Hi One thing to be very careful of using doors - the core may not be what you expect it to be. Solid wood may be just that, solid wood pieces laminated together. Think of it as a pice of butcher block countertop. It can also be shredded wood glued together. Think of it as a thick piece of particle board. The first sort of construction is quite strong. The second not so much so ....
Bob On Jan 24, 2010, at 1:09 PM, Thomas A. Frank wrote: > Even cheaper and less work than plywood - solid wood doors from Home Depot, > laid across a rectangle using 2x4 as horizontals with 4x4 as legs. > > It you use lag bolts (and you should, as nails work loose over time), you can > take the things apart when you move. > > My buddy has a few that all his milling machine parts sit on, and they > haven't sagged. > > Ask if they have any scratch and dent doors for really cheap. > > Tom Frank, KA2CDK > > On Jan 24, 2010, at 10:03 AM, Bob Camp wrote: > >> Hi >> >> If you are looking for massive tables on the cheap, you can indeed build >> them. Have the local Home Depot rip some plywood to an appropriate width and >> glue four sheets one on top of the other. 2x4's or 4x4's make fine legs and >> support structure under the table top. I have 16 feet of it sitting in the >> basement. No test gear on it at all. Other hobbies seem to have taken over >> the entire space... >> >> The only real drawback is that it's a build in place item. You aren't going >> to take it with you when you move. There are various versions of that table >> scattered all over the US. >> >> Bob >> >> >> On Jan 23, 2010, at 7:48 PM, Mike Feher wrote: >> >>> I also had similar problems with my 8 ft tables for my test equipment. I >>> found at Home Depot replacement fold down legs. I bought some, and installed >>> them right in the middle of the tables. No more sagging problems. I had to >>> shorten the legs somewhat as they were a few inches too long. But, have >>> supported hundreds of ponds for many years now with no sigh of >>> warping/sagging. 73 - Mike >>> >>> Mike B. Feher, N4FS >>> 89 Arnold Blvd. >>> Howell, NJ, 07731 >>> 732-886-5960 >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On >>> Behalf Of John Miles >>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 7:38 PM >>> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement >>> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Test Equipment >>> >>>> Another important aspect of the electronic test bench is the furniture. >>>> >>>> I started with the cheapie particle board "fold up legged" tables and >>>> very soon >>>> learned they could not hold much weight without significant sagging. >>> >>> If you have the space, you could do what I do, and bolt multiple folding >>> tables together with 'L'- and 'T'-shaped flat metal brackets. The idea, >>> besides adding surface area, is to dampen the tables' tendency to wobble. >>> This adds a surprising amount of stability and load-bearing capacity. It >>> completely eliminates the need to add a center leg, which is otherwise >>> pretty much mandatory when using folding tables. >>> >>> With cheap folding tables, you don't have to feel bad about drilling into >>> your workbench or otherwise marring and gouging it. Every few years, or >>> when you move, just throw the old folding table away and spend $39.95 on >>> another one. Voila, a brand new workbench. >>> >>>> Many industrial equipment catalogs will give you an idea of the >>>> accessories possible. >>>> Shelves, drawers, electrical outlet strips.etc. >>>> >>>> An effective infrastructure will allow the test bench to gradually grow, >>>> as the budget allows. >>> >>> Also, HP/Agilent equipment racks are sometimes available on eBay. These are >>> nothing like the relay racks or server racks that you commonly see in data >>> centers. They are *stout*. They're very expensive when new, but almost >>> free for the shipping when bought used. I used generic shelving units to >>> hold test equipment for a long time, but once you use real racks, you won't >>> go back. >>> >>> An Agilent E3662A/B rack can hold up to 81 EIA units of gear weighing up to >>> 1800 pounds. I have three in my living room and wish I had more... >>> >>> -- john, KE5FX >>> > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
