Garage / Workbench Photos?

[HogDude]

Looking for photos of garage interiors featuring workbenches, including DIY. I have been unable to find any way to view photos without diving into a zillion threads in an effort to see the photos. Sure, there's a garage gallery, but same deal there. And there's supposed to be a garage gallery index with filters somewhere (I see references from 2012), but so far, no luck in finding the actual index itself. Google search isn't doing much. Am I missing something--or is there just no way to easily view the pictures for ideas? (For example, if I want to find work benches built around rolling tool chests (which I know I've seen here before)--my search terms are not finding them. Can't post this in the Garage Gallery forum, because then I have to choose a garage size, which prevents the post from being seen by most garage gallery viewers...

Thanks for any help!

I so appreciate you starting this. Thank You

 

[regguy1]

This is a workbench I made in 1978 (2021 photo) It's plywood and 2x4"s. everything is dadoed and glued, drawers have roller slides and are self closing. It's 8' long and 30" deep (top) I used it commercialy for 31 years. See complete garage interior and much more here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/26-x-30-garage-photos-threads-and-videos.140674/

 

[Jeff]

 

[Masheen365]

Any shots showing the joinery?

I don’t have much of the joinery. What I did was super basic though, for the long stretchers into the leg I used four 1/2” oak dowels about 5” long. The short stretchers got three dowels with a different pattern so I didn’t drill into my other dowels. I used Titebond III to glue everything together and ratchet straps as clamps. If they came out a little warped I shimmed and used “weights” to bring them back straight while the glue dried. One was a little out of square so I had to run to the barn to get one of my big boy straps before the glue set up.

The cheap dowel jig I got from Lowes was a waste of money. I just wound up drilling my pattern in a 2x4 and screwing to my pieces to keep the hole pattern consistent. It looks like **** with the assembly pictures but I can’t be more pleased with how it turned out.

 

[jaymar_]

The Masonite just sits on top, and yes it can dent, but it hasn't seperated. When it gets nasty I can just slide it out and replace it. The 1in wide molding around the perimeter is just right for containing the Masonite.

Steel top is certainly an option but a personal choice.

I may have a pic of the bench with the parts cabinets in place. Will post if so.

Oh, I knda thought you did mean wrapped in steel (even though that's not what you said.) I'd be concerned about particulates. Dunno whether that's warranted without looking it up...

 

[jaymar_]

I don’t have much of the joinery. What I did was super basic though, for the long stretchers into the leg I used four 1/2” oak dowels about 5” long. The short stretchers got three dowels with a different pattern so I didn’t drill into my other dowels. I used Titebond III to glue everything together and ratchet straps as clamps. If they came out a little warped I shimmed and used “weights” to bring them back straight while the glue dried. One was a little out of square so I had to run to the barn to get one of my big boy straps before the glue set up.

The cheap dowel jig I got from Lowes was a waste of money. I just wound up drilling my pattern in a 2x4 and screwing to my pieces to keep the hole pattern consistent. It looks like **** with the assembly pictures but I can’t be more pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks! Haven't done anything like this, so I'm a little confused. Why not put it on the floor while drying (assuming the floor is level)? How can you glue up the outer frame without the cross-braces in place (or are they doweled straight through the sides)? Why glue before the final cuts, which prevents you from using a square on the corners, and requires a saw blade beside the finished wood?

 

[Masheen365]

Thanks! Haven't done anything like this, so I'm a little confused. Why not put it on the floor while drying (assuming the floor is level)? How can you glue up the outer frame without the cross-braces in place (or are they doweled straight through the sides)? Why glue before the final cuts, which prevents you from using a square on the corners, and requires a saw blade beside the finished wood?

Because I know my floor isn’t level and a few minutes of bending over will kill my back for the day. The dowels are blind, each one goes about 2.5” into each piece it is connecting. Using the attached picture, I built the long sides first (red). Then connected long sides with short stretchers (blue) making sure to offset the dowel pattern from long stretchers. Then used 2.5” pocket holes to attach additional bracing (yellow) that the partitions would eventually attach to. Not sure what you mean about final cuts and squaring the corners? All of my cuts were done before I ever drilled the first hole.

 

[jaymar_]

Because I know my floor isn’t level and a few minutes of bending over will kill my back for the day. The dowels are blind, each one goes about 2.5” into each piece it is connecting. Using the attached picture, I built the long sides first (red). Then connected long sides with short stretchers (blue) making sure to offset the dowel pattern from long stretchers. Then used 2.5” pocket holes to attach additional bracing (yellow) that the partitions would eventually attach to. Not sure what you mean about final cuts and squaring the corners? All of my cuts were done before I ever drilled the first hole.

