- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Messages
- 2,614
I do a fair amount of sheet metal work reproducing old Erector set parts from the 1920's - 1940's. My primary sheet metal working tools are a Tennsmith 37" shear, a Diacro 24" brake, a Roper Whitney #218 punch press, a HF 30" 3-in-1 sheet metal machine, a Dayton 2" x 42" belt sander and 4 or 5 Roper Whitney No. 5 hand punches. A few of the parts have inside corners that can't be cut with a straight shear, so I use an aviator snips and a lot of hand filing and/or belt sanding. It wasn't too hard to justify the purchase of a 4-ton notcher and 8" metal shear from Woodward Fab. Now, where to put it all . . .
You can see from the original work bench photo that it was full. The bench was a 30" x 60" 1 1/4" thick particle board top on a Grizzly 24" x 36" roll-around cart. I'll still keep the old bench around (can never have too many work benches). Today's POTD was to make a 36" x 72" work bench.
The top is 2 x 6's and one 2 x 4 which ended up at just a shade over 36" wide. I drilled 7/16" holes through the edge of the bench top boards on a drill press with an angle plate; could get 3 1/2" deep. Finished the drilling with a 7/16" augering bit. The boards are held together with a couple of 3' lengths of 3/8" all thread rod.
Apron around the top is 2 x 6's, apron around the bottom is 2 x 4's. The legs are tripled-up 2 x 6's. Casters are rated at 600 lbs. each (Menards). The bench top is a piece of 1/2" thick masonite (think Menards called in melamine). The masonite was screwed to the dimensional lumber top and trimmed on the edges to size with a router (edging bit). The bench is about 31" high which is perfect at my height for the Diacro brake. My old bench was about 36" high; I had to stand on a box to bend a 12" length of 1/8" aluminum at a 90.
Last couple of photos are with the bench top tools just setting in place. Still debating on the final layout before everything gets lagged down in place. I went with two fixed and two swivel casters, might be changing the two fixed ones to swivels for easier moving around in my crowded shop.
Bruce
![20161204_162613.jpg 20161204_162613.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/98/98002-180da53de2bc2a23da6f8c3c145e6b24.jpg)
You can see from the original work bench photo that it was full. The bench was a 30" x 60" 1 1/4" thick particle board top on a Grizzly 24" x 36" roll-around cart. I'll still keep the old bench around (can never have too many work benches). Today's POTD was to make a 36" x 72" work bench.
The top is 2 x 6's and one 2 x 4 which ended up at just a shade over 36" wide. I drilled 7/16" holes through the edge of the bench top boards on a drill press with an angle plate; could get 3 1/2" deep. Finished the drilling with a 7/16" augering bit. The boards are held together with a couple of 3' lengths of 3/8" all thread rod.
Apron around the top is 2 x 6's, apron around the bottom is 2 x 4's. The legs are tripled-up 2 x 6's. Casters are rated at 600 lbs. each (Menards). The bench top is a piece of 1/2" thick masonite (think Menards called in melamine). The masonite was screwed to the dimensional lumber top and trimmed on the edges to size with a router (edging bit). The bench is about 31" high which is perfect at my height for the Diacro brake. My old bench was about 36" high; I had to stand on a box to bend a 12" length of 1/8" aluminum at a 90.
Last couple of photos are with the bench top tools just setting in place. Still debating on the final layout before everything gets lagged down in place. I went with two fixed and two swivel casters, might be changing the two fixed ones to swivels for easier moving around in my crowded shop.
Bruce
![20161203_124431.jpg 20161203_124431.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/97/97997-75709a9decdc48d5333acc6d80255823.jpg)
![20161204_093051.jpg 20161204_093051.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/97/97998-cf4501335ee0c9e7a7fb2938b88fe8b1.jpg)
![20161204_120829.jpg 20161204_120829.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/97/97999-adc7fd13d60f52bd6581479152c1ed88.jpg)
![20161204_145051.jpg 20161204_145051.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/98/98000-cf32c41196ca7ee3fc27d64e8d667da1.jpg)
![20161204_162544.jpg 20161204_162544.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/98/98001-c06c413aee0d737d0aee80316a139786.jpg)
![20161204_162613.jpg 20161204_162613.jpg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/98/98002-180da53de2bc2a23da6f8c3c145e6b24.jpg)