[time-nuts] Test Equipment Tables

J. Forster jfor at quik.com
Sun Jan 24 18:41:59 UTC 2010


Something I've not seen mentioned is that particle board, in addition to
bending, can creep over time, so a shelf of equipment may be straight on
day one, but sag significantly months or years later.

Not all particle board is the same, some creeps more than others.

-John

===========



> Hi
>
> One thing to be very careful of using doors - the core may not be what you
> expect it to be. Solid wood may be just that, solid wood pieces laminated
> together. Think of it as a pice of butcher block countertop. It can also
> be shredded wood glued together. Think of it as  a thick piece of particle
> board. The first sort of construction is quite strong. The second not so
> much so ....
>
> Bob
>
>
> On Jan 24, 2010, at 1:09 PM, Thomas A. Frank wrote:
>
>> Even cheaper and less work than plywood - solid wood doors from Home
>> Depot, laid across a rectangle using 2x4 as horizontals with 4x4 as
>> legs.
>>
>> It you use lag bolts (and you should, as nails work loose over time),
>> you can take the things apart when you move.
>>
>> My buddy has a few that all his milling machine parts sit on, and they
>> haven't sagged.
>>
>> Ask if they have any scratch and dent doors for really cheap.
>>
>> Tom Frank, KA2CDK
>>
>> On Jan 24, 2010, at 10:03 AM, Bob Camp wrote:
>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> If you are looking for massive tables on the cheap, you can indeed
>>> build them. Have the local Home Depot rip some plywood to an
>>> appropriate width and glue four sheets one on top of the other. 2x4's
>>> or 4x4's make fine legs and support structure under the table top. I
>>> have 16 feet of it sitting in the basement. No test gear on it at all.
>>> Other hobbies seem to have taken over the entire space...
>>>
>>> The only real drawback is that it's a build in place item. You aren't
>>> going to take it with you when you move. There are various versions of
>>> that table scattered all over the US.
>>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jan 23, 2010, at 7:48 PM, Mike Feher wrote:
>>>
>>>> I also had similar problems with my 8 ft tables for my test equipment.
>>>> I
>>>> found at Home Depot replacement fold down legs. I bought some, and
>>>> installed
>>>> them right in the middle of the tables. No more sagging problems. I
>>>> had to
>>>> shorten the legs somewhat as they were a few inches too long. But,
>>>> have
>>>> supported hundreds of ponds for many years now with no sigh of
>>>> warping/sagging. 73 - Mike
>>>>
>>>> Mike B. Feher, N4FS
>>>> 89 Arnold Blvd.
>>>> Howell, NJ, 07731
>>>> 732-886-5960
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com]
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of John Miles
>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 7:38 PM
>>>> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
>>>> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Test Equipment
>>>>
>>>>> Another important aspect of the electronic test bench is the
>>>>> furniture.
>>>>>
>>>>> I started with the cheapie particle board "fold up legged" tables and
>>>>> very soon
>>>>> learned they could not hold much weight without significant sagging.
>>>>
>>>> If you have the space, you could do what I do, and bolt multiple
>>>> folding
>>>> tables together with 'L'- and 'T'-shaped flat metal brackets.  The
>>>> idea,
>>>> besides adding surface area, is to dampen the tables' tendency to
>>>> wobble.
>>>> This adds a surprising amount of stability and load-bearing capacity.
>>>> It
>>>> completely eliminates the need to add a center leg, which is otherwise
>>>> pretty much mandatory when using folding tables.
>>>>
>>>> With cheap folding tables, you don't have to feel bad about drilling
>>>> into
>>>> your workbench or otherwise marring and gouging it.  Every few years,
>>>> or
>>>> when you move, just throw the old folding table away and spend $39.95
>>>> on
>>>> another one.  Voila, a brand new workbench.
>>>>
>>>>> Many industrial equipment catalogs will give you an idea of the
>>>>> accessories possible.
>>>>> Shelves, drawers, electrical outlet strips.etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> An effective infrastructure will allow the test bench to gradually
>>>>> grow,
>>>>> as the budget allows.
>>>>
>>>> Also, HP/Agilent equipment racks are sometimes available on eBay.
>>>> These are
>>>> nothing like the relay racks or server racks that you commonly see in
>>>> data
>>>> centers.  They are *stout*.  They're very expensive when new, but
>>>> almost
>>>> free for the shipping when bought used.  I used generic shelving units
>>>> to
>>>> hold test equipment for a long time, but once you use real racks, you
>>>> won't
>>>> go back.
>>>>
>>>> An Agilent E3662A/B rack can hold up to 81 EIA units of gear weighing
>>>> up to
>>>> 1800 pounds.  I have three in my living room and wish I had more...
>>>>
>>>> -- john, KE5FX
>>>>
>>
>>
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>
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