A new work bench thread!!!

[bmwpower]

Obviously still under constuction: I salvaged these for $0 from a hospital job along with 3 other smaller ones and 8 wall mounts not yet up. Custom made in their day and VERY heavy/solid. The butcher-block top and shelf with powerstrip came from a different dumpster.

I'm adapting the smaller ones for some cast-iron, belt driven tools that were my Dad's when he was alive (belt/disk sander, jig saw). I'll add legs to bring them up to a proper working height and some casters for portability.

... but like AndrewM & a lot of you, I also do torch work, heavy hammering, etc. That happens on the other side of the shop on a work bench made more for that type of work complete with vice and bench grinder.

Good thread.

Note to self: Don't mess with this guy.

 

[Bib Overalls]

I know, I know. But Sam's Club has a couple of workbench options that sell for less than you or I would pay to get the materials.

In my shop I built a series of shelves with a bathroom at one end and a work bench at the other. Simple two-by-four and plywood construction. The workbench is always covered up with junk.

As is the metal framed workbench I fabricated 18 years ago.

But I am a sloppy worker.

 

[wilbilt]

let me know what you guys think for my first garage project(well besides painting the walls)

Don't spray/use anything flammable on that bench, being that it is so close to the water heater.

Fumes heavier than air would roll right off the end of the bench into the pilot light....

 

[JOYO]

Boy you all have some nice work areas. I'm in the process of getting all set up in my garage, I'll just be using an old steelcase desk. I'm tempted to order some wall cabinets after seeing Ryan's stainless ones though. I've got so much junk it'd be nice to hide it in there. I'll post pics when I get far enough along that it's worth looking at.
JOYO

 

[z28toz06]

Here's the bench and shelves I made in my reloading room.

the shelves

here's a scary bench in my shed that I have to address soon. Since I started the garage its been on the back burner!

I will take some pix of the garage benches this week.

 

[nx2000]

I got such a good deal on this bench at an auction I just had to buy all ten of them. The pic was taken in a 25'x30' compound I recently finished building to keep projects out of sight from the neighbors.

Wow. You bought 10 of these? Got any spares you want to sell?

 

[89vert]

Here's my bench ...

 

[Uncle Buck]

Here's my bench ...

Sweet, and surgically clean!

 

[Photo]

Here are some pice of my garage:

http://community.webshots.com/album/561705944pOrIJn

I bought a bunch of kitchen cabinets from a distributer, added a double 3/4" plywood top and covered that with some 16 ga Stainless Steel I had formed by a local company (top was $ 800.00).

I placed my compressor on a shelf off the floor. I used an old rolling toolbox for my welders. Drillpress and welding table are located between the overhead doors.

Lane

 

[timgr]

I built this cantilevered bench mostly with found materials.

The top is 1" plywood from a packing crate, and the drawers came from discarded Steelcase cubicle furniture. It cost about $20 in 2x4s and lag bolts, plus my labor.

 

[Bib Overalls]

I like cantileverd benches along walls. Makes it easy to sweep under.

 

[Charley varrick]

I like 89Vert's and Photo's as well.

 

[fireplug]

I'm far from done, but I thought I'd post up as I'm pretty proud of how it has come together.

The previous owner of my house had built a work bench made of 2x8's and steel sheeting resting on a cinder block base. It actually was pretty solid, but looked like junk, and lacked storage underneath.

I tore it apart and built a simple ladder frame workbench out of 2x4's and plywood. The working surface is 3/16's steel sheeting. It is basically two benches each 64" long with a common bottom shelf. Between the two benches will sitting a cut off saw so the saw's base sits flush with the bench top. Eventually the storage will be hidden by doors.

While it was solid as all get out, it really looked unfinished. So I looked around long and hard for ideas. I thought about paint, baseboard, rubber and wood and, galvanized roofing materials.

I ended up using drywall 'J' trim to cover the 5/8 plywood edge and metal stud to cover the 2x4's. I will do the legs in the same way.

