Torsion Boxes Overrated? - My New BIG Assembly Table

[@woodwhisperer]

Looking for the plans? twwstore.com/products/big-assembly-table?ToPasteBoard&

[@nicholasataylor]

I am so stoked to see a long form video from you again! Reminds me of the old days!

[@TPNL1]

The old days are gone unfortunately.

[@chrisemens4022]

I like how Jason’s arm just randomly appears. “I could do these projects too if I had Jason’s arm!!”

[@sgsax]

Another vote for "woodworkers don't need machinest perfection", I love it. Respect for the Dropkick Murphys shirt and accurate measurement in Cremonas. 😁 Thanks for sharing!

[@enzprintco.8625]

I never got too into dropkick, but one of the old members started a band with his son and we got to play with them in Brooklyn. Pretty rad night.

[@sgsax]

@@enzprintco.8625 That sounds awesome!

[@billystray7007]

The Murphys kid 🫵

[@darodes]

My biggest hurdle and misconception when I first started was being discouraged by imperfection and frustrated due to my inability to get things as flat as I saw on KZbin. Thank you for showing that “flat enough” is sufficient and we don’t need “machine work” flatness. I can’t tell you how helpful it was to start accepting error and just trying to minimize it and not necessarily eliminate error. These are the details that beginners need, in my opinion. .. Shannon’s video on flattening by hand was a revaluation for me. I learned about Shannon when I started listening to Wood Talk… and was drawn to wood talk because I recognized your name from KZbin… massive wood talk listener btw. Thanks for everything!

[@branchandfoundry560]

Truth! Remember no piece of valuable antique furniture was ever built on a dead-flat huge assembly table. I built a $10k French polished walnut dining table using my table saw as a workbench years ago. I've built several tables, desks & beds that I've sold for thousands of dollars each on an old 4x5ft rolling factory cart that sags 1/8 to 3/16" in the center depending on the weather. Most commercial shops don't look anything like fancy KZbinr shops! With creativity and patience we can do great things with very little.

[@shinnick22]

My old boss used window blind strips under formica. They are just curved enough to keep your two pieces apart, then you slip them out and start your contact. Works well when you’re on your own.

[@seanroberts381]

Mini blinds, sections of an old tape measure, or even an old cord with the ends cut off.

[@matonmacs]

I originally planned to build a torsion box assembly table but I remember you expressing some skepticism about the need for one in an earlier video so I thought I'd try to build a table more or less similar to this one. I did one layer of 3/4 plywood with 3/4 melamine on top and I ended up with almost a half inch dip in the middle of my table (below a long level set diagonally across). I was able to mostly correct the problem by driving some shims under the plywood between it and the support structure underneath. In short, two layers of sheet material can be quite a ways off flat without adequate support underneath. Maybe you don't need a full torsion box, but you do need full, flat support in my experience.

[@woodwhisperer]

Yup, that's why I included additional support in this table. Four cross rails with room to add more should there be an issue.

[@mattruth6287]

Right. I opted for three cross braces in the top that I installed and checked/planed for flat before I made the top… on top… after I had installed the leveling feet. I reasoned that if the frame was flat (and level), I could eliminate most of the discrepancies before laminating the top…which I did while it was already mounted from below. Not the flattest table I’ve ever seen, but likely the flattest assembly table I’ve ever had access to in my lil one man operation.

[@robstevenson675]

Back in 1980 I was hired to work with an older woodworker who quickly became my master, in the traditional sense. We had a large multi-year restoration project just starting and we set out to set up our shop. One of the first things we built was what he called a TrueTop, more generically called a torsion box. It was far simpler (and lighter) than the one you show at the start of this video. It was 5’ square by 6” thick, made of 1/2” plywood top and bottom glued and screwed to a diagonal and cross grid. (It was easy to get 5’ x 10’ plywood then.) It had thickened edges in solid cherry so it could be pushed off our shop-made trestles onto its side and slid out of the way. It worked perfectly and stayed flat for decades. I know because I still have it in my shop, and it’s still flat!

