I would recommend the level sides. The raised sides will be much more trouble than sweeping up occasionally.
TroyD
I can't think of a good reason for NOT having the sides even with the top all way around .... IMO, you will be severely limiting the use of your bench if you do this.
Andy - there are many times that you'll need to slide your project off the edge of the table to reach certain areas. (Trust me on that one). Keep it all flat. You're gonna have sawdust flying around anyway from your saw, drills, etc. A totally flat surface is the only way to go.
Jim
OK, so given the weight of opinion coming for level sides, that was a monumentally stupid question....
Level sides it is then....
I'm planning on putting two double switched sockets at the back of the bench. I was going to just have them flat on the top, but would I be better of raising them (i.e. attaching a basically triangular section about 4" deep at the back and mounting them on the face of that)?
Is there any advantage to doing that? If not, I'll KISS....
Cheers,
Andy
Benches are handiest when you can get to all sides, or at least have the ability to slide something off all edges without hindrance.
I put my outlets on the front, below the top and attached to one of the legs, out of the way of the vise ... that way you don't have cords dangling over or across something you're trying to work on.
Just a thought that works well for me ....
I think you will not like the raised edges. If you decide add them, make them easy to remove later. I often clamp workpieces to the benchtop at the bench edges and ends.
Somehwere in the recesses of my mind is an image of movable table sides. Cannot recall exactly what the application was. Anyway, there were 1x4s (or 3s) with a few vertical slots cut in them from the bottom edge, up. Then, on the sides of the table were metal inserts to take machine screws
-- the kind with wingnut heads. The screws were backed out a bit, the slots in the 1x4s were dropped over the screws, and the screws were tightened. The slots were long enough and the screws were located on the table so that the sides could be lowered below the table edge and the screws tightened to hold the sides, retracted.
Of course, these sides could get in the way of clamping to the table and the wingnut heads could get in the way painfully. But, FWIW.
LOL!!! I realise now that I've said the same thing myself on many occassions (I used to run a martial arts class). It's different when it's something I'm the beginner at though ;-)
I've actually been thinking about a vise. In the meantime I am just going to clamp pieces, but I thought a vise would be useful.
To be honest my "shop" is going to be tiny compared to most everyone elses. But it will be a bit of space where I can work without the little one interrupting and without getting wood shavings all over the carpet/outside.
Ooooh, now that's an idea! I thought about mounting them on the top/back, but not underneath the surface. Actually, given the fact that I'm a newbie, I don't know whether having them underneath (where the drill, circ saw may accidentally wander through) is a good idea.
OK, thanks. I may ignore this advice, as I like the idea of having them on the bench, rather than permanently fixed to the wall...
I don't know yet, you've swayed me but I don't know if I'm convinced...
Cheers,
Andy
It's a good option. I may well do that. Don't the cords get in the way when using bench placed tools (CMS, Bench saw)?
Cheers,
Andy
Level sides.
Consider building a trough on the front side of the table. Its a good place to dump tools, pencils, etc. that you want to always be handy.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
Here's a couple of more ideas, Andy...most of them taken from the workbench that I built...
I have my workbench sitting about 2 ft. from my back wall...and I feed electricity to it with a female oven connection on the wall and the male connection on the workbench. I have a 20a. GFCI breaker for all this in the box.
I have a least 2 duplex outlets on every side of the bench. On the front, I have double duplexes...since that's where I plug in the majority of the tools. And I often have more than one tool plugged in at the same time...and keep it plugged in for quick use at any one session.
A couple of the single duplexes are wired to a switch...so I can turn on the power to the router, for instance, without having to hunt for the switch on the router. And I keep the router and the dust collector (its actually an old canister sweeper that I adapted) on the same switch. When I turn on the router, the sweeper comes on at the same time. The sweeper is on a 15' hose...so that I can easily move it to different tools in my shop.
My table is 8' long...with the center 4' of plywood and the 2' sides open with just 2x4 framing. I mounted some of my tools on pieces of plywood...router, grinder, sabre saw...so I can drop them into the framing and use them there. The center 4' then becomes my outfeed...and I can mount the tool for either left or right outfeed.
When you build your bottom shelf, decide if you want to use the floor...or the shelf...or both...for storage. Then measure and build your shelf accordingly. By design, my sweeper just fits under the shelf...its on casters. And my tool cases...circular saw, etc...just fit on the shelf without hitting the top frame of the bench. That's also where I store the ply-mounted tools that I'm not using.
And think of screws as small, TEMPORARY clamps! I put the whole thing together with screws...no glue...and its rock solid with the bottom bracing. I often screw blocks into the top for bracing...then simply take them out quickly later. You could do this with the sides yer talkin' about. Keep them screwed on most of the time...take them off when they're in the way.
Also, I have about a 4" overhang over the front...so I can use that for clamping. I really should have done that for ALL the sides. One day, I may take it apart and change it.
2 things I consider critical...
And, no...yer question was not stupid!!! lol
Try not to make your first table too permanent...either in construction or in location. You'll soon want to make changes! lol
Good luck.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
Wow!!! Thanks for taking the time to write all that Trent. VERY USEFUL.
I won't reply to each part, but every bit was food for thought.
However, this bit particularly struck me:
This is soo true. With the size of workshop I'll be having, if I completely want to change it in 3 months, with the small size of it it won't cost to much to completely redo!
Cheers,
Andy
I have the same problem, Andy. That's why I built the router table, etc. as drop ins.
I also have my table saw and workbench at the same height...so that I can use the workbench as my outfeed for large pieces.
I think guys like you and I have more fun than most. Not only do we get to build woody things...we've got to do the thing that most guys hate the most in life. We got to be ORGANIZED! lol
Good luck, buddy. Jump in anytime with questions.
Just don't make them dumb anymore! lol
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
"Andy Jeffries" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@andyjeffries.remove.co.uk:
If you do raised sides, do it as removables. You will regret it otherwise.
I have my table spaced in my shop/storage/wood curing building where it is at a comfortable to me ht. Find a tabletop or counter you really don't mind working on stuff for hours and match that ht.
I left about 2.5" of space between the front and the actual surface of the worktop. I hang clamps and hammers, etc there for easy reach and generally leave them stored there between projects even though they have spots on the pegboard. That extra space also allows me to clamp up items in all kinds of weird orientations to work on them. All my power tools either have their own stands or are set up to be placed and removed quickly. I try to use clamps as much as possible to keep from drilling holes in the top. So far I'm hole free :).
I also placed a pegboard right behind the bench, butting up with zero clearance. A lot of my often used hand tools are pegged. The shelf underneath holds the many saws and drills and all kinds of other powered apparatus I often tinker with. A set of
2x4 shelves behind the pegboard holds lesser used items.For the truly large items I have two options, I can go back outside and do what I must, or take advantage of the placement of windows :) I can run longer lengths through one side and back out the other. I have more space than you appear to, but it could be another option.
Finally, power ! I have overhead GFI boxes...6 I think. I even managed to get a good price on a reel (It was in a building under demolition) cord. And I have two boxes roughly in the center of either side set into the bottom shelf with covers. I don't like the thought of screwing up and finding a live circuit in a moment of pure disaster :)
This design is from several years of working with other people's designs. It isn't finished, never will be as someone else mentioned, but I think I can get a few months out of it before I have to improve the moustrap.
Good luck.
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