AR Sponsor
Posted: 1/23/2005 6:43:07 AM EDT
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Anyone have any ideas on a good, folding workbench? I live in an apartment, and I'm looking for something that I can fold or easily put into my closet or storage unit when not in use. I also want something sturdy enough to mount a vise on. |
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A big butcher-block cutting board works well, just mark one side for your projects, and flip it over when you need your kitchen. Also, the rubber matting for lining toolboxes is good for covering your countertops. Just don't build anything on a kitchen table without covering it, and only then if the legs are in the corners, not the middle. I found that firearm assembly/maintenance and kitchens are are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Gun scrubber is excellent for those tough-to-clean pans, and does a decent job of cleaning ovens and stove burners. 
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A buddy of mine who also lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment put together a workbench using the bottom half of a Craftsman roll-away tool chest with a butcher block bolted to the top. He had enough room on it for a big vise, a Rockchucker press, and a Dillon progressive set-up. We cleaned guns, loaded thousands of rounds of ammo, and re-barreled ARs on it with no problems. Of course, this won't fold up, but the drawers held all the tools and supplies together so you don't have stuff all over the place. When he wasn't using it, he merely rolled the chest out of the living room and into the back corner of his bedroom where it was out of the way. He used this set-up for years and it worked great!! |
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Since you want it to fold, how about a cheap folding table from Office Depot? http://www.officedepot.com/pictures/SK/MD/606043_sk_md.jpg Table -$50 I have seen a vise that clamps rather than bolts, and you can use the table for all kinds of things... http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/42200-42299/42284.gif Small vise -Dave |
| When you say you want to mount a vise, will it be for holding stuff to solder or paint, or for using a breaker bar on? Seriously, if you're going to be doing anything tough with that vise, a solid non-folding workbench is probably the only solution you'll be happy with. I couldn't find anything portable that was heavy enough to handle reloading, for example. |
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I don't plan on handloading for my duration here. I hadn't really used my Rockchucker for a year before I moved into the apartment. It's boxed up in my closet. The purpose of the table/workbench is mainly for my clamp-vise, for holding AR reciever blocks. In summer, I used to clamp the vise to the guard railing on my back porch. That, however, draws unnesessary attention from my neighbors. It's also a little cold in VA for that kind of thing. |
These folding tables work great. Mine has dozens of holes drilled in it for mounting vices, power tools, reloading presses, etc. For better stability, I mounted a large vice on the end of the table rather than the side. It's versatile and practical. When you are done with a job, unbolt the tools, fold up the table, and stand it up in a closet. If it doesn't work out, you can still use it as a table. |
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I live in a small house with no garage or work area myself. I use a Craftsman roller chest as my mobile workbench. Have a 6 inch Wilton vise mounted to the steel top. As mentioned in a previous post, it supplies plenty of room for tool storage and rolls away into my bedroom corner when not in use. I've also toyed with the idea of mounting a Dillon 550 on it, but haven't gotten around to it. Prior to this, I had a Black and Decker Workmate and a small clamp-on vise. I could remove the vise and fold the workmate and get it under my bed (just barely). It served it's purpose for a couple of years until I broke the pressboard working surface in a fit of rage... (don't ask) Hope this helps! |
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