The perfect hobby work surface

Ok well we all know the trials and tribulations about how the wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/housemate/mother/etc. freak out when we start soldering on the kitchen table or such like item of furniture. No matter how much you say "Oh it'll be fine," they don't believe you and because they are hassling you, you end up burning the table anyway.

So... to counter this minor problem I searched the net for an idea and found one! If you're like me you'll have about 3 or 4 PC cases with old computer parts jammed in them up in the loft/attic. Well its time to get them down because they make the perfect surface for doing your projects on.

STEP ONE

I used the sliding side of an old ATX Tower case:



The grab handle actually works great for holding your small components like LEDs that usually role around all over the table until your cat eats them.


STEP TWO

Take a large jiffy bag or just some standard bubble wrap and use a glue gun to stick it to the underside surface of the PC Case panel. (remember the non-painted side)




STEP THREE

Cut yourself a snug fitting piece of cardboard, this will help protect the table top surface even more. Again hot glue this to the bubble wrap/jiffybag.



Now I used some brown tape/packing tape to seal off the edges and give it a more secure fit to the panel.


STEP FOUR

Enjoy your new table top protector! The lip on the PC Panel I find helps it to stop slipping as it hooks over the edge of the desk.



Some improvements could be attaching a bread board if you are that kind of hobbiest or add some rubber feet to help it stop moving. To be honest I think I will be making some holes in mine so that I can secure my PCB holder to it. When de-soldering stuff I find that it helps to have a firm base to be able to apply some considerable force.


CONCLUSION

Well I hope you try this project out and drop some comments and pics about your variations of the board!