Build table size?

[Fritz]

Hi All,

Can anyone suggest a recommended size for a Waiex building table?

I searched the group and found where Bryan Cotton suggested a 10' table but I don't know if that was just to accommodate building the spars. (the wings for this project will already be built)

I've got a large CNC machine and I'm thinking about making a "fold up, roll out of the way" building table out of MDF.

TNX
Fritz

[Bryan Cotton]

Fritz,
I built my table 6', then had to extend it to 10' to build the fuselage. I would plan on 10'. Mine is on wheels which is extremely handy.

[Fritz]

Thanks Bryan,

So 4' x 10' ? I should have asked about the width also...

[Bryan Cotton]

Fritz,
Mine is 32" wide. The very front of the tailcone hangs over as it is 40" wide in the very front. I like the 32" width because I can reach across it. The tailcone is about 9' long.

[Fritz]

Thanks Bryan,

That's just what I needed.

Fritz

[Rynoth]

When I did the Sonex workshop a couple years ago, John Monett suggested building 2 indentical tables that are each 2 x 4ft. Then you can make a deep (4x4ft) or long (2x8) table or have seperate tables. I have a 4x10 and a 2x4 table and will just say you can never have too much table space, but you can certainly get by with less.

[Gripdana]

I built a 4' x 12' table and mounted a 10' sheetmetal brake. The table is made from two tables. One 4' x 4' and one 4' x 8'. Here is a link to some photos of the table. https://www.flickr.com/photos/90889513@ ... datetaken/

[DCASonex]

Bigger is better, but only if you have room for it. Two or more tables work well in smaller spaces. There will be times you need only one and all the floor space you can get. When built mine, I placed the wings on two 12 ft. long 2" square 14 Ga. steel tubes that were very straight, Those could easily have spanned between two smaller tables. Shimming up the tubes makes leveling and truing your setup very easy. Had duct tape in top face of tubes to protect aluminum. 2" is also deep enough to allow carefully flipping the wings with clecos installed. If doing that with clecos, strongly recommend putting those small plastic protective tips on them. If you then bump a cleco, it will not leave a small dent. Those plastic tips are pricey, but get a few,then go to CapPlugs catalog or website and order large quantity in same size and punch or drill holes in them to make your own. If large table (mine is 4 ft. x 12 ft.), and will need to move it, BIG casters are great help, but also be sure to have floor locks, preferably screw type that can also jack table perfectly level.

David A.

[Rynoth]

For the feet of my table, I used 1/2" lag screws in the bottom of each leg, to allow me to make height adjustments for (roughly) leveling the table. I then placed the feet on a set of $3 moving sliders from Harbor Freight. This lets me pull/push the table (4x10') across the room by myself without scratching the floor. The lag screws stick in the foam of the slider and I've never had one come off when moving the table.



Having a flat-topped table is more important than having a level table. The 4x10 pallet that many (including myself) use to build a large workbench is far from perfectly flat, so I built my smaller 2x4' table with a flat particle board top for any precision work. When it comes to the wings, you'll probably use some kind of rig to remove twist from the wing anyway, and not rely on the flatness of the table to keep your wings straight.

[A10snoopy]

Whatever size you decide to build, be sure it has a couple of inches of overhang around all four sides. The overhang allows you to use clamps when needed.

Paul
Onex 76