Author Topic: Molding Bench  (Read 4322 times)

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Molding Bench
« on: September 25, 2013, 07:21:32 PM »
 I'm setting up my foundry almost from scratch. A friend is helping me make a Vontorne muller. Now I need a molding bench and want to get it built before the muller is available. Are there any good molding bench plans available? I will be using green sand to start.
I have a couple ideas but want to ask the experienced to avoid design errors. What plans did you build from? I need to know basic dimensions and useful features. I'm thinking 24" x 48" and 12-24" deep, slats on top for holding flasks, room underneath for tubs to hold new/mulled sand.
Is 1/2" plywood strong enough or should I go with 3/4"? Should I divide it into 2 sections for conditioned vs. used sand?
Show us pictures of your molding bench, any special features, why you like/dislike your bench.
Thanks in advance.
 
 Chuck
Chuck in E. TN
Famous TN last words: "Hey ya'll, watch this..."
MicroMark 7x14, HF X2 mill, Green 4x6 saw. Harbor Freight 170A mig

Offline awemawson

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Re: Molding Bench
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2013, 03:36:27 PM »
No plans, Chuck, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a picture of my foundry bench. In fact I have two of them waiting the day that I re-establish my foundry, which has been packed up since I moved here :)

They are commercially available by a company called EMIR, and were supplied to schools in the days kids were allowed to do these things. HSE has reduced them to playing with bent plastic and hence these things turn up as surplus. The central pit is zinc lined for sand, with cupboards either side (patterns in mine) with a moulding surface on top. I've made sectional solid tops for mine so I have more workspace.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline oldgoaly

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Re: Molding Bench
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2013, 05:56:27 PM »
Chuck here are a few of the old one I made from a school science lab cabinet, the others of the Mifco, I made a replacement door with out all the hangers. they were designed to hold a set of tools, take the doors off set them on the ridge of the lid and have the tools handy in front of you. The adjustable bars are really nice and sturdy, the 2 by 2 wooden ones are ok.

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Molding Bench
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2013, 07:49:49 PM »
I went with a kitchen cabnet base unit that was in the garage when I bought this house. I cut the laminate top in half to separate 2 base units. I remobed the drawers at the top of the base unit and strengthened that area to hold a masins mortar pan for my sand.
The cabinet below holds buckets of sand, my flasks and their moldng boards and most of my tools. I need to add a rack of some type to put my tools in a convenient place. I built a wood slat frame to hold my flasks while molding. The origional counter top fits on ofer the molding slats for a work surface when not molding. I used it today practicing making molds( haven't built my furnace yet) and discovered I need to add wings for more room!
I just looked on my photobucket accound and found I've not taken any pictures of my molding bench setup. I'll do that tomorrow and update this thread.
Chuck
Chuck in E. TN
Famous TN last words: "Hey ya'll, watch this..."
MicroMark 7x14, HF X2 mill, Green 4x6 saw. Harbor Freight 170A mig