Looking for feedback on workbench idea

[blueline69]

First I joined a month or so back and really enjoy looking at other members projects and builds. Awesome place for ideas!

I moved in to my current house back in April and upgraded from a 1 car garage to a 3 car. I'm in dire need of tool storage and cabinets. I currently have cheap metal and plastic shelving that drives me mad and no work area at all. I don't like the exposed shelving as it seems too cluttered. I am looking at building a framless tool storage like the following (below drawing is what I have in mind for my space. 9ft x 24" wide)

4 pics in this album http://imgur.com/a/dIY0T
<iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="//imgur.com/a/dIY0T/embed"></iframe>

I really like the look of the full face drawers. I find it clean and pleasing to the eye. For those interested I found the above cabinets on a Youtube build. He sprayed the MDF drawer fronts with engine enamel, wet sanded and buffed them. DIY garage cabinets:

Should I place the cabinet on a 2x4 or 2x6 base, basically using that base as the toe kick area? I don't intend to place anything heavy on the work bench like an engine block, but at the same time it needs to be somewhat strong. I have a kreg jig, table saw and chop saw, however I consider myself a not so great carpenter.

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated. The work bench will be in the 3rd stall in front of my 69 chevelle restoration

 

[Voi]

I am looking at building a framless tool storage.

I really like the look of the full face drawers. I find it clean and pleasing to the eye.

Should I place the face frame cabinet on a 2x4 or 2x6 base, basically using that base as the toe kick area? I don't intend to place anything heavy on the work bench like an engine block, but at the same time it needs to be somewhat strong. I have a kreg jig, table saw and chop saw, however I consider myself a not so great carpenter.

I assume the bold and underlined text above is a typo? Or do you mean to build face frame cabinets with a similar overlay as the frameless ones in the link? Both are acceptable and while you'll give up some drawer space and use more material a face framed cabinet might be more forgiving for you to build.

I like the idea of building a separate toe kick for a garage cabinet. This can be done with scrap ply, dimensional lumber or even particle board, although PB wouldn't be my first choice in a garage. Or you can even use adjustable legs under the cabinets. These can be very nice if you floors slop or are otherwise uneven.

 

[blueline69]

hmm, not showing bolded/underlined on my end, must have been inadvertent. At any rate I corrected it to just cabinets. I hadn't thought of using a face frame and just doing full face drawers to mimic the frameless style.

I also thought about putting casters on the toe kick structure but am still undecided.

 

[Voi]

I hadn't thought of using a face frame and just doing full face drawers to mimic the frameless style.

I also thought about putting casters on the toe kick structure but am still undecided.

If you do use casters I would just use the height needed to create the entire toe kick area. 4" or whatever. No need for a separate toe kick.

Another option is to not have a toe kick area at all and have the bench top overhang the top of the cabinets by a few to several inches. This is nice because it gives an area to clamp things to but makes access to the top drawer less than ideal.

 

[TonkaJoe]

Those are beautiful cabinets without a doubt, but after reading through I saw that you mentioned the urgent need for cabinets and the fact that you considered yourself to not be the best carpenter. Building cabinets may be cost effective yes, but to achieve that quality (which I'm sure you'd like) it would not only be time consuming, but takes that carpentry know-how. I personally am in the middle of renovating my garage, I have good carpentry skills but lack the time to do everything that I'd really like to do on my own!. With that being said I did a lot of shopping around and came across a work shop storage system ( you can check the link below) http://www.costco.ca/NewAge-Bold-Series-12-pc-Cabinetry-Set-in-Grey.product.100095310.html This solved most of my storage problems, keeps everything neat and tidy etc. I actually threw castors on these so I can pull them out from the wall if needed. IMO it was well worth the money and I actually got the unit on sale and paid under 2k with taxes in. I also added additional hardware storage etc, but it all really depends on the needs of your work area!. Thought this may be another helpful option : )

 

[blueline69]

I wish I had the 2k to spend on those but I have to pick my battles. The wife is gracious enough with my chevelle build I'd surely end up sleeping on that bench. I plan on taking my time and thinking about the build, drawing everything out and making sure I don't cut corners (which is why I'm not the best carpenter) I really want this to turn out nice. I don't plan on wet sanding or buffing and will solicit the help of my father in law who has more experience.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Try a second hand shop like habitat restore for takeout kitchen cabinets. The cost of something ready done, then altered will be fast and often cheaper than the materials to build them yourself.

Alternatively you could put doors on a ready made shelf.

 

[TonkaJoe]

I can admit it took a lot ( to convince myself) to pull the trigger on that set up.. I can think of a million and one things I could have done with that money!. The only thing that really convinced me was the fact that if I don't beat the living hell out of these they will last a lifetime and are easily moveable to a new house if I ever decide to sell once I complete all of my renovations here. I do share in your belief that a nice warm bed at night is likely much better to sleep on than that fresh butcher block work top lol. Best advice I could offer would be to keep it practical... and definitely take your time and look around on here ( which I'm sure you do) I have found tons of great Ideas on this forum which I'm slowly incorporating into my own build. The possibilities on here are endless!.