Bench Top Design Help

PeteG · 25 Jul 2014

Hello Lads and Lasses

I've nearly finished the mobile bench I started before Christmas, and I'm looking for some advice and what to do with the top? I was planning to drill a number of 20 mm holes in the top
and then borrowing the orange blocks from the workmate, but no doubt these have limits. I want to be able to hold and clamp things together [ similar to the below links ],
especially when using the pocket hole system, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm on a tight budget, still out of work since being made redundant at Christmas, so if I can make it, all the better!
The top is made of two sheets of 3/4 inch MRMDF.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-bench-clamp

http://www.axminster.co.uk/festool-fixed-clamps-mft-sp

marcros · 25 Jul 2014

check the hole size requirements- 20mm may be a mm or 2 too big.

The veritas wonder dogs and clamps are worth a look too.

Phil Pascoe · 25 Jul 2014

My holes are 19mm - that's probably right for 36mm mdf, if larger they may not grip - I think the holdfasts are designed for tops a bit thicker than this. I don't know what size the holes are in the Festool system, but 19mm is fairly universal for dogs and the like, but some of the screw holdfasts need larger. Workmate dogs are fine if they fit, but of course you need something like a tail vice to push against them (folding wedges would work if you have enough dogs).
It might be worth going one layer of 18mm heavier before you start.

Stu_2 · 25 Jul 2014

Afternoon Pete

The Festool clamps in your second link are very good, and only require a small amount of pressure to work well. However, it's important that you get your holes bang on 20mm, as these will want to lift out diagonally if they're not a nice snug fit. Using the supplied knobs can overcome this issue, but that's a bit of a pain in the a**** to keep having to fix the clamps from beneath the table.

Festool do a reasonably priced 20mm spiral cutter, although I haven't tried one. I normally use three bottom-cut cutters to get a decent 20mm hole (1/2", 3/4" and 20mm), but you could get away with using just two. This might sound a bit over the top, especially if you're on a tight budget, but it'll be annoying to have a £70 clamping system that's wobbly and loose.

Hope that helps

Cheers
Stu

PS: Your mobile bench looks really nice

PeteG · 26 Jul 2014

Appreciate the replies gentlemen

I came up with 20 mm after measuring the holes in the workmate. I made a test hole this morning for the orange workmate blocks, and they weren't a very good fit.
Perhaps due to be shorter than the depth of the top!

marcros":32ykw717 said:
check the hole size requirements- 20mm may be a mm or 2 too big.

The veritas wonder dogs and clamps are worth a look too.

Those Veritas clamps look very Marcros but sadly out of my reach at the moment.

phil.p":32ykw717 said:
It might be worth going one layer of 18mm heavier before you start.

Hello Phil. I've made the trolley almost the same height as the table saw to act as an outfeed table, so unable to increase the height. Not unless I take it apart and cut the uprights down.
Or would I get away with it just cutting 18mm off the tops!

Stu_2":32ykw717 said:
I normally use three bottom-cut cutters to get a decent 20mm hole (1/2", 3/4" and 20mm)

PS: Your mobile bench looks really nice

Hello Stu, and glad you like the table. I had planned to add a cupboard and drawers but decided not to in the end

For the drilling the holes, I was going to use a 20 mm flat wood drill bit,
would this not be accurate enough?

I may hang fire at the moment until I can afford the clamps, I made sure I had enough of a overhang in the top so I could use my quick clamps, not something I could on the other work bench.
I've also be playing with the idea of using the table for cutting sheets down