Lets see your workbench

[fishwatcher]

I recently put together a new workbench for my new garage.

Started with this Lowe's Kobalt worktable what I snagged on sale back around Thanksgiving: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Kobalt-72-in-Work-Table/5000045517

And this Yukon 46 inch 9-drawer toolbox. You know the one. Also purchased on sale earlier this year: https://www.harborfreight.com/46-in...-cabinet-with-solid-wood-top-black-56613.html

They're both fine, not industrial quality but totally suitable for heavy residential use.

I pulled the jointed wood top off of both and used/reserved those for other projects. The Kobalt top became the top for my wife's workbench and the Yukon will eventually crown the cabinet we're building to hide our hydronic heat hardware.

I replaced the pilfered tops with cheap box store 3/4" ply; I used a double layer for the main table and a single layer for the toolbox. I cheated the top forward on the table so that the legs would be nearly flush with the wall in the back.

Then I applied some 1950's style boomerang Formica laminate, routed the edges, bolted on a big vise, and replaced the toolbox casters with lower ones that swivel at all 4 corners.

In normal use the box stows under the workbench with enough frontal overhang to allow plenty of room for feet and knees:


When I want more work surface the box easily pulls out and can be parked wherever needed:


The Formica top turned out very nice and is a great work surface so far - very hard and smooth. My wife and friends didn't think I'd actually follow through with the boomerangs; they should know better by now.

I've never done Formica work before but install was a simple as brushing both surfaces with contact cement, putting the laminate on top, and then encouraging both parts to bond with a soft hammer. It would have been much harder if I had needed the edges to line up exactly, but that's why I planned to hit it with the router.

I was a bit concerned that the 8 inch vise would be too big; so far it's been very handy and also does double duty as a respectable shop press:


The last step was to run a 5/8 structural screw through the frame of the table into a wall stud just to keep the whole thing from rocking or moving when I get medieval with the vise.

It's all very solid, I couldn't ask for a better bench.

Awesome set up! It’s very clean. The 8” Yost looks great. I have a 6” Capri that is similar.

Behind the bench.. you could take advantage of the wall space with a peg board or shelves.. but then it won’t be as clean looking.

 

[The Metric System]

Behind the bench.. you could take advantage of the wall space with a peg board or shelves.. but then it won’t be as clean looking.

Thanks. I do plan to put something up there, but my usual approach is to use the space for a few months and get a feel for what I need and where it should be.

Currently thinking about a whiteboard Masonite "backsplash" to give me a drawing surface and protect the drywall.

I'll likely also add some reach-up shelves or shallow cabinets just above head height, but the details of these are TBD.

 

[BlueBomber]

The thread popped up to the top of my Watched items this morning and I clicked into it for the first time in a long while. I just mentally counted six work benches on my property in three buildings. Only half of one of them is clear enough to be usable. I guess I should admit that five of them really aren't workbenches--they are just really wide and cluttered storage shelves. Maybe I need to concede that I don't need six workbenches and use the space for a few of them to construct more space efficient storage. Or better yet, sift through the accumulated detritus and admit I'm never going to do anything with most of it and discard the junk.

 

[M.Brane]

FSD is real.

 

[BlueBomber]

Indeed! Here are three in one building that have been so unusable for so long that I have **** stacked in front of them.

Edit: Here are the two in the other garage. The basement one will have to wait for another day.

 

[b-dog]

This guy wrenches!

 

[BlueBomber]

This guy wrenches!

Indeed I do!

My DBE wrench thread

 

[kaymccampbell]

Indeed! Here are three in one building that have been so unusable for so long that I have **** stacked in front of them.

Edit: Here are the two in the other garage. The basement one will have to wait for another day.

I suffered the same thing. It required severe pruning, creating wall storage, and overhead cabinets. And the most important part, putting stuff away.
I went from this.


To this.

 

[zimman]

You think the public could have some of those offset box end wrenches? Asking for the thousands of folks that can't find any. LMAO
Zim

 

[zanyad]

@BlueBomber, thanks for documenting the build of this workbench with the HF 42" cabs underneath. Did you put a leg between the boxes? What about the reel you'd mentioned mounting there?


