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Building a light table: Lexan or acrylic top?
- Thread starter Quark
- Start date
SignosaurusRex
Active Member
3/16" tempered glass on top of any translucent white Acrylic.
I built a 3ft by 10ft table with wheels and a glass top. The glass was 9$ sq ft, and It was tempered. I did it for the same reasons you want it done. I made mine out of wood. You can cut right on it, pretty nice. I just put a couple lights under it and plug them in when I need it.
signbrad
New Member
I agree. On smaller sized light tables, glass is nice. Consider backspraying the glass with translucent white paint or laminate the back side with translucent vinyl. This keeps you from staring at the light source, which used to give me headaches.
I worked at a shop for a couple years that did backlit awnings and canopies almost exclusively. Our two main work tables were 6x90 feet long in 10-foot sections on casters. Built in to each work table was its own pair of 4-1/2x10 light table sections, which could be inserted at any point along the 90-foot lengths. We used the light table sections almost daily for registering and laying translucent colors for various logos.
The lighted sections had polycarbonate tops, a double layer of 3/16" clear, with fluorescent HO lamps about 12 inches below the tops. There was a row of upright dowels supporting the middles to minimize the sag of the plastic.
These lighted sections probably saved hundreds of labor hours a year. Vinyl colors had to be laid very wet with no accelerant (like Rapid Tac). Even then, the heat from the HO lamps dried the moisture quickly, so the vinyl had to be laid and squeegeed rapidly.
This was the only place I ever worked at that used light tables for high production. I don't think they could have met their deadlines without them.
Since working there, I have lobbied for light tables everywhere I've worked.
This company made backlit fascias for the canopies that serve as the roofs for the gas pump areas at truck stops. Some of these fascias were over 100 feet long, with lots of eradication work and sometimes multiple layers of translucent vinyl.
A crew of seven could produce a complete set of canopy fascias, plus a backlit fascia for the front of the building, and a 30-foot waterfall awning for the restaurant, for a TA Truck Stop in four ten-hour days, leaving Friday for crating and shipping.
It was exhausting and fun. And I don't ever want to do it again.
Brad in Kansas City
Pippin Decals
New Member
this is the table i made from scratch , no plans were used at all, built as i thought of it and its for the size of jobs i do... It works perfect with no glitches.....and here is my table on youtube.. 3 remote control lights, swing away monitor and laptop stand. i can do multiple layers/. I use led panels which you can get from home depot , but i got mine from a local rep that sells a better brand.. each light is 5500k anfd the glasss is 1/8 inch thick. the glass shop said its strong enough to let me stand on it with no worries.....I said im not going to try it .but he promised its very strong.. My glass area is 28" x 76" long. my next table will twice the size when my design room is finished.. I hope you like it .. Dwayne
[video=youtube;dT4NqAVEHtw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4NqAVEHtw[/video]
[video=youtube;dT4NqAVEHtw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4NqAVEHtw[/video]
