>-> I'm looking for suggestions for bench top/surface materials.
>-> I've seen linoleam used but it had a pattern/crevices in it.
>
> Some of the linoleums don't have patterns. You might get enough scraps
>from your local remodeling center to do the bench for free. Remember
>Dave's Law: Cheap Is a Quality Overcoming Many Faults.
Around here, the building supply places *always* have a collection of
damaged stuff out in front of the store. More often than not,
there'll be a chunk of formica countertop at some ridiculously low
price, usually with some odd scuff or scrape on it that you'll never
notice in a shop. Most recently, I picked up a 10-foot length with a
couple odd stains on it for $12, complete with rolled edge and
backsplash. The kicker is the "stains" washed off with soap and water.
If you can't find them in the length you want, you can probably get a
couple and join them. Just use some RTV between the sections so
your bench doesn't leak.
Even if you aren't lucky enough to find damaged ones, a new 10-foot
length goes for about $40. Well below the one-RCU hardware store
minimum.
> So far I'm planning to replace the cardboard and rubber with white
>melamine "bathroom board". My Dad's woodworking shop uses this on all
>the benches. It won't last forever in a car shop, but a $12 piece will
>cover two 8' benches for a couple of years, not a bad deal.
It also allows you to scribble on the bench with whiteboard markers.
I'm actually using that stuff on the walls behind the benches to
provide a tough surface and make the whole wall avaliable for
scribbling.
[ Later ... ]
> Campbell-Hausfeld recommends special Campbell-Hausfeld compressor oil,
>one or two other compressor oils, or Mobil 1 synthetic. When I got the
>compressor a couple of years ago I filled it with Mobil 1. It came out
>pretty black and nasty, despite having probably less than ten hours on
>the compressor. Should have changed it long ago, I guess.
Yikes. I know what I'm doing today.
> CH uses a 1/4 NPT fill plug and a 1/8 NPT drain, positioned perfectly
>to drain oil all down the compressor. I managed to catch most of it in
>a plastic container. Next week I'll look for a 1/8x1 nipple, an elbow,
>and a petcock. That will space it out enough to drain it into a coffee
>can.
I mounted my compressor about seven feet off the ground so it didn't
eat floor space. With a hole through the bottom of the platform,
draining the tank is easy. Didn't think about draining/changing the
oil, though. That will probably get interesting. I like your idea to
facilitate draining, though.
andy
banta@abingdon.sun.com
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