Lets see your workbench

[AL`]

Is that a 3/4 or 1 hp block grinder? Nice heavy bench you have.

1 HP. Bought it off craigslist too from an old guy that wasn't going to use it anymore. The bench is both heavy and stout. Right now it has a DeWalt pressure washer on it with the triplex pump manifold off so I can replace a cracked ceramic plunger. It also has a Hoover Vacuum Cleaner strapped upside down to the right front post with a bungee cord with a 2x4 block bracing the handle on the floor off the bench's leg so it stands vertical. The agitator brush roll was vibrating because the notch in the plastic chassis which holds the side pin of the brush roll had cracked and broke around it. So I'm fixing it with JB Weld much in the same way one would glass bed a rifle action in the stock. Using Johnson paste wax as a release agent. Fingers crossed and hope it works - I'll know tomorrow after it sets tonight. Pic below of my pressure washer on the bench. I started a thread on that because I had trouble pulling the plungers and was looking for suggestions but I managed to sort it out with the setup in the pic below.

 

[Russamadman]

Made mine 1 inch plywood and put the architect plans for the house in, Also added some pics of the house and family, along with tips for different things i set up in the house that no one would know but me. about 30 coats of poly and wah lah !!!!

 

[Codyyy]

I'm thinking of eventually building a workbench. I'd like to use one of those ceramic tops often found in chemistry classrooms or labs. I'm not sure where or if I can get one, maybe CL might have something. I figure the ceramic would be better for grease and oil clean-up than wood.

 

[lotsoftools]

I am in the process of building this one for my shop. I'm going to build a closet-like cabinet on the left end to hang my welding jacket and such, and I need to add a kick plate.
These are old kitchen cabinets my dad was using in his shop, and I got the file cabinet for $5. I built some 2x4 framing inside the cabinets for extra strength.

FYI, the cabinet in the corner is a Stanley-Vidmar if I remember right. Right now it is a multi-level mouse house, so I need to clean it up and repaint it.

 

[Homerr]

I was inspired by Redwolf947's bench a couple of pages back and built a similar design myself. I added 2x edging on the bottom shelf. I used some Osmo Polyx oil I had left over from refinishing my floors to give it a little protection.

I don't have a truck, so I took advantage of HD's free lumber cuts and had the 4x8 sheet cut 30"/18" so it would fit on the rack of my car. The build went smoothly and I only had a couple small 2x4 blocks left over.

Here's what I used:
$49.98 4x8 red oak plywood
$18.06 2x4x96" HF x7 @$2.58 per
$4.17 2x6x96" HF x1
$2.00 estimated amount of 1.625", 2.5", 3" screws
======
$74.03

I'll use it as a 'floating' workbench for a while until I get my garage organized. My slab is uneven so I need to get some adjustable feet, any suggestions? When it goes to a permanent location I'll add a 1x backsplash which, along with the designed-in overhang, will give a perfect offset to clear the concrete step at the bottom of the wall of the garage.

 

[GRX]

Looks good. I would suggest rounding any sharp corners before painting. For obvious reasons.

 

[iagsxr]

My slab is uneven so I need to get some adjustable feet, any suggestions?

Here's what I do:

3/8" tee nut, drill the legs, glue, and pound them in.






If the floor's basically flat and you just want to tweak the level, elevator bolt. It doesn't have to be this long I just grabbed the first one I saw:



If the floor's really crooked or sloping so the head of an elevator bolt wouldn't set flat anyway, carriage bolt:



I have a bench that I'm working on right now that I'll show these in action if I ever get it done.

 

[dcmus]

Love the posters. I have a music store and we sell that sort of thing People always comment.

 

[SLYDIT]

heres my work in progress... Still need to build my above bench cupboards and also a cupboard below the vice.
Bench is 2" steel box section powdercoated with a 1" tri layer hardboard top. vice is a #4 record.

 

[OCD]

heres my work in progress... Still need to build my above bench cupboards and also a cupboard below the vice.
Bench is 2" steel box section powdercoated with a 1" tri layer hardboard top. vice is a #4 record.

Nice set up!!

 

[mdbeck1]

Here's what I do:

3/8" tee nut, drill the legs, glue, and pound them in.






If the floor's basically flat and you just want to tweak the level, elevator bolt. It doesn't have to be this long I just grabbed the first one I saw:



If the floor's really crooked or sloping so the head of an elevator bolt wouldn't set flat anyway, carriage bolt:



I have a bench that I'm working on right now that I'll show these in action if I ever get it done.

It will be much more stable if you drill the hole three or four inches into the leg and use a long screw. These solutions work fine until you have to lift the table more than an inch or so. I had one that I lifted about 6 inches. The only way I could get it stable was build a box around the 4x4 leg.

 

[Redwolf947]

I was inspired by Redwolf947's bench a couple of pages back and built a similar design myself. I added 2x edging on the bottom shelf. I used some Osmo Polyx oil I had left over from refinishing my floors to give it a little protection.