[@jaytomes2856]

I grew up in a cabinet and countertop shop. One thing we did if we had screws or any fasteners on the surface getting the laminate, we filled all those holes for the very reason you mentioned. It is worth the extra step in my opinion.

[@rompompomkladivo6623]

There is no question about you being a beyond excellent woodworker, a very crafty videographer and an exquisite teacher BUT those little jokes you put in your videos like the PITH one, this is what separates you from all of the greats. You the best, Marc You tha besssssssss 🫵🏻🙌🏻

[@RobDucharme]

17:47 For my project table I went with a base of 1/2" plywood glued to 3/4" MDF as the top layer. Then I routed out channels for what I consider home made T-track (it was a quarter of the price of actual T-track, and technically stronger since it's steel flatbar). With a satin poly finish, it's been fantastic over the past two years.

[@ChrisHornberger]

Nice build. Refreshes my faith in humanity seeing people not building this stuff in walnut and rift sawn white oak, and other crazy expensive options. Southern yellow pine, once fully dried and milled (when needed) is incredibly stout. Nice option!

[@timforgot]

Here in Oregon we have big leaf maple, which is kinda between hard maple and soft maple (extremely variable, though), and is cheaper than plywood by bf. Do you have anything like that? SYP is super sensitive to enviro humidity, which is kind of a deal killer here.

[@lorriedmussett4692]

I'm 49 yr old hard working lady in TX, where I've grew up with 2 older brothers. I have an incredible respect for all things made, by hobbiest, diy rookies, ' Men of the wood types😊 and everything in between so I've been watching your channel for yrs. Yea this is a long winded back story so you hopfully will clearly see just how much I love this channel.

[@CaptMedfrag]

I was having a rough day and popped your video on during chow, I'm 3 minutes in and your pith joke has really turned my day around 😂 thanks, Marc

[@code3ryder]

Using all the design elements from this build to make my mobile(ish) mitre station. I was super stumped on how to do my legs/stretches and this is by far the best solution I've seen.

[@calaveraXIII]

I’m newy on this, just amateur, but I learn … first to build is a working table, not fancy, not complicated … just a working table, nothing else, life changes and your spine and knees will be thankful 😇 Congratulations love your model.

[@rexseven93]

I built my outfeed/assembly table from construction grade 2x6 pine. I took the time to joint and plane the faces and edges. I'm really glad I did. I glued them together to make extra think legs and rails with notches for cross boards. It has stayed straight and flat and is heavy. I would recommend taking the time as if you were building with hard wood. Looks very nice.

[@criticalfail]

So glad we have a nerdy Woodwhisperer leading the way. Love the longer videos!

[@neilphillips3193]

My current outfeed/ assembly table top is a 40”x 60” double laminated 3/4” mdf top, edge-banded in poplar, then covered with formica. Works amazing. I laminated the mdf with the same contact cement I used for the formica, and weighed it all down for gluing with a bunch of finder blocks. No screws needed. Dead flat over the entire span

[@CTRCustomWoodworks]

@@idontthinkso666 appreciate that!

[@squirrelzar]

I like your take on the necessity of flatness in a table. If I really need a very flat area - my concrete floor is flatter than anything I’d build right now lol, I just want a space up off the ground for most of my work

[@aaroncashion7570]

I love the changing of opinions over the years. It’s refreshing for someone to evolve over the years and in some cases become more practical. Still love that torsion box though. 😂

[@jonathanchouinard582]

Love that you're building with standard construction grade lumber, but amazed at how straight and square everything looks. I work with SYP a lot, and have watched it banana almost every time I rip it with a table saw, no matter the width of the board I start with.

[@AxGryndr]

Formica suggests using backer sheet which is like a thin resin infused craft paper on the reverse. The backer sheet is cheaper than a second sheet of Formica - usually about $10 for a 4x8 sheet. The reason for the backer is to make sure the reverse side doesn't absorb moisture that the top can't. If the bottom, in a humid environment, absorbs moisture, it will expand and the that will warp the top.

[@woodwhisperer]

Good to know!

