I picked up a Sig Mid-Star 40 kit for cheap from a club member Monday night. Since I am in the process of building(bashing) a Kadet Sr and also have a Kougar sitting in the box at home, I thought I would start building the Mid-Star at work. Since the downsizing, there are plenty of desks available. But, as luck would have it, none of them are flat. I brought my 4' level to work with me this morning and checked them all. They all have a dip in the middle.

So my question is this: What can I get to put on the top of the desk (temporary of course) that will be flat, and will stay flat even with the desk dipping in the middle. I am thinking about some kind of wood sheet. I will put sheet rock on top of it. My local Home Depot has some half sheets of sheet rock for dirt cheap. I use a hollow core door in my shop at home, but that would be too long at the office.

You could get a piece of MDF cut to size and brace it on the bottom with 2x2 batons then top it with the sheetrock? might be flat enough for what you need and you'd be free to move it around as needed. Thick piece of glass might give a flatter surface but not sure how it would go if not supported completely and would be heavy too...

p.s. how d'ya pull being able to build while at work! if only......

Whatever you use, it would be a good idea to place a shim in that center "dip" to keep the top board from settling in. Use your level to determine how much shim is needed

I built a flat portable surface to build my planes on. My local Menard's sell's a small selection of higher quality woods for cabinets etc... (oak, aspen, etc...) so I bought some 1x4 and a piece of wider stuff... can't remember how wide it was 1x20 or so and about 5 feet long (it was 1x6s edge glued... but it was flat). Took the 1x4s and built a frame with braces across, then screwed the wider piece on top of the frame. You can use cork or what ever on top of it for a pinable surface.
I found this to be a strong portable worksurface and if you do a good job building the frame it should stay flat for years... been using the same one for about 6years now.

The dip on the desk that I am thinking about using is at most 1/4", so I can shim it. I was thinking about MDF, but since I haven't used it I didn't know if it would stay flat without the braces.

And as for building at work, my supervisor is in another state. He comes to town about 1 time a year, and that is usually to another city. And since I have all kinds of time on my hands, building a plane would be a great way to pass the time. If I could get a cell phone to work at my house, I could work from home.

Got any openings?

WHy don't you just buy a flat sheet of wood from Home Depot and lay it on top? That would be the easiest thing to do. I mean why do you need a shim under the wood. THe plane does not weight that much. or maybe I am reading what you wrote wrong. I dunno

The reason that a perfectly flat surface is needed isn't for the weight of the plane, it's to ensure that when laying out and building the wing that everything is perfectly flat. Variations in the straightness of the wing tend to lead to funky flight performance.

On the slim chance that your boss might some how come across this thread, I wouldn't be using my real name in my signature (assuming that is your real name and not a fellow co-worker who you hate).

LOL

Actually, I don't think my boss would have a problem with it. I have his permission to run a computer service company on the side. But in this case I am going with the "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission." I am the only person in my office, so I would not be disturbing anyone with building.

I will be getting a flat sheet of wood, probably MDF. My concern is that the wood could sag in the middle. It is only 1/4", but I am particular with my building. So I am wondering if I need to do braces underneath it.

Not at this time. But when I do get to hire someone, I better hire a R/C person, so they understand that on nice afternoons it is acceptable to go out to the field and get some flying done. And that there is no problem with keeping at least my Ultra Stick 40 in the back of the work van. I love being able to work at the field (by cellphone!)

Make it heavy, solid and flat. The heavier a bench is, the more I like it (until I need to move it over 5").

Mine is 3/4" MDF with a 1/2" thick tempered glass top. I have no idea how much it weighs, but if it were a couple hundred pounds heavier I'd like it better. Seriously.

A heavy bench doesn't move when you're sanding and cutting. Also, never cut directly on your bench top. Use a cutting mat from Wal-Mart or cut up a box and get some cardboard to cut on.

Flat is extremely important for reasons already mentioned.

Workbenches and Building Surfaces

Hey Nebbie
this works for me. Go to the local Home Depot or whatever you have in your area and buy a closet or interior door. They are cheap and about the flattest surface you can find. You can lay it across anything, two chairs, two sawhorses, two stacks of books, and it won't bow. Should work great across a desk. Think about it.
RWCherry

throw one of those cheep foam core doors on top ot the table and thro a peice of plaster ceiling tile over that to put pins in...

or... you coud go hard core and buy 3 2x4's and make a rectangle wiht them like 8' long then put high density partical board ofer that and then a sheet of drywall. (works for me)

Tower has building boards out of 1" balsa up to 16" X 48". They are laminated so will not warp. I wouldn't be without mine although I have two benches, one standup height and one sit down level. Stand up is from a solid core door and is good for things that need pounding sit down bench is hollow core mahogany, soft for pins. To build I use the balsa board no matter the bench. If need be I can pick up what's on it and move it to a more convenient place (such as a closet if the boss shows up).

Well, this is now on hold[:@]

Had some investors tour my site this morning. So I think I am going to lay low for awhile. I am just going to wait and see what happens.