I had a few questions about setting up a small outdoor shop for use
with handtools and portable power tools. I'm breaking them up for
efficiency.

I need to find a workbench that I can use outside, so it must be
portable and/or weatherproof. A store told me a Vika bench (portable,
link below) might work, but I was suspicious about it being heavy and
stable enough to clamp things for planing or sawing with handtools.

Is there someone who sells something more permament that you could put
a vise on and leave outdoors in the Northeast US weather cycle? Maybe
a phenolic or laminate tabletop and a set of powdercoated steel or
aluminum legs?

Ideas welcome.

http://www.vikausa.com/

Sledge Hammer wrote:

I need to find a workbench that I can use outside, so it must be
portable and/or weatherproof. A store told me a Vika bench (portable,
link below) might work, but I was suspicious about it being heavy and
stable enough to clamp things for planing or sawing with handtools.

Ideas welcome.

You might consider something like this:

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/SawHorse/

and build a top to suit the work you want to do (I have a 1.5"x36"x72"
recycled maple desk top that I sometimes use as a work surface).

The three-legged design assures that they /can't/ wobble.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

"Sledge Hammer" wrote in message
...
I had a few questions about setting up a small outdoor shop for use
with handtools and portable power tools. I'm breaking them up for
efficiency.

I need to find a workbench that I can use outside, so it must be
portable and/or weatherproof. A store told me a Vika bench (portable,
link below) might work, but I was suspicious about it being heavy and
stable enough to clamp things for planing or sawing with handtools.

Is there someone who sells something more permament that you could put
a vise on and leave outdoors in the Northeast US weather cycle? Maybe
a phenolic or laminate tabletop and a set of powdercoated steel or
aluminum legs?

I would have trouble with leaving a vise outside in tne winter and rain. If
a vise is important, I would figure out a way to make the vise removable.
Bring it inside when finished using it.

I grew up on a farm and we had outside benches. Nothing fancy though. They
were made from construction grade wood and considered temporary. I have an
old wood box from my last house sitting out back now. It is just pine 2 X
12's nailed together with 3/4" plywood nailed on the bottom/top. It has sat
through several mild winters with little sign of wear, etc.

If I am doing any kind of precise cutting or routing, I cover this surface
or some sawhorses with a cutting table or other boards. If it has to sit
outside, I would just make it sturdy and cheap. Any metal or tools will be
stored inside.

Sledge Hammer wrote:
I had a few questions about setting up a small outdoor shop for use
with handtools and portable power tools. I'm breaking them up for
efficiency.

I need to find a workbench that I can use outside, so it must be
portable and/or weatherproof. A store told me a Vika bench
(portable,
link below) might work, but I was suspicious about it being heavy
and
stable enough to clamp things for planing or sawing with handtools.

Is there someone who sells something more permament that you could
put
a vise on and leave outdoors in the Northeast US weather cycle?
Maybe
a phenolic or laminate tabletop and a set of powdercoated steel or
aluminum legs?

Ideas welcome.

http://www.vikausa.com/

You might want to take a look at a Skil XBench
http://www.skilxbench.com/index.html. You can get it cheaper from
Amazon I believe
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...eywords=xbench.
Not something you'd want to leave outside permanently but should be OK
with getting rained on once in a while and folds up like a (heavy)
card table. Has as options a set of clamps that work with the dog
holes and a tail vise.

If you want stable and outside, a few pressure treated 2x6s or some
Ipe deck lumber and some galvanized or stainless screws or nails
should do the job just fine, but you're going to want to make the vise
removable--a vise that will stand up outside in the Northeast is going
to be pricey as all getout.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

You might want to take a look at a Skil XBench
http://www.skilxbench.com/index.html. You can get it cheaper from
Amazon I believe
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...eywords=xbench.

Wow, that's nice. It's definitely aimed at the weekend warrior, but it
could work for a pro.
Most of those silly add-ons are.... well, silly, but I love the router
insert and the cutting slot.

I could dig that along side another small worktable.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Morris Dovey wrote:
You might consider something like this:

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/SawHorse/

The three-legged design assures that they /can't/ wobble.


I love that horse, Mo. [can I call you Mo? :-) ]

But I could get it to wobble, trust me. I have a penchant for pushing
things to their limits. You should see how much lumber I can fit on
my minivan luggage rack. :-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

-MIKE- wrote:

I love that horse, Mo. [can I call you Mo? :-) ]

Thanks. You can call me anything, but it might be like calling souls
from the briney deep - the real challenge /could/ be to hear the answer...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey wrote:
Thanks. You can call me anything, but it might be like calling souls
from the briney deep - the real challenge /could/ be to hear the answer...


You're weird, aren't you?
I like that. :-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Sledge Hammer wrote:

I need to find a workbench that I can use outside, so it must be
portable and/or weatherproof. A store told me a Vika bench (portable,
link below) might work, but I was suspicious about it being heavy and
stable enough to clamp things for planing or sawing with handtools.