Here're the posts I found in your thread about building the bench:

• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7470118
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7500213
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7514330
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7539163

 

[56vette461]

Indeed! Here are three in one building that have been so unusable for so long that I have **** stacked in front of them.

Edit: Here are the two in the other garage. The basement one will have to wait for another day.

I love the 13 drawer General boxes. I have one in my garage and wish I could find another one. They discontinued this size before I made the move.

 

[Sudsy]

I did business with Kramer Guitar. When they went bust and sold the name to Gibson they sold off all the tools and materials. I bought the luthiers bench. Johnny Cash, Eddie Van Halen and others have sat at this bench while their guitars were being worked on...........
Now it's my fishing rod building and fishing lure painting bench
You can see the bench better in the second photo
The black square thing is the epoxy drying spinner for curing the finish on the lures
The rectangular thing is the fan operated painting area. The fumes are blown outside (latex only, nothing flammable)

 

[Sudsy]

And this is the garage woodworking shop
A lesson on how to fit 20 lbs of **** into a 5 lb bag

That's a full size Rockwell Lathe in the back center, and since this photo the table saw has been upgraded to a Unisaw - on wheels so it can be rolled outside for working with larger sheets.

The cabinets are all kitchen cabinets scrounged from houses in town getting renovated. Contractors are thrilled to give them away rather then have them take up expensive dumpster space

 

[BlueBomber]

@BlueBomber, thanks for documenting the build of this workbench with the HF 42" cabs underneath. Did you put a leg between the boxes? What about the reel you'd mentioned mounting there?


Here're the posts I found in your thread about building the bench:

• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7470118
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7500213
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7514330
• https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/blue-bombers-garages.368034/page-9#post-7539163

Thanks for noticing! Yes to the leg, no to the air hose reel. The leg is three 3/4" plywood panels that form a U-shaped pedestal to support the middle of the bench top and the vise. I designed the space to hold an air hose reel, but then realized I'd need the air hose more out in the rest of the garage. I ended up mounting it to the edge of the storage mezzanine, just out of frame from that pic, up and to the right. I also never came up with a clever storage cart to organize the empty space behind the top cabinets. It holds a few long awkward items and lots of cobwebs.

 

[BlueBomber]

You think the public could have some of those offset box end wrenches? Asking for the thousands of folks that can't find any. LMAO
Zim

What sizes do you need? I've got a whole drawer full of duplicates from my collection. Happy to trade, any time.

Also: estate sales and EBay. Anyone who claims they can't find any isn't really looking.

 

[BlueBomber]

I suffered the same thing. It required severe pruning, creating wall storage, and overhead cabinets. And the most important part, putting stuff away.
I went from this.


To this.

Thanks for the good example, Kay. My biggest personal shortcoming is an aversion to putting things away when I'm done with a project. That, and having a place for new things before they come in to the garage.

 

[zimman]

What sizes do you need? I've got a whole drawer full of duplicates from my collection. Happy to trade, any time.

Also: estate sales and EBay. Anyone who claims they can't find any isn't really looking.

I was joking of course. Thanks
Zim

 

[kwb]

Picture of my latest update to mine. While it was in progress. I've since painted and added shelf between the boxes.
Lots of the previous support structure is piled on the top. It's not much cleaner today but all different piles
I have mixed opinions on the Yukon boxes. Good enough for infrequent used stuff but as I have filled it up I am kinda wondering if I could set this up for my primary box.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Thanks for the good example, Kay. My biggest personal shortcoming is an aversion to putting things away when I'm done with a project. That, and having a place for new things before they come in to the garage.

I can be accused of both. I've come to take extreme pleasure in an organized-ish shop. It took some time to train myself to it. As for new things, I try never to bring things into the shop that have no home, but currently have a drafting table-board right now, that I have no home for, yet. I'm thinking flip down/up/over, but right now I can't see the space for it.

