Showing posts with label how to build screen printing table. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to build screen printing table. Show all posts

Friday, March 02, 2012

building a screen printing table

I've for some time been thinking about constructing myself a small screen printing table for the studio. I figured out how to do it myself and it was almost as easy as I had thought!

I wanted the table to be easy to store away so some parts should be removable.
Old vacuum cleaner and the Ikea side table Lack. I chose "lack" because it is hollow - and cheap.
I then draw myself a grid and drilled many holes. 
Then I turned the table around and drilled a hole for attaching the vacuum cleaner. I then discovered that Ikea had added som kind of cardboard cells to strengthen it - most had to be removed or I wouldn't get the right suction.
To attach the vacuum cleaner in a smarter way I went and bought plastic curved pipe (for plumbing). (Middle-aged men looked at me in a weird way when I walked around with the slang of the vacuum cleaner around my neck as a snake and tried to attach it to different plumbing pipes.). 

As the pipe wasn't a perfect fit for the drilled hole - which I didn't want it to be - I made it bigger with several layers of black electrical tape. It then got more flexible in the connection, which means removable, but was still tight enough. (I had first thought I would put silicone, but realized I wanted to be able to turn the pipe to be able to attach the vacuum cleaner in different angles to make the table more flexible) 

I had bought special hinges for screen printing, as a short-cut, which I then mounted on the side. As I had discovered the the table was weaker in constructions than I had thought I glued a piece of wood on the border and attached the hinges there.

(You could construct you own hinges with screws for attaching the screen printing frames, I'm sure)

As I wanted my table to be placed on other tables I bought short legs. When I found these legs I got extra happy - this ways I could secure my table to the bigger table! I plan to drill holes in my other working bench and attach the table legs' screws from in-under.
Voilà - it is ready!
I've test printed and everything works smoothly.