Flat,level building table.

[Garage Dweller]

Man I wish I had a flat, level, table to build a flat, level, building table on.:spin:

[Karlo]

That is one of the first big hurdles for a self build.:lift:

[Garage Dweller]

I hope to get something built next week. Since I am using 5" C channel I won't need to be doing any weight lifting like your little guy. I will get my workout in the garage.

[pook]

Hey Garage Dweller, Have you tried the local paper or craigslist for a broken down old pool table? Back when I did r/c airplanes we needed "TRUE" flat and there ain't much out there! We found there are tons of people willing to give a pool table away if you'll move it for them. We stripped off the side rails, glued down a nice sheet of MDF and presto!.....Its a thought?

PooK

[Garage Dweller]

Yeah thats a great idea but I already have everything, includeing adjustable, rolling, scaffold legs. Hopefully I can post some pics later this week. IF I can get some help over here. I am using 1 5/8 unistrut as cross braces. Can I get away with 16" O.C. with MDF or is that to far?

[pook]

Hopefully I can post some pics later this week. IF I can get some help over here

Free Beer sometimes works.....
I have tapped into a great natural resource for heavy lifting! Turns out 16 year old daughters always have 16 year old boy friends around and I figure since they're here eating all my food anyway:thumb2:

PooK

[Garage Dweller]

I here you but my daughter is only 9 so thank god the only kids around here are little girls.Several all weekend and they can wreck a kitchen themselves.Hopefully it will stay that way for a while.( At least 20 yrs.) At that time the gun collection will come in handy.

[cordycord]

I think "precision" is given a bit too much value with some of these builds. Really. :) I was talking with a friend who was restoring a Jensen Interceptor (WHY?!). He talked about how two different Interceptors at a recent meeting--with sequential build numbers--were measured. The measurements showed that one was 1.5" LONGER than the other. :) Too funny. They both still ran, and made the right sounds. I'm sure the Lucas electrics crapped out on both of them at one time or another.

That said, Danny's pool table idea is great but I think a couple of thick, quality 4x8 plywood sheets would suffice as well. Caveat--test your build with a cheap (home made even) laser on a level. It's actually pretty easy to measure all the points of a table--and a build--with a little laser ingenuity. And if you're off a bit, I won't tell.

[cordycord]

The wife dragged me to Sears this weekend, so I naturally gravitated to the tools section. I found a few inexpensive laser levels that could help any builder set up a table or prove their frame dimensions.

While it's not really smart to build your table out of Jello, it is actually possible to make a completely straight car--on Jello--with prodigious use of a laser. :)

[pook]

Until you weld it. Then all Hell breaks loose......
PooK

[cordycord]

Until you weld it. Then all Hell breaks loose......
PooK


:D If it doesn't work out, you can always eat the table.

[pook]

While I do believe Jello can exist as a fifth state of matter (somewhere between a liquid and concrete if left out long enough)
You have given me an idea to try on my next one off. What if you tacked on a short railing around the edges of the table and pour in floor leveler? It should seek its own level no matter how warped the ply or MDF is?
It might have a slight bit of cohesion climb at the rail but that could be knocked down....I wonder if its flammable after its dry though?

PooK

[cordycord]

...I wonder if its flammable after its dry though?

PooK

Drop a metal sheet on it. Wait, doesn't that just bring us back to square one?

How about a "virtual" table? Pretend your garage is a CAD program in a computer. Set up 3 places (x,y,z) in the garage where you'll use the laser (three lasers are ideal), and build the car within this virtual measurement box. Make the bottom frame of the actual car (if flat) into the "table". In other words, orient the bottom frame on a plane. If you can measure length, angle and level, you'll have a pinpoint measurement system.

[Garage Dweller]

I finished table last night.According to my new 6' Bostich (wanted a stabila but they are hard to find locally) I am within 1/16" all over. Level,flat, square.:coolnana:
I think it will work.:wave:
Maybe jello next time.:spin:

[Garage Dweller]

Pook,
The floor leveler that I am familar with is not flammable but if your table wasn't extremely stiff, and the leveler wasn't fairly thick,( approx 3/8") it would crack under minimal abuse. I.E. sitting in car making motor noises and grabbing 2nd gear.LOL

[pook]

Cool, I wasn't sure? I used it in my kitchen before I tiled (I was walking up and down hill to get to the fridge:()
PooK

[cordycord]

I just left the local tile and marble shop, who is moving this weekend. 5' x 10' marble slabs are $200 - $500, and they're FLAT (and HEAVY). :) But you can't eat 'em...

[Allan]

Back in the day when we needed a really flat fixture we would send a piece of hot rolled plate out to be blanchard ground on one side. I Knew a guy that had a 48 x 96 x 2" plate ground one side that he used as a work bench. This is a serious investment but you will only have to do it once.
We used a 3 x 6 x 1" on a regular basis and you betcha we were watching when one of our folks was using a tourch or grinder in the vicinity. We only used a scraper on the a surface to remove spatter and oiled the thing after every use.
Acorn tables are also nice but I am not sure if you could get one big enough. I suppose you could use several and use a laser to set them up.
A poor man could use a very carefully mounted sheet of 1" MDF.

[Garage Dweller]

A poor man already has it built.:wave:

[FIAROADSTER]

How about some details on what you did? I saw a story where a guy used metal studs between two MDF sheets.

[Garage Dweller]

I used 5 1/2" c channel around perimeter, 1 5/8" unistrut 16" o.c. for cross members, 7/8" pipe from bottom of c to center of strut. ( takes away flex ) I topped with 3/4" underlayment. Painted white, chalked a 1' grid and then sprayed with lines with clear. I am happy with it. O'yeah I also used scaffold screw legs on wheels for easy adjustment.