I use the plastic, fold up tables.
The five foot ones work best.
The six foot ones appear (to me) to be a bit weaker in the centre. You will need to be careful of heat around them. You can plop some thin plywood cutouts over the top.if you want: two per table. And never underestimate the value of some second hand old wooden cutting boards. Set up your ground pads right on the plastic, especially the main work area. You can make an "L" out of two tables, or better yet, a "U" out of the tables, three in that case. Or two tables, one behind the other. One behind the other may sound goofy, but you'll be surprised to find how quickly test equipment will swallow up your primary work space. And get in your way. And get too close to the soldering iron. Set plastic milk crates on top of the tables, and set the equipment on the top of milk crates, and the open ends of the milk crates facing towards you. Now the displays are at eye level, and the KNOBS are just right. And you have The test leads at The ready, but can shove them the Hell out of your way, as the test leads go there, and your handheld DMM.
The crates also give you a convienant place to attach clamp lights. Wal-Mart has LED clamp on, very light weight and very low power consumption goose neck lights. Get at least four. Or two per crate. Now, you can see. There's nothing worse than shadows when you are trying to read a schematic. Or work. Or do anything. As the crates are slightly raised, when you spill your tea cup (and you will) the liquid mess gets on the table but the slightly raised bottom of the plastic milk crate protects the equipment. And the test leads... easy to clean, but doesn't destroy equipment. The "holes" in the milkcrates are excellent attachment points. Bend a little wire into a holder shape. Hang a cloth there. You will be happy when you spill your tea cup all over your bench when you have this towel IMMEDIATELY READY for a spill. Yea, I know you're not supposed to drink tea at your work bench. But we all do it. Or your cell phone that you stashed there. You need a bench radio. Or just some cheap assed computer speakers, to plug into "whatever ". You can also plug in a Bluetooth transmitter thingie here. And then use your phone for music. Without wires. And there's your speakerphone. And camera. Duo never worked better when you and your Buddy compare work. And just like having the right things at eye level, even cheap assed speakers sound much better, because now they are at your ear level. Across the back of the table, or right on TOP of the crates, cheap power strips from Harbour Freight (or Princess Auto in Canada) Glue Velcro to the place you want to attach the power strips, and to the bottom of the power strips, and they won't slide around. Or fall off the bench, pulling your cords, and finally your equipment to the floor. Plan for ONE MAIN MASTER SWITCH to shut down when you are done. So the iron(s) are REALLY turned off. And those power supplies.
You can even zip tie crates together, with heavy zip ties, to make one gigantic milk crate assembly. They're less prone to slipping around that way. And you can break them down and reconfigure as needed. Zip ties are strong and cheap!
Spend MORE for a COMFORTABLE Rolling Chair than you do for the bench area.
Fans/Smokeaters that are placed in front of you in the back, even a muffin fan or two, should pull smoke AWAY from you as a rule.
Make a ring holder of some sort. On the wall, or whatever. Something I have never heard anyone do, but I do, besides wearing safety glasses, is WEAR A MASK when looking at TINY PARTS, Especially with short focal lengths optical devices. I'm surprised quite frankly that no one has ever considered that SMD parts are SO SMALL, that not only can you lose them on the floor where it's impossible to find them, they are ALSO an INHALATION HAZARD. The Ring holder? (I almost forgot). It's for your....Ring. Or Rings. You remove it BEFORE you start working, and it will be RIGHT THERE WHERE YOU LEFT IT when you are DONE working.
Hang a SIGN over your test area. What if you were zapped and a family member found you? And touched you? I know this sounds like Safety Man Overkill (pardon the pun) but the SIGN should have location of BREAKER BOX on it if it's not right there. And a BRIGHT SIGN AT THE BREAKER BOX informing any rescuer WHICH BREAKER is THE BREAKER that they should pull on an emergency.
Speaking of that, I'm not so sure if carpet is a good idea on the walls. Do you use solvent or BraKleen to clean off flux? Volatile fumes Right next to carpet. On the wall. And near potential IGNITION SOURCES. NOT A GOOD IDEA. Just saying...
A clear plastic Cook Book Holder set sideways with your DMM or laptop can protect their delicate faces from solder. Or the wrath of your solder gun. Or rework heat. A clear plastic Cook Book Holder is cheap, and cheap to replace if it gets the "heat test". Fluke and Dell laptop displays? Not so much.
Get a Lazy Susan. Put your Panavise on it. Stick a little cloth under one edge of the Lazy Susan, at the ten o'clock or two o'clock position. Depending on which hand you use. Or if it's on the end of a table. Now you can turn your work around at will, for inspection, or soldering. But the cloth acts like a "brake", so your work doesnt suddenly move when you touch the iron to it. Or blow hot air on it. You can fold up or vary the cloth "brake." Or remove it completely.
A dish towel or two on the Lazy Susan will protect a screen if you have to place it face down. Don't use a pillow. Cheap urethrane foam REALLY burns. If you don't think so, exacto knife off a strip of it sometime, and light it outside on the sidewalk. Youll be surprised at how fast and furious it does so.
You want a "stand" type magnifier in front of the Lazy Susan. Don't get a "clamp on" type. You really can't "clamp on" to a plastic table... the ONLY shortcoming I have found with plastic fold up tables, by the way is this.
Your UPS goes under the bench. On a milk crate. AWAY from your feet, but where you can reach down and hit the switch.
Think when you conjure up your bench area, how to design it so it can be UNcounjoured...
This is where folding tables are the Bees Knees: scopes and the like today are LIGHT. You don't need the Massive, weight bearing benches of the vacuum tube past. They are plenty. Did I mention that they fold up?
Can you MOVE all of this stuff easily when you MOVE?
My Rule of Thumb is that if it can all fold up and fit in the back of a Prius, then I'm all set.
Since I have a Prius.
In all Endeavours, Harbor Freight, Wal-Mart, (and Princess Auto and Zellers) have everything you need.
I hope that these suggestions help.
73 and All the Best!
DE W8LV Bill
(And Sometimes, W8LV/VE3)
73 and All the Best! DE W8LV Bill