Working in a small workshop

[baldkev]

Mine is a 40 foot shipping container, high top. Its tricky for wide stuff
Mind you, i dont have overheads apart from electricity as i own the container and its on family land. I also dont get in there all that often as I'm a site carpenter so its just bits n bobs, occasionally built in wardrobes etc

 

[AndyP]

Has anyone got any ideas of how to setup a small workshop where I’ll be able to use say a plunge saw to cut down full size sheets. Working at waist height rather than bending down on knees all day outside on the decking. Current setup is 2 use several 4 foot lengths of 4x2 to support the sheets on the decking and then work on hands and knees all day which is killing my back. Current workshop is approx 3x6 metres to I’ve got room to rip the sheets down in the garage I just haven’t got round to working out the best way of doing it yet. Not ideal but I was thinking of making a folding work bench of some sort which attaches to the long 6m wall with piano hinges. Any other ideas? It doesn’t necessarily need to be massively stable, it’s just something to support the sheets while I cut them.

Cheers
Pete

I made something like this for my track saw with a sheet of celotex as a sacrificial top. It's surprisingly sturdy.

 

[Graham Brazier]

Apart from trestles which has been mentioned have you looked at a Centipede table with piece of foam on top to support the board , this can be folded up and the foam stored against wall or ceiling

Then use a MFT style top on a bench/fixed on hinges to wall for ya other cuts

I used to use trestles with a skill saw and a straight edge and then a radial arm saw to make units

or B&Q used to cut it up , surprising what you can get when you show the saw operator a picture of an 8x4 board with the various cuts you want to each board with a £5/10 note attached to it

 

[Herr Nilsson]

+1 for Bora Centipede..

See my previous post:

If you’re planning on cutting down full size (8’x4’) sheet material then the ‘BORA Centipede’ is a very handy, light weight collapsible table thingy.
Just needs a sacrificial top (Eg 50mm polystyrene insulation board), and entire sheet is supported during cut.

Also, I would advise doing this with a track saw as others have suggested!

Extends in seconds and breaks down to: L x W x H: 22.9 x 38.1 x 96.5 cm. Apparently takes the weight of a family sized car, but not sure how I will get the car up there to test it!
Admit it is a bit pricey (currently £186 on Amazon), but beats crawling around on your hands and knees, cutting on the floor etc.
Currently doubling as a standing office desk!

 

[Thingybob]

With a wall mounted saw what happens to the wood at the top following the cut, it must try and drop down onto the blade or am I missing something.

You clamp the board at the top edge so it dosnt fall 2 toggle clips.

 

[pe2dave]

While working with full sheets, set up trestles outside (collapsible if needed) to cut the sheet down to size.
Then work in the 'shop with smaller pieces?
Just wait till it's not raining!

 

[Thingybob]

When space is at a premium you have to think what machine do i use most that takes priority then how best to intergrate the other machines and tool storage takes a bit ofthinking and will evolve over time what works today you will think of something better in time ie mobile on castors ,fold away extra shed for storage . Never going to be a perfect answer just best for your purpose

 

[Bingy man]

The small workshop is (definitely in mine ) always evolving. As new ideas are presented and the advice on these threads is really useful a small change can often pay dividends. As thingybob said- what’s your most used machine-in my case I went for the record bs300 bandsaw as I can move it about in the small working space I have available for bigger projects, if needed I can easily move the b s to outside for the odd oversized job . When it’s not in use it sits in the corner. It’s always going to be a balance between what you want , need and actually have space for .

 

[Spectric]

One day maybe someone will defy physics and come up with a tardis !!

 

[Bingy man]

One day maybe someone will defy physics and come up with a tardis !!

