Molding Benches

I've secured a substantial shop space. I have been setting up the machine shop side of things, and have my foundry partially moved in. It's time for a molding bench - I'd like to build something nice. I have a few ideas, but could use some inspiration.

Show me what you got?! lol.

 

That's funny. My old molding bench was an old home-made wood table for a 6" craftsman jointer that I pulled off, and threw a piece of plywood onto.

 

I use a mud sink I salvaged from a job. Probably holds 150 lbs of sand and I mold on the drain side with a couple of 2x3 's to hold the molding board up enough so the pins don't hit. Traditionally an open tub, with ledges for supports, was the standard. What I lack is the ability to top load the heap and then draw from the bottom the way the old molding benches were set up.

 

My bench is a fiberglass clothes folding table from a laundromat.
I covered the top with a $20 slab of marble (I think it was a pisser divider) from a Habitat Restore.
The sand bin is the Pepsi container beside it. I do the mold breakouts into a wheelbarrow.
I'm quite comfortable with the setup.

 

here is My bench, it's a sand storage box lined with galvanized flashing . it's simply dimensional lumber. Mosty 2X8 I think I had to rip 2 Boards, I have a 3/8 top, which makes it a great, Very Sturdy work surface when Not molding , it's against a wall with Peg board behind it so all tools are handy, the Molding surface is simply a pair of 2X4 put down a molding board or your Matchboard your are working right over your sand, so any overflow drops right into the sand Bin, the Bin is is split , thee is a small section on the right for facing, it is a piece of 3/8 plywood and a couple of pieces of 3/4 to hold it off the side wall, the sand in the bin holds the ply in place till the bin is empty. works wonderful, stout as can be, not going to move it full, barely move it empty

 

I found this PDF of Dave Gingerly’s charcoal foundry.
It has a very basic molding bench but it is not a bad place to start and the PDF is free.

http://index-of.co.uk/Tutorials-2/0...ld your own metal working shop from scrap.pdf

Joe

 

I built my bench through ignorance, but it works well. Looking at the above link I must have seen a copy of Gingery's bench, as I seem to remember the picture.
Mine is a waferboard box with 2x4 frame and a 3/4" plywood lid.



It is lined with galvanized flashing but it soon started rusting so I added some scrap 1/2" yellow plexiglass I got from a sign. The bottom of the lid has foam weather seal and everything is caulked. It holds the moisture very well over weeks.

 

Nice to see I'm not the only one that uses the top of my table saw as a work bench!

 

Thanks guys, that'll give me somewhere to start.

Also found these pictures of a MIFCO molding bench on eBay. Clever system they have with independent swinging supports, looks like they can slide lengthwise too.
How important do you find the sand storage below the molding surface? Do you keep your mulled sand there or just a storage bin? I don't care about retaining moisture, I have that nice Simpson muller and I'm used to adding water every time I run sand anyway. I have been storing my sand in ~30 gallon plastic drums, I was going to keep doing this but I am re-thinking that now.
I have acquired an old steel wheelbarrow for shakeout as well.

 

Mine is just a plywood and 2x4 bench about 50” long with a steel sheet on its working surface and a vertical back to keep the sand from falling off the back. I use an overhead trolley and chain hoist as my molds for one casting are 350 pounds and another is 150 pounds plus. I like using the hoist and trolley for lighter molds too as it really makes turning and closing molds gently and accurately more easily done. The trolley is barn door rail hardware.

I keep my sand in 5 gal buckets under the table.

Denis

 

As luck would have it, I get to skip designing and building something for the time being.
I asked at work and they had this cabinet / workbench that was no longer needed, and will become my interim molding bench.

There's some storage underneath, and I figure I'll continue to keep my sand in the blue bins and use this for pattern & tool storage.
If this does not prove sufficient I'll be making something. Thanks guys!

 

Denis,
That's an impressive mold handling setup there. That's some big stuff! Are those the molds for your straight edge castings?

 

Rocketman:

That cabinet even has an excellent label on the front. I need to put that on my bench.

 

Yes, the 36” casting requires 5.5 five gallon buckets of sand. So the sand plus steel flasks weigh about 350 pounds. The 18” takes about 3 buckets.(It’s an 18 shown) Both require very careful separation of cope from drag that has to be done keeping the cope positively level. That’s where that little strut that attaches to the front of the cope helps by preventing rocking of the cope as I hoist it off the drag and pattern.
The spreader arm allows the lifting bars to be positioned anywhere on the horizontal square bar to accomadate various sizes of molds. Pins (bolts actually)on the end of the flasks and a piece that can span the two bolts has its own pin so that the hoist can flip cope or drag or lift and move laterally the assembled mold. Quite handy and necessary for my work. But, having used it, I would not be without it even if only doing 50 pounders.

Denis

PS: That bench is a great score. Looks very sturdy and I too like the stenciled sign.

PPS I added a photo that shows the pins and the 36” SE flasks

 

Yo

You might notice that there is room on the cross bar for a longer one. That’s cuz the next pattern and flask will be for a 48” SE. I think that combo will be 450 pounds or so. Not planning anything bigger than that. As it is, since I work solo, rolling the 36 up the slight grade to the pouring area require most of my strength and good traction. I suspect I may need a small riding mower to pull the 48 to the pouring area.

Denis

 

Here is a pic of the piece that the two bolt/pins hold to allow lifting and turning of the mold.
It has a side benefit of helping to keep the cope and drag closed during a pour. I use the same system on the wood flasks.