Work Stations vs Workbench

[Mr Fixit eh]

I have a space-challenged workshop. My plan is to make a floating torsion box bench running the length of one wall 10 ft, or so. Underneath this bench I will park the tablesaw (on mobile stand)and I want to build two workstations on locking wheels. One will be a router table, the other will be a chest of drawers with a top that has a docking station for benchtop tools: drill press, jointer, planer, scrollsaw, etc.

I'd like to be able to quickly lock the two workstations together to make a double-sized assembly table.

Any ideas?

Steve

[bf]

Quick grip clamps? If you're willing to design the workstations to acommodate this.

If it were me, I'd just make one large workstation to begin with (instead of 2 small ones that needed joined together). It's always nice to have a larger router table (wish I made mine bigger).

[Lobby Dosser]

Large hinges with loose pins.

[charlie b]

You planning on doing any tapping and banging on that torsion box? Gonna need any bench dogs to hold things while you router it or sand it or plane it or scrape it? Dog holes in a torsion box are possible - if you plan for it. Got a way to keep the top of the torsion box pretty flat 'cause assembling on a curved surface often won't yield nice results after everything's glued up and put on a flat floor.

Or - do you also plan to make a workbench?

charlie b

[Phillip Hallam-Baker]

Why not forget about locking the two workstations together and instead build a torsion box that uses the two workstations as big wide supports?

Then you have no problems having to get the two workstations aligned or anything. The torsion box can be stored on end wnen not in use.

[Woodchuck34]

Steve,

Have you seen Wood Magazine's Idea shop 5. If not, here's a link:

've built the drill press stand and it was real easy to do. I managed to slap the whole thing together in a few hours. I have a version of the mobile/router center I've been using since just before this issue was published. I just ordered a better saw and am looking to use this plan.

When I am ready to work, I pull SWMBO's car out of the garage and pull my carts around. Usually ready to work in about 10 minutes.

Chuck

[Andy Dingley]

This might be interesting

[No]

Why don't you build the benches and mobile stations the same height as your table saw? That way you can use them as impromptu infeed or outfeed tables. You may need to make you 10' fixed bench smaller (by size of table saw). Who doesn't sometimes use their table saw top for some assembly anyway?

[Mr Fixit eh]

I wanted to make the mobile units about 24"x36". Although the bigger bench is a great idea, my space is small and awkward enough that I'd have a hard time manouvering a bigger bench around.

I won't be banging around much on the torsion box. I was planning on the mobile units to take any beatings. The torsion box will have a recess for the compound miter saw.

I think the mobile base units will be handy for alot of assembly work, but I thought it would sometimes be nice to 'lock' them together for a little more surface area.

I was planning to have the tops of the mobile units level with the tablesaw to double as outfeed tables.

Steve