We are prepping for a build-your-own-Tenderly class, though in the event this one will be in Maine. The class is next week; we're trucking the parts up there on Saturday. Wave if you see us go by.

I'll be sending daily dispatches from the Tenderly class in Maine. If possible I'll try to capture a time-lapse of that one.

Planks for seven Tenderlies, puzzle-joined together:

Ha!  I was right!  Very cool.  Thanks for letting us know.  I'll be very interesting in watching/seeing the build.  I love the Tenderly.  Good luck in Maine.

Um, John? If I might ask a question -

That pic of the Tenderly planks being joined... the 'table-tops' you're using... I have a similar idea planned for when time (soon I hope) comes for me to join up my Waterlust planks in the basement prior to moving assembly operations out to the garage.

(I'd build it IN the basement but 3' beam & 17' length I think'd be a challenge to get OUT once completed!)

You frame with 1x4's then skin with maybe Lauan, or use something thicker for the work surface? As I'll need 18' I'm thinking maybe 3 pieces joined with bolts so they can be stored and/or re-used more efficiently.

Working on the basement floor isn't planned, owing to its irregularities as well as my back not wanting to do the bend-over much.

The horses I can manage, got 2x4's already to build three or four to your design poosted elsewhere here.

The tables in the photo above measure about 96" x 36" each.  The key feature is that they have male and female telescoping ends, so that they can be joined up quickly to create a longer table. 8 feet, 16 feet, 24 feet, or 32 feet.

I built those to give me a long, absolutely flat bench for laying up the parts for Madness.

They are, intentionally, quite heavy. Thick particle board on one side, exterior plywood on the other. Three longitudinals support the faces. You can pound on things and do heavy work atop them. When done, they can be broken down into 8-foot lengths, which we stow out of the way on a special shelf in the classroom. 

Around the same time we standardized our sawhorse heights so that we don't have to fret about leveling the tables whenever we set them up.

Thousands of hours of boatbuilding later, these have reached the end of their life, and are scheduled to be replaced this summer. 

I found a sketch deep in the files:

Here they are in early days, as the 32-foot side panels for Madness were assembled and 'glassed:

Outstanding idea John!!

Yes I can understand their durability with particleboard on one side, plywood on back - essentially a box beam laid flat!

Not being one to skimp on materials but thinking less long-term I might try 1/2" thick of each over what I'd guess'd be 3/4" (?) for yours, add a couple more lengthwise stiffiners & maybe a couple crosswise ('blocking' in framing terms) to reduce weight but avoid reducing stiffness / flatness.

Clever on the 'T&G' joints too for flexibility. That I'll keep!

That table idea was worth having the thread hijacked ;^)

How's the Tenderly class going?  I watched the guys load the kits onto the trailers... 

I can't wait for the Tenderly class video!  Very cool.

BTW, I think there's a spiderweb in front of the shopcam...

I've also really enjoyed being able to study the NanoShip while it's been sitting there center stage...