I have one of those, got it for $89.95 when Costco first brought them in.
Woodcraft wants like $150 for them, yikes. However I'd be reluctant to
leave it outside if rain was possible, that particle-board work surface is
probably not going to like getting really wet.

Is there someone who sells something more permament that you could put
a vise on and leave outdoors in the Northeast US weather cycle? Maybe
a phenolic or laminate tabletop and a set of powdercoated steel or
aluminum legs?

Ideas welcome.

How about a commercial food-prep counter, the kind with a stainless-steel
top? Used store/restaurant fixture outlets should have some reasonable
deals on something like that. Throw a bar-b-que cover over it when you're
not using it and it should stand up pretty well.

-MIKE- wrote:
Morris Dovey wrote:
Thanks. You can call me anything, but it might be like calling souls
from the briney deep - the real challenge /could/ be to hear the
answer...

You're weird, aren't you?

Now that's just not PC. In newspeak, I think outside the box.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

I do all my woodery outside 'cos I've got no shop and the tiny house is full
of no-room. My "fancy" bench is a beech laminate job, cost me £30.00 in a
sale at B&Q. It's quite sturdy and very pretty (it looks just like a big
version of a kid's toy workbench( and is ideal for hand tool work. Next to it
I've a couple of knocked-together ply-topped benches and an old desk on which
sit sliding mitre saw, drill press, belt sander, a very basic saw table, band
saw and a scroll saw. Then there's a couple of saw horses with my router
table top sat on it.
(I usually keep the routers inside.) I've got a _massive_ record vice (vise
?) out there too, wrapped in greasy plastic and waiting for installation, but
so far I've been using the toy workbench vice quite happily.

The whole lot lines up against a fence to which I've stapled good quality
plastic tarp. The tarp hangs over the tools and benches to near the ground at
the front. The front edge has pieces of mdf (about 4 by 2, 3/4) stapled to
make a sort of hem weight. This is absolutely essential to prevent blowing
around and works very well. Before I attached the weights I had terrible
problems keeping anything covered. Now it's fine in all but the strongest
winds when I'll chuck a plank or two on top for extra ballast. There's a sort
of drip strip at the top edge to try and prevent water creeping down between
the tarp and fence. It seems to work.

To use it, I just lift the front edge up to uncover whatever sections I
need. It keeps dry, though there's slight surface rust on the cast iron drill
press top so I WD40 any exposed ironwork now.

In heavy rain water sometimes pools on top because the tarp is not dead flat
as it drapes over the tools, but with the weighted hem, most of the hollows
pull out and it's not really a problem. Without the weighted hem, this was a
MAJOR hassle.

For occasional use, it works out very well. Unfortunately it nearly always
rains whenever I plan to do anything at all, so if it ever stops raining
enough to undertake the work, I intend to build a shop. I'll still be leaving
a bench by the fence though.. I like working outdoors.

oh - if all I've needed to do is chop a length of wood or drill a couple of
holes, I have been to known to go outside - damn the rain - and just stick
myself under the tarp long enough to do the job. No good for anything
protracted (dust) but OK to trim the odd stick. Everything's floodlit on
intruder sensors and that's enough light to work anytime, noise allowing.

BTW the benches rest on bits of brick etc. on the ground. I _was_ going to
sit them on pressure-treated "skids," running fore to aft but so far there's
no sign of anything rotting. I suppose I ought to, though, if it ever stops
raining for long enough for me to fit it in.

We had a sturdy Picnic Table with a vise bolted at one end for many
years. The large top surface is just right for 4'×8' panels. Because
it is multi-level, with the lower benches, it was pretty versatiile as a
sawhorse. Combine that with a couple of Milk Crates and the possibilites
are endless. Keep the vise loosely covered or painted and the screw
greased. And, of course, you can entertain on it when the job's done.

"I would have trouble with leaving a vise outside in tne winter and rain. "



We never really did have any problems with that, and I am rather careful, too. But even here in Michigan's snow and rain, all we ever did was paint it every couple years, slap a gob of grease on the screw occasionally and it was fine. If your vise has a wood handle, you can replace it with a pipe and caps.

On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:13:42 +0000, Stuart wrote
(in article ):

In article ,
Bored Borg wrote:
I've got a _massive_ record vice

Nice, is that the 10"?

(10" jaw width, they open to 15")



without going out in the rain and checking, I think it _is_. If not, it's
certainly an 8+ or whatever the next 'un is. I could extort confessions from
a mammoth with this thing, should that ever prove necessary.

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:16:11 +0000, Stuart wrote
(in article ):

In article ,
Bored Borg wrote:
without going out in the rain and checking, I think it _is_. If not,
it's certainly an 8+ or whatever the next 'un is. I could extort
confessions from a mammoth with this thing, should that ever prove
necessary.

Actually it's 10 1/2" and the next one down is a 9" which opens to 13" and
then you get the 7" which opens to 8". There are different variants with
and without the quick release, and with and without the dog on the front
jaw.

OK, I've been and measured it.

10 1/2" it is! Quick release an' stuff.

The screw will certainly go out to 15" but I didn't actually open it right up