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-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@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 >>>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