[@HBSuccess]

I know I’m a year late, but it’s year after building a few of these for my shop. If you want a nice single-piece bottom shelf.. put that in BEFORE you install the stretchers for the top ( 16:00 ). It’ll help square up the bench, and even better you can just drop it in from the top, no struggle. I used 3/4 MDF for the bottom and doubled it for the laminate top. But I also put the stretchers in upright (not flat) 12” OC and then flattened the top edge of the frame w a power plane. Took 5 minutes and made for a dead flat top - as good as my torsion box. Also put on adj feet and casters (Rockler). And added a small end vice I’ve had kicking around ( also Rockler). Nice bench - not expensive.

[@T_B]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you intentionally bumping his straight edge!!! I LOVE THAT!! 🤣

[@chriswaldron2617]

I built my first assembly table using a torsion box after watching you make one 10 years or so ago and have made another since. They’re worth their weight in gold.

[@bigburlymikesmswoodworking]

That little claymation segue definitely brought back some Saturday morning memories...totally forgot about that one 👍

[@alphaforce6998]

The purpose of a torsion box is not only to have a flat surface, it is to have a flat surface that spans a large distance which can be built with less material. Thinner sheets of wood, and no need to brace it or support it in the middle of a large span. So, if you wanted a torsion box that spans like 8 by 3 feet feet you can do that, and it would remain flat even under load without you needing to add 8 sets of legs, horizontal supports, and bracing under it. This means the entire area under it can be used for storage or something else. And, if you are not going to be dropping heavy items on the surface you can use 1/4" plywood for the top and bottom, substantially reducing weight and cost without giving up strength.

[@jeremyspecce]

Great upgrade to the shop! To solve almost every problem you ran into I would suggest building the base out of ripped pieces of 3/4 plywood instead of dimensional lumber. At the film stages I work in they use a lot 4X8 and 4x10 tables made entirely of 3/4” plywood. They normally have 8” wide legs which taper down to about 5” at the bottom. The stretchers are usually 8 or 6” width depending on if they expect a lot of weight and if there is a center leg or not. I’ve built several smaller (3’x6’) versions of these tables with only 4 inch aprons, to serve as a desk and they are very strong and easy to build. You can generally get the entire leg and apron assembly out of a single sheet if you plan carefully. Oh, ps, I love that plastic trick for the contact cement, I would never expect that to work!

[@R2_D3]

29:44 It doesn't look very flat on that side... 😉 Also, I would definitely use some diagonal bracing/struts, or however you call it in English, to make the bench more rigid.

[@pointblankokc]

Man I watch a ton of your videos, and other folk's videos. This is by far one of the most "real world" useful and every day guy table builds. Gonna have to size this down a little for my tiny space, but totally gonna copy this. Good job man !

[@markgambrill]

I built something similar and instead of making sure each leg was square to the rail, I inserted one screw in each joint and squared the whole thing measuring diagonally. The the second was done the same but also comparing it to the first. That way if it's not quite right (it should be) at least both sub-assemblies are matching. Also, I love you Marc. Proper instructional vids with a smattering of dad jokes 😀

[@kwilliams2239]

I made my assembly table out of a solid-core door with melamine on top. I framed it with some ash I had laying around and just dropped the melamine in so I can replace it at any time. I used Kreg table legs and casters to save time, which I had precious little of when I made it.

[@robertjames-life4768]

Man I watched a ton of videos and formulated grandiose plans then hit me over the head with common sense! Thanks for that. 👍🏼

[@richpeggyfranks490]

I built almost the exact bench as a large mobile cart for a bench jointer, planer , drill press and storage. I also used levelers and kick-down casters. I had to keep telling myself, "it's not furniture". Interestingly, I had the same 2 direction bow. After I discovered it, I couldn't leave it alone. So, I added some playing card "shims". Haha. Thanks for another entertaining, informative long format video.

[@Alan.livingston]

I love that old mate sticks his flunky with the sanding. The joy of being the one paying the bills!

[@mattruth6287]

I have been down a similar design wormhole for my assembly table build. I geeked out pretty hard on everything that everyone else had already done… then decided that I just needed to do something very similar to this so I can get back to making things that make me money.

