Build a folding workbench that folds up against a wall

OK, it’s really a table.  Nonetheless I use mine often for various projects around the house and yard.

Do you need a workbench but don’t have room in the garage or basement?  With an inexpensive folding table you can make a workbench that takes up very little room and folds out of the way when you’re finished working.  I bought my table several years ago at Sam’s Club, but I’m sure you can get these tables other places as well.

I chose to install my table on a side wall in my garage – parallel to my car.  This gives me a large workspace when I need it and folds up when I have my car in the garage.

Very little hardware is required to attach the table to the wall.  Here are the essential items:

• Lag screws – to attach hinges to studs.  These should be heavy duty, because they will hold the table to the wall.
• Bolts, washers, and nuts – to attach hinges to table.  Don’t use screws here, because the table is particle board and the screws will eventually come loose.
• Hinges – I used very large hinges.  You could probably get away with smaller hinges, but why risk it.
• Hasp – The hasp is what is used to secure the top of the table once you’ve folded it up against the wall.
• Machine screws and nuts – to attach hasp to table.  I used some Loctite on the machine screws to make sure that the nuts don’t come loose.  Again – don’t use wood screws with particle board.

The first step is to figure out where you want the table.  You’ll want to line it up on the wall so that the hinges line up evenly on the table and match up with studs in the wall.  Once everything is lined up, trace the hinges and hinge holes on the table so you know where to drill the holes.

Make sure that you line up the holes carefully outside the frame of the table.

Once the hinges are attached to the table, the next step is to attach the hinges and table to the wall.  It is crucial that the hinges line up with the studs, otherwise the lag screws won’t hit the studs and the table won’t be adequately supported.

I used 5/16″ lag screws that were 3″ long to attach the hinges and table to the wall.

Once the hinges and table are attached to the wall, it is time to install the hasp.  The hasp will secure the table at the top when it is folded against the wall.   Take care when attaching the hasp.  It involves two pieces – one on the table and one on the wall.  These must line up for the hasp to work.  I used a small section of a 2×4 to provide spacing and attach the wall part of the hasp.  Use a long lag screw to attach the 2×4 section to the wall.

Attach the other part of the hasp to the underside of the table – flush with the front of the table.  You will likely have to move the hasp around until it lines up properly.

Once the hasp is installed, it should look similar to the photo below.

Once the hasp is complete, your folding workbench is ready to use.  If you’re worried about the hasp failing, you can put a carabiner or padlock though it.  This will ensure that the table doesn’t fall unexpectedly.

To fold up the table:

1. Fold the table up to the wall.
2. Fasten the hasp.
3. Fold the legs in for compact storage.

To fold the table down:

1. Open the legs of the table.
2. Undo the hasp.
3. Carefully lower the table to the floor.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please send me an email via my contact page.  I fully trust that my folding table will not fall unexpectedly.  If yours falls, you likely used inadequate hardware or did not hit the studs in the wall.

Bat House at McFarland Park, Story County, Iowa. Click on the image to see more photos.

My Eagle Scout project consisted of building a large bat house at McFarland Park near Ames, Iowa. The structure is made to accommodate hundreds of bats, although I don’t know if it has ever been occupied. It was built and installed around 1995/1996, and much has been learned about how to make bat houses since then. In 2006 my father and I added a vertical landing platform under the roosting areas. After looking at modern bat house designs it seemed that a landing platform was the most important feature that was missing. The landing platform was heavily scored with a table saw to give the bats something to grab onto and climb. The roosting partitions were also scored with a rotary tool.

After 10 years the structure still looks fantastic and is holding up remarkably well. The hope is that the vertical landing platform and scoring of the roosting partitions will make the structure more attractive to bats.

If you’re wondering why anyone would want to build a bat house, I recommend going to Bat Conservation International – Install a Bat House FAQ

I’ve created a Google Maps application that shows recycling locations in Indianapolis for various categories of recyclable material.  The map currently contains locations for city drop-off bins, cardboard, and computer and lab equipment.  I plan to add more categories in the future.  Click the image to go to the map.

Indianapolis recycling Google map

Indianapolis Recycling Map

• Erase your cell phone data – instructions provided by ReCellular
• Print a pre-paid shipping label from Cell Phones for Soldiers
• Put it in the mail and you’re done.  Now wasn’t that easy?

In David’s case (And I would assume most cases…), the domain was stolen by first hijacking the email address associated with the domain name registrar.  Once the email address is hijacked and the domain name transfered, the hijacker will use the domain name for their own purposes or attempt to extort money from the victim for return of the domain name.  If you read David Airey’s post, you may have noticed that the hijacker has posted requests for an extortion payment in the comments. 

Domain hijackers are the epitome of sleaze indeed…  

Better-Whois.com has a good list of tips for preventing domain name hijacking.  Below are a couple of the most important tips:

• Use an email address that you own for domain name registration.  Don’t use GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.  These addresses are more easily compromised than an address that you own, and may expire without any notice.  When I refer to an email address you own, I’m referring to an address that you have purchased from your ISP or hosting provider.
• Make sure that your contact information is up to date with domain name registrars, so that you are notified of any changes or upcoming expirations of your domains.
• Consolidate your domain name registrations so that all of your domains are registered by the same registrar.  This makes it easier to manage your domains.  Most registrars will provide you with a management console for your domains, so that you can see their status easily.

The entire article can be read here –  Better-Whois.com – SPECIAL REPORT: How to protect your domain name from hijackers, porn pirates, and your registrar

David Airey :: Graphic and Logo Designer – I’ve provided a link to David’s new site to aid in rebuilding his lost links and search rankings.

One of the great attractions of patriotism – it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.

Aldous Huxley – Amazon.com
Aldous Huxley – Wikipedia

James Madison was the 4th president of the United States.  He was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States and is commonly referred to as the “Father of the Constitution“.

Constitition.org – Selected Quotes of James Madison

Via Reddit

Now when you highlight an entry and press CTRL + U, it will open a new Firefox window or tab.

Via KeePassX forum post “Open URL in Firefox“

AOL’s Password Puzzler – Via Reddit