Workbench makeover

[mojoe]

Note: picture at the end.

For years I've made do with not enough space for working on projects (is there ever enough space?). When I moved into a two bedroom house a few years ago, I bought a couple of banquet tables with fold up legs. They aren't as nice as high dollar workbenches, but they are sturdy and relatively inexpensive. All this time, I didn't have proper antistatic mats, though. I made do with one of those small, vinyl rollup mats. Well, it's time for an extreme makeover :-)

I am still using the banquet tables, as they are good enough. I ordered some dual layer, heat resistant mats from Amazon. I was going to order from an online specialty store, but found that Amazon had the same brand for the same price. Having Amazon Prime, I got free shipping (these mats weigh a bit).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFQPWCI

Next, I took apart some shelves that I bought years ago and rearranged them for use on the bench top. This Amazon link shows something similar, but on this shelf, the legs are one piece.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BDP688

On the shelves I have, the legs unscrew into two shorter pieces. This is what makes my benchtop use possible. I bought mine at the local K-Mart store. Note that the split legs are not the same length, so you have to play with the adjustable feet on the bottom half. The shelves are not exactly level, but they are close enough.

Finally, I needed some extra lighting, so I bought some of these LED under cabinet lights. I bought the Daylight ones, for better color fidelity.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KBRF3S6

This is what one table looks like so far. {edit} Looking at the picture, I realize that now that I am combining two shelf units, I can use the legs as intended and take out the small problem of the height difference. I originally only used one shelf unit, which made it necessary to swap the legs. I see that with two shelf units combined, I don't need to do this. Time to "Tear it apart!" and rebuild it.

[mojoe]

OK, I got the shelf legs turned around. I'm sort of winging it as I rebuild the workroom, so I'm bound to make mistakes.

Here are two pictures, showing one of the LED lights mounted. The first picture is with the ceiling light on and the second with it off. The ceiling light fixture also has Daylight LED bulbs in it. These under cabinet lights are fairly bright. I cut a strip from a file folder and taped it in front of the light to keep the glare out of my eyes. Not fancy, but it does the job. The light is just below eye level. The bench should be decently lit, once I get all three lights mounted.

[mojoe]

I've made quite a bit of progress, but I'm not done yet ("It's not quite dead" - Monty Python).

I had the two tables for some time. The large table is 3ft deep by 6ft wide. The small table is 2.5ft deep by 5ft wide. Along with the computer table, I couldn't fit two 6ft tables in this room.

I still have lots of "stuff" that I am moving around, until I figure out where to put it. Some equipment isn't on the tables or shelves yet. I sent the HP 3457A out for calibration and it isn't back yet. Mounted under the bottom shelves of both tables are two each Tripplite 8-outlet power strips that someone here mentioned (thanks). One problem with those power strips, though. The 8-outlet strip has a 15ft cord. If I want a 6ft cord, I have to buy a strip that is 3ft long (too long for my needs). For now, I just have the excess cord tied to the shelf uprights. I'll tidy this up later.

The large table will be for working on projects and doing repairs. The small table will be for soldering and working on radios. My service monitor isn't on the shelf yet. I'm still lacking a second light for the small table. It should be delivered today or tomorrow.

Amazon.com did not have the 5ft antistatic mat in 2.5ft. So, I had to buy the 3ft size and trim the extra. Just as a test, I cut the long strip into two pieces and you can see it as an extra layer at the soldering station. I am using this as a sacrificial piece, until I see just how heat resistant these mats are.

Finally, my GPS antenna for the GPSDO. I can't easily put it outside, like it should be (I'm renting). The PVC pipe that I bought fits perfectly over the shelf uprights and the reducing adapter also fits perfectly into the base of the antenna. I didn't glue any of this, just press fit.

When everything is in place, I will have as many pieces of test gear networked as possible. The newer gear has Ethernet. For the older gear, I bought a GPIB-LAN adapter and a Serial-LAN adapter. I have a USB-LAN adapter on the way. This should make talking to everything much easier and simpler.

[Edit] Oh yeah, I have more Pomona test lead hangers on the way.

[rrinker]

 Really like the idea of using that wire shelving like that. Something for me to think about as I build my new bench. I was planning on incorporating vertical standards for the metal bracket shelving, but the wire stuff looks cooler.

[mojoe]

I had a couple of the shelves on hand, so that is what I started with. The downside is the legs could get in the way at times. The only way around this is to either mount shelves on the wall, or hang them from the ceiling. I can't do either. Still, what I have works well enough.

[joeqsmith]

Amazon.com did not have the 5ft antistatic mat in 2.5ft. So, I had to buy the 3ft size and trim the extra. Just as a test, I cut the long strip into two pieces and you can see it as an extra layer at the soldering station. I am using this as a sacrificial piece, until I see just how heat resistant these mats are.

I could use a larger mat and was looking at what was on Amazon.   The small one I have is from 3M which has taken a beating.    If you find your happy with this one, post about it.   

[cdev]

You have not lived until you've lived through a 6.9 or larger quake. Its not something you forget.

I've gone through two of them. Do you see what I am getting at?

[mojoe]

Hmm, not sure what quakes have to do with my workbenches. If you mean things falling off shelves, I think that would be true with everything in a quake. Although I don't have to worry about quakes where I live (or hurricanes, tornados tsunamis or forest fires).

[mojoe]

I could use a larger mat and was looking at what was on Amazon.   The small one I have is from 3M which has taken a beating.    If you find your happy with this one, post about it.

Will do.

[cdev]

I would simply try to put some kind of rings around the feet, and anchor the center of the back to a screw sunk into a stud, just so that some sudden jolt wouldn't send the shelves over the edge. Chances are low, sure..but its just smart to do.

[mojoe]

Here are the results of my test with a hot soldering iron on these mats. First, I laid the iron on the mat for about 45 minutes. The tip was not in direct contact with the mat. Although the mat was rather warm, no damage was seen. Next, I pressed the tip of the iron to the mat for 1 s, 5 s and 10 s. See the picture. My conclusion is that the material used in these mats is reasonably heat resistant.