I was supposed to start on a big project for a friend, but that got delayed so I've been using the time to build the art table for my bead roller. No way was I paying more than $400 with duty, exchange and shipping to buy one of these from the U.S.A. That's crazy.
Build was pretty simple: I used some old 16 gauge I had in my materials shed, and flat bar for structural ribs and pivot points, which were punched on the ironworker. Sheet was plasma cut then bent on a magnetic brake. What turned out to be a big surprise was the paint. It's not a perfect match to the machine, but I had a credit at Princess Auto and thought for the first time I would try their house brand. Wow. It's cheaper than Tremclad/Rustoleum, or Excel brands and hardly any odour compared to these big names. My wife never even knew I was spraying, and that's a first because she has a nose like an ionization chamber at the airport. Great coverage, and another bonus is that the valve cap is much larger than the small ones on other cans—so it is easy to use with gloves on. I will definitely use PA rattle cans again.
The pic of my foot is there because I want to remind myself the importance of ergonomics. It was just dumb luck, but my steel toe work boots happen to fit under the base easily. If they hadn't, that would have been big trouble; when doing artistic stuff on these machines you lower the table so that you sit next to it. Your work boot(s) need to fit under the wheeled base comfortably as you can be there for hours. I should have planned this out purposely, but forgot. I just got darn lucky this time around. I've even seen some guys cut out a square from the base so you can use the foot petal while your foot is underneath. I think I'd remove the wheels before I'd do that, but we'll see as I get more into the artistic side of this machine.
Build was pretty simple: I used some old 16 gauge I had in my materials shed, and flat bar for structural ribs and pivot points, which were punched on the ironworker. Sheet was plasma cut then bent on a magnetic brake. What turned out to be a big surprise was the paint. It's not a perfect match to the machine, but I had a credit at Princess Auto and thought for the first time I would try their house brand. Wow. It's cheaper than Tremclad/Rustoleum, or Excel brands and hardly any odour compared to these big names. My wife never even knew I was spraying, and that's a first because she has a nose like an ionization chamber at the airport. Great coverage, and another bonus is that the valve cap is much larger than the small ones on other cans—so it is easy to use with gloves on. I will definitely use PA rattle cans again.
The pic of my foot is there because I want to remind myself the importance of ergonomics. It was just dumb luck, but my steel toe work boots happen to fit under the base easily. If they hadn't, that would have been big trouble; when doing artistic stuff on these machines you lower the table so that you sit next to it. Your work boot(s) need to fit under the wheeled base comfortably as you can be there for hours. I should have planned this out purposely, but forgot. I just got darn lucky this time around. I've even seen some guys cut out a square from the base so you can use the foot petal while your foot is underneath. I think I'd remove the wheels before I'd do that, but we'll see as I get more into the artistic side of this machine.
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