 

[jollygreengiant]

Kay that's a really ingenious use of floor space. I've always liked the idea of having a big mitre saw station but haven't been a fan of how much space it would tie up. But having it do double duty as table saw outfeed support makes that a lot more palatable.

 

[HogDude]

Indeed I do!

My DBE wrench thread

Man, that is like an encrypted wrench set up.

 

[JustVicingIt]

I think this fits as a workbench.

I finally finished my miter station cabinet build.



She ain't perfect. First time building cabinets and drawers and doors. A bit rough around the edges but fully functional and surprisingly was able to get it sqaured up for my miter saw in my very wonky garage. The tops were probably the most expensive part. Had two pieces of 1 " Baltic birch laminated and then an additional 1/2" with white oak veneer on top. I decided to pretty it up with the oak veneer as I had used a lot of salvaged oak for the drawer and door fronts so went all out and the price for the oak to be veneered vs a laminate was negligible so why not?

Frame is milled poplar painted with milk paint which probably wasn't the best choice cuz it holds dust but I was going for a shaker style so wanted to use a more vintage style paint but I wouldn't do it again.

Here's a few pics as it approached completion. The left side cabinet is all Festool drawers as well. Love that system for storage of the systainers btw. It makes a great way to store them.




Next up is my table saw outfeed table build. That one will be much easier as it will be all pre-finished plywood. At that point, shop floor furniture will be all done and I can start organizing with all the storage needs done. Learning how to utilize my small garage space for a professional shop has been a treat though.

 

[gleman]

I think this fits as a workbench.

I finally finished my miter station cabinet build.



She ain't perfect. First time building cabinets and drawers and doors. A bit rough around the edges but fully functional and surprisingly was able to get it sqaured up for my miter saw in my very wonky garage. The tops were probably the most expensive part. Had two pieces of 1 " Baltic birch laminated and then an additional 1/2" with white oak veneer on top. I decided to pretty it up with the oak veneer as I had used a lot of salvaged oak for the drawer and door fronts so went all out and the price for the oak to be veneered vs a laminate was negligible so why not?

Frame is milled poplar painted with milk paint which probably wasn't the best choice cuz it holds dust but I was going for a shaker style so wanted to use a more vintage style paint but I wouldn't do it again.

Here's a few pics as it approached completion. The left side cabinet is all Festool drawers as well. Love that system for storage of the systainers btw. It makes a great way to store them.




Next up is my table saw outfeed table build. That one will be much easier as it will be all pre-finished plywood. At that point, shop floor furniture will be all done and I can start organizing with all the storage needs done. Learning how to utilize my small garage space for a professional shop has been a treat though.

Great work! Way better than I could build.



That top drawer is killing me. I hope there's a good reason.

 

[JustVicingIt]

Great work! Way better than I could build.



That top drawer is killing me. I hope there's a good reason.

Lol, yeah, I salvaged some nicely built dovetailed drawers from an old piece and the lower three were the main ones which fit the build perfectly. The other drawer in that cabinet was smaller in width and they had a similar false front that was smaller than the lower drawers, so I just went with that for the **** of it. In retrospect I probably should've gone with an equal width even though every time I opened it, the dumbo ears affect would've bothered me too lol. It kind of works as is because it's so much smaller and houses pens and pencils and **** like that due to it being smaller. But, lesson learned for a first time cabinet build.

 

[gleman]

Excellent, I knew there was a reason!

I've been lusting for one of those Euro vacs for a few years. Do you like it?

 

[JustVicingIt]

The Festool? Yeah they are great. I have two. One sits under the miter station and the other is attached to my sanding setup but nests under there as well when not in use.

 

[TheClaw]

Progress picture. Debating what finish to use. Likely going with BLO. Building a frame to hold up the top.

 

[bigredcornhead]

Never got to add my workbench and cabinet builds from this past summer here is the outcome. Only problem i have with it is i made the bench too darn nice, so i had to cover them. Found some maple bowling alley approach and used it for the tops. Now its to nice to hammer on lol oh well. i can always move them inside.

