Source of good, solid tables for enlargers

aldevo · Jun 6, 2007

I'm now perilously close to taking the plunge to outfit my kitchen as a darkroom. Just one open question remains...

Enlargers are pretty easy to come by...but what about good solid tables to mount them on? My search at local furniture and thrift stores has turned up the usual crap and no suitable candidates.

I realize this seems a somewhat silly question, but can anybody recommend specific sources (e.g. IKEA) of good, solid tables for under say, $150, that would be suitable for mounting a 6x9 or 4x5 enlarger on?.

I'm fine with assembling a table, but I would not build one from scratch.

eclarke · Jun 6, 2007

Yep, exactly Ikea. They have some nice modular tops with sturdy tubular legs which just bolt on..different heights, colors and table sizes...EC

Bob F. · Jun 6, 2007

As you are using a kitchen it may be appropriate to do as I do. My enlarger - a heavy Durst AC1200 5x4" job - sits on a row of kitchen units. The units are pulled out about 9" from the wall and the deep worktop sits on the units and a strip of 2x2 screwed to the wall at the same height. Once the whole lot is screwed together, it's as solid as a lump of granite...

Good luck, Bob.

Allen Friday · Jun 6, 2007

Sams Club, Home depot, Lowes, etc. have sturdy work benches which are very stable, and easy to assemble.

CBG · Jun 6, 2007

Years ago I made a very solid table / stand out of plywood and bolted the enlarger to it. The stand had casters underneath, and rolled out of the way when not needed. The stand had a bottom, left and right sides, a back and an abbreviated top. The enlarger was a Besseler 45 ( I believe it was a MCRX?) with the removable base so larger prints could be made by shooting down to near floor height. The abbreviated stand top did not interfere with shooting down to the base. The space under the enlarger made a great spot to store misc. items when not in use. Many casters have non-marring wheels.

It worked out well enough I would do it again if I needed a movable setup. Rolling workroom furniture has proven incredibly useful every time I do it.

Best,

C

Nick Zentena · Jun 6, 2007

If you can assemble Ikea odds are you can build your own.

Go to your favorite big box hardware place [HD whatever]. Pick out some nice 2x4". Have them cut to length. Wander over to the screw section and pick up some wood screws. Then pick up some wood glue.

You'll need a drill for the pilot holes.

I'd sister up the 2x4s [screw two length together to form a 4x4] with one shorter by the width of a 2x4. Instant half lap joint. Put your cross piece there.

Buy a sheet of plywood and have it cut to size at the same place.

Harder to explain then do.

Monophoto · Jun 6, 2007

I have a dedicated darkroom and use an Omega DII enlarger. The enlarger is bolted to a corner counter that rests on cleats attached to cabinets on adjacent sides of one corner of the room. I used prefabricated cabinet kits that camer from Lowes with a horizontal cleat added to the side of each of the cabinet facing the corner, and also horizontal attached cleats to the short sections of wall between the cabinets and the corner. I made my counter from particle board that I simply varnished, but it would be a simple matter to use a plastic laminate instead. To complete the installation, I cut another scrap of particle board to fit between the two cabinets, just under the front edge of the particle board counter. This was attached to vertical cleats on the sides of the cabinets, and supports the front of the counter.

The result is very sturdy - I have actually stood on it while hanging a safelight up on the ceiling.

Using a kitchen as a darkroom adds the (possible) additional requirement that the space has to be fully usable as a kitchen as well as a darkroom, and since kitchens are gathering places at parties, there probably is a desire for the installation to be attractive as well as functional. Depending on the layout of the kitchen, I would think that it might be possible to do something similar by adding one additional section of kitchen cabinet.

eclarke · Jun 6, 2007

I agree about assembling Ikea except for these tables. A four hole flange on each tubular leg and large stainless machine screws into inserts on the tops make this easier than drilling holes and putting in screws. About $60 for the whole assembly and they will hold 110#...EC

jp80874 · Jun 6, 2007

Two kitchen three drawer units 22x24”. ¾” Plywood 36” x36” between the drawer units, braced by 2x4”, horizontally at lap height. A sheet of ¾” plywood screwed to the back of all pieces and then to the wall studs. Saunders 4550 XLG sits on the plywood. The top of the enlarger can be braced to the wall. Don’t forget to align the enlarger when all is built and in place.

John Powers

winger · Jun 6, 2007

I also searched for a table, but ended up buying a put-it-together-yourself kitchen cabinet unit at Home Depot and a cheap formica top. I put luann (sp?) on the back and it's remarkably stable. Also has two drawers and space under it for paper and stuff. The only thing I had a problem with was that the top overhung on the front, so I couldn't put the fronts on the drawers - no biggie. I don't remember how much it all cost, but I'm pretty sure it was under $200.

ricksplace · Jun 6, 2007

Gotta truck? Try yard sales. I bought a solid wood very old desk with drawers for $20. Solid as a rock. I have a Beseler 45MX and 23C on it.

titrisol · Jun 6, 2007

Salvation Army
There are usually old desks there, solid as a rock!

John Koehrer · Jun 6, 2007

Not to be forgetting please, Sears & sawbucks or = Workbenchs. I use one w/3 drawers & 1 door, plenty stable, plenty big, in Serious leather* w/storage for $30 at ye olde yard sale.

*Apologies to the Thingfish.

juan · Jun 6, 2007

I use my clothes dryer.
juan

DannL · Jun 6, 2007

I looked for weeks and then I found one of the following . . .

http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&expansionOID=-536879606&prodBlockOID=45962

or search for item "01112833" on the search line at www.officemax.com

and there's also:
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=398677&Nr=200000&N=201724&An=browse

Metal legs, metal frame, very solid. Folds up, also. I figured if the table in my office could handle five servers and and two monitors, it should handle an enlarger and a timer.

Neal · Jun 6, 2007

Dear aldevo,

I use a kitchen cabinet with drawers for storage that I purchased at the local home center. It was under $30 because it was damaged. I added a top made from plywood from another project. Not exactly a duplicate of your needs as mine doesn't roll around, but something to think about.

Neal Wydra

matti · Jun 6, 2007

When we rebuilt our kitchen, I secretly collected all the stuff we ripped out and built the darkroom. Old kitchen stuff works great for me.
/matti

Jim Jones · Jun 6, 2007

For years I used the cabinet from an old upright TV set -- very solid, and free. I might be using it yet if the darkroom hadn't burned down.

Phillip P. Dimor · Jun 7, 2007

I found a 1950s/60s office steel office desk being thrown out behind a thrift store. I used a car jack and cinderblocks to raise it off the floor. That was the sturdiest table i've ever used. Also the heaviest and most difficult to move

darinwc · Jun 7, 2007

check to see if there is a government surplus site in your area. I bought a couple of wood desks for about $10 each, and they had larger heavy drafting tables there too.

CarltheTruth · Jun 8, 2007

I use a "butcher block" table from Ikea, for under $100. It is a solid butcher block table top (about the same size as a an enlarger base) mounted on 4 sturdy legs with a shelf below the top where you can put transfomer, timer etc. It comes with wheels on 2 of the legs, which is handy for moving the enlarger around, especially for those with part time darkrooms (e.g. bathroom). The small footprint and ideal working height is what attracted me to this solution. Wheels lock, and it is very rigid (solid pine, no beaver barf board anywhere).

DBP · Jun 8, 2007

I used to use a typewriter table, many years ago. If I were looking for something portable now I would probably use a microwave cart or a baker's rack.

Source of good, solid tables for enlargers

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