[@rem7751]

I came in here to see if anyone knew of a way to separate those drawer slides! What a pain to have to install the drawers in the slides in the cabinet all together. Great video! Thanks Marc.

[@donutman3089]

One of the more solid work benches I've made was with some solid core doors. Found some on a certain resale site for $40 a piece. Solid, heavy and flat. Also put small pieces of metal panel (scrap metal from old AC unit, washing machine or dryer) on the legs and put magnets on often used items like tape measures. Always have them at the ready.

[@dougiefresh9618]

I got mine from working at hospitals, they make great instant tables

[@richardrodgers1883]

@@dougiefresh9618 Man I really want one of those Hospital doors like you see going into the patient's rooms, they are so thick and wide and solid I don't think they could ever bend or bow.

[@cadehuff7936]

I built a torsion box assembly table years ago. I used it for a few years and decided that it was waaaay too heavy for my garage shop. Even with casters. I donated it to a student from Red Rocks woodworking program(Wheat Ridge/Denver, CO area for folks). They loved it 😊 I moved and did another donation event for older tools...again, was a great thing.

[@tchevrier]

I built my first ever workbench last year. I added a fold up leaf to one side so that I would have 4x8 when I needed and then fold down so it wouldn't take up so much space.. It really comes in handy

[@kevintoye952]

Look good! I would suggest placing the top braces in the base vertical as the end braces are. This will make the bench stiffer and perhaps take out the slight dip in the top, assuming the braces are straight!

[@nathanaelcoyne9804]

Thanks for this, I was about to build a torsion box assembly table but now I have another option. It'll be on top of a wheeled Kreg universal bench base so I'll need to figure out where and how to attach crossbeams to support the centre.

[@Mark-bn7lk]

Nice video, Marc. I appreciate your use of SYP for the main structure. I’ve used it for 3 shop projects. More strength and stability than white pine or fir. Plywood is still obscenely expensive and the yellow pine is a cheap alternative for sides and a base for cabinets. I usually rip pieces off the outside edges leaving the center for scraps. If the center does not warp I have an unexpected bonus that can be used for cleats,etc. I would recommend applying polyurethane over all SYP components to minimize moisture absorption.

[@MrAnimal1971]

A month ago, I built two tables 28" x 7' out of pallet wood with an almost identical design. They don't look like much but they are flat and heavy. Perfect for my workflow.

[@3rd_stall]

If you have the means I highly recommend the full 4x8 assembly table. Like the back seat of a Packard, room to move around.

[@patrickbigras5232]

I like that you show the assembly tricks. I can be accurate milling the parts but I sometimes screw it up at the assembly phase!

[@natepeterson7145]

I like your table the best of what I've seen as soon as I get into my own house I'll be making one of these. Not stuck into copying your exact plan is what I like about it.

[@ronin2963]

Thank you for doing a video on a simple straight forward build that doesn't have to be a Green & Green work of perfection. I think some of us (me) lose perspective

[@makenchips]

I'm glad to hear the comments you make about assembly tables! Nice small work area is a formica countertop 10 ft long and it serves me for the work I do. My first bench was 24 ft long 24in wide fixed to the wall with Masonite top on top of plywood it's a relief just fine also! But, when driving a screw why do you trigger finger driving the screw? Why don't you just pull the trigger and drive to screw in and let the clutch do its job! I don't know why guys keep squeezing a trigger off on off on off on off on off till they get the screw in, and then you hit the clutch setting! This must be a KZbin phenomenon of KZbin woodworker influencers how not to put a screw in!

[@bucknboard]

Great video Marc. You are always on top of the game. This build is one that any woodworker can do (except maybe the laminate lol). It’s really nice how you include your assistant in your builds as well. Enjoy the Missouri summer.