I don't have a truck, so I took advantage of HD's free lumber cuts and had the 4x8 sheet cut 30"/18" so it would fit on the rack of my car. The build went smoothly and I only had a couple small 2x4 blocks left over.

Here's what I used:
$49.98 4x8 red oak plywood
$18.06 2x4x96" HF x7 @$2.58 per
$4.17 2x6x96" HF x1
$2.00 estimated amount of 1.625", 2.5", 3" screws
======
$74.03

I'll use it as a 'floating' workbench for a while until I get my garage organized. My slab is uneven so I need to get some adjustable feet, any suggestions? When it goes to a permanent location I'll add a 1x backsplash which, along with the designed-in overhang, will give a perfect offset to clear the concrete step at the bottom of the wall of the garage.

Awesome.. Glad someone else liked the design. I put 3/4" maple plywood from HD $39.98 on mine (should probably used the oak). the cost was about the same tho.. I wish I would have had em cut my piece that was a PITA on my little saw.

 

[blueline69]

Here's my attempt at a frameless style work bench/tool storage. Not entirely finished but the fronts will be painted blue (hoping for a high gloss finish to mimic metal tool chest). Also building upper cabinets to match. More pictures when its done. 8' wide 40" tall 22" deep. This is my first build of any kind. Never even tried my hand at a birdhouse. Kreg jig is where it's at.

 

[jmiller_2308]

Awesome results, especially for someone that has never built something like this. When I did my first workbench like this (20+ years ago) my results were only 1/2 as good as yours. The problem I had was that the construction grade plywood I used (like yours) wasn't straight and it resulted in me having a number of issues with the slides getting stuck where the wood bowed.

I love the handles as well. Very nice.

 

[Chngalay]

Here's my attempt at a frameless style work bench/tool storage. Not entirely finished but the fronts will be painted blue (hoping for a high gloss finish to mimic metal tool chest). Also building upper cabinets to match. More pictures when its done. 8' wide 40" tall 22" deep. This is my first build of any kind. Never even tried my hand at a birdhouse. Kreg jig is where it's at.

Looks great! This would have been great even if it was your 100th bench. I really like this.

 

[srvctec]

Looks great! This would have been great even if it was your 100th bench. I really like this.

Agreed! Phenomenal first build.

 

[paulzox]

heres my work in progress... Still need to build my above bench cupboards and also a cupboard below the vice.
Bench is 2" steel box section powdercoated with a 1" tri layer hardboard top. vice is a #4 record.

Nice bench...

Is that a Tamiya Lunchbox and Tamiya Monster beetle/Sand Scorcher I see in the back ground?

Paul

 

[Homerr]

Awesome.. Glad someone else liked the design. I put 3/4" maple plywood from HD $39.98 on mine (should probably used the oak). the cost was about the same tho.. I wish I would have had em cut my piece that was a PITA on my little saw.

I looked for the maple at my local HD but they only had oak.


And thanks for the simple suggestion for the feet iagsxr. Btw, it is stained in the pic. I sanded the edges for now and the front and sides have the plywood overhanging 1/2". I think I'll rout out a 2x3 for edging and screw it on.

 

[Trey T]

Was going to build one, but then this one came up cheap on craigslist and brought it home. It's not pretty but it's a workhorse. The guy I bought it from bought it from an oilfield service company's shop when they were moving. Then I bought it from him when he was moving. It still has tape and sticker pieces I need to scrape off you can see on the front edge which are a legacy of its time at the oilfield company for some reason. Need to mount a vise on it. The other workbench to the side is a Seville Classic.

Simple and rugged workbench. I have one similar but my legs have less capacity.

 

[mdbeck1]

Awesome.. Glad someone else liked the design. I put 3/4" maple plywood from HD $39.98 on mine (should probably used the oak). the cost was about the same tho.. I wish I would have had em cut my piece that was a PITA on my little saw.

Now that it's mounted on the bench it's actually easier to cut the edge straight. measure and mark carefully from the side with the "factory" cut, measure back the width of your skill saw from that cut and clamp a 2x4 or angle iron down to use as a guide. The resulting edge may not be perfect but it's usually pretty clean.

Note: On ply wood use a blade with lots of teeth. Usually they say "plywood" on the side.

 

[markryan556]

Here is mine, work in progress.

 

[Shootingblanks]

Went from this:

To this a few weeks ago:

I decided to keep my ball bearing grip latch Craftsman boxes and integrate them into a new bench after I purchased the US General 56". The top box to Craftsman set is now in my basement.

Workbench has birch 3/4" plywood for top that I will put polyurethane on when temperature is ideal to apply it. By then I might even find a sheet metal top overlay.

 

[Jbmariez]

So much inspiration and quality workmanship. I have started building my bench with no real plan just a million idea. I have the main frame together, first real welding project. And let me tell you, I am already a pro with my gmc 140 stick welder ( 30$ and probably 10 years old)...pro grinder that is. What a mess, an enjoyable one though. I will upload pictures of the progress as soon as I figure it out how to (I am sure I saw a post somewhere explaining how, so I won t be long)

 

[paulzox]

[QOUTE]
I decided to keep my ball bearing grip latch Craftsman boxes and integrate them into a new bench after I purchased the US General 56". The top box to Craftsman set is now in my basement.

