If you were a part of MAKE:'s 06 Maker Faire in San Mateo California, you probably didn't miss the the Maker Bench. Many of the projects were set on these sturdy, overbuilt tables made of aluminum pipe and fittings. In this project we will walk you throught the steps and point out the pieces and parts you need to build your own Maker Bench.
tools required:
5/16” Hex Key
Drill (not required)
Screw Driver
parts list:
6’ x 30” Plywood Tabletop
4 wood screws
1 1/2" Aluminum Schedule 40 Pipe:
(lengths)
4 x 3’ 1-1/2”
4 x 2’ 1”
3 x 5’ 7”
Fittings:
(available at: http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com )
4 x L61-8 Kee Lite Flange
6 X L10-8 Kee Lite Single Socket Tee
4 x L20-8 Kee Lite Side Outlet Elbow
4 x 105-8 Kee Klamp Sheeting Clip
Note about pipe size: this bench was overbuilt. If you wanted to shave the cost of this bench you could:
1) Use a different type of pipe (e.g. thinner wall tubing) You can also use fence tube if you really want to cut cost.
2) Use a smaller diameter pipe.
tools required:
5/16” Hex Key
Drill (not required)
Screw Driver
parts list:
6’ x 30” Plywood Tabletop
4 wood screws
1 1/2" Aluminum Schedule 40 Pipe:
(lengths)
4 x 3’ 1-1/2”
4 x 2’ 1”
3 x 5’ 7”
Fittings:
(available at: http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com )
4 x L61-8 Kee Lite Flange
6 X L10-8 Kee Lite Single Socket Tee
4 x L20-8 Kee Lite Side Outlet Elbow
4 x 105-8 Kee Klamp Sheeting Clip
Note about pipe size: this bench was overbuilt. If you wanted to shave the cost of this bench you could:
1) Use a different type of pipe (e.g. thinner wall tubing) You can also use fence tube if you really want to cut cost.
2) Use a smaller diameter pipe.
- Make sure that you buy fittings that correspond to the pipe size that you have chosen.
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Signing UpStep 1: Assemble the Legs
If you ordered your bench from O'Reilly or from Simplified Building Concepts then this step will already be complete.
Slip-on the four L20s to one end of each of the four 3' 1-1/2' pipes. Tighten down the set screw.
Slip-on four L10s to the other end of the pipes.
Lay the pipes on the ground with the L20s all facing the same direction (see below)
Position two L10s so that they are aligned with the vertical portion of the L20. Tighten the set screw. (see left below)
Position two L10s so that they are aligned with the horizontal portion of the L20. Tighten the set screw. (see right below)
These will be you legs.
Slip-on the four L20s to one end of each of the four 3' 1-1/2' pipes. Tighten down the set screw.
Slip-on four L10s to the other end of the pipes.
Lay the pipes on the ground with the L20s all facing the same direction (see below)
Position two L10s so that they are aligned with the vertical portion of the L20. Tighten the set screw. (see left below)
Position two L10s so that they are aligned with the horizontal portion of the L20. Tighten the set screw. (see right below)
These will be you legs.
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Just in case you do want to build it. If it still is too expensive, go with PVC. One thing for sure, you can customize almost everything on this table, after completion with a few twists of a hex key.
Have a look: Workbench built with bed frame angle iron.
Jake.
Love the table, but part of engineering is COST vs. function. And "cost" can be not just money, but time, resources, distraction, etc. One of the tenets of Extreme Programming is to write the minimal amount of code possible that accomplishes the necessary function. The same thing applies in the world of Physical Stuff.
This sucker is, as the great folks at SB have pointed out, wildly over-engineered -- which is why it's so bloody expensive. There are all KINDS of materials which are as rigid (if not more), far cheaper, as easily available, as easy to work with, and - yes - as easy to disassemble (although nobody's made much of a case for that as one of the key design constraints).
First of all - it's NOT "cheating" in engineering to, e.g., simply go to craigslist and type in "lab bench" -- bingo. Gorgeous heavy-duty industrial assembly benches, some with drawers and wired for power - $50 - 220. (As of 4/19, Bay Area - but still...). eBay's like that, too.
If you can BUY a great used -- or even brand-new! -- lab-bench for less than you can MAKE it for -- what's the point? (Don't anyone get on me for making a lathe from scratch for far more than it would cost me to buy one - I've explained why! You don't learn all that much allen-wrenching a kit-bench together. ;-)
Second - I needed exactly such a bench recently. I'm building a high-temperature (500°C) bench reactor that needs a fume hood, to be portable/movable, and to be somewhat explosivo-proof (as I'm heating methanol -- that is, NASCAR fuel -- to 300°C on it. At home.) I built it in an afternoon from scrap 2x4s I had sitting around, a half-sheet of plywood, and some heat-resistant concrete "backerboard" from the Big Orange Borg. Painted it with high-temp (1200°F) spray-paint on the "hot side". Put some aluminum c-channel around the center panel and some angle-channel on the edges of the flat surface. (Love that "GOOP" stuff! Right up there with WD-40, FastSteel, JBWeld, polycaprolactone (aka "ShapeLok"), and a Dremel clone.)
Total cost (even assuming I'd bought everything) -- less than $80. And - it looks good. No "Make" stencil, but I printed out a "HOT - NO TOUCH" stencil and Xacto'd it for spray-painting in red on the hot side.
Sorry - no photos yet - still chatting with my patent dude about that, seeing as how I've got equipment mounted on it. >;-)