Building a Work Bench with Toolboxes

[ekraft84]

I'm looking at building a nice work bench with a maple-type top. However I want drawers on each side for storage and was thinking a good way to do this would be to get two toolboxes, and basically fix a rolling toolbox (with heavy duty, rolling/locking casters) on each end.

My thoughts are there would be an opening in the middle with a toolbox on each end, with accessible drawers for storage and parts. I'm not sure what the best way to fix the bench to the boxes would be at the moment, but wanted to see if anyone else has done this.

Thanks.

 

[Kevin54]

Check with Steevo. He built a heck of a bench using HF boxes.

 

[Steevo]

Here is a link to my workbench build:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120386&highlight=HF+Toolboxes+workbench

 

[ekraft84]

Thanks Steve.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Steevo has probably made the best use of HF boxes into a workbench on this site.

 

[OctoMan]

My dad built workbenches with a row of Vidmars with two pieces of 3/4" plywood glued together and a formed sheet metal top about 1/8" thick. It has lasted 25+ years.

 

[DEEDDUDE]

I don't know how I missed Steevo's thread , that turned out great. I was planning to do the same thing and now I know how it will look.
If I can ever finish my electrical in the building I'll build mine. Great job Steevo.

 

[evan_880]

mine is very similar to steevos bench.
built it out of a combination of tube and angle iron and used the same adjustable feet and inserts he used.
worked out great, just make sure you leave enough room to get them in or out with the top on.

 

[akdiesel]

Great looking bench Evan. Do you normally lounge in the shop?

 

[evan_880]

right now yes. once i have some more equipment i will replace the couches with that (drill press, lathe, mill etc)

but for now its nice to lounge and watch out there.

 

[cheechi]

I'm working on a portable bench similar to Steevo's but with 26" cabs so I can sit down/store the vac underneath it. Mine is staying on wheels also, though not the stock casters. I think that is more or less what you're looking for? The HF 26" box doesn't get as much attention here but they are good for the money. Problem is you can only buy top & bottom in sets, I got 2 cman bottoms scratch & dent.

 

[ekraft84]

Yeah, I'm looking at some good casters. I found some here on the forum that are can be adjusted to be leveled also. $100 for 4, but they look pretty heavy duty.

My issue will be is that I want to have an area in the middle to put a stool, with room to sit. That means a toolbox on each side essentially, with 8 wheels total instead of 4. I don't think that will be an issue for moving around. In fact, it might help it move easier.

 

[cheechi]

more wheels means it supports the load more - well evenly would be the word to use but that doesn't truly apply here. You would never ever want to use only 4 wheels for what you're trying to do.

an 8 ft bench with 2 26" boxes underneath it should give you plenty of space for a chair/stool as well as storage underneath when you're working. and if you use those cabinets, you know to limit how much weight you can put in the top drawers to keep it stable.

 

[Wastedwagesracing]

mine is very similar to steevos bench.
built it out of a combination of tube and angle iron and used the same adjustable feet and inserts he used.
worked out great, just make sure you leave enough room to get them in or out with the top on.

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h394/evan880
/IMG_1166.jpg

What kind/brand are those boxes? I can see the name on the front but my poor eyes can't make it out.

 

[evan_880]

called mechanics edge.
i think they have a few names they run under. got them at peavey mart in saskatchewan canada.

 

[Wastedwagesracing]

called mechanics edge.
i think they have a few names they run under. got them at peavey mart in saskatchewan canada.

Thanks,

 

[NUTTSGT]

Something I'd like to add. If anyone is desiring to build a bench utilizing toolboxes underneath, buy some decent boxes. I had planned on doing this in my garage refurb. I got a few Cman black boxes for Christmas. Upon opening one of them up, one box was dented and needed returned. Once it was out of the box, I saw how cheaply they were made and changed my mind all together and all 3 went back.

I went a different route. I'd hate to see somebody buy some boxes, spend the time and cash to incorporate them into t a bench only to be unhappy with the results a short time later.

 

[ekraft84]

Something I'd like to add. If anyone is desiring to build a bench utilizing toolboxes underneath, buy some decent boxes. I had planned on doing this in my garage refurb. I got a few Cman black boxes for Christmas. Upon opening one of them up, one box was dented and needed returned. Once it was out of the box, I saw how cheaply they were made and changed my mind all together and all 3 went back.

I went a different route. I'd hate to see somebody buy some boxes, spend the time and cash to incorporate them into t a bench only to be unhappy with the results a short time later.

And with that said, any preferred ways to attach the wood/bench-part itself to the toolboxes?

 

[Jack Olsen]

My issue will be is that I want to have an area in the middle to put a stool, with room to sit. That means a toolbox on each side essentially...

It's funny, I did both of these things with the same bench. First, it was a top combined with a traditional toolbox.



You can see I put an air reel on one side and a portable AC unit on the other. There was nothing elegant about it (like Steevo's and others), but it made for a decent bench.

Then I re-did it, and I got a full-size Equipto cabinet and cut it in half.