Workbench has birch 3/4" plywood for top that I will put polyurethane on when temperature is ideal to apply it. By then I might even find a sheet metal top overlay.[/QUOTE]


how did you covert your top box lid to use it in your bench?


PaulzOx

 

[Notorious BRT]

Here are two a friend and I just built:

The one with the extra shelf is mine. I thought they turned out well for our first attempt.

 

[1Garageman]

Went from this:

To this a few weeks ago:

I decided to keep my ball bearing grip latch Craftsman boxes and integrate them into a new bench after I purchased the US General 56". The top box to Craftsman set is now in my basement.

Workbench has birch 3/4" plywood for top that I will put polyurethane on when temperature is ideal to apply it. By then I might even find a sheet metal top overlay.

I really like how you mounted your tool boxes! I think I might do that in my garage to give me more floor space.

 

[Shootingblanks]

[QOUTE]
I decided to keep my ball bearing grip latch Craftsman boxes and integrate them into a new bench after I purchased the US General 56". The top box to Craftsman set is now in my basement.

Workbench has birch 3/4" plywood for top that I will put polyurethane on when temperature is ideal to apply it. By then I might even find a sheet metal top overlay.

how did you covert your top box lid to use it in your bench?


PaulzOx[/QUOTE]

As stated the top box is now in my basement for odds and ends so trip to garage isn't necessary for items like screwdriver, pliers, utility knife, electrical tape, etc. soder,

 

[Shootingblanks]

I really like how you mounted your tool boxes! I think I might do that in my garage to give me more floor space.

Here is a pic of the other wall of my garage to acquire more floor space.

Don't mind the mess as I am just waiting for weather to break to do some spring cleaning. The mower and spreader will be going back in the shed and probably going to get a ceiling mount for the stroller.

Just wish my attached two car garage was bigger. In the future will have to build a larger shed for some of this **** since a pole barn really isn't feasible with our back yard.

 

[blueline69]

Finished the uppers and installed drawer liners.

 

[crab]

Here is mine, work in progress.

I would call that a reloading bench but I guess they're close cousins.

 

[markryan556]

Yes. A second bench is underway. 1 for reloading and the other for tools and projects. Also picked up one of those 44inch HF tool boxes. That thing is a tank - like to have killed myself getting it out of my truck by myself. Had to engineer some ramps to slide it off.

 

[ChadTexas]

Finished the uppers and installed drawer liners.

Very Nice!

 

[ChadTexas]

I have posted before but I added a back board and a fresh coat of polly, I was tired of things rolling off the back.

[/url]
Untitled by cawthon_engineering, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[paulzox]

how did you covert your top box lid to use it in your bench?





PaulzOx

As stated the top box is now in my basement for odds and ends so trip to garage isn't necessary for items like screwdriver, pliers, utility knife, electrical tape, etc. soder,[/QUOTE]


Haha sorry I missed the basement part. I thought you built into your bench.


Paul

 

[SLYDIT]

Nice bench...

Is that a Tamiya Lunchbox and Tamiya Monster beetle/Sand Scorcher I see in the back ground?

Paul

yup sure are! well actually its a lunchbox and a Tamiya blackfoot3 with a re-re sand scorcher body to make it a new generation monster beetle. :0
they are for my 2 boys.

 

[Disturbed Sledneck]

Recently got the idea from some thread on GJ, The top is high quality laminate flooring that I got for cheap at the local Lowes because someone didn't like after special ordering it. $5 bucks for two boxs which where originally $42 each. I'm going to do all my (3 others) bench's in the future this way. Still need to edge it with some steel angle.

[/URL][/IMG]

This is a great idea. I have a similar idea to refinish and older bench I have. It currently has a 2" thick particle board top with a poor quality laminate type material covering it. I have a good selection of 5" wide hickory flooring leftover from my house project that I'd like to cover it with. I thought about glueing and nailing it down, then putting several coats of clear to finish it.

For those with wood tops with a clear finish on them, is there any brand or type of finish that I should use that is impervious to basic garage type chemicals. As in accidental carb clean, brake clean, gas, diesel, etc?

 

[cabin fever]

here's mine. eventually I plan to replace the shelf, with cabinets that match the other set I already have.

 

[cj8lvr]

Ok, I'll play.

 

[jesse72]

Here is my current configuration, just need to swap the Craftsman toolbox for the Lista and it'll be good for now!

 

[Jhoff310]

I dont mean this with any disrespect, but you guys with your "Clean garages" make me sick. If you look at my garage you would wonder how in the hell does anything get done in here...Props to you guys who can keep a clean garage, and to the guys like me who have too much **** going on at one time to keep the garage clean....leave it the way it is...You know where your **** is.

Jeff