[@ruftime]

Nice! Always helps to heat both adhesive tape and surface with a heat gun/hair dryer…..and tape adhesives often have a cure time. Command strips have great shear strength😎

[@pauljenkinson8798]

Hi Mark,, I agree with the earlier comment nice to see you back with a long form build!! Hope there are more in the future. I noticed that you assembled the leg and rail with the rail vertically,, in the future remind yourself that when assembling two pieces where one is much longer than the other that the longest should be horizontal and the shorter vertical,, it's much easier to position and hold the shorter leg of the two vertical,,, the longer rail when held horizontal on the "flat" surface can be positioned to take into account the crown (crown is always up,),,, and positioning the leg square to the rail is easier to assure with your framing square which will read almost a third of the length of the leg, cheers 😊

[@DavidBaumgarner]

32:09 To check for square you want to measure corner to corner. a little combination square doesnt have a long enough arm. you could be squaring up the very corner of a bowed side... That doesnt work. ask me how I know.... ( learned it the hard way a long time ago ) Best practice is to make yourself a measuring stick with a point on one end that can sit in the corner. then just do comparitive measures on both diagonals. when they match you are square!

[@branchandfoundry560]

Learned a few things here I'll put to use soon. Scored three sheets of 5x12'x1" core laminate sheets and seven 30" 400lb capacity drawer slides at auction last week. I'm gearing up to build a monster steel frame assembly table. Was planning a torsion box top, but now reconsidering!

[@TheNewports]

'Classically Trained' you have worn that shirt so long you are a classic, lol. This is from a man who just turned 50 in March so i am classic too. lol

[@criscrisan8569]

Mark, it seems you can freelance as a one man music machine. Sounds great 👌😊

[@tomerickson2636]

This was so fun to watch- my introduction to your work was the torsion box and it was the first thing I built when I saw your instructions when you first posted this. Some years later when we sold our home, this beast had to be left behind!! Thank you for all of the years of great information.

[@sammisworkshops3762]

Love that you brought some Jazz back to your videos, that was the "hook" that got me way back in the beginning, I have a collapsing assembly bench to build as my shop is small and needs to be very mobile. smaller too 30" x 48" will send some pics when I get it built. Love the work table! and the new place too.

[@philshock3805]

Assembly table? Or just a big horizontal surface to throw crap onto? lol But yep, I'm in a neighboring state (OK), and good plywood is still crazy expensive at almost double what is was in 2019. Even a sheet of 3/4 MDF now costs over 50 bucks. I'd probably use it though instead of plywood to save some money and MDF is great for tops, especially when laminating it with a top surface. Hate working with it though and it's heavy ... which is both a con and a pro! Nice table, Marc - enjoyed the video.

[@kjh_woodworking]

I really enjoyed your video on building the assembly table. It's interesting to hear your perspective on torsion boxes and their relevance in woodworking. Your step-by-step instructions and explanations made the construction process easy to follow. The additional features you incorporated, like the slide-out tray and pegboard, show great attention to detail and customization. I'm inspired to build my own assembly table now. Thanks for sharing your insights and expertise!

[@gbjones54]

Loved the video Marc. Jason took a lot of joy pushing you repeatedly while in the drawer. 😂😂

[@csimet]

Great build. For me, I like to have dog holes and either t-track or MatchFit groves for clamping stuff so the formica top is a no-go in my case. It is nice to have of course and makes a great surface. My table saw 4x4' outfeed doubles as an assembly table and I have MatchFit slots cut in a criss-cross pattern. I wish I had room for a full 4x8' table!

[@mlindholm]

There's nothing saying you couldn't do both! It would ruin the solid purity of the seamless surface, but if they're what works for you, add them! Same for 20mm or 3/4" dog/clamping holes.

[@Techreux]

Great video for someone starting out.. well explained. I never did "torsion box" assembly stands - just standard 3/4" surfaces over 2x4 legs and 1x6 crossmembers - preferred the floor for solidity when necessary (cleaned off of debris, of course), as much of my work uses T-Nuts.. which don't tend to drive in as completely/solidly when done on any tabletop.. and I'm not about to build a 6x6 timber bench to solve a single problem. Nonetheless, interesting to watch..

[@nathanaelcoyne9804]

I like those levelling feet! Haven't seen anything like that before that attaches to the outside of the leg, only ones for metal frames that you can use with timber using threaded insert nuts or T-nuts.

