Building a Radio Workbench
I've been working from makeshift workbenches ever since our move. Basically they're just folding tables set against a wall with wall-mounted shelves for test equipment to set on. They're too low and too narrow so I've decided it's time for a real workbench.
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I found plans for a bench, that's just what I had in mind, in a Gernsback publication from 1953 titled "Radio and TV Test Instruments". Chapter 21 describes "A Workbench for Radio and TV".
The benchtop is 6-feet long and 42-inches wide, with a top shelf 18-inches wide and a middle shelf 15-inches wide. Allowing for the shelves, this leaves a clear working area of 6-feet by 27-inches. And soldering irons and other smaller necessities can go under the shelves, out of the way. It's twice the workspace my tables had, especially after making room for the soldering irons and test equipment. The bench work top is 39-inches high which is just right for standing or sitting in a nice padded, swiveling, workbench chair. The bench will also have plenty of outlets, and a master ON/OFF switch, to make sure no equipment or soldering irons are accidentally left on at the end of the day. |
Since the bench will be too large to go through a 36-inch doorway, it is completely assembled using screws so the shelves and legs can be removed should it ever need to be moved.
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All the parts to construct the basic bench were precut, sanded and then assembled. The top and shelves are 3/4-inch plywood, which is the most expensive item I purchased. The 4x4-inch legs are leftovers from the stair rails in the cabin, and the 1x4-inch pieces are leftover poplar from the metal roof lath.
The two slots in the front are approximately 15x30-inch for pull out shelves to lay schematics and such on. They should come in very handy, which is why I decided to add one on each side. The original plans only called for one on the left side. The not-so-square angles are caused by camera distortion. |
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Starting to piece together the shelves. In this photo I'm short one 18x15-inch piece of plywood for the center support column. The column will be four inches wide inside and eighteen inches tall, and is where the master power switch and the unswitched outlets will be located. I want a couple of unswitched outlets for charging batteries overnight and such.
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The shelves are mostly complete now. The diagram shows a single support but the description in the book describes a column. I still need to make the cover for the column, which I'll do when I'm ready to start on the wiring. Next I'll fit the two pull-shelfs.
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l installed the pull-shelfs and just need to add knobs to the front edges. The pull-shelf in the original design was 17-inches wide and 30-inches long, but I had a 6-foot long piece of plywood left from cutting the shelves that was just shy of 15-inches wide (14-3/4-inches) so I used it instead. Saved me from buying another sheet of plywood. Since the piece was 6-feet long I cut it in half for two pull outs instead of one. With the tops fully extended there is a bit over 30-inches of usable space of the 36-inch board length. The rest is for support, etc.
The pull-shelfs have stop blocks to prevent them from being pulled too far out, or pushed too far in. They ride on a bottom board that supports the shelf when pushed in, and have spacer blocks attached to the top rear so they can't drop down when pulled out. |
Cutting and assembling the bench has taken the better part of three days. I don't think I'll have time to build the cabinets right now, so I will concentrate on either painting or stainiing the bench, not sure which yet, and then completing all the wiring. Then I can start using it while working on the cabinets at my leisure.
The workbench chair was originally in my old observatory, but now it's found a new home and is perfect for the bench.
The workbench chair was originally in my old observatory, but now it's found a new home and is perfect for the bench.
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I decided to do a MinWax poly and stain all-in-one finish on the bench. This is just the first coat. I'll do a second coat but have to buy more poly. Next I need to work on the electrical wiring and installing the outlet strips.
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The center column wiring is finished. The Master ON/OFF switch is at the top and two unswitched outlets are near the bottom. The two banana jacks will probably be for an outside antenna conection.
I've installed five heavy duty metal outlet strips: a ten-outlet strip on the top shelf, and a six-outlet strip on each middle shelf and on the table top on each side of the center column. That gives me a total of 34 switched outlets, not that I'll need that many, buf it provides the flexibility to place my test gear where I want it. I also added a coat of clear satin polyurethane to the bench top and shelves. I'll do the legs and other trim when I get more time. |
When I built the shelves I used the dimensions in the plans, which left a height of 6-inches from tabletop to the bottom of the first shelf. Of course this turned out to be about 1/2 an inch too low for some of the things I wanted to put under there. There's always something that doesn't want to fit. So to fix the problem I added 1-inch high oak extensions to the bottom of the shelf supports and column. Now everything slides right under the shelf like it's supposed to.
The workspace is starting to come together. I've populated the bench with most of the equipment from the old workbenches. I brought my drug store tube tester down from upstairs and my TV-3 and Precision tube testers are sitting under the bench. I also purchased a 24x36-inch cutting matt for protecting the table top.
I just finished remounting the variac and dim bulb tester on the wall to the right. The isolation transformer is on the far right of the middle shelf. I usually keep all three hooked in series: from the isolation transformer to the variac and then through the dim bulb tester. There's an outlet on it for the device under test (DUT) and it also has a bypass switch to remove the bulb from the circuit.
I also placed my small Harbor Freight tool cabinet under the right side of the bench. It's a near perfect fit and gives me seven drawers. It works so well I don't think I will bother building the cabinets from the plans, even though I've already precut some of the pieces. And I want to leave the left side open under the bench for more leg room.
I just finished remounting the variac and dim bulb tester on the wall to the right. The isolation transformer is on the far right of the middle shelf. I usually keep all three hooked in series: from the isolation transformer to the variac and then through the dim bulb tester. There's an outlet on it for the device under test (DUT) and it also has a bypass switch to remove the bulb from the circuit.
I also placed my small Harbor Freight tool cabinet under the right side of the bench. It's a near perfect fit and gives me seven drawers. It works so well I don't think I will bother building the cabinets from the plans, even though I've already precut some of the pieces. And I want to leave the left side open under the bench for more leg room.
My wife insisted I paint the walls in the new lab, so before I loaded down the bench I pulled it back and did the walls behind it. I have to admit it makes the space look much better, but I hate it that she's always right.
Page created 8/1/2020
Last edited 8/14/2020
Last edited 8/14/2020
