Hi all . . .
>
> I need to build a new model airplane building table; my old
> hollow-core door lash-up finally sagged after a year's use.
>
> The table needs to be dead flat. The way I build the model airplanes
> is to top the table with a sheet of 1/2" foam building insulation, lay
> the plans on the foam, cover the plans with waxed paper, and build the
> various parts of the model directly over the plans. The foam
> insulation sheet is so I use T-pins to hold the wood parts in place > during frame-up. >
> No need for drawers or storage; the table is strictly for building the > airframe. >
> There will never be any weight to speak of on the building bench,
> other than the airframe, hand tools, bottle of Titebond, etc. Nothing
> heavy at all; the model I'm working on now will weigh about 30 pounds
> ready-to-fly. Finished models won't ever be placed on the building
> table, only the major sub-assemblies like the right wing, left wing,
> fuselage, or tail feathers.
>
> I need the work surface to be 30" wide x 6' long to handle any model
> I'll likely build in the near future.
>
> The table has to come apart from time to time so I can regain floor
> space for doing things like rigging the paint tent, checking the CG on
> a completed model, etc. Which in turn means the building bench can't
> be built like one would build a regular wood working bench, I gotts to
> break it down and stash it in the corner from time to time.
>
> The question is, using 1/2" MDF for the work surface, how much support
> will be needed to insure it doesn't droop over time ?
>
> I thought a pair of 2x6s length wise, 10" in from the front and rear
> edge, a 2x4 frame with 2x4 legs, and I'm done.
>
> Sound ok, or did I miss something ?
>
> I know a sheet of 3/4" MDF would be better and that laminating two
> 3/4" MDF sheets would be best, but that sort of weight impacts the bit
> about having to take it apart now and then; without a chain fall, that > is. > >
> Cheers,
> Fred McClellan
> the dash plumber at mindspring dot com
>