Tuesday, July 28, 2015

I-Beam table for workbench or drill press




                              Make this small sturdy I-beam work table. Easiest ever to make
                             and a very useful tool in any shop. It is very strong and  can even 
                             hold my weight. It has many clamping possibilities and can clamp
                             many different size parts as well as very small parts and will fit
                             securely on a table or drill press table.


                                                  
   
     

  


                              To start  I found some old plywood that came from a cabinet that
                              was well over 40 years old  and it was very good quality. I glued
                               some pieces together and got a thickness of 1 1/4 inches.
               
                               The pieces are cut to L 7"x W 8".
                               The middle support piece is 3.3"
                               The table height is 4.25"




                               I installed a dado blade into my saw and ran it through a couple
                               of times to get the right thickness of the plywood. 


                             
                               The depth of the cut into the top and bottom boards was 0.6".




                          On purpose I made the dado a tight fit. With some glue and a good 
                          whack with the hammer I now have a very strong and sturdy I-beam.
                       



                               Now to install the insert nuts. This could've been done before
                              glueing but I wanted to lay things out and get a better idea of how
                              things would work and look the best. After I decided I drilled two
                              holes.



                             A hand screw clamp and block are on the table so when I drilled
                            the holes for the insert nuts there would be no tearout. 

                             Another plus for this table is the hand screw clamp, they do not 
                            work very well on a drill press table but fit very nice on the I-beam
                            table.    
  

                     
                               A close up of the insert nut. I used an Allen key to turn it in. It
                               may seem difficult but in fact is very easy to do.



                                 I used some clamps and secured the I-beam table to  my workbench.
                                 I put on a small vise using some Phillip screws and turned them into
                                 the insert nuts. This is put together very quick and easy. I even tried
                                 it on my kitchen table and it worked great and did not mark anything!



                               Now to the drill press
                              I made a few hold down clamps out of maple and some T-nuts
                              at one end. The clamps are holding a Canadian dime and after 
                              tightening the screws the dime would not budge.

                             
                              Philip screws are in the insert nuts and lag bolts are in the T-nuts.
                              Now there are many possibilities for clamping parts.
                               
                             The I-beam table is clamped to the drill press table. It can be
                             turned over and now we  have a whole new table. 



               



See also:

                       Make a large compass         Make a Spline Jig                   Easy Scrap Bin

                                                        




17 comments:

  1. It could've become achieved well before glueing though Need be to help you lie stuff over and uncover a more suitable knowledge of the correct way stuff works and check out the ideal.

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    Replies
    1. You are correct,but I thought of adding the insert nuts after I built it.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Very nice sir. I like simple and this one is. Your design is great. I think I'll made something similar. Nice.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Marshall, let me know how yours turns out!

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  4. Nice improvement on your little 2x4 bench. I wonder whether this could be made from OSB as well, since it would not have to take large forces when handling small pieces. Thanks for sharing, Jack!

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    1. I would not use OSB. I have used this wood and find the end start to crumble.

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  5. The information really help us readers to understand,it is a great information for us to be aware what we need to do in handling this machinery. Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. I am glad this information helps. Everyone should take care while handling machines.

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  6. Good article. Many people don't know how to make this beam and this should help them out.

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  7. Wonderful Sir! Thanks for sharing your experiences. That's really help me in work.

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  8. Very nice sir. Thanks for sharing your tips. You are so dextrous to do that

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  9. This is a really helpful guide! Thanks for capturing the detailed photos, too. I don't think I'd go into this much detail when sharing tips and tricks - too lazy!

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  11. Workbenches will likewise be taken off of the path, contingent upon the sort and size which is introduced the same number of them have interlocking wheels.Best rolling workbenches

    ReplyDelete