Portable workshop table?

[leehljp]

I am always in need of a portable workshop table for outside the house, inside the house and even taking them with me to my daughters' homes and working on things at their house - for minor things.

Saw horses were the Go-To table in my younger years but I am in need of portable foldable, light weight but strong work tables. I recieved an email this morning from Northern Tools with this work table:
Click here.

I picked this one up last fall: from HD, here.
I have really enjoyed the strength and lightness of the HD table but I like the versatility that I see in the Northern Tool.

Anyone use these or anything like them?

[cabinetman]

Both of those tables have their good points, and the HD one is very light. Hard to get the best of both worlds in one item. I use a folding leg kit with a slab interior door cut down. If the legs get intermarried when folded, they only need about 30" of length, and about 30" of width.

What you will be using the table for might depend on how heavy duty it has to be. I use the folding leg setup with a full length interior slab door mostly for a setup for my CMS. It doesn't take up much depth, and the backside can be used for whatever else.

.

[tommyt654]

That Keter tables on sale at Costco for $39 according to these sources ,http://slickdeals.net/f/5823768-Kete...-at-Costco-B-M ,

[pelligrini]

I've got that husky table. It stores small, but I find it is a little wobbly (twisty might be a better word) for any heavier work table use. The splayed legs on the northern table might make it a bit more stable.

For portable and versatile I love my workmate. I made an insert to fit between the jaws for more surface area.

[durango dude]

don't waste your time/money with the B&D Workmate.

Unless you're doing really light duty work, it simply won't do the job.

I tried to use my Workmate to hold some wood I was working on with a hand plane ---- it worked - but only if I put my kneee up on the table to hold it still.

[pelligrini]

None of the tables in this thread would be approperiate for planing. Maybe that longer table for short pieces. I tried planing on my workmate before too. Way too short and tippy.

[JoeyGee]

My dad has that table from NT, but his is either branded a Skil or B&D. It looks identical. It works OK and definitely is easily transported, but it seems a little flimsy to me. I've used it a couple times and was never overly impressed.

I have one of the original Skil X-Benches, which I REALLY like. It's not light, but it folds up and stores well. Sadly, they are not available any more.

http://www.toolsnob.com/archives/200..._workstati.php

[Jim Bow]

I splurged, two Christmases ago, for the Rockwell Jawhorse.
It, so far, has proven to be rock solid in every application I've tried.

[LCHIEN]

I was going to suggest a workmate, someone already did so and someone else panned it.
I know there's several models of workmates, the originals were quite sturdy but late, models like the WM125, WM225 are pretty lightweight.

You might take a look at the WM425 which is the most heavy duty and see if the quality is OK.

If you've never used one its got a lot going for the design anyway. I'm mostly describing my old 70' or 80's model Workmate which has many of the same features of the WM425.
The base has legs that optionally extend or fold giving two working heights - good for working on flat things and bigger things,
The upper base is a parallelogram folding section that closes quickly and conveniently for more or less flat storage (if 8-10 inches is flat) and can hang on a wall. THe WM425 is 36 lbs shipping weight... so its reasonably portable.
The top is two sections forming a wide and powerful vise for holding work to be cut. It has 4 plastic dogs and holes in the top - they work for holding wider objects and flat objects for sanding and planing. The step on the front is useful for either climbing (probably not recommended) but also for putting your foot on for extra weight when sawing or cutting using the vise.
The top is a reasonable surface area if the jaws are closed. You can place a benchtop tool on it for field work.
Mine was stable and stiff... when i was younger i would stand on it. Altho I think they discouraged it in the manual.

The new model has coupled vise handles that close together with one hand - I never had trouble closing with two hands or alternating until it was closed...
The new model also has a feature where the rear section can be rotated vertically to clamp against the front section - i have no opinion if this is a good idea.
The new model has a expansion board that fits between the two jaw halves, making a larger top when needed.

Reading the reviews on Amazon, its sad that the quality has slipped so much... it might be worth looking in Craigslist or Goodwill for a used one.

current model:



My workmate looks like this one:

[Pappy]

I have a pair of these from Sears that have been in use for several years and are holing up fine. The height adjustability is great. I often set one up for my SCMS and adjust the other on as an outfeed/infeed table.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...%20Tablesmv=rr

[leehljp]

I was going to suggest a workmate, someone already did so and someone else panned it.
I know there's several models of workmates, the originals were quite sturdy but late, models like the WM125, WM225 are pretty lightweight.

You might take a look at the WM425 which is the most heavy duty and see if the quality is OK.

Wow, Loring, I haven't looked at the workmates in a long while. The 425 does have a lot of features! I had the old basic from about 30 years ago and left it in Japan. But I have one here that my dad had. The top is not as large as the 425 nor does it have the extra features. A little too small but it is fairly heavy (back when they made them out of heavier tubes and braces.

Joey, I like that Skill Xbench table.

Tommy, Wish my local costco had them at that price.

[LCHIEN]

interesting note, the Workmate was designed and patented by Ron Hickman, who was the chief designer of Lotus Engineering in the '60s, designed the Lotus Elan, Elan+2 and the Lotus Europa sportscars. He designed and patented the Workmate after cutting into a chair being used to support a workpiece. He offered it for license but got no takers and sold it himself at trade shows until B&D saw it and picked up the rights in 1973, they sold 10 million by 1981. And a total of around 30 million total. Hickman died in 2011.

[RAV2]

This has been a topic on my mind for a long time.

As I began to update my shop equipment, I wanted sturdy portable tools.

I chose the Craftsman 21829 and a sliding cross cut miter saw on a Rigid Miter SUV to support future projects at any location. I also have a nice portable compressor from PC.

During the fall, I worked with the high school theater group building sets on 5 consecutive weekends - each time moving my tools back and forth with my pickup truck.

I realized that the one need that I had not properly filled was a good portable bench (I've got all kinds of folding saw horses, workmates, and a folding banquet table).

Doing some research, I came across the Vika TwoFold Series Workbench and Scaffold at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/vika-tw...-v16200g1.html

This bench and scaffold holds up to 500 lbs, has multiple heights, contains a built in power strip, and folds compactly for transport.

One side has a grid that makes a sturdy surface for walking on the unit when used as a scaffold. The other side is MDF with various markings for angles and lenghts with a tray for tools/hardware.

Online, someone modified one to support a full bench vise but I found this mod excessive.

I'm happy with the quality of this item thought you need to be aware that it is slightly heavy at 45 lbs.

Check out the various online review of this and a similar product and you may find this as a nice solution to your needs.

[pelligrini]

Wow, Loring, I haven't looked at the workmates in a long while. The 425 does have a lot of features!

I believe my Workmate is a 225 (purchased about 20 years ago), but it looks alot more like the current 425. It has the splayed foldable legs.

I added a block of wood inside the top crossbar to make carrying easier. The metal edge would dig into my hand. For a while, It supported my DW735 planer on a regular basis. Before I got my 21829 it supported my POS skill benchsaw and a craftsman metal router table.

[cwsmith]

Several years ago I bought a couple of Stanley foldable workbenches. As I recall, their design had won an award.

My particular bench has a lower shelf, and it folds up flat like their sawhorse. These are all plastic, but somewhat sturdy and rated at around 300 lbs, IIRC. They have a couple of small vises that snap into the bench holes on the 20 x 27-1/4 inch top. I think I bought these for about $30 a piece.



This is the latest version, without the lower shelf.

With two of these, properly spaced, you can easily set up a board on it's edge for planing, sanding, whatever. For me, they have held up quite well and are lightweight enough to easily carry anywhere in the house or garage for use.

CWS