some folding tables

[diovol]

hey guys, as described in my intro. I finally have my first garage. It is only 12x20 but still it is my own. I want to be able to work out of it because I am a motorcycle guy but I also wanyt to be able to keep it uncluttered.

So i am looking for some type of folding table, preferably steel and attatched to the wall. That way I can use it for heavier stuff and be able to hammer things on it but fold it away when im done with it.

any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ket-tek]

Off the top of my head, you surely need to read thru Jack Olsen's garage build and various threads. He has some slick folding work tables and insanely organized storage.

Check his whole build, and you will see 10 lbs of potatoes stuffed in a 5 lb bag for sure...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55006

 

[Jack Olsen]

I've been really happy with those benches. My garage is only a little more than 20x20, but I've got eight work benches in it.

Keep in mind that a steel one will be heavy, depending on how thick of plate you use. Mine is only 1/8", but it's framed with 2" angle pieces that are 1/4" thick. I can jump up and down on it all day, weld and pound on it -- but if it was any thicker I'd have a hard time folding it back up along the wall.

 

[diovol]

nice,

i will definetly read the thread.....

 

[diovol]

I've been really happy with those benches. My garage is only a little more than 20x20, but I've got eight work benches in it.

Keep in mind that a steel one will be heavy, depending on how thick of plate you use. Mine is only 1/8", but it's framed with 2" angle pieces that are 1/4" thick. I can jump up and down on it all day, weld and pound on it -- but if it was any thicker I'd have a hard time folding it back up along the wall.

Hi, i was just wondering about the two fold up tables that you have on the wall that when you fold the one down you have all of you c-clamps there, i cant tell in the pic but do you have all of the clamps set back in the wall because it looks like the table folds up flush to the wall.

 

[Jack Olsen]

No. That would be a nice touch, but I just have the table fold almost flush to the wall. There's a 3/4" gap down low and it's maybe an inch and a half at the top. I put the stuff that would lie flattest against the wall down low, and stuff that needed a little more space went up high.

 

[jabberwoki]

hey guys, as described in my intro. I finally have my first garage. It is only 12x20 but still it is my own. I want to be able to work out of it because I am a motorcycle guy but I also wanyt to be able to keep it uncluttered.

So i am looking for some type of folding table, preferably steel and attatched to the wall. That way I can use it for heavier stuff and be able to hammer things on it but fold it away when im done with it.

any help is appreciated.

Thanks

I used a folding sleeping bunk out of a truck has an aluminimum frame and a very sturdy hindge then put in my own wooden top works great.

 

[A1an]

Jack...do you have any build specs on that fold down welding table? I'm very curious about the hinge. Where did you source a hinge strong enough to support that weight? Also curious about where you store your welder.

BTW...great build. Your garage is going to have a large influence on what I have planned for my own project.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. I don't have any plans -- but let me see what I can remember.

I bought a table that had a frame made of 2" angle iron that was 1/4" thick. The top was 1/8"-thick plate, 36"x72".

Here you can see the basic design of the table as I got it:

I took off the legs, but left the top intact. Then I bolted five very big hinges to the part of the frame that would be against the wall. I used 3" screws to secure the hinges to the wall studs, which are on 16" centers. I welded two more hinges to the underside of the table surface and attached them to legs made of 2" square tubing (it's got 1/4" thick walls, but that's overkill).

Here you can see how the hinges were welded on. You can also see the aluminum sheet I put on the wall to keep the risk of fire down.

The T-shaped tops on the legs are cheap Harbor Freight magnets. They make the legs snap into position as the top is lowered.

Here it is painted:

One detail: I welded nuts to four big washers, and then welded them inside the leg bases so I could screw in adjustable-height feet.

I used the same aluminum roofing flashing to make a backsplash behind where the table folds up. Then I used long screws to make hooks to hold the clamps and stuff back there. The tricky part was working out how the tools would lay out -- it isn't pegboard, so you've got to get it right the first time. It's nice to have all that stuff out of sight when you're not welding.

 

[m.james]

Off the top of my head, you surely need to read thru Jack Olsen's garage build and various threads. He has some slick folding work tables and insanely organized storage.

Check his whole build, and you will see 10 lbs of potatoes stuffed in a 5 lb bag for sure...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55006

Your garage is insane organized did you build it all at once or did you cleverly fit the plan together over time?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. I don't want to hijack this thread too much, but the garage came together over time.

It sat for two years packed to the rafters with ****. No photos of that, thankfully.

Then my union went on strike, and I had 100 days off in a row. One of the things I did was clean up the garage.

Then I tiled it, which helped a lot:

Then it was done... so I went through and updated just about every piece in it.

That picture was taken a couple of days after we finished an engine swap on the Porsche, in case I'm making anyone think the place is always clean.

 

[Nick32vic]

One detail: I welded nuts to four big washers, and then welded them inside the leg bases so I could screw in adjustable-height feet.

Hey Jack,

Do you recall where you picked up these adjustable feet at? Ive been to a few different places around town and couldn't find anything like that.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Right here.

 

[TN_GARAGE]

Hey Jack,

Do you recall where you picked up these adjustable feet at? Ive been to a few different places around town and couldn't find anything like that.

ace hardware should have something

they call them elevator bolts

 

[mrstang69]

Then I tiled it, which helped a lot:

Then it was done... so I went through and updated just about every piece in it.

Jack, do you have pics if the lights? I can't tell what kind they are. I'm getting ideas of what kind of lights I want to put up. Thanks

 

[Jack Olsen]

My lighting is low-end. But there are a LOT of lights in the place. The three at the opening to the garage are aluminized cake-baking pans with holes cut in the center. The two above that middle table are Ikea pendant lights (spun aluminum). Most of the rest are just $5 clip-on trouble lights from Home Depot, pointed up at the ceiling so the light isn't as harsh. Above the benches I have some more cheap little Ikea-type spot lights. Just about all of the lights in the garage use CFL bulbs.

 

[Nick32vic]

Thanks! What part number did you use?

 

[Jack Olsen]

The link should hilight it in yellow. But the part I used was: 62805K43

 

[dladcock]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1189386#post1189386

One that I remember.