Ohhh, my bad. Looking at the previous photo, I mistook one of the sides for the top; the extra lengths are the feet. [Slaps head.] Which (of course) is why there are no stretchers. Thanks for the idiot-proof (and illustrated!) explanation...

 

[jaymar_]

Is there a build thread?

 

[Jazz1]

Built my workbench with leftover lumber from garage build. 3/16” steel plate later added on the workbench. any storage in garage was all salvaged…cabinets, drawers

 

[welder4956]

Looking for photos of garage interiors featuring workbenches, including DIY. I have been unable to find any way to view photos without diving into a zillion threads in an effort to see the photos. Sure, there's a garage gallery, but same deal there. And there's supposed to be a garage gallery index with filters somewhere (I see references from 2012), but so far, no luck in finding the actual index itself. Google search isn't doing much. Am I missing something--or is there just no way to easily view the pictures for ideas? (For example, if I want to find work benches built around rolling tool chests (which I know I've seen here before)--my search terms are not finding them. Can't post this in the Garage Gallery forum, because then I have to choose a garage size, which prevents the post from being seen by most garage gallery viewers...

Thanks for any help!

Surprised you didn't find this thread on your search: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/lets-see-your-workbench.464/

126 pages of work benches.

 

[69CHARGERMD]

Looking for photos of garage interiors featuring workbenches, including DIY. I have been unable to find any way to view photos without diving into a zillion threads in an effort to see the photos. Sure, there's a garage gallery, but same deal there. And there's supposed to be a garage gallery index with filters somewhere (I see references from 2012), but so far, no luck in finding the actual index itself. Google search isn't doing much. Am I missing something--or is there just no way to easily view the pictures for ideas? (For example, if I want to find work benches built around rolling tool chests (which I know I've seen here before)--my search terms are not finding them. Can't post this in the Garage Gallery forum, because then I have to choose a garage size, which prevents the post from being seen by most garage gallery viewers...

Thanks for any help!

I put up pallet racking. Best thing ever for storage. Everything off the floor and up on shelves.

 

[jmarkwolf]

New bench pic added to post #17.

Kinda wish I had not invested in the parts cabinets. Even with all those drawers pretty much filled, I still need to make a trip down to the hardware store more often than not for some fastener or another. Could use the space for other stuff.

 

[zmotorsports]

Here is an entire thread devoted to just workbenches and I think pretty much everyone on here has posted to it at one point in time or another.

Lets see your workbench

Well, go ahead, post a pic or two of your workbench! Gonna need one for the new garage, need ideas/inspiration!

www.garagejournal.com

Happy Hunting.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Choose, wood or metal?

 

[Beelzeboss]

Mine isn't anything special - 50x50x2.0 SHS frame with a 3mm steel top



I would much prefer a more rigid table but this one works for the moment.

 

[tez929rr]

I have built several using the Simpson Strong Tie kit from Home Depot. I have an 8 foot stationary bench in my shop and I built one on wheels for the Mrs Lego room (I think hers is 6 feet wide).


Simpson Kit

 

[rsparks64]

I have built several using the Simpson Strong Tie kit from Home Depot. I have an 8 foot stationary bench in my shop and I built one on wheels for the Mrs Lego room (I think hers is 6 feet wide).


Simpson Kit

I guess the Mrs. doesn’t spend as much time at her bench as you do at yours since she doesn’t have a coffee pot and a gaggle of coffee cups. At least the cups have the Texas flag on them.

 

[tez929rr]

I guess the Mrs. doesn’t spend as much time at her bench as you do at yours since she doesn’t have a coffee pot and a gaggle of coffee cups. At least the cups have the Texas flag on them.

Custom mugs I ordered - her bench is in a different building that has a full kitchen next door. She actually spends enormous amounts of time there. This GoPro video was taken from her Lego train - you can see the entire work room from there. 880 square feet of Legos.

Lego Train

 

[rsparks64]

Custom mugs I ordered - her bench is in a different building that has a full kitchen next door. She actually spends enormous amounts of time there. This GoPro video was taken from her Lego train - you can see the entire work room from there. 880 square feet of Legos.

Lego Train

Pretty amazing. I would have loved that as a kid. Also, my dad worked for the railroad. When I saw her floor I thought she used all the colors available from Race Deck.

 

[tez929rr]

Pretty amazing. I would have loved that as a kid. Also, my dad worked for the railroad. When I saw her floor I thought she used all the colors available from Race Deck.

