# New Project (Hobby Bench)



## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

Hi Gang:

We (wife & I) are redoing the spare beddroom/office/hobby room, and to make a long story short. With the new arangement and moving the murphy bed over to the other wall, it looks like I am loosing my hobby bench.

So to over come this senerio, I've decided to design a hobby bench that will still be the same size I had (30" x 48") and can be folded down to allow us to put the murphy bed down when we have company staying over.

I'm still working on the complete design, and once I have it done i will post the complete design here. So far I came up with a design that will fold down to stick out 4" x 48" down and be 30" x 48" when up. I have posted a rough drawing showing the up and down positions, more to come.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Danny.... You're making great use of space. I too am "space challenged". <g>

I'd like to recommend adding a brace that extends diagonally between the horizontal top and vertical back. If you make it as long as the width of the top / length of the back and run it at a 45* angle, it'll start ~70% of the way out from the wall and end ~70% down the back. This will let it discreetly store with the bench and not block the front edge for clamping, etc. It'll be *much* stronger.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

BigJimAK said:


> Danny.... You're making great use of space. I too am "space challenged". <g>
> 
> I'd like to recommend adding a brace that extends diagonally between the horizontal top and vertical back. If you make it as long as the width of the top / length of the back and run it at a 45* angle, it'll start ~70% of the way out from the wall and end ~70% down the back. This will let it discreetly store with the bench and not block the front edge for clamping, etc. It'll be *much* stronger.


I already had that planed see the drawings I attached. 

I am drawing a full sized assembled model with my CAD program, with the respective parts on different layers.

Once I am done with the assembled model and everything looks like it's going to fit with the bench up and with the bench down in the space I want; then I will pull each part out of the assembly, and make a dimensioned drawing to work from; along with a material/Parts list, and sub assembly views.

Then I will save it all to a PDF file and post here for anyone that is also limited on space.

Hey maybe I could make a kit, or make the assembly and sell them. :fie: Oh No more projects. :no: :no:

I noticed some of the layer colors don't seem to show when you view from the WEB in future view I will try a something different.


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

Here is a PDF of the assembly showing both the table and the shelf. Now I got to work on getting all the peice parts dimensioned, and detailed.

I'm attaching the complete assemblys to a plywood back, then that back will be attached to the wall, so it can be mounted at any height from the min. of 30" to the table top on up. And the shelf is seperate so if ya just want the table alone.

I hope this shows up better then the other attachments.

If ya have any suggestions, please let me know, I'm open to all. 

Thanks 
Danny


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

That looks like a good design, Danny. Without knowing how you plan on using it, it's tough to comment. I like the idea of a shelf but for *my* projects, I wouldn't want a "collapsing" shelf since I'd not want any more setup time than necessary when going to use it. I'd either design it "permanently up" or not install it... but that's based on the kinds of work *I* do, not yours. I *do* like the idea of some "permanent" storage on a lift-up bench... for the essentials. 

Thanks for sharing.. and how about some pictures?


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## jd99 (Jun 17, 2009)

BigJimAK said:


> That looks like a good design, Danny. Without knowing how you plan on using it, it's tough to comment. I like the idea of a shelf but for *my* projects, I wouldn't want a "collapsing" shelf since I'd not want any more setup time than necessary when going to use it. I'd either design it "permanently up" or not install it... but that's based on the kinds of work *I* do, not yours. I *do* like the idea of some "permanent" storage on a lift-up bench... for the essentials.
> 
> Thanks for sharing.. and how about some pictures?


As soon as I get to work on it I will try to take pictures as I go along. The arms swing in and the shelf and table fold down. I'd imageine it wouldn't take but 2 min. to actually set it up, or take it down.
I have to do it like this to accomidate the use of the murphy bed when we have someone stay over. I attached a layout of the spare bed/office/hobby room so you can see my problem.

When not working in the garage/workshop my hobby is building true to scale sailing ships (Something like Below), and this is what this bench is for not my wood working; that takes place out in the garage.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Wow, Danny.. far more detail and patience than *this* ol' boy has!!


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

I really like that ship. I played the original Pirates game from Microprose for 1000's of hours the first couple of years I was disabled and always like to read the various british naval novel series set from the time of the USA revolution until the end of the napoleon period, so since then have always liked to see the models such as yours, and wish I could go see The USS Constitution.

For a long time I used to tell my Wife I wanted my own Sailing Frigate  Used to have to kick her or my brother out of the computer chair as both also became addicted to the game. Neither one of them liked the novels or the actual ships like me though.


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Is that the HMS Victory? Derek I too would one daylike to go and visit the USS Constituion (Old Ironsides).


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

As much as like reading those novels, I would sure hate to have been a sailor then or for quite some time afterwards. Even before I super-sized I liked a little bit more room for sleeping than the average Navy person gets. At least now the food isn't salt soaked beef or pork so hard that you could carve it.


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