Now that is an absolute banging idea , if only

 

[Jonm]

I have a bench made with trestles, cls and water resistant mdf. It is easy to take apart and quick to make. Main consideration is width. The toughbuilt trestles are 1m wide so ideal for a 1.2 sheet of mdf with 100mm overhang either side. That was too wide for me so I went for the Stanley plastic folding trestles which are 700 wide giving a bench width of 900mm. Cut V notches in the cls to fit over the trestles to improve stability and it is surprisingly strong. Care needed with the notches, need tight fit but cls has to fit “square” to the trestle, and top of notch resting on the trestle so V shape does not compress the trestle, also tops of cls has to be constant height above trestle. I ended up filing the sides of the notch and using wood filler at the top of the notch. That was the fiddly bit. Cut the top in half to help with storage and transport, couple of clamps to hold it together, I also added some dowels for alignment, just in case I turn it in to an MFT. If you go this way look up charliediyte on YouTube.

Here are some pictures

 

[Jonm]

Buy some C700 toughbuilt tressles, easy to store but with a couple of 4 by 2's you get a working table to sit sheet goods on for cutting, ideal for people without the space to cut indoors.

https://toughbuilt.com/sawhorses

That is a good way to go. Could screw a moisture resistant mdf sheet to the top to turn it in to a workbench. Possibly cut the mdf sheet in half to make it easier to handle/transport/store, could use it indoors or outside.

Only problem is if it is too wide to use as a bench indoors, in which case see my post about using the plastic Stanley ones. The toughbuilt trestles are way better than the plastic Stanley ones.

 

[Spectric]

Only problem is if it is too wide to use as a bench indoors,

The tressels are around 700mm wide so the total width is down to your top sheet.

 

[Lazurus]

Another shout foe the Bora Centipede, I got the 6 x 4 version and is ideal for 8 x 4 sheets and a circular saw, sheet of celotex and folds down to nothing and slides under my bench and the celotex against a wall or tucked away outside till next used.
https://boratool.co.uk/collections/centipedes

 

[Jonm]

The tressels are around 700mm wide so the total width is down to your top sheet.

I understood they were more like 1 metre wide, hence me going for the plastic Stanley’s, would have preferred toughbuilt. Based it on the following

 

[Matt_0222]

I’ve used these height adjustable trestles for many years - bought them from Wickes but most outlets sell their own branded version. Must be the same factory! Been really useful being able to just height - lower for painting units (810mm), mid-height for cutting (and adding worktop) and very high for suspending cabinet doors etc. on a 2x4 on hooks for painting. Very versatile. Downsides are… they aren’t the easiest to store and not particularly light. I’ve put them in a large draw but tucking them in a corner also works. They are cheap though!

Draper Adjustable Metal Trestle 685 x 560mm​

https://www.toolstation.com/draper-adjustable-metal-trestle/
Screwfix and many other retailers sell the same (rebranded) ones.

Or these also look good…

https://www.aosom.co.uk/item/homcom...roller-trestle-height-adjustable~B71-049.html

 

[Jonm]

Cut the top in half to help with storage and transport, couple of clamps to hold it together, I also added some dowels for alignment

These are the clamps I used and they work well Linseray 2pcs 431 Hand Tools Toggle Clamps Quick Pull Hook Bolt Lock Metal Hold Down Latch-Action Toggle Clamp 701 lbs Capacity : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Lots of good solutions in this post. I find with mine that cutting the top in half makes a big difference to storage, two 900x1200 tops are fairly easy to transport, handle and store. A 900x2400 top is in the way wherever I put it.

 

[William2020]

I’ve just bought some trestles so I could cut sheet materials at a non-back aching height. Key was they need to fold away and not take too much room. Normally, I’d have made some, but with limited time, I went to a local outlet to buy the plastic Stanley ones I’d borrowed before. I discovered there are two versions of the plastic ones - the bigger appearing very stable.
While I was making my peace with having to buy plastic (gritted teeth) I spotted some Stanley-made (China) metal folding-leg trestles. The two trestles clip together and so offer a lightweight, compact design which can be carried in one hand.
They were £37 from the well-known DIY store where I bought them, so very similarly priced with the plastic ones.
While the plastic ones may be more stable, they not as compact.

 

[OCtoolguy]

Now that is an absolute banging idea , if only

Ok, I'll bite, what's a tardis?

 

[Herr Nilsson]

Ok, I'll bite, what's a tardis?

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