 

[Beerhippie]

You found the ash can full of butts and thought it would add authenticity to the old shop look?

I do the same thing in my shop. Just for looks, of course.

 

[bigredcornhead]

You found the ash can full of butts and thought it would add authenticity to the old shop look?

I do the same thing in my shop. Just for looks, of course.

Strategically placed in front of my rolling battery charger, for functionality no less! LOL

 

[Skellyii]

Never got to add my workbench and cabinet builds from this past summer here is the outcome. Only problem i have with it is i made the bench too darn nice, so i had to cover them. Found some maple bowling alley approach and used it for the tops. Now its to nice to hammer on lol oh well. i can always move them inside.

Wow!

You did a beautiful job on those tops, a shame to have to do work on them.

That bucket of butts reminds me of one of the places where my dad worked when I was growing up. Everybody that worked there worked on cars with a cigarette dangling from their mouth.
Good times.

The building is still there, all the guys that worked there are gone.

If I still lived in that town, I'd restore that building and use it for my collection as a tribute to my dad and the guys I learned from when I was a kid.

 

[bigredcornhead]

Painter friend gave me a great tip for working with wipe on polyurethane, instead of using those horrible sponges that streak like crazy. Go out and buy some sacrificial paint roller covers. Dunk the roller in the WOP, dab the surface in multiple places you want a glossy finish on, then pull across your dabs in a single motion. You get way better performance from the WOP, and uniformity in the application. After each coat, catch any runs on the sides or underneath with the roller. Added bonus place paint tray with WOP in a plastic shopping bag and repeat process in a hour.

 

[Beerhippie]

^I like to thin the poly 1:1 with mineral spirits and apply many thin coats with a soft rag. Makes for a very fine finish, but not the thing if you want a heavy build.

 

[HogDude]

Never got to add my workbench and cabinet builds from this past summer here is the outcome. Only problem i have with it is i made the bench too darn nice, so i had to cover them. Found some maple bowling alley approach and used it for the tops. Now its to nice to hammer on lol oh well. i can always move them inside.

I have that poster from the '71 Orange Bowl. Throw in Badger Body and Omaha Standard? Nice!

 

[Jgaz]

Likely going with BLO.

I use a 3 part mixture on my woodworking bench top every year or so.

One part statin spar varnish mixed with one part BLO and one part mineral spirts.

 

[bigredcornhead]

Your cast iron legs are awesome, i searched and searched for decent sets, never could find a set with in my price range. In my area people wanted a mint for any decent cast iron legs.

 

[Jgaz]

Your cast iron legs are awesome, i searched and searched for decent sets, never could find a set with in my price range. In my area people wanted a mint for any decent cast iron legs.

Thank you. These were bought from Lee Valley 20+ years ago.

I built this bench originally in my basement in Michigan with the plan to move it to Phoenix, AZ. in approx. 10 years.
I was hoping not to deal with any issues with the wood drying out.
Kinda thought I might do a different top someday but I‘ve been very satisfied with it.

 

[rsparks64]

Never got to add my workbench and cabinet builds from this past summer here is the outcome. Only problem i have with it is i made the bench too darn nice, so i had to cover them. Found some maple bowling alley approach and used it for the tops. Now its to nice to hammer on lol oh well. i can always move them inside.

Nice collection of cigarette butts and that AMX.

 

[JustVicingIt]

Started the build for the last workbench in my workshop. It will be a table saw outfeed table that'll double as an assembly table with some storage underneath. No photos yet, but I processed the (x6), 3/4" plywood sheets I got and need to process the (x2), 1/2" sheets for the drawer builds. I had no idea processing those sheets by hand in a day would be so tiresome lol.

 

[GrabberOrange69]

Never got to add my workbench and cabinet builds from this past summer here is the outcome. Only problem i have with it is i made the bench too darn nice, so i had to cover them. Found some maple bowling alley approach and used it for the tops. Now its to nice to hammer on lol oh well. i can always move them inside.

Yah, lets here and see more of the AMX! Pretty please!