Since it was a 9-drawer unit, I couldn't cut it cleanly in two. So I did 4/5 and added a blank plate on one side -- where I put that same air reel in sideways.

I put Oak butcher block on top of it, and cut an inset for where the chair goes.

With paint, it looks okay. I can't imagine casters under it -- but I'm not a caster guy. I want to be able to hammer on a bench and not have the bench move. And once something like this is loaded, it's hard to imagine my scrawny self being able to move it. Ideally, I want benches bolted to the wall. Here are a couple of views of how it came out.

The little drawers on top actually sit back in between the wall studs. I restored/repainted the chair and the drill press, too.

It's great having a place to sit with decent light. The mag lamp is a help for my aging eyes, too.

 

[ekraft84]

Thanks Jack. Much appreciated. I've seen yours before and it's perfect. I want the wheels, mainly because there are a couple situations where I'll want it in one of two places. I won't be hammering on it too much, but the slope of my floor is an issue and I want to be able to ensure the bench is level as well (with the leveling-casters I've seen available).

I'll have other workshop/bench areas which will be the spot for the vice and other heavier-duty tasks, so the wheels here shouldn't be too much of a problem for general use.

 

[split150]

That integrated air hose setup is awesome!

 

[NUTTSGT]

And with that said, any preferred ways to attach the wood/bench-part itself to the toolboxes?

My plan was to build a workbench frame that the boxes were going to sit in. It also included not having casters but having the boxes sit on a pressure treated 2xwhatever.

 

[larry_g]

Here are a couple of views of how it came out.

.

Damn Jack, what is all that dirt and stuff behind the red grinder?

lg
just funnin ya

 

[metalmagpie]

I have recently started building a matched pair of workbenches each of which will hold 4 7-drawer cabinets for a total of 56 drawers. Got the first one assembled yesterday. Mine have legs because I don't want to bend way down to get to the bottom drawer, plus I want to be able to slide toolboxes underneath. The tops are designed to be 6" taller than standard kitchen counters because I'm tired of having a sore back working at the bench. They look real tall sitting up on the (threaded stem) casters but they will be nearly 4" shorter installed. No paint yet, and what looks like weird marks on the legs is just where I tacked on turnbuckles for fitting and then sanded off the scars.

- metalmagpie

<img src="http://www.tinyisland.com/images/temp/newWorkbenchTacked.jpg">

 

[daveroy]

- metalmagpie

<img src="http://www.tinyisland.com/images/temp/newWorkbenchTacked.jpg">

Can't wait to see that complete... keep us updated.

 

[metalmagpie]

And then there were two .. these are welded but not yet painted. Minor differences in height will be adjusted out with leveling legs. The vertical steel plates act as stiffeners and sit between the two center boxes. They really help stiffen the top frames. The picture makes the benches look distorted. They aren't, at least not much, like 1/32" over several feet maybe. Here's the latest pic, enjoy. - metalmagpie

<img src="http://tinyisland.com/images/temp/twoBenchesUnpainted.jpg">

 

[metalmagpie]

And here's one with the two benches in place, with two of the cabinets installed, just to show how they fit in. The cabinets will come back out to let the paint harden for a few weeks before final install.

<img src="http://tinyisland.com/images/temp/benchesInPlace.jpg">

And here's one which shows how a pair of cabinets fit into their cavity. It's a tight fit between the angle iron edge and the stiffener plate, but they go in. There are a total of
8 of the drawer cabinets, but only 2 are shown. - metalmagpie

<img src="http://tinyisland.com/images/temp/benchWithCabs.jpg">

 

[MeentSS02]

I've posted pics of my bench in a few threads around here, so why not another?

Here's what I started with:

...and with goals similar to yours, here's what I ended up with:

I'm still working on getting some of the clutter under control, and I've since installed undercabinet lighting which helped a ton in the usability department, but it's a 90% solution.

I don't have the time, patience, or skills to make something like this myself, so this definitely falls into the "bought, not built" category, but there are products and companies out there that can turn a few scribbles on a piece of paper into a half ton of reality (literally...the empty cabinets were 550-ish lbs each, and the 9' butcher block top was around 170 lbs). And that doesn't include the steel upper cabinets. And the tools that line the drawers.

It's been incredibly useful as both tool storage and as a work space - I tend to do more detail oriented work (like soldering electronics and messing with other small components), so this tall setup works for me. All I'm missing is a bar type stool so I can actually sit while I work.

 

[ekraft84]

Sharp!

 

[metalmagpie]

Nice bench, MeentSS02. How much did all that lot cost you? Just curious ..

metalmagpie

 

[metalmagpie]

Just a followup, here are my two workbenches installed with the tops and cabinets:

 

[timbitca]

Wow! That looks great, what brand of cabinets are those?

 

[Tedb01]

A couple of Harbor Freight 56" boxes and a old bowling alley lane top.

 

[PCO6]

Mine's basically a cut down pallet rack with 3 International tool cabinets underneath.