Temp fixing work bench top

[Filament]

Advice needed!

I am having a ply MFT top made that will sit on a basic frame of CLS or ply (or possibly a simple torsion box).

When in use I will use a pair of Toughbuilt C700 Sawhorses/ Trestles (pictured) as the base and this will be used on the drive in our very dry and warm wood- and human-friendly climate.

Though these sawhorses do have expandable channels at each end that will hold a 2x4 (a US 2x4 to be precise, but as I say it expands, so will take UK sizes, they just won’t be flush with the top unless you size them)

I can’t these channels to secure the worktop as they are about 980mm apart and I can’t have the worktop that wide because…



I am incredibly tight for space, so when not in use I will hang the workbench top on a wall behind a cupboard. (I thought it made more sense to hang it on the wall rather than just stand it behind the cupboard as that felt like it would be less likely to warp, but happy to be told other opinions)
Pic of space that will be even more limited as I’m fitting architrave to the door frame soon. The wood currently behind the cupboard will have gone.

As the space is behind a cupboard, I can’t access it from the front, but instead will have to access it from the side to slide the benchtop in and lift it to hang it on the wall (unless I put castors under the crappy Ikea unit in front and pull it out of the way to access, which isn’t ideal)

I would ideally like some sort of fixing that I could use both to secure the workbench top to the sawhorse when in use and use the same connection method to secure the sawhorse to the wall

I can screw wood battens to the top of the sawhorses to attach fixings.

Ideally set up / break down will be quick (days that are predicted to be dry that turn out to be comprised of hourly showers are the standard MO for the days I choose for making things)


The thought process I’ve been down so far are:

Button-fix flush fastenings
Which feel elegant, but would need a lot of precision mating so I’d be nudging the sawhorses back and forth under the worktop and it might be tricky to heft it over and onto such a small fitting when hanging it on the wall

French cleats
Could work well for the wall hanging as I could set them out from the wall and lift and slide the worktop on. Could use at one end of the sawhorse top and secure the other end another way but it feels like it could be done better.


Wide dowels on bottoms of worktop that locate in holes in wood on the trestle top. Workable but means more depth to the worktop, meaning it’ll stick out from the wall more or if I put the dowels on the trestle top I can’t stack then on top of each other or use them for anything else


Anyone done similar or has an idea for a type of fixing I’m not aware of?


Thanks

 

[Spectric]

they just won’t be flush with the top unless you size them)

It has caused me no problems, I just lay some MDF onto them as a temporary top and then clamp work down when needed. With an MFT it will need some frame to give it support and so just make part of this frame fit into the saw horses and maybe simple wedges.

 

[Filament]

It has caused me no problems, I just lay some MDF onto them as a temporary top and then clamp work down when needed. With an MFT it will need some frame to give it support and so just make part of this frame fit into the saw horses and maybe simple wedges.

I’ve done the same. It’s more that I can only do this on one side as the worktop isn’t wide enough to reach both sides of the trestles (I could only go as wide/deep as the space I have behind the cupboard)

 

[MF1000]

I’ve not made my mft top yet but my existing 18mm ply surfacing table sits very stable on my bora centipede support stand (4ftx4ft) esp with the clamps provide with the legs. They fold down into a 30cm sq need rectangle in the provided bag ….and the bora is good value esp from M&J plastics - I got mine for £96 a couple of months back

 

[Filament]

Thanks. I know about the Centipede and considered it when I bought these trestles. It’s a great system.
I decided against it because the Toughbuilt gave broader functionality for me (more mass, can use as a hop up, to hold sheets vertically, hold lengths of wood horizontally for sawing, makeshift battering ram etc.) so spending another £100 on a different system isn’t really on the cards.

 

[gmgmgm]

(I have the same sawhorses, they are good!)

I don't bother to clamp down my MFT tops unless I'm doing something physical with it. They are heavy and won't move around.

To attach it to the wall - an MFT top is full of holes. Why not choose 1 or 2 holes to be sacrificial, put in some hooks, and hang it off those holes? The 1-2 holes may lose some of their perfect roundness over time, but it's an easy solution.

 

[Filament]

(I have the same sawhorses, they are good!)

I don't bother to clamp down my MFT tops unless I'm doing something physical with it. They are heavy and won't move around.

To attach it to the wall - an MFT top is full of holes. Why not choose 1 or 2 holes to be sacrificial, put in some hooks, and hang it off those holes? The 1-2 holes may lose some of their perfect roundness over time, but it's an easy solution.

They are aren’t they? The one thing I’ve seen is one person saying that in a van every day all the nuts shook themselves loose, so been tempted to loctite the lot but as mine is just diy there’s probably no need.
Thanks for the suggestion. It’s a good idea. I’d also wondered about tapered (just under) dog sized dowels on the wall to slide two of the holes onto.

You may be right on weight. It’s being made out of lightweight ply though (due to the hefting around considerations) were I not having to stretch lift it into a funny space it would have been mrmdf but I’m living with less mass for the sake of my back.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Storage of worktop - heavy duty ball bearing drawer runner fixed to wall would allow worktop to be lifted onto hooks on the runner and slid behind the cupboard with minimal effort.

Worktop - it is probably unnecessary to hold the worktop on both sides of the sawhorse - a simple block under each end of the worktop would ensure that it could be clamped on one side of the sawhorse. If block makes the worktop too deep it could be hinged.

 

[Filament]

Thanks Terry. That’s great! I’d thought of putting the French cleat on a runner but had shelved it once I saw the prices on ones that could extend far enough. I’ll check again and think about hooks too.

 

[Sideways]

I wind down the blade and lie a 1.2m wide sheet of "trespa" high density laminate on the surface of my tablesaw when I'm not using it. It protects the surface from rust etc and gives me another work surface.
The trespa is heavier than an MFT top and the saw table is set quite high up so it's an awkward lift on and off.
I routed a couple of hand holds in from one edge of the sheet and it made handling much easier. I'd recommend that small upgrade to anyone who uses a loose MFT tabletop.
Routing shallow grooves in the surface all round the edge with a core box bit is another improvement. It stops your pencils, drills and bits from rolling off

And no connection other being a happy customer, full extension 100kg drawer slides, priced per pair in a variety of lengths:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253931250880?var=553282132262