# @Dennis P Inspired Me ! (New Test Workbench)



## CalgaryPT (Aug 22, 2018)

Inspired by the new (and great) bench by @Dennis P , here's my new bench. OK...technically it's not a _metal working_ bench, but it's metal-related because I moved a ton of stuff around in my shop to accommodate a new pneumatic notcher I have coming. In the process I realized I could finally move my electronics stuff to a devoted test bench like I used to have years ago when I was a teenager. Instead of standing up to work, I can now sit down. I can't emphasize this enough for you young guys on the forum—eventually, age catches up with you. So...plan your shop to allow for movement and adjustability (height, weight, etc.).  Seriously, this is critical stuff.  Smart design can help defer all sorts of issues that will permit you to enjoy your hobby shops well into your retirement. Other umh, "mature" members of this forum can support me on this point...you need to think of things like sitting down, not lifting heavy stuff, etc., as actually important. Otherwise, you'll lose the ability to enjoy this great hobby as you age.

A lot of my fabrication projects involve actuators and Arduino stuff, so a electronics test bench was always on my wish list.  After calculating the space I had, I crunched the numbers on the table I wanted to build. I knew I wanted an elevated shelf for parts, and a space underneath the shelf for test equipment (frequency counter/signal generator, oscilloscope, power supply, DVOM's, etc.). I also knew I wanted adjustable height for the table top and something more sturdy than I could find at Ikea or equivalent. Lastly I knew another thing that seems counter-intuitive in a metal working shop: the table top had to be non-conductive as I would be testing electronic circuits on it. Sadly for a fabicator, the numbers didn't work...by about 35%!  Even with scrap around the shop I couldn't build the legs for what I could buy them for. Shop Fox sells the D2659 28" wide work bench legs on Amazon for $72.71. They are 1/8" angle iron and sufficiently sturdy. A pair of them is cheaper than the metal and the labour combined for one. Jeeze Louise. That's saying a lot considering I have access to an ironworker to punch the adjustable holes myself. As much as I prefer making stuff myself, it's a no-brainer in this case.

Accepting defeat, the build process involved making a 1.5" table top (I wanted something more rigid than just a standard 3/4" plywood sheet). I looked at counter top, butcher block, etc. I eventually settled on two sheets of 3/4" G1S pine, glued up and cut to size by myself. Why G1S? Because anything of cheaper quality leaves crevices such as knots in which small parts such as resistors and diodes get trapped. Mine was 30" deep x 45" wide. It was sanded and painted grey (I once read grey is best for analytical work—probably nonsense, but heh...whatever). I crunched the numbers to maximize the available sheets and allow for the elevated shelf and its back. Also, I allowed for a space to route cords underneath the back. I also took into consideration my existing parts cabinets, as well as a new Princess Auto parts cabinet I got on sale months ago.

That being said, I always mess up somewhere. In this case I knew I needed additional lateral support for the shelf, but didn't allow for adequate clearance for the back of some of my test equipment. Oh, well. I lost a few inches of table space—no biggie.

Things yet to do:

Find cheap desk chair (shop stool is dangerous tip hazard as I will inevitably lean back too far). Leaning towards super-comfortable model given my time spent in the shop.
May add back stringer. Shop Fox sells a stringer for additional support for the 6 foot configuration. In my case, I'm so packed between my lathe and my stair railings, it could be a non-issue. My table hardly sways at all, but I'll custom make one if needed.
Maybe add a Lexan Sheet to the top. Not sure yet if required for the cost, but will monitor.
Not super impressed so far with the Behr paint. Originally I thought about using Tremclad on it. I wish I had because it is a very tough oil based product, that actually works fine on wood. I think the latexproblematic  stuff is OK, but no where as tough as Tremclad.
Mixing metal working (such as grinding and welding) is problematic with electronics. I'll be adding a non-flammable dust cover to my test bench to hold back dust. As I also need this to be non-flammable, I'm leading towards a welding curtain.
I'll likely add a 18 gauge drawer, 2" or 3" deep and about 30' wide soon. I'm just waiting for a few weeks before I commit to bending the sheet metal and adding the drawer slides. I know I need to wait to see if any conflicts emerge over time, as this has stung me before if I don't wait to see how the design works in the real world..
Things I don't like about the Shop Fox legs:

They don't lend themselves well to casters. You'll need to modify them to support casters.
As pointed out by some reviewers, the orientation of the feet is not flexible and only allows the legs to point the feet inwards.
I suspect the usual Asian quality issues will emerge: for example, even the Shop Fox logo sticker fell off both legs as soon as they were removed from the packaging. I suspect more to come.
Things I like about the Shop Fox legs:

Price (even as a fabricator I can't beat these)
Quality. One reviewer on Amazon has indicated these are about 1/4" stock.They are not. They are approximately 1/8" angle iron, but this is still great material. More than sufficient.
Powder coat is good quality.
I like that there are both table top mounting holes as well as bottom shelf holes for mounting.
Adjustability - from 30" to 36" this is a great feature and well worth consideration if you are building a customer bench.
P.S. The Sriricha  bottle in the top right corner is water for the soldering sponge. The hanging gun under the bench is a heat gun for heat shrink tubing.  And BTW, Sriricha rocks.