They were from a less expensive competitor. She ordered the exact number of each color and only missed by one tile - there are two adjacent blue tiles hidden under her workbench and no spares

 

[Ohio Auto]

 

[cstmg8]

I put up pallet racking. Best thing ever for storage. Everything off the floor and up on shelves.

Jealous of your garage and contents!

 

[oldwino]

Mines a mess right now. Too many projects.

 

[Jeff C]

Here’s my DIY wood workbench… and a lot of unnecessary junk.

 

[Project 2501]

Work in progress.

 

[Jeffh40]

Photo from the day I put it up two years ago. Not much has changed except it is a lot messier.

 

[rayra]

In the middle of building a bunch of furniture and the photo doesnt show much of a row of hanging cabinets with white melamine doors, but shows some of the layout.
Most of the stuff is on wheels, I can rearrange much of the space as needed. Right now it is all spread out so I can get to all four sides of the furniture pieces. Usually the big rolling table is docked to the wall under the hanging white cabinets.

 

[kfainf]

I took mine from this.....




.....to this.




The center section of the bench has a stainless steel top that was formerly a refrigerator door of a side by side refrigerator/freezer. When the fridge died, I gutted the stainless door skin and framed it out with lumber, mdf, and plywood, then screwed it to the workbench.

 

[Dogmeat]

My humble "Sanctuary" as we call it....this is an 18' x 30' fully insulated area inside my 30' x 50' barn.
In the center of the width is a PIT....3.5' w x 6' deep x 22' (YES, 22 FEET!) long cemented in.
Ceiling mounted lp gas furnace, 3500 btu ac, BEER fridge, surround sound, pool table mounted on swivel
casters, as well as ALL benches have casters. I did ALL the work myself, except for the pit, which was already
there when I bought the place 32 years ago...it did NOT have the covers however!

 

[Dogmeat]

And....a FEW MORE!

 

[cadunkle]

Not built around a rolling box, but the box is next to it and about the same height as the bottom box. I'm going to pick up the HF side cabinet that attaches the the bottom box which will give me a little more space at bench height. Short part is 4' long and 2' deep, long side of 8' and 30" deep. 40" height. Lower shelf is high enough that I can store engine blocks underneath, cylinder heads and cranks fit nicely on the shelf.

 

[rktinc]

Built in HF44's. Still incomplete, but getting closer...

Love a built in metal cabinet.

 

[rktinc]

recently created this workplace out of two scrap benches.

 

[rsparks64]

recently created this workplace out of two scrap benches.

Nice. Are those four square/rectangular cut outs for pop up coffee makers, espresso makers, wet bars, etc?

 

[rktinc]

Nice. Are those four square/rectangular cut outs for pop up coffee makers, espresso makers, wet bars, etc?

No they are a mystery. I have posted inquires on this forum about what they might be. They seem to be stainless steel and hooked up to the large knobs on the side of the benches. Some sort of warming element? Made in St Louis around the 1940's is my guess. No idea what they were built for. I joined them together and decided the plastic top is too cool to cover. I built the ends to make an island type bench. They were used as a tv repair bench for decades. I think they are former food warmers but really not sure. There is a serious heating element under each one of the metal plates flush with the table top.

 

[yhprum]

I built this a few years ago from pressure treated lumber i got from the big box store. The lumber was quite wet when i made it; i would try to find dry lumber next time as i found it had changed shape a little when i recently started adding drawers.



I managed to pull it square again and added a X brace made from steel on the backside. Its pretty heavy and sturdy.

 

[DGersic]

One car garage, not a lot of room. Took a garage sale Craftsman workbench with 1/2” particle board top apart.



Painted it red Rustoleum with the HF purple gun. Made adjustable feet for the corners from big bolts, washers, and hockey pucks. Mounted the feet to retractable wheels, so it can be easily moved when needed.



Made a new top from face glued 2x3s. Wrapped the edges in 2x4s. Topped with 3/4” plywood.



Top is heavy. With the drawers full of stuff, it’s heavy. Pop the casters down and roll it is easy. Floor is not perfectly level, but the adjustable feet take care of that so it’s solid in place with the casters up.

 

[DGersic]

No they are a mystery. I have posted inquires on this forum about what they might be. They seem to be stainless steel and hooked up to the large knobs on the side of the benches. Some sort of warming element? Made in St Louis around the 1940's is my guess. No idea what they were built for. I joined them together and decided the plastic top is too cool to cover. I built the ends to make an island type bench. They were used as a tv repair bench for decades. I think they are former food warmers but really not sure. There is a serious heating element under each one of the metal plates flush with the table top.

That doesn’t look like food prep or cooking. Wonder if those could have been for heating something like a glue pot.

 

[Kuma601]

some of my messy areas: