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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 18th Mar 2017, 9:21 pm   #1
Oldcodger
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Default Light work bench.

Prompted by http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/s...848#post928848
Thought it might give ideas, as there's loads of the kitchen/bedroom unit places with sales of stuff they can't use .
I got some "wardrobe" doors for bedroom units cheap at a kitchen+ bedroom place.been sitting around as the place I'd planned on using it in is too wide, and cutting them is not really an option.
Long story short, I've used one plastic drawer storage unit to support it, but two would be better and for next to nothing I've got a six foot work bench and somewhere to store my hand tools/ spare bits etc. It sits supported on the wall by the hinges screwed to a wooden baton, so if I need the space ( assuming that the bench is clear ) I can move the storage unit out and drop the shelf.
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Old 18th Mar 2017, 10:44 pm   #2
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Default Re: Light work bench.

You often find big pieces of MDF in skips. You can use a double layer if you need something stronger.

An old door can make a good strong worktop.
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Old 18th Mar 2017, 11:37 pm   #3
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Ideas in the pot, Paul, but mine got for a few quid is only 18 " wide. ( no doubt someone not vintage will tell us what that is in EU speak.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 1:59 am   #4
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Default Re: Light work bench.

When we got a new kitchen I reinstalled the old one in the cellar. I got a longer length of worktop off Freegle, the donor kindly delivered it too, although I had reciprocated previously. UK Standard 600mm depth, so adequate for most purposes. You often see people offering kitchen units, it's easier for them than disposal.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 4:35 am   #5
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Default Re: Light work bench.

I used a door from a skip outside a house that was being done up.
I put laminate floor over it to cover several panes of glass and make it smooth.
The flooring was 2 quid a pack when they cleared out all the damaged packs.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 12:42 pm   #6
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Default Re: Light work bench.

I fitted my shed out with a lot of shelving using a lot of old wardrobe doors aquired for free from ads in the paper and freegle . Backs and shelving .
Only cost was buying wood for the wooden uprights as strengtheners.
I even had a couple of spare lengths to lay on the floor .All in white chipboard .
Works a treat.

Peter W......Reelguy.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 1:40 pm   #7
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Default Re: Light work bench.

When I kitted out my workshop, I got a retired kitchen fitter to build me my workbench. It cost £250 fitted. Perfect.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 2:30 pm   #8
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Very nice, having something looking good stimulates one to start "workshopping". Mine looked a bit like that (although smaller) a while ago after a clear out, 13 rubble bags of rubbish removed. Tricky to get it all to the dump on my bike (and the missus didn't fancy 7 trips in her new MX5) easy solution, bribe the dustmen £10 and the lot was gone, saw them down the road on the way to work "bags at 63? A tenner?". In the sprit of this thread an inexpensive upgrade!
 
Old 19th Mar 2017, 2:35 pm   #9
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldcodger View Post
Ideas in the pot, Paul, but mine got for a few quid is only 18 " wide. ( no doubt someone not vintage will tell us what that is in EU speak.
The metric system of measurement goes back more than 200 years and had nothing to do with the EU.

Do your radios have wavelengths in feet or yards?
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 3:13 pm   #10
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Slightly off topic but when I was sawmilling and dealing in timber it was always the price paid per cubic meter that counted as that's what I sold it by (cubic meters) but often stuff would be offered off a waggon by some wheeler dealer in imperial, eg: 100 lengths of 12ft6" 4"x2", no online converters back then.

So it was length in feet multiplied by dimensional square area multiplied by the magic multiplier, the multiplier used by we sawmillers was 0.0001966, you won't find much about that on the web but it's an easy one to remember.

So 12.5x4x2x0.0001966xthe number of pieces gave the volume in cubic meters.

Lawrence.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 3:35 pm   #11
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Staying off-topic for a moment, I can remember when my father went to buy some wood and was informed that all dimensions were now metric. So after a moment's thought he asked for 'A piece of softwood approximately 5cm by 10cm, 1.8m long'. At which point the person who was dealing with shouted to a colleage 'Get us 6 feet of 4 by 2'. As my father said, I knew then it would be right...

As for workbenches, I find the top of a short (20U or so) rack cabinet with an antistatic mat on it is a useful small bench. The cabinet can contain PSUs, sig-gen, or in my case a VAX... Another thing that is surprisingly useful is a picnic table. OK, it's not that strong, but it will take a soldering station, PCBs, multimeter, etc and you can set it up almost anywhere. Saved me a lot of time...
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 4:06 pm   #12
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Default Re: Light work bench.

1st Pic: The bench I built was duty heavy, timber sizes were Ex, 75mmx75mm legs (front) 100mmx25mm frame with 75mmx25mm front to back bearers underneath the top, top was two layers of 12mm plywood, they were glued and screwed together as were all joined surfaces so no need for a racking board or bracing struts.

2nd Pic: Bench loaded up.

Lawrence.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 4:10 pm   #13
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Nice bit of carpentry there.
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Old 19th Mar 2017, 4:24 pm   #14
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
Nice bit of carpentry there.
Thanks, yeah, butt joints all the way, no fancy joints for me, no need with modern glues and screws, I learned most my carpentry skills when I ran our sawmill, lot's of picnic tables, sheds, garden furniture etc designed, no fancy joints as such only on five bar gates etc (morticed gate stocks and top rail tennon'd)

Radios all gone now, it's now a cat station....!

EDIT: Last off topic on this one (honest) I can do fancy though, yours truly admiring some of my offerings plus other pics of the job, all done in French green oak....The Farmhouse, Geurnsey if you ever happen to go there.

Pics added.

Lawrence.
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Last edited by ms660; 19th Mar 2017 at 4:48 pm.
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 1:06 am   #15
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X View Post
The metric system of measurement goes back more than 200 years and had nothing to do with the EU.

Do your radios have wavelengths in feet or yards?
Not ban EU gripe, just a poke at how we're slowly being "conned" into metricism. My old radio I know not- I tune them in multiples of HZ- either Khz/or MHz. ( But then some young blood is off on his Megacycle to court his girlfriend ( I'll refrain from abbreviations as some posters don't know them) of unknown origin, who was very receive to his transmissions.
Back on measuring, Graham- I think my old set is set to refer to metres, but I'd prefer to use something British , rather than something based on an an old French Kings thumb.
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 1:10 am   #16
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Default Re: Light work bench.

my last bit of workbench at home came from one of the DIY sheds. I rooted through the worktops and found one with the corner knocked off. A quick word with the manager and I got it for peanuts...the broken bit got trimmed off to fit the room!
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 10:18 am   #17
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldcodger
My old radio I know not- I tune them in multiples of HZ- either Khz/or MHz.
How strange. All my "old" domestic sets have the long and medium wavebands marked in metres, with not a frequency in sight, apart from dual marked short wave bands. It was a long time before we were "conned" into using kHz etc. I remember BBC Radio 1 being first on 247 metres then on 275 and 285 metres.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldcodger
Back on measuring, Graham- I think my old set is set to refer to metres, but I'd prefer to use something British , rather than something based on an an old French Kings thumb.
You'd honestly like a set with wavelengths in feet or yards?

"This is the BBC Light Programme on 1635 yards".

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldcodger
rather than something based on an an old French Kings thumb.
Which French king was that?
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 10:51 am   #18
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Default Re: Light work bench.

Metric wavelength to kHz = good.

Imperial wavelength to kHz = bonkers.

For the imperial bench constructor 8x4 sheets of plywood are still being made (shuttering)

Lawrence.
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 11:58 am   #19
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Default Re: Light work bench.

My bench is a 3-metre-long section of kitchen worktop (scratched, so being sold-off cheap) supported on five legs made of 80mm fencepost painted matt-black for effect.

To connect the posts to the worktop I used the "bolt down" fence supports - these sorts of things - http://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/p...t_shoes/485009 - with coach-bolts through the worktop. it's strong and stable enough to support AR88s and RA17s without problems!
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Old 21st Mar 2017, 12:41 pm   #20
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Default Re: Light work bench.

I didn't know such things existed, thanks! Many is the time I could have used such a part. You learn something every day on here - not always so useful mind..
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