Lets see your workbench

[MrDayne]

Any way you can raise the tool box under the bench up even enough to get some 2x4s under it? Doubt you got an issue of water in your shop, just thinking out loud?

If referring to mine, that was one of the reasons why I left the castors on initially. With the 6” drop, I had planned on a PT frame of 2x4s, or at the least PT 1/2” plywood to take the moisture hit if I did have a spill/flood.

In the end, I decided to let the box sit on the caster bolts which have a 1/2 thick head, so the boxes are off the floor technically. The bolts can take the hit if t does happen.

The bolts even helped me level the boxes to the slope in the floor.

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[drivesitfar]

McD: I can't say i've seen or hear of that idea of just replacing casters with bolts to keep bottom of box or cabinets off the ground and for also leveling them. great tip!!!

 

[MrDayne]

McD: I can't say i've seen or hear of that idea of just replacing casters with bolts to keep bottom of box or cabinets off the ground and for also leveling them. great tip!!!

It was free and quick haha. I'm thinking to myself, yes its a bit hokey. But, it works, the boxes are sturdy and don't wobble. Also if I need more height, its a matter of a few turns or even change out to carriage bolts. They left no scratches on the floor either

 

[PhantomEB]

That works!

 

[polexican23]

thanks for sharing the pics. nice setup

Thanks!!

My shop is slightly larger than yours right around 800sq ft...... like you mentioned it takes the bite out of the air but that’s about it.... if it’s really cold out (20 Dgs) then I can go out and let it run for an hour or so before I’m ready to actually go out and work. The half of the garage where the work bench is I can get pretty comfortable in the 50’s if it’s that cold..... shop is moderately well insulated but the ceiling insulation isn’t great..... 9’6” ceilings. I love having it at that height centered right over my primary work area.... works great hanging at the slight down angle I have it on.... you can’t really tell in this pic but I have it hanging about a foot below the ceiling on 4 separate chains.... the back 2 chains a couple links shorter than the front 2.... if it’s only in the 40s out then it really does a good job of keeping the whole garage up in the low 60s inside..... in that temp range it seems to kick on every 20 mins or so and runs for I would guess about 5 mins then shuts off....... I’ve actually been surprised how well the crude thermostat on it actually works.

Edit:

Here are a couple pics to see the set up a little better:

-Tyler

 

[pelletman]

the start of mine sanding and painting harley orange and black

going to do the bottom cabinets harley orange with black drawers and doors

@Moose02 where do you find cabinets like that? Sliding glass doors seems like a great idea to me!

 

[pelletman]

I fixed a buddy's dryer last year. While there he showed me this bench that he didn't want to move when he sold the house.
My son and I picked it up on sunday.

My kind of bench. Big and heavy!

 

[DeeDubz]

Heres mine, sorta messy at the moment. I have a couple other work benches.

 

[GarageFull]

You guys are making me jealous!

 

[pelletman]

Any tips for scoring a used butcherblock top big/long enough to do a bench top? Im needing minimum of 36" (hoping for 40-42") and around 8 foot long. I'm trying to do this relatively cheap. Hopefully its a work of art when done...

Look for some reclaimed bowling alley. About 30 bucks a foot around here in the People's Republic of Vapachusetts

 

[pelletman]

Where did you get your work bench and what does something like this cost?

I know where there is a 10' one for $250 asking price in central Massachusetts

 

[pelletman]

Here are some messy bench pictures. Usually not that bad but I am in the process of organizing and getting rid of unneeded stuff. Today I started assembling another bench from Lyon cabinets which I have kind of just mocked up to decide what I want and I am looking for input. I am hoping to find (not likely) or build sliding glass door cabinets. I am going to use bowling alley for the top. It will be about 40" when finished which I think is good for me as I am 6'4 and it puts that Wilton right at my elbow. I am going to start a thread on it tonight. I love this thread, lots of great ideas! Went through all 211 pages over the past week or so, lots of late nights! The little (55" x 24") LYON is going to be for sale I think

 

[Cactus1]

My woodworking bench.

 

[Cactus1]

The bench in the other shop.