 

[RonBou]

Built to fit the corner out of 4x4s and 2x6 pressure treated decking. This is before shelves and lighting were installed. The bench is narrower than most but gives me a good work space.

 

[rickairmedic]

Ok heres mine right now still organising garage may never be done at any rate all cabinets are metal kitchen cabinets freebies off of craigslist except for wooden unit with multiple drawers which was also a freebie investments so far include FORD blue paint and counter tops made out of 2X6s and 3/4 " plywood.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Ok heres mine right now still organising garage may never be done at any rate all cabinets are metal kitchen cabinets freebies off of craigslist except for wooden unit with multiple drawers which was also a freebie investments so far include FORD blue paint and counter tops made out of 2X6s and 3/4 " plywood.

It looks great, and actually reminds me of how my garage looked a year or so back. I have a couple suggestions to make it better than it already is. Here ya go, get the TV off of your working bench level no use sacrificing bench space to the TV either give it an elevated shelf to live on or some other similar answer. The next suggestion is to do everything you can to get stuff like the rocking chair I saw in one picture out of your shop, it is a space eater; sure you need a stool at your bench and perhaps a steel folding chair or two, but lose seating like the rocker. I hope I did not offend that was not my intention, I simply saw a couple of things that might make something good look even better!

 

[Uncle Buck]

I'm far from done, but I thought I'd post up as I'm pretty proud of how it has come together.

The previous owner of my house had built a work bench made of 2x8's and steel sheeting resting on a cinder block base. It actually was pretty solid, but looked like junk, and lacked storage underneath.

I tore it apart and built a simple ladder frame workbench out of 2x4's and plywood. The working surface is 3/16's steel sheeting. It is basically two benches each 64" long with a common bottom shelf. Between the two benches will sitting a cut off saw so the saw's base sits flush with the bench top. Eventually the storage will be hidden by doors.

While it was solid as all get out, it really looked unfinished. So I looked around long and hard for ideas. I thought about paint, baseboard, rubber and wood and, galvanized roofing materials.

I ended up using drywall 'J' trim to cover the 5/8 plywood edge and metal stud to cover the 2x4's. I will do the legs in the same way.

That is a sweet bench indeed!

 

[rickairmedic]

Holmberg both points are well taken and in the works I am welding up a shelf that will be level with the upper cabinets right above where the TV sits now to put it on and the rocker is an antique being refinished for my motheroutlaw for Chrisatmas and it will be outa here . I actually have a couple bar stools and folding chairs for the garage just not in the pictures . I also still have some cabinets to paint and some to hang as you can see in the pics .

Rick

 

[Uncle Buck]

Holmberg both points are well taken and in the works I am welding up a shelf that will be level with the upper cabinets right above where the TV sits now to put it on and the rocker is an antique being refinished for my motheroutlaw for Chrisatmas and it will be outa here . I actually have a couple bar stools and folding chairs for the garage just not in the pictures . I also still have some cabinets to paint and some to hang as you can see in the pics .

Rick

Then I must offer my profound apologies for judging things prematurely, or out of context!.....Carry On!

 

[Lyaec350]

Here's mine: 3/8" steel plate top 4'x6', reciever stock on all 4 corners for vises and benders, plasma cutting grate and slag collecting pan on one end. Casters for portability, leveling feet for stability when bending. Weighs ~700 lbs.

I can do a build thread if anyone wants, took a ton of pix during construction.

 

[PhantomEB]

Damn Rights I Want Pics!!!

 

[Bevis]

I can do a build thread if anyone wants, took a ton of pix during construction.

Sure...nice bench

 

[toms73novass]

for sure x2 !

 

[rocco]

here's one of mine.

i built two, one is 8ft wide, 2 ft deep and 3 ft tall.
built out of 2x3 and shop grade OSB. i put some POR15 on the top to make it nice and hard.

then i reinforced the corner to handle this 100lb vise.

