Woodworking table and clamp

[noobofthecentury]

I have everything I need..
except a good table to do my wood working, clamps and a router

What is a good affordable working table where I can use my router (after I buy 1)
or woodcutting
I notice my table moves! >.<

and also clamps to keep things together.

Note: this are all for small projects, nothing more than a 1"x1"

thx

[sstorkel]

Table? Woodworking isn't something you should be doing in the kitchen 

Do you mean you're looking for something like the Black and Decker Workmate 425? They can be useful. You just need to build a shelf across the bottom, then throw 5-6 bags of concrete on it to keep the whole thing from moving around.

If that doesn't work for you, you'll probably need to buy or build a workbench...

[ChadTower]

I just toss a ply sheet onto some sawhorses and secure it tight.  Or I use the old picnic table in my backyard.  There are tons of ways you can throw up a temporary workbench.  Sometimes when cutting whole sheets I use both the horses and the picnic table.

[shardian]

I also do the sawhorse and plywood route. Most cases the weight of the wood is more than enough to keep it in place on the sawhorses.

There are plans on the 'net for portable work tables if you want something fancier. I wouldn't though unless you plan on becoming a hardcore woodworking hobbyist.

[sstorkel]

Sometimes when cutting whole sheets I use both the horses and the picnic table.

I usually just throw some old 2x4s down on the driveway for that. Once the pieces are down to a manageable size, then I move them to my work table.

[ChadTower]

Most cases the weight of the wood is more than enough to keep it in place on the sawhorses.

And when it's not, a couple 35lb plates do the trick nicely.  I have a friend who got some rubber sheeting that provides enough friction between the ply and the horses that the ply stays put - I've seen him tip a sawhorse before the ply moved.  Only takes just enough sheeting to cover where the ply rests on the sawhorse.

[Paul Olson]

For small projects, I really like my workmate. It is easy to secure your workpiece if it 12" or less, and I have not had a problem with the workmate moving around on me. I also have a couple of the x-sawhorses from home depot, these are extremely handy. They fold up like a sawhorse for storage, but open up to be a great little table. They are great for cutting sheets of MDF into small enough pieces for my table saw to handle. I lay out a sheet on both tables, cut the sheet in half, and both haves are still sitting on the tables - way easier than messing with regular sawhorses. A sheet of MDF also makes a good temp table resting across them. I highly recommend them for anyone's shop.

[Franco B]

I just toss a ply sheet onto some sawhorses and secure it tight.  Or I use the old picnic table in my backyard.  There are tons of ways you can throw up a temporary workbench.  Sometimes when cutting whole sheets I use both the horses and the picnic table.

 

The black and decker workmates are handy. Not so much for bigger pieces though. You can always make a router/circular saw fixture to use with you workmate, I made one |here|

[ChadTower]

I'm not saying the Workmates won't do it for him... I am saying the Workmates are $100 each at least and one is not going to do much for him when working with sheet goods.  He'll need two or something else like a sawhorse.

[IA1NY]

Noob,

What's affordable?  What are you willing to put into it?  I've used several scenarios over the years from building on the floor to well built workbenches. If you're not doing much pounding or handplaning but just need something you can put your immediate work on with some tools you might consider a simple folding table.  Get the Melamine kind, not the plastic kind.  It comes in several sizes, folds up for storage, is relatively light, you can mount a router in there (relatively primitive, but workable) and can be surprisingly versatile.  If the melamine breaks, it's easy to replace with plywood for a better worktable.  I used one as a worktable on a jobsite once and was surprised how well it worked.

As for clamps:  The more the better.   I always wish I had "one" more.   At home I use 1/2" pipe clamps: (economical, yet useful), C-clamps (3" and 4" usually), and the "Quickgrip" clamps of various sizes.  I also have a slew of wood handscrews and medium spring clamps.  My favorites are my Bessey "metalworking" clamps, but they're expensive.  They will probably be more expensive than you want to spend unless you are using them constantly.  The ones that imho are best for starting out are the pipe clamps and C-clamps.  They're both fairly inexpensive so that you can get more, and most versatile to boot. 

Have fun shopping for tools!

[Jouster]

I was just searching the forums to see if anyone had tried to build their own workbench...and found this thread.  I have been looking at some free plans I found at http://www.bobsplans.com.  Mostly http://www.bobsplans.com/BobsPlans/GarageWorkbench/GarageWorkbenchPlans.php ... you can download the 49 page pdf at the bottom of that page.

I'm thinking of modifying this table to better suit me...but these are good plans to start with.  This table may be a bit out of your range...there are plans for smaller tables as well.  I was just hoping to build me something that would also help hid the mess I have in the garage.

Anyone know of other free plans out there?

Jouster

[Zeosstud]

www.skilxbench.com     I dont have one and have never laid hands on one, however, it looks pretty cool and if your a hobbyiest cant see where it would be to horrible.  Love the deal where you can pull it apart to make cuts, looks impressive.

Zeosstud