 

[drivesitfar]

PM: with all your stuff you have i'm not sure shelving with glass below waist level on that nice Lyon & bowling alley bench would be a good idea. also it looks like you've got a ton of options for old cabinets to fill those holes and maybe make shelving with glass fronts up high if you have some things you'd like to see and keep the dust off.

another idea I'm using for under one of my benches is a Lyon Rotabin cause it gives easy access to bulk or odd size items. here's a picture of mine. Also if you'd like to put a link to your thread in your sig line it would make it easier for some of us to find it and follow along. my bench is only 24 inches deep and the rotabin is close to 36 so it sticks out a bit, but i've put cabinets on top of the bench in that area so it's working. I think your bench is a bit deep and might work even better.

Cactus: great looking woodshop and is the old shop picture yours or just the old bench in the picture?

ALL: for some of you that also have metal cabinets or great storage ideas please post pictures over on the vintage metal cabinet thread and here's the link:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305350

AND maybe take a look at that thread to get some ideas on other ways to store your tools and stuff.

hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

 

[Cactus1]

PM: with all your stuff you have i'm not sure shelving with glass below waist level on that nice Lyon & bowling alley bench would be a good idea. also it looks like you've got a ton of options for old cabinets to fill those holes and maybe make shelving with glass fronts up high if you have some things you'd like to see and keep the dust off.

another idea I'm using for under one of my benches is a Lyon Rotabin cause it gives easy access to bulk or odd size items. here's a picture of mine. Also if you'd like to put a link to your thread in your sig line it would make it easier for some of us to find it and follow along. my bench is only 24 inches deep and the rotabin is close to 36 so it sticks out a bit, but i've put cabinets on top of the bench in that area so it's working. I think your bench is a bit deep and might work even better.

Cactus: great looking woodshop and is the old shop picture yours or just the old bench in the picture?

ALL: for some of you that also have metal cabinets or great storage ideas please post pictures over on the vintage metal cabinet thread and here's the link:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305350

AND maybe take a look at that thread to get some ideas on other ways to store your tools and stuff.

hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Thanks! The workbench/shop are mine. Here are some pics under construction about 5 years ago.

 

[pelletman]

Drives I plan on doing glass door cabinets ABOVE the bench, not below. I think I am going to build four 30" x 4' box cabinets and make sliding doors, maybe with an integrated 8 inch or so shelf below the cabinet. Although the hardware gets pricey I think I can build the boxes for under $50 each. I think I am going to do 16' of bowling alley for the top and use more lista/vidmar/lyon cabinets below. Maybe another 30" cab but probably whatever I can come up with that is reasonably priced. I have a 24" wide loaded tap cabinet and some fitting drawers i want to get over there too. Maybe a small fridge, or maybe that will go on a shelf near the bench. Not sure yet. I haven't started a thread yet on the build but thanks for the link in the signature direction! I do have and like Rotobins. Usually have one on each bench. I love your quarter sawn oak cabinets!

 

[jeffmoss26]

Thanks! The workbench/shop are mine. Here are some pics under construction about 5 years ago.

sweeeet

 

[rharman]

My woodworking bench.

That's a beauty. Home built or store bought?

 

[Cactus1]

sweeeet

Thanks!

That's a beauty. Home built or store bought?

Thank you. It is actually a couple of lower cabinets I salvaged from a remodel. I pulled the toe-kicks off, screwed them together and finished off the back and sides with some bead board. The top is a solid core door that I saved from work years ago (I have a pile of them, or had.)

Here’s another I modified and added casters to as a support bench.

 

[az45]

I have clean and dirty benches, it’s nice to have a clean surface for clean projects. Most of my stuff is repurposed or surplus.

The red bench is just angle with water sealed Masonite over 2”s of particle board. The vice is reinforced with plate on the top and bottom. I buy a couple 4x8 pieces of Masonite a year, then precut them so replacing them is quick and easy…if I had to go buy a piece every couple of months it probably wouldn’t get done.

To the left is a 6ft stainless restaurant prep table, next to it is a short bakers rack with removable trays. I have a couple of tall bakers racks that work great for taking cars or whatever apart and keeping track of the parts. The trays work for all kinds of stuff from drip pans to containing parts.

The red toolbox has a cell phone store wall panels that are Formica like surface, the super bright white works great for working on small stuff..you can see the smallest screws or whatever. The edge is 1” rolled 16g angle coated with Steel-it stainless steel spray coating.

The black benches are old alignment rack computer stands with machined aluminum tops. The tops are all perfectly flat, they came out of cell phone glass manufacturing plant in Phoenix, picked them up off Craigslist for 40 bucks each. They are all on casters, so I can move them around if needed.

 

[JRC3]

^
What do you use the piece of tire tread by the red vice for? I like the tray cart, never would've thought of that as sorta pigeon holing different tasks and projects.

