Popular Post gee-dub Posted September 29, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 29, 2022 If I posted this before I can't find it. If it is a repeat . . just move along as if I didn't have a brain-fade . Support for larger case work can be a challenge in a space challenged shop. I have used a variety of fold-and-stow platforms but these torsion beams have remained constant. They are just long torsion boxes. Mine are made from 1/2" MDF for the tops, bottoms, and ribs. 1/4" double tempered hardboard is used for the sides. I leave about an inch of overhang at each side and at each end to give me somewhere to clamp them to whatever is supporting them. This is MDF so these overhangs are only for keeping the beams still and won't take a lot of force. That is, do not use these areas for high pressure needs. Break down the MDF and hardboard in whatever is your usual fashion. At the time I used foam board on the garage floor. I take the now more manageable material to the tablesaw and cut them precisely to width and length. I go ahead and round all edges of the tops and bottoms, both sides. I then cut the 1/4" grooves to accept the sides. After double and triple checking the internal dimensions I cut all the ribs. The first assembly requires that I have or come up with a flat reference surface. All contact points are glued; grooves for sides and all the contact surfaces of the ribs. A torsion box's strength relies on the distribution of the work across all members. Once you have one beam done you can use it for the reference surface for the others. As mentioned the edges and ends are available for securing the beams to the support platform, whatever it is. I level the beams / platforms so that I have a reliable reference surface to work from. The beams can be used alone, in pairs or in combinations. In my new shop I have a bit more room and was able to make a wall rack for the beams. These are just thick plywood arms screwed to wall studs. My platform methods have morphed over the years but the beams live on. I now use the saw horses and beams as a set. P.s. I finish them with BLO. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 Trying to understand the need for these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 I see the being extremely useful in a small shop like mine. Large, flat reference surfaces are hard to manage in a cramped space. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted September 30, 2022 Report Share Posted September 30, 2022 Better a torion Box table on horses? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 Yeah, a table would be great, but the beams take less storage space. I can't speak for @gee-dub's situation when he started using them, but my entire shop has to fit inside a 12x16 room. Every cubic inch matters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted October 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 wtnhighlander's got it. I still have a pair of folding legs I bought 20 years ago with the intention of mounting them to a torsion table. The table would fold flat and store against the wall. The only problem was that I had no wall area that was open enough to allow me to access and store the table once folded. The beams could be stored in the lumber rack, on brackets just below the lumber rack, or vertically leaning here and there. This made them workable in a cramped shop. I got the "big" carcass assembly table function without the table. Even though I now have more space I am so used to them I just keep using them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted October 1, 2022 Report Share Posted October 1, 2022 Don't get me wrong. If they work for you great. I just don't see the gain. If I kept every jig or pattern I made I'd need a tractor trailer to store them... No complaints here, nice job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 I have a torsion box. 4 x 7'. It lives on an old bench that I found. It was not quite high enough so the added inches of the torsion box was desirable. I have the multiple choice X legs an seen in this thread for the torsion box. I got this great and simple design from gee-dub. Thanks again gee-dub! The legs when not in use take minimal space. When in use is saves me from lying on the floor to adjust drawers, Too much for an old man. Now I no longe need to get on the floor. When done the top goes on the short bench. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 Cabinet and commercial usually use benches 24" off the ground. This allows them to get weight on the build as they work on it. My Bench is 36" great for uppers , but not for bases. I end up on the floor. My bases can be anywhere from 12" to 12'... At the furniture company I took a bench and made adjustable legs. My current bench I won't disturb as I do more furniture than cabinetry these days.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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