clc58

What do most modelers use for building.

LLRCFlyer

When I replaced the original interior doors in my house, I repurposed the flat hollow-core luan wooden doors for use as building tables/boards. They are normally about 78" long and can accommodate building most larger size planes. Widths may vary from 2 feet to 3 feet. Push pins can penetrate the wood door skin to hold parts in place. I kept a couple of doors for myself and gave the other 15 doors to my fellow club members, who gladly scarfed them up and put them to good use. The doors can be set on saw horses or can be laid on a work bench as a flat building surface. Just be sure to shim them if needed to make sure they are level and flat. Luan wood doors can often be found cheap at building salvage companies.

Outrider6

My Feedback: (2)

I have also used a hollow core luan door, with folding table legs screwed on from underneath. They work pretty well, but the main problem is that over time, or if you leave any weight on it, it will sag, unless you add a center support, or add lengthwise stringers underneath it.

Lately, I have been using a rolling workshop table from Home Depot, and I LOVE it. I was worried about the top flatness, and was ready to take it back if it wasn't good, but it was quite flat in both directions, checked with my 6' level, the top is substantially solid, and I can easily move it aside or across my workshop on its wheels, if needed. 2' x 5' is plenty big for a building surface for me.

After having tried a new method suggested by the instructions in a kit that I recently built, not liking the results at all, I am going back to the old way of adding ceiling tiles to the top (for push pins) for my next build. The suggested method that I didn't like was using CA, instead of pins, and tack-guiling parts to wax paper directly on top of the solid top. I will never do that utter nonsense again! It doesn't hold anything down and you can count on parts being cracked/split/etc., when you try to cut or pop loose the CA tack joints.

Also, when I could get by with a small work surface, I built a frame that would accept one rectangular ceiling tile. I just set it on 2 sawhorses in my shop, and it worked extremely well for planes up to .40 size, if I got creative when joining wing halves.

clc58

Thanks Gent's, right now I'm using ceiling tiles on a vey old and solid kitchen table. Working out ok but getting ready to build a Kadet Mark II then a Clipped Wing Cub. Just thinking of using something better then the ceiling tiles. Might just build a work bench/table, wood is just way over priced right now.