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## Dabbler (Aug 22, 2018)

I love your project and your approach!

Jus one thought:  Lexan builds surface charges very easily, as do some paints.  Should you be working with static sensitive parts (Arduino), Lexan, even with a fabric softener cleaning, should be out.  Glass, also picks up surface charge if you have any forearm hair at all.  A galvanized steel top would be easily grounded.....


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 22, 2018)

Good point. I do have a grounding strap and typically use TTL as opposed to CMOS, so usually not a problem. Got a killer deal on a full leather office chair at Costco for $99.00! Man, you can't beat that! The shop is officially more comfortable than my home office now.


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## Tom O (Aug 23, 2018)

I look at those while doing the walk around ( after having my hotdog) I’ve bought 3 stools so far that work great but would like the chair for the desk.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 23, 2018)

Am embarrassed to say I only got the membership for the hot dogs. The traffic there drives me crazy. They have a great selection of chairs though, including one where the arms flip up.

Cheers.

Pic of chair attached.


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## Tom O (Aug 23, 2018)

CalgaryPT said:


> Am embarrassed to say I only got the membership for the hot dogs. The traffic there drives me crazy. They have a great selection of chairs though, including one where the arms flip up.
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> Pic of chair attached.


Yep that’s the one! Very little spots for swarf to gather too! Have you seen those writing tablet boogie boards there I got one for the side of the mill, you write on it and it retains it till you use the clear button it’s great for the memory challenged!


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 23, 2018)

Nope -- sounds great but too high tech for me. I still use pencils that need sharpening. Of course then I forget where I leave them...oh dear.


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## Wally (Aug 27, 2018)

Very nicely done and also a great electronics work bench you setup there. Better equipped than my workbench at work before I retired.
I still have to make my welding table and wondered about using the same legs or even using the base off a Husky work bench from Home Depot. Yes, I don't get the flexibility to maybe add all the neat features I could but the price compared to fabricating from raw stock is hard to ignore. And money saved means more for projects (or maybe a plasma cutter, bandsaw ... etc. Just like when I got into wood working, alway another tool you just have to have.) If I went this way I still need to figure out how and what I could do for a proper top.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 27, 2018)

Only downside I've found with these legs is they don't lend themselves to casters w/o modification. When I made my welding table 25+ years ago I did somethings well; others not so much. I thought I would be moving it a lot so we could get at least one car in the garage. That never happened and we haven't seen a car in here for 24 years. So I wish I had used heavier materials and bolted to the floor (then you can do bending on the table as well). My tabletop is 1/4 steel. I wish I had at least 1/2" on it, but I got the plate cheap back in the days when they let you wander through and pick scrap up in a junk lot. Also, my legs are only 1/8" x 1.5" rect tubing. If I were doing it all over I'd used 3 or 4 inch tubing with 1/4" wall. But then again, it has worked fine for years so I shouldn't complain, especially since the steel was cheap back then.

If I were using the ShopFox legs for a Bench I'd use stringers for sure. 

Expanded metal on bottom shelf worked well. It allows dust to fall though. And I made a pull-out plasma table with slats that's mounted underneath that works well, although most of time I just put my chop saw on it and use the plasma with saw horses.

If you're going to mount a vise to it, drill holes in at least two locations so you can move it if necessary.


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## Wally (Aug 27, 2018)

Good info, Thanks!
Pretty sure when the time comes I will fabricate my own table because of all the things I want to have and do and let face it, thats the fun part of this hobby. I like idea of a pull out or fold-up plasma table along with the same idea for the chop saw. I have seen a few ideas for drop in holders for vices and such and your suggestion of having at least two locations will be incorporated. My table wont be huge, I just dont have the space so at this point I'm thinking 36" x 48" to 60" before the pull-up/foldouts.
Where I'm really struggling is the top. I see a 1/2 inch or thicker piece that would be perfect especially with some 1/2" or 5/8" holes cut for clamping work down but I think the price is out of this retirees price range. I've seen some with rectangular tubing spaced to allow clamping down and such. At this point this is the direction I'm leaning but would love to hear thoughts and Ideas from you and others that have more experience in this area.


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## Dabbler (Aug 27, 2018)

I managed to find a _damaged _12" U channel(!!) that I am welding 3/8 X 3" out riggers to making it 18" wide ny 30" long for my welding table.  This is the biggest I can fit in my shop!  Bargooons are out there, you just keep asking!