[@subgeeze]

I built a 4x8 torsion box table a few months ago for large slab leveling with my router. I think you're right, the torsion box is overkill. I took a different approach to the base, making it a few inches oversized so that it would work for 2 levels of storage for whole sheets of plywood, my whole sheet of foam insulation I use for cutting plywood, and storage for the router sled and rails and my Kreg poor-man's track saw track. I could have fit 3 levels for all this big flat stuff, and wish I had. Construction of the base was similar to yours. I have a smaller assembly table next to my workbench, also with a torsion box top, but I used the voids for storage of small things through the sides. I use it all the time.

[@theidlehandsworkshop3884]

Ya'll got me at "Perfect Ball Resting Height" LOL and the following banter lol, keep it up !!!

[@antennasbc]

CNC and Laser!! COOL! Mark's catching up! Now he has ALL the skills.

[@glencrandall7051]

I need to make one for myself. But I think it will be smaller. Maybe 4 x 6 or even 3 x 6. All of your construction tips still apply though. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@darrellhayworth456]

Menards has Black Melamine in stock.i am in the STL area also and I used some last summer for my outfeed table. Got mine at the Maplewood store

[@HarrisonFord11]

I remember back in the day when Jay Bates made his first big woodworking workbench video and he did it with the SYP. I made his plan and it works great, he eventually made another out of solid hickory.

[@ΑντωνηςΔουκακης]

I don t need one assembly table but still watched the whole video because I like your content! I wish to be at Jason spot it seems a nice place and environment to work , but only he can confirm that heheh ! Keep up the great work !

[@bradw1962]

Another option for mobility, is a pallet jack. Then all tools and workbenches can be “stationary” but the pallet jack can very easily and safely move stuff around.

[@nickdoessht]

Exactly! I built mine with just enough of a gap at the bottom to fit a jack under it. Came in hand when I moved and was able to lift it with forks onto a trailer.

[@jaimecastells9750]

When using construction grade lumber, I would usually rough mill and the let the wood sit for a while, ideally a week or more, then mill to final sizes. This approach lets the wood react to the milling with some warping, then the final milling can compensate for some of that. This does mean you have to anticipate greater waste, so the rough milling need to be generous.

[@frrapp2366]

i have run into my pegboard buckling , exoecially when i put a lot of stuff on it!! you might want to cut a narrow board to run up the center to help keep it from moving when you put heavy objects on the board. like the table , like the video . looks like you had a lot of FUN

[@littlehousewoodworking5292]

Your "drum solo" in the end out takes is a good impression of my typical time spent in my basement shop. Just staring at my project while my brain thinks about it or something totally off subject. ... Yeah, I waste a lot of time sitting and thinking it seems. lol

[@michaelault3180]

When I built my workbench I put one piece of sanded plywood for the top with a piece of lower grade plywood under it to make the thickness. Itbis a way to save some money while putting higher grade where it will be seen and felt and the lower grade under with a solid wood edge banding to hide the layers.

[@danielrybin2006]

For the 1/64” imperfection in flatness - can’t you just throw some shims underneath between the stretcher pieces and the top?

[@PeopleAlreadyDidThis]

Hope your yellow pine was better than mine. I chose the best 2x12-12s at the store. I ripped them and discarded the pith. During band saw ripping, several went BANG! like a gunshot. Some split at the progressing kerf like ragged firewood. Unbelievable internal stress. So I stickered them in the house to finish deforming. The result is $250 worth of almost hopelessly warped boards. The champion is a 2x4 sized piece taken from one edge of the 2x12. It is bowed 1” in 6’-the hard way, across the 4” dimension. When it comes out of jointing and planing, it’ll be an inch wide. So much for my rift- and quarter-sawn pine material.

[@azeemqwerty]

Just what I needed as I'm considering what to make for a hybrid workbench/outfeed table my jobsite saw can live in. Great info!

[@brucegibson8053]

Forgot to mention, I just finished flatting my work table and your video on the subject gave me a good starting point. I have the Woodpeckers slab flatting mill pro which also made the project much easier. Thanks for that video.

[@woodwhisperer]

My favorite Countersink Bit: amzn.to/42tejBk

[@scottmorris4914]

Thank you fior posting this. Would you identify what countersink bits would go with the various size screws - #6, #8, #10, #12. Reason I am asking is I am finding information that contradicts the bit sizes to the screw numbers.

