Awaiting my Onefinity to arrive so planning out my bench setup. I bought the 64x44 Kreg universal bench and put it together with the casters. Now I need to build the top. Is 2 pieces of 3/4MDF laminated together good enough? Or do I really need to build a torsion box? Asking for those with experience if the standard top will be flat and stable enough with the table being on casters.
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I used 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood on my Kreg 44" x 64" workbench. I also put a pair of 2" x 4"s under the top and bottom levels for additional support. I screwed 3/4" ply into the frame on the sides and back to help prevent any racking. I plan to add a shelf under the top on each side to hold the controller and keep things more tidy on top. The side rails keep the dust confined and away from the electronics until I put them underneath. The internal shelves are pocket-holed together and slid into the opening.
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“Flat and stable enough” is quite subjective. It can also depend on the type of projects you are making and the level of required precision.
I have a torsion box today, but have had several hobby machines in the past without. They were all perfectly capable machines, but those without the torsion box required surfacing more often to retain their flatness over longer periods of time. It’s an acceptable tradeoff if you are willing to keep up the maintenance and replace the spoilboard when necessary. And as Paul recommended above, a few support beams underneath can help quite a bit.
I would probably be more worried about the casters than the top. Floors are rarely flat, and moving the machine can have an immediate effect.
That all said, wood is an extremely forgiving material. If this is your main material usage, then I would argue that industrial-level precision is not as important as many think when starting out. As long as you are aware of potential issues and understand how to address them, you will likely be just fine with the setup as initially described.
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Hey Mike,
I know this is an older thread, but I have this same machine coming next week and have decided to go with the Kreg bench also.
Are those full 4x8 pieces of plywood?
I had debated about going with the 64x64, but seeing yours, it looks like the 44x64 is plenty big with those full sheets.
Are you satisfied with the stability?
My bench would be against the wall so the extra space would not be very usable since it would be behind the machine.
Thanks!
Jeff
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