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## Wally (Aug 27, 2018)

Guess I'm just so new at this I'm not even sure who to ask or where to look. But I know that will change as I learn stuff and get more involved. Was similar when I got into woodworking, if it wasn't at Home Depot and such I didn't know where to look. That changed in time and I'm sure it will be the same in so far a metal supplies. Right now I'm sort of at the Metal Supermarket or nothing stage but will find more.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 27, 2018)

Wally said:


> Guess I'm just so new at this I'm not even sure who to ask or where to look. But I know that will change as I learn stuff and get more involved. Was similar when I got into woodworking, if it wasn't at Home Depot and such I didn't know where to look. That changed in time and I'm sure it will be the same in so far a metal supplies. Right now I'm sort of at the Metal Supermarket or nothing stage but will find more.



After Calgary Metal shut down its sales and focused on recycling they stopped letting you wander the yard looking for scrap. Russel used to but you had to wear PPE; they may have stopped that as well. Varsteel sells a lot of new plate and beam Wally. Lots and lots of plate. But it can be an intimidating place. They sell to individuals, but even with a 3/4 ton truck you get lost in the yard with all the big rigs picking up huge beams and such. If you get out of your truck without PPE they have orders to shoot I think. So . you need to know the rules.

I seem to recall Varsteel has a fabrication shop somewhere near the Big Rock office. It had lots of off cuts . They let you browse, or at least they used to. Not sure when you planing on your build, but I'll keep you posted on Varsteel. I have to buy some beam for my gantry crane in the next few months and wanted to inquire about the fab shop location again as I have never been out there and was planning a visit. Check out the Sourcing Metal Stock thread Wally -- there is lots of good info there.

I too use Metal Supermarkets, and I know they are expensive. But for small chunks where you don't need a big piece they are fine. A plus for them in their new location is their large plate shear. They can now cut a full length sheet length wise. When I crunch the numbers for the time it takes me to do this it just doesn't make sense, so I now pay the extra and just have them cut it. They are also very friendly to the small guy, or at least to me (ok, I'm not small physically).

Eventually you'll find your favourites around town like the rest of us. It you are just looking for scraps to practice on, I've got 600 lbs. or more in bins you're welcome to pick through.


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## Wally (Aug 27, 2018)

Thanks for all the info and the offer, I may just take you up. And yes, been looking though the Sourcing Metal Stock thread too.
I was wondering if I should go ask at some fab and welding shops out here in Airdrie. We have Propak out here which is a real big fab facility (mostly oilfield stuff I believe)and a few smaller shops, like East Lake welding which has done some welding for me before. Guess I can ask and at worst they tell me no. 
Thanks again!


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## PeterT (Aug 28, 2018)

Is there any reason you couldn't get easier to source CRS bar stock like 0.5" thick x 6 wide x whatever length and secure them to a tabletop frame, either edge to edge or a gap between the slats to allow for hold-down hardware? I guess it wouldn't be a slab like a sheet. OTOH, I see guys tack welding to them & disc grinding them to roughly resurface over time, so its not like they are granite plate accurate to begin with?


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## Wally (Aug 28, 2018)

Oh I could make that work for sure. I will have to do some pricing on the Metal Supermart web site and see what it's priced like compared to the rectangular tubing I was thinking about. Thanks Peter.


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## Dabbler (Aug 28, 2018)

Several guys on the internet have made high-end welding tables out of 2"wide X 3/4" thick bar stock with 3/4" spacing between. Fred did this:






[edit]  Fred used 1/2" X 4" bar stock...


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## Dabbler (Aug 28, 2018)

If you are buying anything north of $100, buy whole sticks from Encore Metals.  I paid less than $2.20/lb for my 4140 by buying a whole stick.  Don't forget Steel Inc if you are buying tube or rectangular stock.  Both are MUCH cheaper than MSM.  You might be able to save a few dollars by going to Federal, But I prefer to support Encore and Steel Inc...  (I do use Federal when they have what is out of stock elsewhere, or they are much cheaper...)


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## Wally (Aug 28, 2018)

Just looked at the Encore website and it's not designed for the hobbyist, especially a newbie like me. Steel inc doesn't really convince a new guy to look at them either but I guess dropping by and talking to someone won't hurt. Whole sticks, is that 10 footers or more? Either way now that I just sold the pickup those arent an option till I get a trailer.
Thanks for all the advice gang, this is exactly some of what I hoped I would find joining up.


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## Johnwa (Aug 28, 2018)

Steel inc cut one of my purchases into 5’ lengths so I could haul it in a car.


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## Wally (Aug 28, 2018)

Good to know, Thanks John.


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## Tom O (Aug 28, 2018)

That’s nice to know thanks!