[@ninenailswoodshop]

I absolutely need to get the shirt you had on in the end. Hilarious!

[@davidkenagy8706]

Sometimes a bench changes location, so when legs aren't all reaching the floor, I like an adjustment I can change. Large diameter lag screws at the ends of the legs allow me to fine tune them, not only to spread the load, but also to get a level top.

[@jimfeaster4837]

I think your best video you made For building cabinet doors that Was a life saver

[@hansmolders1066]

I used a lot of interior doors for computer desks, they are cardboard honeycombs! Extremely light, stable, have a hole for cables AND are for free at the transfer site!

[@tableshaper4076]

Yes the top will warp without a backer sheet. All brands of laminate sell backer sheets in both post form and GP, the backer sheets are sometimes regular sheets that had defects and they sand the top colour coat off. If you want you top to stay flat you must use a backer sheet. BTW.... use bondo to fill holes, it doesn't shrink, dries super fast and is very stable and hard.

[@threesteaks]

What was the spacing you used for the screws on the top? I did something similar on a smaller, more basic level and i don't think i used enough screws. And would the technical concern of the laminate breaking in a screw hole be solved by putting the screw side down? Thanks for the great video. I'm loving your content!

[@michaell.maloney4026]

When doing the initial clamping when the glue is wet, rub a couple of pieces of sandpaper together to give the glue a little ‘bite’ into the wood to help keeping from sliding…doesn’t take much grit…

[@cheeseisgreat24]

When working in a medium where the end product could expand and contract by much more than the difference in flatness of a piece of ply, that is certainly plenty flat enough and is why I never buggered with a torsion box for an assembly table. I did use a torsion box for my optical tester for hand-ground telescope mirrors though, and the importance of consistent measurements there cannot be understated.

[@idlehandsworkshop]

You can also lay the laminate on the table and place the substrate to the laminate. Works like a champ.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Marc! It turned great! 😃 If the flatness ever gets worse, you could just add a few shims between the cross braces and the top. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@bilmoore6094]

As a novice, I appreciate the info about the pith. I didn't know that.

[@TrapDoorWoodworks]

Nice assembly table! I agree that a torsion table is overkill for furniture. No matter what, the piece built on it will wind up in a place that won't be super flat. I've found that SYP is a very squirrely wood, and can curl up into a ball when ripping in half. It's due to the case hardening when drying and because of the vastly different hardness's between the grains of the dormant an non-dormant rings. It's an incredibly strong wood, but can be very difficult to work with. I think particle board is the best material for a flat top - even the best plywood is never very flat. As for the balancing of the Formica, they sell backer material that is much cheaper (same material with no pattern), and you really do want to use it with a large top like that.

[@jeanchance9334]

Wow!! What a workbench! Love it.

[@gregmize01]

I'd love to see a year-end Jason Seeking Revenge compilation!

[@chaddgiesing3245]

Its a bit of a drive for you. But Menards carrys the Melamine in Black. Love using it for table tops.

[@ChrisHornberger]

I recently lost my shop space (landlord lost their insurance) and had to move my shop back home where it now lives in my garage. My garage floor is just awful and I don't have the coin to get a new one poured. I've actually been considering building a multi-purpose table with a torsion box setup (and maybe a 2nd one at the bottom), and making easily-adjustable lower legs/feet that I can adjust if I have to move it, etc. My floor is very wavy and dippy including about a 6 inch slope in the back 1/3 or so. It's bad. In my case, I think - think!!! - it'd be a decent spend of the time and effort. Maybe? Dunno. Maybe. Thoughts?

[@boozytheclown]

WAIT A MINUTE! Wood projects? I thought this was all an elaborate build up for a time machine build out of a DMC Delorean??? I've already sourced the Flux Capacitor!! Now I have all this random furniture laying around. great!

[@paul9532]

I’ve built the Paulk workbench, it’s kind off a torsion box, with 20mm holes like the MFT and storage built in. It’s the best workbench if you either can’t have a fixed workbench or you need to take it with you. I love it!