Almost done!

One more side of paneling, then I'll route the cabinet openings to size, then stain everything, and start welding together the CNC chassis assembly for the shaper/router/plasma cabinet.

http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/garage/IM001746.JPG

 

Did you get some sleep?

Benches look TOO good!

CNC chassis???

 

Sleep? Ha, yeah right.

If I have time today I'm going to start staining them, and while that dries I'll make the brackets to hold the tops down and still.

Yes, CNC chassis. If you look at the above picture, you'll see that one cabinet sticks out from the workbench, that doesn't have a top. I'm going to build a better design of this: http://frederic.midimonkey.com/cnc-gantry.html over that opening which will allow me to move a plasma cutter, a dremel or roto-zip, and a router head around in that space.

Inside the top part of that cabinet is going to be a steel box, with a lip around the inside for supporting a piece of removable MDF for wood working, or a metal grate for metal cutting (plasma). When I'm cutting metal, that steel box will fill with water to prevent burn through of anything inside the cabinet as well as the MDF sides/cedar paneling.

The first version in the above link was held together by gravity, and while it worked well if I stood there holding the plasma cutter hoses, any binding of the hose caused the trucks to tilt messing up the cuts and their position. So this version is going to be a little more clever and run on 1" round steel rods that I'm going to give a nice finish on the lathe I just got X, Y, and Z. I just have to unload all the parts off the big CNC gantry thing I made which worked electronically, but has defects I mentioned earlier. Then I can cut that up for scrap, and work on the new, smaller one.

 

You could use Thompson shafting and linear bearings also. Check the used machine salvage yards for parts. They are used on all kinds of production and prototype machines.

 

While I still ahve to make the cabinet doors, the workbenches themselves are complete as are the "hammered" finish worktops.

 

That sure looks nice!

What are the tops made of?

 

I still have some moulding to buy and install, along the bases as well as along the top of the backsplash, and make the cabinet doors. I finally decided what kind of doors I'm going to make... simple wood borders which I'll route the edges/sides so they can be glued together without dowels, with inserts either of "handy board" which I'll paint, or if I have enough expanded metal (kinda like thick chicken wire) I'll make wood frame, mesh doors.

The tops are 3/4" MDF painted with rustoleum "hammer finish" paint which gives it a nice, tough, metal-appearing finish. I looked at a lot of different materials and I went with the MDF since I had enough to make the tops and thus there is no additional cost other than the paint. The paint got absorbed too much along the edges, but the tops came out really nice and are scratch/impact resistant. I painted a scrap of MDF first and after the three coats dried I scraped it with a screwdriver and a sheetrock saw and it held up pretty good until I got insanely aggressive.

The tops are also not permanently mounted... along the front edge there are three 5/16" diameter steel dowel pins I made (excuse to play with the lathe, the pins started out as 3/8" bolts) along the top of the cabinet frame, sticking up about 1/4" or so, and the MDF tops slip into the slots along the back and side of the wall/structure, then drop onto the pins to remain in place. They don't rock or wobble when there is no weight on them, and once I bolt down the benchtop drill press, the grinder, and put the plasma cutter between the two (behind the open frame part I haven't finished yet), they aren't going anywhere. And, easily replacable down the road. Just have to cut new MDF, drill six holes, paint, and drop in place. Much better than undoing glued joints or angle brackets with 90 zillion little screws.

 

Great ideas. I used pins (wooden dowels) on one of my workbenches also. It was made back when I lived in apartments and was two sets of hand made wooden drawers with a removable top. The top was made from MDF with 2x4 backing with lap joints in the corners. T-Nuts were used to attach the vise and grinder. The top was oiled but not painted. The entire unit came apart for moving. It was handy back in the early days. It still resides in one corner of my workshop. I have also used oiled Masonite for workbench tops.

 

will mdf hold up as a benchtop?

 

The 5/8" material on mine has held up for 31 years. But the top has not been abused as bad the last few years as the first few. I have a vise to beat on that is still mounted to the bench in the same location so I don't beat on the top directly. Water or moisture is the only thing that I know of that will destroy the stuff.

 

It should, unless I start doing metal forming on the surface (with a hammer). The hammered paint is actually pretty tough once it fully dried... I've already dropped a few tools on it without any scratches whatsoever, so I'm hopeful.

Since I wasn't sure though, that's why I made them easily removable, as they simply rest on pins.