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## Dabbler (Aug 28, 2018)

James at Steel inc cut the legs for my gantry crane to length without charging extra.  Encore cut my big 4140 order to 8 and 10 foot lengths to  fit my roof racks.  Both places seemed to be very accommodating.  Last time I was at Encore, they said the had no minimum order, but the cheapest way to buy from them was by half lengths, but they'd sell me a foot, for a price.

- oh, and James will cut your pieces for your table to the lengths you need.  If you are thankful and respectful, he usually does it for FREE...

-- when I checked, 1 foot of 2" X 2" 4140 square at Encore was about 1/2 the price of MSM.

Wally, I can help you pick up the steel you need.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 28, 2018)

Dabbler said:


> Several guys on the internet have made high-end welding tables out of 2"wide X 3/4" thick bar stock with 3/4" spacing between. Fred did this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Holy Cow. His welding table is nicer than my dining table. In fact, it's a work of art. Wow. I've been welding and fabricating since I've been a teenager but have to say if I had to worry about 1/32" I would have dumped the hobby decades ago. I know to you machinists that's nothing, but I can't imagine being that much of a perfectionist when welding. Nor do I know anyone I've fabricated stuff for who would pay for that level of perfection.

I feel like George from Seinfeld when he said he "excels at mediocrity." No wonder I prefer bending and prototype fabrication to machining. 

That table is beautiful!.


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## Wally (Aug 29, 2018)

CalgaryPT said:


> Holy Cow. His welding table is nicer than my dining table. In fact, it's a work of art. Wow. I've been welding and fabricating since I've been a teenager but have to say if I had to worry about 1/32" I would have dumped the hobby decades ago. I know to you machinists that's nothing, but I can't imagine being that much of a perfectionist when welding. Nor do I know anyone I've fabricated stuff for who would pay for that level of perfection.
> 
> I feel like George from Seinfeld when he said he "excels at mediocrity." No wonder I prefer bending and prototype fabrication to machining.
> 
> That table is beautiful!.


LOL, Peter, I'm with you on that one, I like precise but the degree perfection that some people can do do is beyond intimidating, down right scary.
 Dabbler, thanks for the offer and when the time comes here soon I will take you up. Right now the budget is thin as winter approaches. Need to save a few more pennies for our winter retreat down to AZ for a few months come Dec and our CDN dollar isn't helping much these days. But I still hope to do my table before we leave.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 29, 2018)

Wally said:


> LOL, Peter, I'm with you on that one, I like precise but the degree perfection that some people can do do is beyond intimidating, down right scary.
> Dabbler, thanks for the offer and when the time comes here soon I will take you up. Right now the budget is thin as winter approaches. Need to save a few more pennies for our winter retreat down to AZ for a few months come Dec and our CDN dollar isn't helping much these days. But I still hope to do my table before we leave.



AZ eh? This guy has a great channel with lots of welding and metal working tips. His studio is in AZ and if I ever go there (doubtful) I will look him up for a shop tour. Either way, you might like his channel.


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## Wally (Aug 29, 2018)

Oh I've seen more than a few of Kevin's videos and am a subscriber, just watched one he had on plasma cutting last night. I like the folksy feel of his video's and he has some great info. Didn't realize he was in AZ, may have to see where he's at and if it's not too far away I'd see if I could meet him and get a shop tour. 
We go down to Casa Grande, sort of in between Phoenix and Tucson. No metal working, just lots of pickleball, hiking and Margarita's.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 29, 2018)

Wally said:


> Oh I've seen more than a few of Kevin's videos and am a subscriber, just watched one he had on plasma cutting last night. I like the folksy feel of his video's and he has some great info. Didn't realize he was in AZ, may have to see where he's at and if it's not too far away I'd see if I could meet him and get a shop tour.
> We go down to Casa Grande, sort of in between Phoenix and Tucson. No metal working, just lots of pickleball, hiking and Margarita's.


LOL. Enjoy! Especially the Margarita part.


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## John Conroy (Sep 2, 2018)

Wally said:


> Good info, Thanks!
> Pretty sure when the time comes I will fabricate my own table because of all the things I want to have and do and let face it, thats the fun part of this hobby. I like idea of a pull out or fold-up plasma table along with the same idea for the chop saw. I have seen a few ideas for drop in holders for vices and such and your suggestion of having at least two locations will be incorporated. My table wont be huge, I just dont have the space so at this point I'm thinking 36" x 48" to 60" before the pull-up/foldouts.
> Where I'm really struggling is the top. I see a 1/2 inch or thicker piece that would be perfect especially with some 1/2" or 5/8" holes cut for clamping work down but I think the price is out of this retirees price range. I've seen some with rectangular tubing spaced to allow clamping down and such. At this point this is the direction I'm leaning but would love to hear thoughts and Ideas from you and others that have more experience in this area.



I used 1/2" by 6" plate for my welding table top.

https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/welding-table-project.680/


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