A Simple Solid Workbench
- Thread starter quadrcr87
- Start date
It took some patience and a critical assembly sequence but I finally got the drawer slides working. Are the perfect? No but they are functional and that’s what matters here.
My solution was getting an Irwin countersink bit to get the Allen bolts to sit flush. My method of countersinking with my step drill just wasn’t enough the first time.
Turns out that once all 6 screws were in and tight that there was some slight misalignment because a couple screws weren’t perfectly flush but they still let the slide pass.
Then in an attempt to clean the metal shavings from the slides and make them run a little smoother I made a big mistake. I assumed that some how the ball bearings would be retained in the slide and they were not. This resulted in chasing 20 balls across the garage floor which was covered in razor sharp metal shavings. By some miracle I found every ball and got them back in place with some grease to hold them as I slid the assembly together. What a relief that was!
Success
Finally I got the drawer painted inside and out, secured the bench top and vice and got the bench back in place.
My old wooden oil change cart really sticks out and is on the short list for next projects. I am thinking 1” tube frame cabinet wrapped in sheet metal with a a shelf and double doors. I’ll probably put an aluminum top on it to match the bench shelf. I thought about a small drawer but I can’t put myself through the punishment again so soon.
Thanks for following along and let me know if you have any ideas for the oil change cabinet. What type of hinges should I go with? I am considering weld on barrel hinges.
Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
My solution was getting an Irwin countersink bit to get the Allen bolts to sit flush. My method of countersinking with my step drill just wasn’t enough the first time.
Turns out that once all 6 screws were in and tight that there was some slight misalignment because a couple screws weren’t perfectly flush but they still let the slide pass.
Then in an attempt to clean the metal shavings from the slides and make them run a little smoother I made a big mistake. I assumed that some how the ball bearings would be retained in the slide and they were not. This resulted in chasing 20 balls across the garage floor which was covered in razor sharp metal shavings. By some miracle I found every ball and got them back in place with some grease to hold them as I slid the assembly together. What a relief that was!
Success
Finally I got the drawer painted inside and out, secured the bench top and vice and got the bench back in place.
My old wooden oil change cart really sticks out and is on the short list for next projects. I am thinking 1” tube frame cabinet wrapped in sheet metal with a a shelf and double doors. I’ll probably put an aluminum top on it to match the bench shelf. I thought about a small drawer but I can’t put myself through the punishment again so soon.
Thanks for following along and let me know if you have any ideas for the oil change cabinet. What type of hinges should I go with? I am considering weld on barrel hinges.
Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
Last edited:
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Your workbench turned out great.
I hate having to chase a work surface around. My last shop I had the workbenches tied into the back wall of the shop for rigidity but in my new shop I just built them so freakin' heavy they don't move.
Seeing as how you work on a lot of powersports engines I would suggest adding a form of support that mounts to the workbench keeping the component off of the workbench yet adjacent for tools and parts.
At my last shop I fabricated a mounting fixture that was mounted directly to the workbench and then built an assortment of attachments which held 2-stroke motorcycle and snowmobile engines as well as several for various automatic transmissions.
In my new shop I used the same attachments but built 2" receivers into the ends of my two workbenches in which I can now mount the attachments in when needed. It really frees up workbench space as well as provides the ability to twist and move the component around by rotating the attachment. This is especially helpful on automatic transmissions but I've found it equally beneficial on small powersports engines. Just a thought as I think you'd find it beneficial with your hobbies.
I hate having to chase a work surface around. My last shop I had the workbenches tied into the back wall of the shop for rigidity but in my new shop I just built them so freakin' heavy they don't move.
Seeing as how you work on a lot of powersports engines I would suggest adding a form of support that mounts to the workbench keeping the component off of the workbench yet adjacent for tools and parts.
At my last shop I fabricated a mounting fixture that was mounted directly to the workbench and then built an assortment of attachments which held 2-stroke motorcycle and snowmobile engines as well as several for various automatic transmissions.
In my new shop I used the same attachments but built 2" receivers into the ends of my two workbenches in which I can now mount the attachments in when needed. It really frees up workbench space as well as provides the ability to twist and move the component around by rotating the attachment. This is especially helpful on automatic transmissions but I've found it equally beneficial on small powersports engines. Just a thought as I think you'd find it beneficial with your hobbies.
Sorry for the late reply on this but I am just now seeing it. That would be very helpful for specific items. I thought about adding receivers to the front but I didn’t think this bench at 2’ deep was enough to support it. I plan to do that on a future bench when I get a larger shop. I will be making some sort of engine stand that can attach to the bench before I do another engine build. Building the last engine on 4x4s was not ideal and I needed a second pair of hands when torquing it on final assembly.