Please critique my first try at my official first workbench plans.

[aIIan]

We're finally buying our first single famil w/ a two car garage and while all my wife can think about is area rugs and couch colors I just can't get passed my new garage.

First things first... I'll need a work bench.

My plan is to build a wooden version of the popular HF44 chest / workbench setup made popular by GJ with wih either the 46 or 60 in Milwaukee tool chests made of 2x4's, 4x4's and a couple of 74x42 butcher blocks from Ikea.

Go easy on me please, as this is my first attempt at such a project.

Here are my initial plans w/ the 60" chest...

Right off the bat I can tell I'm going to need to work on that middle/front 4x4, I may bring the top/front/right 2x4 over another 2" but then that would trigger my OCD pretty bad being that there are no full 2x4 on the face of the bench.

Also, the finished product will likely be reversed (bench on the right) because the power station is on the right side.

 

[aIIan]

Another option I've tossed around is to do a double sided Milwaukee 46" setup as you can almost buy two of them for the price of the 60".

 

[aIIan]

Another option I've tossed around is to do a double sided Milwaukee 46" setup as you can almost buy two of them for the price of the 60".

Two options for the different length of countertops added by Ikea. My only concern here is that the table won't be deep enough.

 

[matt_i]

Looks good, the closed-end mortises on the front & center leg top are going to be a bit tricky to make.

I would consider sheeting the back with plywood for the shear-plane effect to give the bench better racking resistance. Alternative would be some 1" wide x 1/8" thick steel flat bar in an X pattern, drill a hole and screw to each framing member that it passes. Last idea is to locate studs in the wall where it would go and GRK-screw it to the framing, however the last option limits movement for cleaning or garage reorganization.

 

[aIIan]

Looks good, the closed-end mortises on the front & center leg top are going to be a bit tricky to make.

I would consider sheeting the back with plywood for the shear-plane effect to give the bench better racking resistance. Alternative would be some 1" wide x 1/8" thick steel flat bar in an X pattern, drill a hole and screw to each framing member that it passes. Last idea is to locate studs in the wall where it would go and GRK-screw it to the framing, however the last option limits movement for cleaning or garage reorganization.

That was my initial plan... i had to google what GRK-screws were though

 

[matt_i]

Sorry, GRK-RSS is what you want, GRK makes more than 1 type of screw. Need a T-30 torx bit and an impact driver to tighten them most easily.

 

[cpamplin]

I have no advice to offer, but I'm also planning my first real workbench much along these lines. Good luck, I'm interested in the feedback you get here.

 

[Kaizen]

keep it simple. you inevitably will rebuild this once you use it for awhile.half lap joints on 2x material with screws is stronger then the wood itself. i'd go with a simple but sturdy bench open under and just leave the cabinets on their casters. use the top of them for stationary tools like drill press, grinder, etc.
then after being in the house for awhile decide where you want to station your design and any changes needed.

 

[aka Larry]

Trying to be helpful w/o sounding like an critical *** sometimes over the internet is difficult, but I'll try.

First, why the 4x4s? Are you parking a truck on the bench or do you just like the beefy look of them? If either of those are true, carry on. If not, vertical 2x4s work just as well IMO.

Second, making a perimeter base that has 360 degrees of floor contact doesn't make much sense. It actually makes it a LOT more difficult to level. Take look in your house and notice how most furniture has four 'legs' vs. a 360 base contacting the floor.

Third, I think your joint style is a little over the top for a workbench, but if you are woodworker and enjoy that extra work, go for it. Nothing wrong with it at all, just unnecessary IMO.

Fourth, the comment about sheeting the back to make the structure rigid is a good one. Even something a thin as 3/16" hardboard will do the job just fine.

In summary, I think the overall look is great, just trying to be helpful as I've built few benches myself and have learned along the way.

 

[Angelfire]

Most comments have been made on the design so I'll defer. Just a note to remind you that wood moves to plan that into your tolerances. If working with tight tolerances, be sure to square/true up all lumber (ie. joint/plane) before assembly or it may turn into a project of frustration. I find that 2x and 4x lumber these days is so out of line that it takes a bit of work to get them to where you can use them for "cabinet" or "furniture" type projects.

 

[chrisBTSC]

I used two of these for my bench top. They are 61" x 29.5" each although I trimmed the length to 55" each. They worked very well for my application. It did however take me forever to find them online. I feel the depth of this is perfect and deeper any it would be wasted space.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50106773/

 

[John in OH]

Several have already mentioned the difficulty of making the lap joints in, what appear to be, 4x4 for the legs. This is somewhat difficult. If you really want 4x4 legs (overkill, IMHO) it is much easier to "build up" a faux 4x4 by gluing and screwing face-to-face 2x4s together and leave gaps where the lap joint cutouts would normally be made.

Not sure how to describe it better, but look at the photos in Post #29 of the following thread for what I'm trying to describe:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347855&page=2

Here is a link to another GJ workbench thread that should show you more workbenches than you ever wanted to see! http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=464

 

[larry_g]

One thing I learned years ago is to leave a 'toe kick' at the bottom of the frame work.

It makes standing close to the bench so much nicer. I would also advise you to think about where you are going to mount the vise and make accommodations for that. You don't want a bunch of heavy frame members under that spot or just flimsy table top.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[555]

I have been thinking about doing something similar. I planned to use either 2x4 or 2x6 using the "build up" method described by John in OH. I need to clear out some projects before I can start this, but I think the concept is great.
Regards,
John

 

[mikegt4]

I have to go with akaLarry on this one. It seems to be over the top for a garage work bench unless you are planning to rebuild Cummins engines on it.

 

[southalabama]

Go with sistered 2x4 as stated above.

Since your building with that much on the floor make sure your bottom piece is treated wood. Also plan to shim it.

Personally I like a rock solid bench.

Dimensional lumber is cheap. The bench will also become a permanent fixture. I've got mixed feelings about bolting it to the wall. If you do and you beat on the bench it will go up the wall.

 

[mikegt4]

I built these two, they have worked well and where cheap to build. Basically make a 2X4 rectangle for top and bottom and bolt or screw legs at each corner. I also made storage racks using the same technique for my daughters house. One was a 3' X 8' and the other 2' X 4', both 4 shelves high.

The older work bench has lasted 35 years without a problem. The newer bench I in-filled with drawers from an old wooden desk. The tops are 3/4 ply covered with 3/4 MDF as a sacrificial surface.

They are not museum pieces, they are work benches.

 

[aIIan]

Thanks for the advice gents, I think I'll lose the 4x4's and stick with 2x4's.

Back to the drawing board.