edit: of course I still may be quite wrong
 
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
So I haven't done an update because I'm playing around with documenting the rest of this table project with a GoPro camera. I have lots of boring footage that I've played around with editing but haven't taken any stills out update with. I'm gonna do that now because I just don't have enough pics on my phone to make a worthy update.
Back in a bit!
 
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Terranova

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Joined
May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
We flipped everything around and glued the the skin on screwing it in a few strategic places and then flipped it back over and weighed it down with a bunch of 3/4 MDF cutoffs we have laying around.

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I went out the next morning and unloaded the MDF and checked it out.

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I was pretty happy till I started looking a little closer.
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I found several places where the glue and the top failed to connect.
In hind sight: we may have spread the glue to thin, and it's possible that the "strategic" screw placement i.e. the perimeter didn't allow the weight to spread the boards out flat but in effect caused a spring type action pushing the boards away from the skin.

Regardless, I was bummed.

We flipped it back over yet again to put the second skin on and laid beads of glue without spreading it out this time. We also put in screws, three wide on each rib and then went back and screwed the first side the same way.

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Then we set it aside to dry and proceeded to resaw some 3/4" oak to make some 1/4" x 2 1/2" edge banding to dress it up and create a "containment" mechanism for a 1/4" replaceable hard board top.

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Thats where we are currently.

Next up is cleaning up the edge of the skins with a flush trim router bit.

Im thinking probably a coat or two of clear polyurethane and then getting to work figuring out the best way to attach all three of these pieces. The torsion box, the metal frame under it and the table base.

Im also going to continue to try to take better pictures and videos too.
 
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
Two things got done last night.

Yesterday, I drove down to visit the parents and returned with the edge sander.
I had to break it down into several pieces to lug it up the stairs by myself. Still almost busted a gut.

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After some brushing and wiping while assembling.
For anyone wondering, it was built from plans in Shopnotes No. 37

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After that, we tackled making the top insert for the bench top.
If you wondered why we left the edge band proud, it's to hold a replaceable top made of tempered hard board.

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we quickly discovered we we about a quarter inch out of square over a three foot length so we Taylor's the top in with the router and a block plane.

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Now as the top begins to take on wear and tear from use, we can replace it as needed.

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nic6paul

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Feb 21, 2014
Messages
127
Is that edge sander homemade? If it is that is nicely done. Does it oscillate?
 
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Terranova

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Joined
May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
We started building one of the tables that will be a combo tool storage/router table replacement. A quick mod of a plan we found online and we're in business. It's low for a router table now and decent height for an assembly table, but we're working on a mechanism to raise the table up to a couple different heights. It's fits where we want it to.

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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
While we hash out a plan for the table height mechanisim, I'd ordered a replacement piece for my B&D workmate 425.

The piece that broke on mine must be the piece that breaks on everyone's because it was the first thing to show in Google when I googled "workmate 425 parts".
It's the plastic part that holds the leg extended out and/or folded in.
A good one looks like this.
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Without it, the leg just kinda flops around wounded and makes set up and takedown a general PITA.

Here's a pic of the pieces involved

The new piece, what's left of the old, the leg and axle/pin the leg rotates on.

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Because the amount of damage to the old piece, I was able to disassemble the parts with broken part still pressed on the axle. This led to an error in thinking and I took the new part and pressed it onto the axle thinking I'd be able to get everything put back together with it preassembled like that.

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NOT THE CASE.
About 30 seconds of fumbling around (not pictured here) I got my thinking strait and pulled the piece off the axle.

The piece indexes to the frame with a pin in a hole.

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So I put it in place

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Placed the leg in the correct alighnement so the frame tabs capture the leg tabs.
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And used my hard rubber mallet to drive the axle through everything.
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Since the replacement pieces were so inexpensive ($5 each) I bought four, thinking that I'll probably eventually break the other ones due to use, age and plastic growing old and ridgid. Now I just have to put them away somewhere I'll be able to find them next time!
 
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
Well, it's been about two weeks. I've had stuff to put up but just haven't.
Anyway...

Way back in the day, I'm not sure how or when, my mom, the original "repurpose-er" pulled down what I always thought were parts drawers from the National Cash Register factory near where we lived. (Near Dayton, OH)

Turns out they were actual bases to old cash registers.

Long story a little shorter, this is what it looked like when I brought it to the garage. (Drawers are out in the background)

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And this is what it looked like after several liberal rounds of Murphys Citrus spray oil, scotch brite, magic eraser and Old English scratch cover.

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You can kinda see towards the back where the actual cash register sat on top and protected the surface.

Sweet badge.

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The internals are pretty intense. No simple wood runners here.

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The drawers have a pretty heavy duty guide system too.

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The drawers have a great false front on the and are built solid.

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The back of the cabinet is removable and has a counter so you can tell how many times the back has been opened. The key was in the lock and apparently that helped keep it (most of it) in nice shape.

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A little bit of history I found on the bottom of one of the drawers.
I see '37 and '46
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It happens to just fit in the base of my work bench! Winning!
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After doing some research I discovered that it was common for each sales person to have their own drawer to alleviate any honesty issues. What I haven't been able to find out why the standard became denoting the drawers by the letter sequence A B D E K and H or L. I've seen several drawers with the same letters and you can even buy them on eBay this way.

Anyone with some insight?

I also found a link to a video of a restored one that is/was for sale.
 
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Terranova

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May 12, 2008
Messages
854
Location
Grove City, OH
So the NCR drawer was last week. This week, yesterday technically, was serious QST time. My niece-in-law volunteered to take the boys for me so I could put some whoop *** on the garage to get things a little more functional and can start to build cabinets for my nephews flip.

Gotta make a mess to clean a mess.

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First thing, router table comes out of the corner by the door so the edge sander can go there. Just enough room in the run. Convienently located outlet too.

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Next, the 20 gallon air compressor that I brought up from dads Monday goes between the drill press and joiner after I got it wiped down and de-funkafied.
A perfect fit and the 220 outlet is right above it.

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The NCR drawers get moved down to the other end of the bench because the vice made it inconvenient to open them. The second set of drawers which aren't as nice but are still as functional go underneath.

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The hammer holder/cabinet insert gets finalized and temporarily set in its home. Plans are to put this on drawer slides for better access. I took the idea for the hammer rack from this TabLeft workshop video.

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I came up with a way to insert the chopsaw into the run while keeping it on the portable base we'd built for it. It puts it level with the torsion box top and leaves room underneath for a second rolling box table. I also built a "fairly efficient" dust collection hood.

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Here's with the first rolling table just to check.

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How things are shaping up. Also put some temporary shelves in the end cabinets so I can put some stuff up there to clean off the bench.

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Projects coming up.
Finish the rolling table/box router table.
Build a second rolling box table for tool storage.
Build some kind of rack for all my wood stock and scrap.
Outfit the cabinets with better permanent storage for tools.
Doors for the overhead cabinets.
Build stuff!!
 
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bj383ss

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Joined
Sep 29, 2011
Messages
3,166
Location
TX
Really digging the progress Nova. Those cash drawers are so cool! Is the edge sander homemade? You might have mentioned I forgot. It looks heavy duty. Looking forward to your next update. I have that hammer rack bookmarked.

Bret
 
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