Woodworking bench DIY

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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45515
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 2:29 am Post subject:

i just thought of a couple of things

is 640 wide enough for constructing the things you might want to glue together on a flat surface?it would be a bit narrow for a door or window or biggish bookcase .if i had space i would probably go for 2400x1200 preferably with room to work from all four sides if needs be .

are you going to put a vice on it?if so you will need to reinforce an area to bolt it to

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 6:41 am Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

mousjoos wrote:

sean wrote:

MDF dust is pretty evil.

Unless you eat the equivalent of an 8x4 sheet on a daily basis, you're fairly safe...

The hazard is from inhalation not consumption. Any fine dust is not good to breath in and MDF tends to go to dust when you cut it.

Perhaps "eat" was the wrong word

MDF was banned in the US because of the toxic elements in the glue

Mahogany produces a fine dust which is dangerous, along with other exotic timbers....the point is use a mask

The use of MDF itself won't kill you (unless it falls on you from a great height) & if as in this instance, it's for a workbench, then the top needs to be solid; once the paper on a sheet of MDF is damaged then the surface & the interior of the board can degrade fairly rapidly; also if the edges of the board aren't protected they will eventually became "fat" through taking in moisture

ETA as dpack says, if you are mounting a vice on the bench, you might want to reinforce that part of the surface...but also consider placing the vice over or close to the legs of the bench...generally this is why the vice is close to one corner

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 7:20 am Post subject:
MDF is not banned in the US, nor has ever been.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 10:48 am Post subject:

MDF has it's place and its virtues. As an 'engineered' wood product it's regular, doesn't deform preferentially along one axis, is available in large sheets and makes use of the offcuts that would otherwise be waste at the timber mill. On the other hand it does contain some toxins, generates lots of dust if heavily machined and loses all structural strength in the presence of damp.

For most places where MDF might be an option I would rather use ply.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 11:03 am Post subject:

JB wrote:

makes use of the offcuts that would otherwise be waste at the timber mill.

That may have been the intent when they invented it, but they feed the MDF mills with forest loads at a time. I don't think they bother with off cuts.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 1:23 pm Post subject:
Not saying it's better than ply or always ideal, but what about kitchen worktop ? Plus points ...... it's already 60cm wide wipe clean less bouncy than ply often free so you can abuse and replace - that's what I do

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 3:09 pm Post subject:

I haven't read all the posts, but when I make a bench for working on I always make it at least 3ft wide which accommodates most of my 'doings'. I am sort of between properties-bungalow being built- so I will be making a new bench. I always use old pallets as most steel companies get rid of their pallets and often have big stuff, I use 6-8ft 3x3" usually for the legs and framework. I cover this with a run of pallet boards, both ways in laminate style and as the top, (about 40mm thick), wears out I rip the top off and replace with another set of pallet boards. I always put a low tool rack at the back to hold the tools I am using at the time, the rack being removeable held in place by 2 angle iron brackets, so that I can work both sides if needed. I have an old style wood workers vice incorporated too most useful!

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 4:02 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

MDF is not banned in the US, nor has ever been.

There was a newspaper article published before I left UK 12 years ago stating that the use of MDF in some states was prohibited

Don't remember the paper or the author, just remember being shown the article, as I had to bring H&S in the workshop up to new standards in order to deal with MDF & other fine dust

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45432
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 4:07 pm Post subject:
OK, 2x18mm ply, 800 wide predrilled for benchdogs Thanks all. Mind you I haven't watched that video yet...

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 4:10 pm Post subject:
HSE MDF FAQ

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 5:01 pm Post subject:

mousjoos wrote:

Nick wrote:

MDF is not banned in the US, nor has ever been.

There was an article in a newspaper some years back about there being a Lancaster bomber on the moon.

Quote:

Q6. Is MDF banned in other countries and, if so, why not in the UK?
HSE is not aware of any countries in the world where MDF is banned.

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 5:34 pm Post subject:

Are we aiming for a 40 + page thread ?

Just posted what I read / was shown

There was also talk at the time of making it mandatory to separate wood chip from fine dust in extraction systems, due to the risk of explosion...mostly I was told because of the dramatic increase in the use of MDF

Maybe you know the cabinet trade better than I do, but being an employer at the time, & being in contact with other employers in the same trade meant that a lot of information circulated regardless of whether or not it eventually came to anything

Unfortunately we didn't have Google at our disposal

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45515
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 5:39 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

OK, 2x18mm ply, 800 wide predrilled for benchdogs

Thanks all.

Mind you I haven't watched that video yet...

that seems like a good bench top

a few things that will be very useful

4 sash cramps

at least two "squeezey"clamps for holding odd things or holding a full board ready to slice bits off it (mine came from poundland and they are ace )

a bench hook

a board with assorted holes attached under the bench for chisels etc ,it is much nicer than laying them on the top

a short bit of plastic pipe to blow frass out of holes and a brush to remove frass etc before turning the work over ,bits can mess the surface,get in your glue , throw angles off true etc etc

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 5:42 pm Post subject:
You'll also need a sign that wives and children can read that explains that it's not for putting any old crap on.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45515
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 14 5:49 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

You'll also need a sign that wives and children can read that explains that it's not for putting any old crap on.

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