Storage and organization

[Usable Thought]

Little reason to make a riser mobile. Mine sits 18" over my bench, and is half as deep as my bench. My work surface then extends under the riser, with my scope perched over it.

Mulling over this riser thing. My scope is 16" deep (a 1980s vintage Itawsu CRT) and the ready-built risers I see online are typically 12" deep. My workbench is 27" deep. I can build my own riser that is deep enough to accommodate the scope, but in practice, I like to pull the scope forward near the edge of the workbench & side by side with the amp i am working on. Having it 18" overhead and set back would not work for me. I like the idea of a riser that slides forward but mechanically that's an awful lot of trouble for something that still won't really do what I want. Also I am tall and like to have full access over the top of the bench - having an overly large, low shelf cutting off access to the back of the bench probably won't work either.

So I will have to look for some other approach . . . but at least now I know what a riser is.

[Enzo]

12" is a common commercial size, though my commercial one is deeper. if you build one over your bench, you can make it as deep as you like, so the front edge is as close as you'd like. In my earlier benches, I had my scope angled up on its bail, and beside my work, but I found it was an easy transition to overhead. YMMV. If you are sold on the pull-out feature, no need to make the whole thing move. You could engineer a couple of drawer glides or similar product as used in cabinetry. Make a small sub-shelf for just the scope. You could then pull the scope outwards like a drawer as needed.

If your bench is 27" deep, then a 16" deep scope can only sit back 11 inches tops.

But there is no right and wrong here, just what works for you and what does not. And it depends on what you tend to work on. Amp chassis tend not to be very deep, while big PA power amps are deep. When I replace cables on SL1200 turntables, they take up a lot of bench. Clearly a 32 channel mixer goes on my cart, not the bench, but smaller mixer desks do hit the bench, so I appreciate being able to accommodate them.

At times, due to circumstances, I find myself putting the scope on the floor facing straight up, next to my knee. And a smaller riser or gear shelf can also be made in the corner of a bench or off to the side. Side maybe not best for a scope, but maybe handy for generators and such.

[rdh006]

"Entropy always wins"-- ha ha. Horribly true. Thanks to everyone for all the info.

[g1]

I think I am genetically/psychologically predisposed against organization,

Like the sign says, "organization is for people who are too lazy to look for things"

[Leo_Gnardo]

Like the sign says, "organization is for people who are too lazy to look for things"

Also "A neat desk is the sign of a disturbed mind."

Clutter, I can deal with. Mess, not so much. Mess is clutter plus biological items: hair, food spills & leftovers, etc. Ick.

[TimmyP1955]

When I made the benches where I used to work, I used kitchen base cabinets with a standard 4" backsplash countertop. Setting on that backsplash I had the front of a (maybe 20" deep) top for all the test gear. Above that I had (reinforced) double-deep wall cabinets for parts bin storage.

[nsubulysses]

One of these for the scope works great. This one was made for a CRT monitor so it can handle some weight. Probably available surplus. As well as moving back and forward, it pivots at the base so I can swing it out of the way to the side of my table/bench.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]36750[/ATTACH]

Whoa great idea. I will definitely be incorporating this into my new workspace if I ever finish it. Thanks G!