Designing a new workbench

[animuL]

I'm building a new house, close in a few weeks. One of the first projects I want to take on is building a workbench. Here is what I have designed so far:

I work on cars a lot so that is the primary purpose of this, but I will also be doing various projects around the house like finishing the basement off with a bar, putting wood flooring in, building a shed, etc. Basically I want this to be a versitile work area that has a nice clean look and is easy to keep organized.

Its 8ft long, 22" deep, 42" high all wood construction probably paint it black.

So far here is what I have incorporated:

1. Sink
2. Mini Fridge
3. Fully enclosed construction - Keep a clean appearance
4. One large drawer to hold all common tools - easy to stay organized / find tools
5. Removable wood panel - Use to screw parts down to etc, easy to replace when needed
6. Thick steel plate - For hammering parts on, also drill / tap as needed to hold parts, hold vice etc. Steel overhangs for seated working area.

I will eventually get the upper cabinets going and there will be a mirror infront of the sink. Other than that I am wondering what else I should incorporate. Any suggestions?

 

[Black Diamond]

It looks good! One thing that I would consider is the placement of the Fridge. Unless it is VERY small, the height of the Fride will conflict with the plumbing from the sink.

 

[animuL]

It looks good! One thing that I would consider is the placement of the Fridge. Unless it is VERY small, the height of the Fride will conflict with the plumbing from the sink.

Yeah, I haven't sourced a sink yet, so it may have to move from where it is now.

 

[1320stang]

Incorporate a backsplash into your design. I'd also make a front overhang, that way if anything pours off, it won't drip down the front of your cabinets. you might think of putting the mini fridge in the upper cabinets. For a sink, I used a laundry tub, but tossed the legs and built a full surround for the tub so it was supported on the bottom. Also, the top of your long drawer is right under your top, how is the top supported if it's all wood construction?

Pictures are pretty, but let's see your construction drawings.

 

[boiler7904]

Looks good. A couple of comments.

Build the bench as heavy as possible to keep it from moving when you're realy beating or cranking on something. I'd also screw it into a few wall studs.

I'd find a place to mount a strip of plug mold across the front of the workbench. Keeps all of the power cords off the work surface.

Maybe add a tip out drawer in front of the sink for scrub brushes, sponges, etc like you might see in a kitchen.

Get the deepest sink possible - either stainless steel or a self ******* laundry tub. That means the fridge has to move.

Since you have a sink, I assume there will be hot and cold water. If so, use a faucet with a hose thread so that you can access to hot water with the garden hose - nice when washing a car in winter

Switch the locations of the steel and wood countertops if you plan on beating on the steel a lot - the cantilevered section will sag over time from the extra stress.

If you paint the outside black - use a lighter color on the interior of the cabinets. Makes for finding something in the back of the cabinet easier since it's already mostly dark back there to begin with.

Think about using pull out trays on full extension ball bearing slides instead of stationary shelves in the cabinets. Blum and Accuride make pretty good slides rated at 100 or more pounds per pair.

 

[PanelDeland]

Also consider mounting some Kitchen style under cabinet lights inside the cabinets.The back wall of my bench is pegboard so I can hang tools for the current project close to hand without them being on the bench surface. Above my upper wall cabinets using them for support is a shelf.A 4' fixture is mounted to the bottom of that shelf.It has boxes for now but will soon have bins of some sort for items I use occasionally but don't want in the way.I am still in the process of getting everything together and cleaning up the clutter,but will post pics when it's a bit further along.I have a refrig in the garage for extra groceries and cold drinks so I didn't need to incorporate one into the bench.I also used a stock kitchen cabinet that did not need drawer pulls since i wanted to keep the area clear of clothes snaggers.There is a window on either side of my workspace which helps with light also,but I will be replacing the incadecents in the cieling with a couple of flourecents that are 8' long but use {4}4' bulbs(i don't like to try to transport 8').Just some of the criteria I used to give you food for thought.

 

[animuL]

Thanks for the info guy, all good ideas that I will keep in mind.

The bench currently is calculated at about 330 pounds empty, by the time I get the upper cabinets and put some stuff in it, its likely to be over 600lbs.

Boiler - If you aren't an engineer then maybe you should be - Structurally the bench will be sound, for a living I do design and engineering of executive aircraft interiors. Right now I'm working on a 1000lb galley for a 747 that must be able to handle 9000lbs of forward load! This workbench should be pretty beefy but I can always add later. I chose to not do an overhang because I think having a nice 90* angle might come in handy and I don't plan on having many liquids on the bench. Also I put the steel piece on the end with the overhang like that incase I need to say hammer a piece of metal over more than 90*. The steel is centered on two 4x4 posts tho and is gusseted to them as you can see.

