Chopping block work table

[qwerty2008]

I have an old work table with a 2 inch thick chopping block surface and am wanting to fix it up and use it in my workshop as my current table is rather flimsy but it has been sitting in a leaky barn for the past two years and some of the boards have come unglued. So my question is what would be the best way to fix it?. The first option that I was considering was to remove the top and re glue it but I lack proper clamps to hold it wile the glue dries, ratchet straps would work in a pinch but I would need a flat surface to strap it to. The second much easier option is to drill holes trough the steel frame and screw each board down but I hate to do this as it would be a pain to disassemble and the table wont fit trough my door in one piece. Does anybody here have any ideas/suggestions on the best way to go about this?. 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Lextin.

Edited January 19, 2015 by qwerty2008

[augie]

How big is the table Lextin?  The reason I ask is that what I've done is take something like that and lay a solid wooden door on top of it then screw the door into the old wood table top.  Gives a nice, smooth work surface that can be easily taken apart and even flipped over when the surface gets worn (about 20 years).

[jud]

I bought a surplus steel desk and a solid core door from a hospital being razed, about 4' X 7'. used a heavy piano hinge the full length of the desk and attached the door. Used it for a drafting table for years with it proped up on the back,  sometimes the desk was lifted on concrete blocks. It has gone through several size adjustments and is now 5' long and 3' wide and lying flat on the desktop. Yes it is heavy but there is a lot of storage in the desk and the hindge does come off when I move the thing, sometimes the feet needed to come off of the desk to get it in and out of a small room. It was cost efective, stromg and long lasting and with some effort it can be moved almost anywhere. With the legs removed and the dest stood up on it's end, it  goes around tight corners well.

Offer this as someting to consider.

jud

Edited January 20, 2015 by jud

[GLakie]

For about $10 apiece, you can get pipe-clamps that will clamp the boards together again. You'll need 3. Then, go get some steel pipe to fit the clamps, threaded or not, it won't matter, and have them cut the pipe to the length you need, 30 inches I'd guess. Considering the cost of buying a new butcher-block top, pretty cheap.

 

Cheers 

[Alex M]

Hi Lextin,

 

I would screw two or three 2x2 inch boards of hard wood (oak as example) to the underside of table. You can also glue them all together before them. Important: bound boards tight all together with ratchet straps before screwing. I have one very similar to yours in my basement as workbench, is very solid and stable.

 

 

Alex

Edited January 20, 2015 by Alex M

[qwerty2008]

Augie/Jud: I really like the idea of using a door as a table top but I don't feel it necessary to replace the top as besides the problem at hand the table is in relatively good condition.

George: Pipe clamps would be nice in an ideal world but I am a jobless teenager with no transportation or money to buy the clamps.

Alex: I think that I might try your idea, now as I mentioned previously I can't exactly run down to the hardware store and pick up some oak 2X2s but I think I might have something that will work.

 

 

 

 

Lextin.

[Bob Blarney]

Lextin,

 

That appears to be an industrial workbench/assembly table, with a glued-up top of 2 1/4" thick maple strips.  The glue joints have failed because of exposure to extremes of temperature and humidity. The top will never stabilize until it's in a controlled environment  such as in your house and not in a barn.

 

It is possible to fully recondition by regluing the strips, but to do that it is necessary to separate the strips, scrape off all of the old glue, rejoint the strips, and then reglue/clamp them.  And then it will be necessary plane the surface true.So maybe you don't want to do all of that.  

 

Well, I would set the base up level in your workroom and lay the top on 'as is', and then I'd wait a month or two, or a season or two (you can use the bench, just don't try to 'fix' it yet).  If the top levels out, then I would lay down a sheet of 1/4 to 3/4" MDF and screw it down on the centerline, about every 6-8 inches.

[qwerty2008]

So I should hold of on the gluing but what about screwing boards to the bottom of the table as suggested by Alex? This would still allow me to glue it later on down the road but keep the top flat until then.

 

 

 

 

 

Lextin.

[Tuffarts]

you could buy a 5 or 6mm plywood top to go on top of the existing top. You could glue pieces of sandpaper to both surfaces to minimise movement.

 

Then you would have a sacrificial top you could glue jigs on or damage as much as you wanted, just change top every few years

[jhearl]

Since you say you're a teenager, did you/do you have a shop class in your high school? Perhaps someone there would be able to clamp up the top for you? Perhaps some friend's dad has some pipe clamps you could use? Craigslist post offering some service in exchange?

[michael mott]

Lextin, another way to clamp the pieces once you have cleaned the old glue off is to use a couple of pieces of wood like this

 

 

simple wood clamps made from scrap. once the glue is set knock out the wedges and the clamps can be taken apart for some other use.

 

Michael

[robnbill]

I think Michael's solution would be the optimum without buying any pipe clamps. However, be sure you follow his instructions to clean off the old glue before you try to glue it. You also might plan on using more than two of the clamp/wedge assemblies. Three might be the ticket. Also do not squeeze them so hard you squeeze out all the glue in the joints.

[Bob Blarney]

And alternate the wedge clamps on the top and bottom surfaces.  Otherwise you might bow the top.

 

But the first thing, is to place the bench where it will be used, for about 6-8 weeks at least, so that it equilibrates with the environment.

[qwerty2008]

I will be ripping down some 3/4 inch plywood strips this weekend to screw to the underside then several months down the road I will reglue it. When the time comes I will probably use Michael's method for clamping it.

 

Since you say you're a teenager, did you/do you have a shop class in your high school?

 

 

Nope no shop class (unless the garage at my last house counts) as I was home schooled.

 

 

 

Lextin.

Edited January 29, 2015 by qwerty2008

[Bob Blarney]

After thinking about it a bit longer, I suggest that you do not screw the plywood strips on crosswise.  Instead, while the bench is equilibrating with the environment, apply two wedge-clamps at either end, one on top and one underneath.  You could place the 'underneath' one on the steel leg support,  Then cinch the wedges up over the weeks until you're ready to glue.

 

In fact, you might end up just leaving it this way.  You could probably take the top-side clamp off, and just use the clamp underneath to adjust for seasonal change across the width of the bench.

 

Cut your wedges about to 1:6 or 1:8  (rise to run, about 7 degrees).  To do this, take a board about 2 inches wide and 8 inches long, and cut diagonally from end to end about 1 inch from the edge, so that the wedges are exactly the same size

Edited January 29, 2015 by Bob Blarney

[qwerty2008]

I screwed the boards to the bottom and sanded the top yesterday to get it ready to bring inside. I now have it setup where my old table was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lextin.

[Bob Blarney]

I hope it works out, but I'd be concerned about the expansion & contraction with seasonal changes in humidity. This will work against and eventually loosen the screws of the crossgrain battens. 

[reklein]

Looks good to me. The young dude is on a tight budget and its a great recycle job Way to go bud. Bill