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Thread: Elevating projects

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    New Jersey
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    103

    Elevating projects

    Guys, as I get older I don't want to work on the floor any more. I don't have room for a dedicated work table and have been using 4 buckets to help when working on larger projects to raise them up to a comfortable height. The problem is that they don't anchor down very well and slide very easily. I would love to hear/see any other ideas for doing this, keeping in mind they need to be collapsible or stored in one another. Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Calgary AB CA
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    86
    I like my telescoping leg saw horses, they get down to about 18" and fold up real compact
    They are pretty good for sturdy, especially when lower.
    One day I might add a 2X to the top which will stiffen it up even more

    http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...-0571635p.html

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    southeast Michigan
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    676
    Pat I'm with you about working in an upright position. I'm lucky enough to have a large work table on casters but sometimes I work on stuff outside. In that case I'll use one or two of these: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-X-W...5155/202021304. The top locks on with a quarter turn and it folds flat with the top in about 10 seconds. I hang them on a wall when not in use. Very clever and sturdy design.

  4. #4
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    Last edited by glenn bradley; 03-11-2017 at 11:30 AM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    NW Indiana
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    3,078
    I have the Husky table also and it is great. The Stanley adjustable saw horses are also good.

  6. #6
    If you want more in the way of convenience, mimic what the ergonomic gurus in industry do - use an adjustable height workstand. You're obviously not going to need a 10,000# capacity welding positioning table with a built in turntable, but most home shop projects could be accommodated by a rolling lift table from HF:

    http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...art-61405.html

    or:

    http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...art-61405.html

    If you are working on something really big, or heavy, use two of these stands and bridge them with a work surface made of 2x4's and plywood.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298

    what I do

    I often use the collapsible plastic saw horses that have a couple of 1.5" wide notches. These will tightly hold a 2x4 or 2x6 on edge which make the whole thing pretty stable. I often put a piece of 1/2" ply on top to make a temporary work surface, sometimes held with screws.

    I use these inside and outside the shop for wood assembly, chainsawing chunks for turning blanks, welding and plasma cutting, and for a general work surface around the farm such as when working on equipment or animals. They make great temporary roosts for birds too - I currently have some in a pen for some big toms I'm "turkey sitting" for a friend. The storage space is minimal.

    For something shorter, I'd probably take a couple of 2x10s or something, notch the tops of these and stand on edge, and interlock with a two or more more notched 2-bys running the other direction. To reduce weight and perhaps to work better on a bumpy floor/ground, the bottom two could have big arches cut out to make feet on the ends. Easy to knock down and store. Three levels for more height. Zero cost with surplus lumber. In fact, now I want to make one of these for myself!

    JKJ

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,529
    +1 Brian

    There are some good threads on here about adjustable work platforms/benches. Do some research on it.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    1,830
    Do you have a Work-Mate?

    If not, they are quite easy to find cheap at yard sales. I made a table top for mine from a piece of 3/4 plywood about 2' X 3' in size, but it could be larger or smaller to suit your needs. I attached a T shaped strip across the bottom center of the plywood that I clamp into the vise on the Work-Mate. Making it T shaped and mounting the narrower part of the T to the table bottom the wide part of the T keeps it from pulling out of the Work-Mate vise, should the vice not be quite tight enough while in use, the wider part of the T will prevent the top from lifting out of the vise.

    With the Work-Mate fully folded and laying on the floor, the table top is about 5" above the floor. With the 4 legs opened, the table top is elevated to about 11" above the floor. With the Work-Mate fully set up, the table is about 36" above the floor. Folding the legs back in will give you a height of about 30". One of those heights will be comfortable enough to allow working on almost any small project, and it's easy to change the table from one height to another as the project grows in size. When finished using the Work=Mate I fold it and hang it on the shop wall. A hole in the table top plywood lets me hang it on a nail in the wall too.

    I now have several Work-Mates and use them frequently to hold tools and projects at comfortable heights. I initially made the first table top for a Work-Mate to hold a lunch box planer, but I have been finding new uses for my Work-Mates and table tops ever since. Set one up next to your car to pile tools on while you are working. Set one next to your large work bench to hold sanding and painting supplies when the large bench isn't quite large enough to hold everything. Set one up next to your drill press to hold the boxes of bits wrenches and screwdrivers while drilling and clamping many parts to the drill press table. Set one up next to your lathe and use a table top with holes in it to hold all of your lathe tools. Invent some new uses for your own needs.

    Charley

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Wayne, Pa.
    Posts
    498
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Meeuwissen View Post
    Guys, as I get older I don't want to work on the floor any more. I don't have room for a dedicated work table and have been using 4 buckets to help when working on larger projects to raise them up to a comfortable height. The problem is that they don't anchor down very well and slide very easily. I would love to hear/see any other ideas for doing this, keeping in mind they need to be collapsible or stored in one another. Thanks
    I'm on facebook and "like" a few of the woodworking pages which display projects, tools, etc. Just a few days ago there was a work table which could be elevated to a number of different heights for your comfort while working on a project. My back thought it funny that a number of people responded that they didn't know what value this would be...probably 20-30 year olds that haven't done much to their bodies yet. I'll try a few more times to find it and post it for you if I do.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Wayne, Pa.
    Posts
    498
    This looks like a sketch of what I saw on facebook.

    elevated work table.jpg

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    Get the hydraulic table that Brain recommended. Throw away the handle, then you can stand the table on its edge for storage and it takes very little floor space.

    I have four of them, use one for my midi-lathe and the others are used for various projects as necessary including unloading my truck, moving materials around my shop and temporary work tables. You will enjoy the adjustable height an how easy it is to raise and lower the table.
    .

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Camas, Wa
    Posts
    3,855
    I have a couple of Dewalt foldable adjustable height saw horses from Home Depot. I also have an older Wolfcraft foldable adjustable height table similar to a workmate.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by John T Barker View Post
    This looks like a sketch of what I saw on facebook.

    elevated work table.jpg
    I like the idea, you could also design one with a single heavy duty auto floor jack centered on the top table.

    The point is there are multiple ways to make adjustable tables.
    Last edited by Brian Backner; 03-11-2017 at 11:07 AM.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    103
    Guys, thanks so much for the responses and the understanding. It was all good when we were in our twenties now the knees and back are paying the price.
    I do have a workmate and use it all the time for smaller tasks but right now I'm working on a bar server cart and its 56" long I was thinking more along the lines of a couple knock down boxes like this outfeed table looks to be. https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools...table/view-all
    I also have a couple adjustable heavy duty saw horses which too wide to fit well into space I have to work. I use them outdoors when its not 24 degrees out.

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