What do you use for an assembly table?

[Doug Shepard]

... I am thinking of using one or two hollow-core doors, the kind that are hollow, light and fairly flat....

That works pretty good and it's cheap. The only downside (and probably the same problem with any torsion box) it that if you clamp something down onto the door, you have to make sure the clamps are lined up with the internal grid or you can punch through the skin (even with parallel jaw clamps).

[Al Willits]

I built the David Marks table also, mines is 5x6 foot and I used the 3/4" MDF, I think I might have gone 1/2" if I was to do it again, it is heavy when your trying to move it by yourself, I also attached D handles on the side so it was easier to drag around.

I'd think the 1/2" version would be strong enough, and possibly light enough you could hang on a wall when not in use.

Al

[Mark Carlson]

Mark, I've been resisting adding a Festool table to my Festool collection. May go the route. Is it something that you can put up and take down easily, or is it best set up semi-permanently?

I don't move mine but it does have folding legs so you can store it away or take it with you. I created a shelf across the legs where I store my planer. This added weight makes the table more solid. I run the planer from there. The MFT is being replaced by a new model called the MF3. I think it becomes available next month. The Festool table is pricey. A cheaper option is just to buy the top and make your own table or buy a sheet of MDF and drill the holes yourself. What I'm thinking about is a torsion box with a Festool style top.

~mark

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

The woodwhisperer has a video on his site similar to David Marks (but with some improvements) you might find helpful:
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-...e-torsion-box/

[Chris Mann]

One thing with the Festool MFT is that it will sag over time. You can run some bracing underneath the mft top to correct/prevent this. This of course gets in the way of certain clamping situations and prevents you from flipping over the top when the current side gets too banged up.

I suppose you could also flip the top every few weeks to prevent this from happening. The table isn't exactly light though, I'd think a thin skinned torsion box would be better for something you need to put up out of the way frequently.

[Matt Meiser]

I use my welding table which has a 3/8" steel top. I put a piece of 1/4" hardboard over that. It works out nice because the thin, but stiff top is good for clamping too.

[Dave Falkenstein]

One thing with the Festool MFT is that it will sag over time....

I have two Festool MFT's, connected to make one large work surface. I have had these tables for several years. I just checked the flatness using a long straight edge. There is no sag - none, zip, zilch - both tables are as flat as the day I bought them.

For a small workspace, the MFT legs fold away and it can be stored.

The clamping possibilities make the MFT a great assembly table.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I agree with Dave, that's the first I've ever heard of an MFT sagging.

[Mark Carlson]

No sag yet on a 3yr old MFT.

[JayStPeter]

The only problem I have with the MFT as an assembly table is size and other functionality. The size problem can be fixed somewhat expensively with Daves suggestion. But, I tend to use my assembly table as a staging area for the entire project and it's helpful to have the MFT available for other uses. That's not to say I don't use the MFT as a clamping table for subassemblies. But, the larger table is home base and really doesn't need much more than a flat surface. Every time I consider getting rid of the cheapo table and making a bigger MFT I consider this issue. It'll probably happen eventually, but I wish I had the space for both. For now, the assembly table is only taken down if I need to setup my temporary spray booth. The MFT comes and goes as needed.

[Greg Hines, MD]

You can also look on www.newyankee.com and check out Norms assembly table. It does not fold, but is on casters to move it around, and shows how to make a relatively simple table that is light and strong. It is not quite as stiff as Marks torsion box, but not bad either.

I only have a workbench right now, but when I build the shop on the back part of the lot, in maybe 10 years, I will be making a hybrid of a torsion box like Marks makes, along with the leg and caster assembly from Abram.

Doc

[Greg Sznajdruk]

I was involved in renovating a bank into a flower shop. The ATM booth was constructed from 3/4 particleboard with 3/16 sheet steel bonded to both sides. This is a heavy 4 by 8, which I use for assembly table top, the steel is painted so glue pops right off. It is flat enough to use as a reference surface. Have no idea where to get this product, unless there is a bank branch closing.

Greg

[allan cripe]

I also use the white plastic banquet table.....It's the only thing I "let" my wife keep in my side of the garage(shop). She uses it for scrapbooking. I also built a copy of Norm's big table with the casters that flip up and down, that sucker is big, but I sometimes like to use the smaller table.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I have a solid core door as a bench top. Works well.

[Brandon Shew]

I have a small shop and I use a 4' x 5' fold down torsion box type table that doubles duty as an outfeed table as well as an assembly table. It's mounted on the wall side on a long piano hinge and the other side has folding adjustable legs. I simply fold it down when needed and fold it up when not in use.