studio table/bench for metalsmithing

[redsadie]

Hi there  '>

I'm new to the forum so I apologise if this is in the wrong category  '> , but not new to jewellery making.  As you can probably tell already, I am from the UK  '>  

I just wondered what other people use as a workbench for their metalsmithing?  I currently have an old kitchen table that my dad gave to me when my mum died.  It has sentimental value and I won't get rid of it, so when we decided to get a new dining table, this was what I naturally chose as my jewellery making table.  

However, my jewellery making tastes have moved on and although I still make some bead/string jewellery, I have now progressed to metalsmithing.  Unfortunately, my kitchen table just doesn't cut it for me anymore as a jewellery making table, as when I hammer my silver on my anvil, everything on the table (including my printer) jumps a foot in the air!

I need something sturdier, otherwise I have to keep resorting to taking my anvil outside on the patio and hammering out there, which is ok on a sunny, warm day, but does nothing for me on a wet winter one!

Please help me!

Many thanks

Sarah. xx

[Metalman]

Well, I guess it all comes down to cost.  If you are outfitting and can afford one - there are a range of metalsmithing benchs desidned for the studio. Nice things but can be spendy.  They are around used and you might do well that way.

You will probably want to make a list of uses you plan to pursue in the studio. The anvil aspect you might solve with a small sturdy supplemental table and then can keep you larger table for its surface. For our studio we recently put up an open air roof so that it didn't matter about the wet part of outside.  Now dusty, nasty, and stinky jobs go outside and rain nor snow nor // is a problem.
hope this helps