Keep the advice coming, its much appriciated!

 

[Wardrum]

You say you work on cars a lot. Instead of built-in cabinets under the top, have you considered a stand alone work bench with roll-under tool carts? You could then roll them to your car, have your tools handy and have a work surface on the top to place your tools while you work on the car.

In ether case, I would strongly suggest that the workbench work surface be deeper than 22". Mine is 34" and many times I wish it was deeper than that.

 

[MXtras]

I find that a bench surface larger than about 24" deep just collects **** near the back. I have one bench that is 48" but it's used from all sides. I make most of my benches 24" deep and my overhead cabinets are only 12" - more depth equals more shuffling to find what you are after.

Scott

 

[Kong]

If I had a really small garage (oh ****, I do 14 x 20) That would be a good bench - except for the fridge, I would put it somewhere else. It kind of reminds me of the kitchen in my first apartment.

But if you have the room a bench like you have designed, although nice looking, is not really a hard working bench. More for very light fab, soldering, putting your tools on while using them, etc.

My ideas:

Sink - get a big laundry tub. You can use it to wet sand, wash parts, your hands, etc.

Work bench A - Your bench. Smooth surface top (laminate?). No sink. Fridge is okay if you are doing very light fab stuff.

Work bench B - Heavy top (3+ inches), solid legs, etc. for pounding on etc. mount a vise at the end of it. Leave it open underneath. put roller cabinets underneath, shop vac, etc. OR partially insulate and enclose it and put a 20 gallon aircompressor in it. Leave it enclosed for light, intermittant duty, open the doors to keep temps down if you are using it for heavier duty.

Workbench C - smaller than the other two benches. Put it on wheels. 1/8 or 3/16 steel top. Use it for welding etc. You can also put your miter saw on it when cutting up wood.

My opinions.

KongBastard

 

[boiler7904]

Thanks for the info guy, all good ideas that I will keep in mind.

The bench currently is calculated at about 330 pounds empty, by the time I get the upper cabinets and put some stuff in it, its likely to be over 600lbs.

Boiler - If you aren't an engineer then maybe you should be - Structurally the bench will be sound, for a living I do design and engineering of executive aircraft interiors. Right now I'm working on a 1000lb galley for a 747 that must be able to handle 9000lbs of forward load! This workbench should be pretty beefy but I can always add later. I chose to not do an overhang because I think having a nice 90* angle might come in handy and I don't plan on having many liquids on the bench. Also I put the steel piece on the end with the overhang like that incase I need to say hammer a piece of metal over more than 90*. The steel is centered on two 4x4 posts tho and is gusseted to them as you can see.

Keep the advice coming, its much appriciated!

I'm not an engineer - too much math. I do construction administration for an architecture firm on all kinds of commercial buildings from small strip mall buildouts to large industrial / commercial buildings.

My job is to review construction on site, attend job meetings, interact with the owner(s), process all paperwork on our end for a project including product submittals and shop drawings. Basically I have to try to out think every possible scenario and then react to the ones we miss.

I'm in the close out stage of a 350,000+ sf operating engineer training facility on 300 acres complete with class rooms, an indoor equipment arena, full repair / fabrication / wash bays, offices, an auditorium, and a cafeteria and other miscellaneous spaces. Some of the stuff in that building is down right amazing.

 

[animuL]

This may help visualize what I am working with:

Once all the cars are in there really isn't much space, combined with the fact the the house is on a small lake and they do not allow sheds. I don't want to take up all my space with a bench and knowing me, if the bench is bigger than I need it will get messy fast. My main goal is to get something built that will be easy to keep organized. I probably will do most of my car work on the far right bay in the picture. I do have a tool cart, I guess it would be a good idea to make it so the cart can slide under the bench so what I may do is extend the side out with the steel plate far enough that the cart will stow under it and put a panel on the front to keep it hidden. This would also mean that the steel plate would be supported on all four corners with a 4x4 post. But then again, I dont want to kill the space infront of the middle bay becuase thats the only place really suitable for an engine hoist when pulling a motor. Also not shown is a door that goes to the backyard towards the left end of the back wall there.

 

[classicpower]

Yours is very similar to mine but i´ve free space under the bench to store my parts washer (homemade, with wheels) and other stuff.
Don´t like some screwed steel plates because oil and all kind of dirt find their place there.

 

[Dave88LX]

Have fun with it! I too was going to suggest going deeper than 22". Mine is 36", it's nice because I can line the back of it with those plastic drawer parts bins of stuff and still have plenty of room to work.