Folding workbench?

[garagelogician]

Anyone here have a folding workbench? I've seen a few examples on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet...but plans/details are hard to find.

I have a very tight garage, and I don't really have room for a dedicated permanent bench space. I want to build a folding workbench, ideally one that could be rolled around the garage, similar to this:

I plan to incorporate a receiver-mount setup for a vise, bench grinder, etc.

Thoughts or suggestions? Pictures of what you've done?

 

[astroracer]

Forget the rollers, not necessary on a fold up bench. Get some fold-up sawhorses and an old bifold door. Set them up when (and where) you need them. The bifold door can stand in a corner or hang on the wall along with the fold-up saw horses.
I do this all the time for quick projects and the bench comes in handy for cook outs also.
Mark

 

[A**holes Garage]

Buy these saw horses from Home Depot

http://www.homedepot.com/p/34-in-Adjustable-Folding-Sawhorse-SH3801/206261852


and buy a 2' x 4' x 1/4" flat steel plate for your bench. Or if you're a wood guy, a door as stated above. These saw horses are easily height adjustable with just a click, no bolts or wing nuts.

I've used this quick set up for years when I have a small welding project to do. Keeps me from having to pull out the big benches which is a hassle for smaller projects.

 

[CoogarXR]

I have a regular bench, but I also have the "two-sawhorses + door" setup for when I want to be able to walk around the project 360-degrees, or when I want to cut long boards, or when I want to paint something. Any job I want to keep off my "good" bench, lol. It takes less than a minute to set up. I just have the standard plastic sawhorses and a cheap hollow-core door that I pulled out of my house during a renovation.

The doorknob hole makes a nice drill-through area too, lol.

 

[Bigbandguy]

In addition to a usual end-of-shed bench I have a fold down table top that lives on top of the table saw when it is not in use. It has two good effects: It gives me a big table in the middle of the room and it FORCES me to clean up the catch-all when I need to use the saw.

 

[jshillin]

How big are you talking? I use my Keter table for a lot of things like that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CWX26Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[garagelogician]

I'd like to have something around 24x72" or 30x72". Needs to be sturdy and able to take a pounding and everything else you'd do on a regular workbench...but just able to be moved around or folded up. My attached garage is very shallow (just shy of 19') and the third stall is slightly less than 18'. I'm also planning for a 4 post lift that will float between the second or third stall depending on what I'm doing.

I've thought of going the sawhorse type route, but I want something more substantial and permanent.

 

[red61cj5]

get a workmate and a rockler jawhorse. between the two of them you will never need anything else.

 

[Sarki]

How big are you talking? I use my Keter table for a lot of things like that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CWX26Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Yup......what he said!
For small jobs around the house/outside or even when helping out a friend the fold-up Keter workbench is friggin great.
Got mine at Northern Tool when it was being offered on sale with free shipping.

 

[garagelogician]

How big are you talking? I use my Keter table for a lot of things like that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CWX26Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

get a workmate and a rockler jawhorse. between the two of them you will never need anything else.

Yup......what he said!
For small jobs around the house/outside or even when helping out a friend the fold-up Keter workbench is friggin great.
Got mine at Northern Tool when it was being offered on sale with free shipping.

Not really what I'm looking for. I need a big beefy table. Somewhere I can spread out and disassemble a transmission if I need to. I need a bench I can mount a big vise to and beat something into submission.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Not really what I'm looking for. I need a big beefy table. Somewhere I can spread out and disassemble a transmission if I need to. I need a bench I can mount a big vise to and beat something into submission.

Well, when you find one that heavy duty and doesn't take two men to put it together or fold it, please let us know.

 

[bullnerd]

Knaack, the jobsite box people, make a really nice one.

I've seen them on CL.

 

[bigredmf]

Anyone here have a folding workbench? I've seen a few examples on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet...but plans/details are hard to find.



I have a very tight garage, and I don't really have room for a dedicated permanent bench space. I want to build a folding workbench, ideally one that could be rolled around the garage, similar to this:

I plan to incorporate a receiver-mount setup for a vise, bench grinder, etc.



Thoughts or suggestions? Pictures of what you've done?

That bench is very nice!

I may have to steal that design.

Red


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[garagelogician]

Well, when you find one that heavy duty and doesn't take two men to put it together or fold it, please let us know.

Thanks for the constructive input.

I'll be sure to post here once I figure this thing out and get it built my way.

 

[garagelogician]

Knaack, the jobsite box people, make a really nice one.

I've seen them on CL.

I'll have to keep an eye on CL, new price is way out of my budget.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Colin Len]

Interested to see what other ideas may pop up in this thread and/or whatever you end up making. I too would very much like a fold up bench, preferably one I can wheel around when not in use.

 

[matt_i]

The best way I know to make something solid is to put a leg/post right under that area. Even massive steel workbenches 2" thick have a hammer-rebound ring that will tell you the most solid spot is directly over the legs. So I would think you definitely need one under your vise area and any other area you intend to hammer.

I've used "folding leg" tables with success but you certainly can't hammer on them. I liked the Paulk design (torsion box) but I haven't built one and it doesn't look like a hammering-type workbench.

I would first decide on portable vs. wall-hinge. It seems like you could make it both with some hinge-pins that pull out/quick-release but I think the pivoting legs you'd need to make a hinged workbench would be a non-starter for one that's free-standing as it would be extremely prone to tipping over in 1 direction. You could make custom hinges that also pin-lock or bolt- into place but the list of metal fabrication tasks is growing longer....I think that's why there aren't many designs out there.