Work Area and Table revamp

[kgg]

I had to revamp one of my work areas which takes up about a 4' x 4' area so what a better time then Labor Day Weekend. 

Work Table:

i) I set the height of the work table so the top surface was equal to the top of my belt buckle. This height is to low for my son but I'm Short. The Butcher Block table top is one piece measuring 4' Long X 3' Wide X 1 3/4" Thick.

ii) The Butcher Block top was sanded and then oiled three times with white mineral oil. The mineral oil was spread over the surface by hand using 80 grit sand paper as the applicator. The mineral oil was allowed to soak in for 24 hours between coats. I could have probably done another coat.

iii) I spruced up an old vise and installed it on the left front side of the table top. The only markings I could find on the vise were in the casting " No. 1 " and " Made in England ". How old and made by who??? The other little vise on the right side of the table is a homemade one and mostly used a paper weight.

iv) I installed my cheap Ryobi bench grinder / buffer on the left side of the table top.

v) Then I installed my version of a variable speed Burnisher Machine on the right side of the table top. The sand paper side of the burnisher uses your standard 3" x 4 1/2 " sanding discs with a 3D printed adapter. If I want or need to use sheet sand paper I have another 3D printed adapter that allows for that, the black round thingy alongside the blue mini anvil. 

Lighting:

The area does have 4' shop light but it was really to far out and didn't provide enough light and created shadows in certain areas of the table so I installed a Hanging Lantern Cord and a 4 Lamp Socket Adapter fixture that can be slide from one side of the table to the other. The lights are suspended on a plastic connector and slides on a #12 bare copper wire attached to the wooded "I" beam floor joists.

Cutting Mat

The old self sealing cutting mat had warped really bad. I was going to have to be replaced it but before I would through it out I figured I would try and flatten the waves out. What I did was use a heat gun and heated the back first then I heated the front in about 8" sections and placed a flat board with some heavy weights across that area of the mat. I would let it cool then I would do move onto the next 8" section. However I well give it another heat treatment this evening to get the couple minor waves flattened out. Now it is usable again.

HDPE cutting boards

I like HDPE more commonly known as puck board as a cutting surface but the main draw back is the surfaces are really slippery and can slide around. I have in the past tried different things and none really did work that well. My solution was to ruff up one side with 80 grit sand paper and glue some 3mm high density form to it. I used good old fashion contact cement, Heavy Duty Lepage. Now I get the added benefit of having a little cushioning while cutting. These pieces were left over 1/8" scrap.

This my provide someone with some ideas so any and all comments are appreciated.

kgg

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2 by kgg

[DieselTech]

Looks good! Nice revamp. 

[greygeist3191]

Nice table top!

[Brokenolmarine]

The butcher block top looks really good.  I need to refinish my woodworking bench top.

Never take the time, and I have plenty.

[kgg]

@DieselTech @greygeist3191 @Brokenolmarine 

Thank you

kgg

[dikman]

You've been a busy boy! For some reason your travelling light fixture made me smile , don't know why as it's simple and effective.

[kgg]

32 minutes ago, dikman said:

For some reason your travelling light fixture made me smile 

Thank you, that was my cheap KISS solution.