ScienceisCool

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Hello all,

I'm about to purchase a 4*40 or Supersportster kit with my refund from Uncle Sam and was going to build a workbench in the garage. I'm wondering what area you might recommend for the top? 3'x4'?

Thanks!

ScienceisCool

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This is the design I'm planning to basing it on: http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/w...h/below20.html

I'm also going to put a building board over the main surface for t-pinning and to keep it flat.

MinnFlyer

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It depends... If the table is against a wall, don't make it any wider than you can comfortably reach (This way it's easy to reach the things hanging on the wall behind it)

Other than that, I find the bigger the better.

dignlivn

For less than $20 I use a Enterior Door.
80 inches long and as wide as 22,24,30
and 36 inches.

Bob

ScienceisCool

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I'm planning on having it against the wall most of the time with shelves above it but with the ability to pull it out to the middle of the garage at times to work around the plane(s).

Thanks for the advise.

khodges

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A hollow core door, like Bob says, is perfect for your needs. Very stiff, very light. You can actually use push pins through the veneer to hold pieces in place, but I'd recommend topping it with a piece of Homosote (the black exterior sheathing board used in housing construction). It's easily replaceable and makes the door last forever.

A work surface this size will allow you to build both wings at once, if desired. I like to do this to ensure they are exactly the same (I tend to change things a bit) and it also helps if you stop working on the plane for a time (I also have a short memory, can't remember what I did to the first part when working on the second)

squeakalong

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Actually, I'd suggest you consider the purchase of a solid core interior door. Mine is 30" wide x standard length. This door is much more stable in temperature variation and I lay a Great Planes balsa building board (I have three sizes) on the door when I'm glueing parts together. All of this lays flat on one of the brown fold-up, steel-edged, tables purchased at Staples. Moves around easily and can be easily taken with me if I decide to move to warmer weather....

Soft landings.

mclina

As far as the building surface itself, I have just used a 2x4 celing tile. That's enough room for anything you need to pin down. When it comes time to assemble something larger, or do covering, I usually 'borrow' the kids air hockey table.

My kids don't get to use the air hockey table very often.

Ram Jet

Great advice and a friend of mine has one of those hollow luan doors he wants to get rid of. The Homosote is an idea I never thought of.

Thanks,
Bill

Ram Jet

Nice and simple but I would add some diagonal bracing and substitue something more durable than that oriented wafer board. Maybe furniture quality birtch plywood.

Bill

ScienceisCool

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So the bench above with a harder surface wood and additional supports underneath, a hollowcore door and a great planes building board? Does that come with fries? :P

Thanks for the replies, it seems the hollow core door is a popular idea on RCU. This is my first kit build so I want to try to get everything set up so it's not my last.

squeakalong

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...ask me how I know a hollow core door WILL warp over time....and then ask me what happens to a long wing panel when you build on it....[]

Soft landings.

khodges

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I suppose they can warp (like Judy Tenuta used to say, "It can Happen!!), but if supported evenly it's unlikely. I've had one in my unheated/humidity unregulated garage for 5 years and it's still as flat as the floor. I use it on one of those modular metal shelving units like you get at Lowe's, and keep it clamped in place, mainly to keep it from moving when I work on it. The plywood veneer, although thin, is dimensionally more stable than solid wood when framed (the edges and internal bracing act as the frame).

I suggested the hollow door mainly because it's lightweight and easy to move around if needed, like Scienceiscool (you really got to get a shorter name ) was talking about doing. A set of collapsable sawhorses that can be levelled are a great way to set it up so you can work around it.

huck1199

I use a 30x80 hollow core door on a couple of Stanley Workmates. When not building the workmates act as little work tables or fold up and lean against the wall along with the door.

Ram Jet

Judy also said "My mother said I was a procrastinator. I said, "Just wait". I like the hollow door idea because a friend of mine has a new one he wants to get rid of. If you like the saw horse idea you'll love a "Jaw Horse" made by Rockwell. I don't know if there's a website but I'm buying one. You can clamp your entire door into it to hold it - instant work table. Need room, remove the door from the "Jaw Horse", collapse the "Jaw Horse" into a space about the size of an airport luggare carrier and wheel it away. 1-800-362-8146, four payments of $44.44 plus S&H, 10 year warranty. I saw the info-mercial on TV. It's amazing.

Bill

Ram Jet

You get a wing with built in dihedral?

Bill

airbusdrvr

I agree with the door idea. I found the door to be a bit to long for my needs. I sawed of the bottom two inches(use explained below). Then I cut the door to the desired length. Since the door is hollow, the cut end is not as solid as before the cut. I then reattached the cut off 2 inch end with epoxy. And now you have a work surface the length you need. I have used homosote and ceiling tiles. I found that to keep the homosote perfectly flat, I had to glue it to the door using a lot of weights to keep it flat while the glue dried. Even then, it was not as flat as I would like. I find that ceiling tiles stay flatter and take pins more easily.

airbusdrvr

I have tried to reuse a door that had been stored 6 months to a year between builds and found it not perfectly flat. I then buy another one. They are usually only $20 to $25 bucks which is a small part of the total build cost.

khodges

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I wasn't sure if anyone would know who she was. Haven't seen her around in years.


Do you sell "OxyClean" or "ShamWOW" 's also?

Ram Jet

No, but have YOU tried them? A friend of mine says that ShamWOWS are great! If Billy Mays stops by he's a dead man, I don't understand why he has to yell to sell. I'll tell you how the Jaw Horse thing goes.

Bill

Ram Jet

Thanks airbus, I think I'm sticking with ceiling tiles also. I plan on building a base for the hollow door where the door, properly supported, will just drop into the frame and legs. When one side of the door gets work weary I'll just flip it over, do it again and buy a new door.

Bill

mimhoff

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Ram Jet
I found a website for the Rockwell "Jaw Horse" :

http://www.rockwelltoolsdirect.com/jawhorse.html

I kind of like it and it seems like a reasonable price for the unit- but after looking at the pictures I am not sure you could put an 80" hollow core door in it (if that is what you are thinking) and have it not tip on you like a "teeter-totter" if you were to put any weight on far the end of the door. If you were to use 2 units I would see no problem at all but then you have 350.00 tied up in a table supports. I am currently using a pair of the Stanley plastic saw horses, hollow core door with ceiling tiles and they work great for me. When done, I take door off, fold up the horses and it all fits nicely against the wall in the garage. So far (2 years) my door has remained flat. It may not be a perfect workbench but it is flat, portable, and affordable. To be clear this was not my idea I got it off of RCU a couple years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-60582-...4022023&sr=8-3

If you get a "Jaw Horse" do report back I would be curious to know if it could hold something as long as a door "stable" enough to work as a table top.

Best of luck


Mark

ScienceisCool

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Thanks for all the replies! I probably won't do the sawhorse idea since I want this to be a somewhat permanent addition to the garage to be used for other stuff than airplanes.

Any thoughts on just using the workbench with the great planes building board on top? It seems it costs the same as the hollow door and is specifically designed to build stuff on.

exeter_acres

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another option for the actual building surface... is drywall....
I put a piece of drywall on top of my bench.. so when it gets worn out... I can flip it over, or just get a new piece... instead of having to build a new bench or sand the whole thing.....
T pins go in well...

Ram Jet

Good idea but you had better build a support system that will thoroughly support the drywall.

Bill