Mat storage bins

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Charles Lowry

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Mat storage Hey everybody! We bought 2 mat storage/work tables from Framers Friend last year. They work real good and are really sturdy, but they seem a little pricey. Around $650 each. I'm not handy with woodworking, and it will cost more than the FF to get one custom built. Does anybody know of a less expensive alternative to the FF?
I recently went berserk and ordered every frame supply catalog I could find, much to my wife's chagrin, and I can't find anything that resembles the FF. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks.

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Charles Lowry
 
Originally posted by Charles Lowry:
They work real good and are really sturdy. Around $650 each. I'm not handy with woodworking, and it will cost more than the FF to get one custom built.
Charles-
I edited your posted down to the most important points. Sounds to me you should bite the bullet and buy what works for you and what you like. If you amortize the cost over say 10 years, it's only $65.00 per table per year. Sound like a bargain to me. Plus, I bet you could sell them in 10 years for pretty much what you paid for them. (I swear I don't own one of these tables or any stock in the company)
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curlyframer, CPF
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We had a local cabinet maker build our mat storage/work table for about $350 delivered and assembled. The table is about 48" deep by 8 ft long. Mat storage slots are 2.5 to 3" wide. We don't have any of the frills on the topside of a Framers Friend, but this table works for us.

Similarly, the same cabinet maker built our flat file. 5 drawers, 36" deep by 48" wide, birch, for about half that of any commercially available units that we considered.

Rick - CPFcm
 
I designed and/or built all of our work tables. They are 48"x96", 42" high, which is quite comfortable (elbow high for Patricia and me -- shorter framers occasionally need a stool).

The latest design is all 1/2" particle board, covered in white vinyl. I had a local lumber supplier cut the pieces, which we assembled in an afternoon.

The design is simple:
The underside of the top, and the upper side of the bottom, are lined with slats (same material) about 8" wide, and far enough apart to accommodate the thickness of vertical panels. Interior panels must be designed in, so that not all of them face the same way -- one or two vertical panels at right-angles to the rest gives the table lateral stability.

The end panels and off-angle interior panels are secured to top & bottom with aluminum angle stock & screws. The vertical panels then slide into place like puzzle pieces making a very rigid table, which will support almost anything you could park on it.

Total cost for a 4'x8' table is about $300.00, plus labor to assemble it in the shop.
 
Charles I just had new cases built for my shop that I cannot say enough about. If you'd like to come see them, e-mail me at gray000@hotmail.com and we'll work out a time. I can give you the name and number of the person who built them to my specifications, and they weren't as expensive as I thought they would be.
 
I don't mind at all, but am not computer literate enough to get it done. But I have this teenager who might help me. Otherwise she can scan the photo and I'll e-mail to anyone interested. I'm very proud of them as they hold the mats and provide invaluable work space for us. I am fortuante to have a large shop where I can have mat cases only one level high and we use the top of the cases to hold work in progress. Had them two weeks and every day we say, "How did we ever do without these?"
 
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