[Jewelry making - Article 00396] - Re: [Orchid] Mini bench

[jake]

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>     Do you need plans?

    (Not actually, but.) 

>     That portable mini-bench IS a work of art. Is there a set of plans
>     available?  I glad someone likes it, actually I sent the link to
>     someone and the reply was "sweet." . As for plans I intend to find
>     out". 

    Below is part of a reply (edited), it should clarify some things,
    the author has expressed an interest in building a "high tech"
    version and perhaps marketing it, basically for those in his work and
    of course it can be used for jewelry . To Wit: 

    Glad you liked my workbench ... Your glowing review, forwarded by
    Ann Berger. compelled me to respond. There's more than meets the eye
    ... My first was made to fit a big Lazy-Boy so I could watch TV and
    do wax carving (3/4" lightweight cedar, rested on the arms). I had a
    heat lamp attached to it to keep the wax at a nice working temp. The
    magnifying glass worked incredibly well, it had a right angle quarter
    inch, stainless rod which fit into the tool holes in the rail, easily
    moved, stayed in place and VERY adjustable and simple. The tool rack
    is 3/6" ss welding rod, cheap and available. The absent bench pin is
    a $5, disposable hardwood screw-on that will go on the surface vs.
    the slot on the typical jeweler's bench. Drywall screws for the
    practical, carriage bolts w/ recessed nuts for the fancy. (Note: My
    club uses a homemade slanting box like affair with the front of the
    pin projecting out, this clamps on to the tables and gives the added
    height you want.) The next iteration was built for field archaeology,
    which consists of mixing sand/dirt/ water, with a microscope,
    sorting/looking at small artifacts, using dental picks etc. Not
    unlike mineralogy where the work ranges from brutal to elegant. I
    added a bracket for a cordless drill, so I had a wire wheel/grinder
    attachment ... very useful. This version was built from a scrap,
    pressure-treated 2x12 as a base. It was heavy, but the inertia is
    important. (I had a Foredom hooked to it for a while. These days, of
    course, everything is built overseas and weight is a negative.) For
    bench work, inertia is important. The covering was ¼" leather,
    contact cemented and stapled and virtually indestructible. I had a
    loose "asbestos-free" tile that sat on it, but the leather seemed to
    tolerate a lot of torch hits. There is something missing in the
    drawing explanation you saw which is a strip across the bottom front,
    which hooks on the front of a table [or on a front loader bucket] It
    provides resistance and stability for filing, etc. The apron is
    really important for jewelers, catches stones, gold filings, etc. but
    also important for small injector parts, screws, etc. One version I
    did had power strip w/ 6 outlets on the back and that worked well,
    depending on the application. Work ergonomics is important to me and
    there are many field projects that require precision, ballistic
    tools, and where sloppy work or lost parts can be a disaster. . Why
    am I telling you all this? A. you took time to write about the
    mini-bench concept several times, B. Jewelers, mineral folks, etc.
    both do nasty but precision work.  I'm pleased that somebody would
    get the concept prior to even trying it. Making the lives better of
    people who work in the field is a good thing to do, but I'm not a
    philanthropist. . The links are indeed dead now. Absent strong
    interest, I'm happy with dead links on the LFJ ... as unversed. 

    (In conclusion I really liked what I saw, it's practical and I like
    the lay out. This would be ideal for shows and demo and such, and not
    a bad idea at least for a point of departure for those on a budget
    who would like to get involved as it will fit on a table or such. It
    will give much of the benefit of a full bench for working.) 



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