 

[jeffmoss26]

my problem is that the clean and dirty workbenches are the same...have to move everything to get down to the surface

 

[az45]

The shop is actually in some space a recap shop occupied, so there's a bunch of tire tread sill in the shop. I use it for all kinds of stuff, you'd be amazed. That may be left over from so strips I added to the back of my car trailer as traction for the rear tires.

The bakers racks are great, the trays are super heavy duty. If I have a couple vintage car projects going at the same time, its great to keep parts separated.

 

[az45]

my problem is that the clean and dirty workbenches are the same...have to move everything to get down to the surface

That happens, but my shop time is usually limited so I hate wasting it..I wish I was as efficient at my desk job as I am in the shop

 

[Stefan S]

For those with welded steel benches...

I’m constructing a solid frame of 2” square 1/8 wall tubing in a corner with 80” legs. Are you guys fastening the bench into the studs of the wall?

In progress picture below:

 

[drivesitfar]

Stefan: I'm guessing you are going to put a steel top on that bench since you are asking about steel benches or are you going to put wood on it? if it's steel then the bench might be heavy enough to not worry about bolting it to a stud if you are going to put a vise or other tool on it that might be pulling it away from the wall. if you are putting on wood just remember to add another support for that span if you are planning on putting anything heavy on it like cabinets full of nuts and bolts or heavy items.

looks like you have a good start so hope to see more pics of the finished bench soon.

AZ45: is that a commercial shop or your home's garage? looks like you are a busy guy!!

Cactus: nice looking shop!!

Pelletman: actually that old 1920's baker's cabinet you thought was quarter sawn oak is a metal cabinet. yep I like the look too and the drawers are solid and a good size too.

 

[Stefan S]

Stefan: I'm guessing you are going to put a steel top on that bench since you are asking about steel benches or are you going to put wood on it? if it's steel then the bench might be heavy enough to not worry about bolting it to a stud if you are going to put a vise or other tool on it that might be pulling it away from the wall. if you are putting on wood just remember to add another support for that span if you are planning on putting anything heavy on it like cabinets full of nuts and bolts or heavy items.

It’s going to be wood wrapped in stainless. The corner piece and the freestanding piece will be connected eventually with 3 pieces of 2”x2” 11 gauge tubing. I think I’ll bolt it in the interest of being safe

 

[Cactus1]

Thanks @drivesitfar.

 

[az45]

AZ45: is that a commercial shop or your home's garage? looks like you are a busy guy!!

It's complicated. We're in the auto repair/tire/4x4 and racing business, but the shop is not really a commercial shop..its space I stole for my personal stuff in a building that was used for old equipment storage. Its a couple hundred yards from my office, so I can go early and get a few hours before my real job starts.

 

[polexican23]

i dont see a reason to bolt it to the wall, unless you are worried about an Ikea recall

 

[Stefan S]

i dont see a reason to bolt it to the wall, unless you are worried about an Ikea recall

Yeah it keeps getting heavier

 

[drivesitfar]

AZ45: when you stay stole i'm thinking you meant the owner knows you are there and turns his head and allows you to use it and if that works for him and you have a place to do your thing in the mornings all the better.

Stefan: I'm pretty sure you won't need to bolt that to a wall (of course you can if you think an earthquake will happen) cause it might even be too heavy now to just move in the corner by yourself without help. looks like a great base and the walls and cabinets looks great too.

 

[zmotorsports]

Yeah it keeps getting heavier

Nice. Layout looks similar to mine.

 

[Stefan S]

Nice. Layout looks similar to mine.

Thanks very much - I keep adding but with the exception of a couple 200lb ball bearing slides and a shelf for the corner think I’m nearly done.

Added a spot for pry bars and a receiver hitch along with brackets to fasten the top this weekend.

How are you guys cleaning and priming the metal?

 

[PhantomEB]

Still a work in progress with trim and paint.

 

[AngryBeaver]

I picked up a rare Bird yesterday as a christmas present to myself. I've been looking for one of these since they discontinued them 7-8 years ago... pretty good shape too.. saw very light use in a body shop as a **** collector...now to tear it apart and paint it to match my wall of tool boxes....

 

[MrDayne]

That should match your set well, green right? Should look awesome.

 

[AngryBeaver]

That should match your set well, green right? Should look awesome.

yessir

 

[lis2323]

Nice, AngryBeaver!

I want one too. I’m fine with the blue.