 

[ultgar]

Here's one at a marina with a fiberglass worksurface

 

[PAToyota]

How does the fiberglass worksurface work out for them? I'd think it would wear and you'd constantly be getting "splinters" from it...

 

[michael Mccoy]

http://
This is how telephone guys build their workbenches, there will be no transmissions, no welding, no engines dragged accross my epoxied floor, just fun things. The other side has about 50 golf clubs hanging from the ceiling

 

[milkovich]

there will be no transmissions, no welding, no engines dragged accross my epoxied floor, just fun things.

Does not compute

 

[boiler7904]

This is how telephone guys build their workbenches, there will be no transmissions, no welding, no engines dragged accross my epoxied floor, just fun things. The other side has about 50 golf clubs hanging from the ceiling

Looks nice except you have an electric code violation. You need to have a 3'-0" deep unobstructed clear work area immediately in front of electrical panels. Won't be a problem as long as you own and live in the house but an inspector might touch on it if you leave the bench where it is when selling.

 

[the_duke]

How does the fiberglass worksurface work out for them? I'd think it would wear and you'd constantly be getting "splinters" from it...

I would think the opposite if there's a wood backing underneath it. it's not like you're sanding the actual fiberglass down or anything. so i don't see how that's work. It's like i you leave a bunch of stuff on a fiberglass bed, you don't get splinters running your hands over it, do you?

 

[deadwood_den]

Here's mine. just used up some left over material from a couple remodeling jobs, did buy the birch plywood and hardware

 

[davestlouis]

Looking at these benches makes me want to scream. I'm jealous of you guys. First, my garage looks like a bomb went off in there, second, I have a kiddo with autism who gets into EVERYTHING, so I can't leave any tools out "on display" if you will, they all have to be locked up, out of sight or he'll hurt himself or burn the house down. I even have to keep the Armor All under lock and key or he'll spray his bike down with it, and the floor gets so slippery that I fall. I shudder to think what he could do with a vise...

 

[ThumbsUp]

Here is the workspace from my previous residence. It's a basement garage (very common in this area) with an octagon room above. The resulting foundation in the corner made a perfect out of the way workspace. I wrapped the bench around the inside of the octagon. The bench is about 42" high so I'm not constantly bending over.

Also in these pictures you'll see my work tables I built from salvaged cubicle desktops (formica). They were built so that two could be clamped together (as seen here), or bolted to a wall. I find that I use the work tables more that the bench because it's so easy to maneuver around all side of a project.

 

[milkovich]

here's one of mine.

i built two, one is 8ft wide, 2 ft deep and 3 ft tall.
built out of 2x3 and shop grade OSB. i put some POR15 on the top to make it nice and hard.

Would POR-15 work on MDF for a little bit smoother surface or would the MDF swell?

 

[pappaf2]

Some sweet work benches here.
Anyone have any thoughts on maybe using masonite on top of a plywood or osb top to make it nice and smooth?

 

[brianpgriset]

Would POR-15 work on MDF for a little bit smoother surface or would the MDF swell?

Where is the rest of that bug? What year,? You doing resto-custom or what?

 

[banzaitoyota]

Some sweet work benches here.
Anyone have any thoughts on maybe using masonite on top of a plywood or osb top to make it nice and smooth?

1/8" hardboard works wonders

 

[Palf]

Mine is an old electronics workbench I got at a government junk sale.

 

[milkovich]

Where is the rest of that bug? What year,? You doing resto-custom or what?

MDF as in particle board?

 

[rsanter]

I have 2 workbenches.
one is build in with a set of cabinates and is good for only cmall clean things
the other bench is a 3x5 steel table that is on big HD wheels that can get rolled to where I need it and pressure washed to get the grime off of it.
in my shop I have a hard time dedicating any wall space to something if I dont have to.
the basis of my shop is that everything is on wheels and the cars sit in the middle. when I need to get work done, the cars go out and the tools I need roll to the center for work. everything goes back when I am done.

bob