Realistically how strong is this wall mounted work bench

[09Q]

Stowaway Wall Mounted Workbench

The RYOBI Stowaway Wall Mounted Workbench is the ultimate space-saving solution for your workspace. Featuring a spacious 44" x 22" solid wood surface, t...

www.ryobitools.com

While this is Ryobi and in my experience quality can be hit or miss; the concept of a mountable work bench is interesting none the less.
My question would strong would this be or rather would be the failure points of this product? I've yet to seriously hear anyone claim they too much space in their garage for projects. I'd imagine the brackets would be first to fail. This is Ryobi model number STM408 in case anyone is interested.

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[General Geoff]

Specs say it can hold "up to 300 lbs" so it probably depends on the wall you're mounting it to.

 

[zendriver]

Use common sense?

300# likely means 300 pounds uniformly distributed across the work space surface. 300# V6 engine? probably not.

Looks like it's near perfect for repotting plants and folding laundry.

 

[M635_Guy]

My response to it when I looked was "How strong can it be...?"

If it's rated for 300#, I'd say it's up to most general-duty stuff as long as its mounted well. I'd probably back it with a good-sized and 1/2" thick piece of plywood that's mounted into two studs.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

You could build some quick-attach front corner poles for it, to be used for heavier work, levering and hammering etc.

 

[lolaetype]

I'd classify it as "light duty". Soldering, woodworking not involving hammering, gluing things together; stuff like that. I wonder how difficult it would be to add a pair of fold down legs at the corners farthest from the wall.

 

[WWheeler]

You may consider buying your own heavy duty folding shelf brackets and make your own workbench like that one. Many are rated at 550 lbs for a pair.

Amazon.com : heavy duty folding shelf brackets

Or just make one with fold down legs instead of those brackets.

 

[neophyte]

Wall mounted “Work Benches” are hardly a new idea.
Black & Decker even made a wall mounted Workmate decades ago.
As far as the weight capacity goes, “industrial” companies usually list weight capacity correctly, if not under actual capacity.
“Non Industrial” brands routinely bullsh!t weight capacity ratings.
With Ryobi, , but a 150-200 lb. actual weight capacity might be a reasonable guess.
I have no clue how good Ryobi would actually be at engineering steel.
At a $100, it’s just slightly less expensive than a current top of the line Workmate, but with a larger surface.

 

[rust in the eye]

300# capacity, eh? I wonder why the video demonstrator didn't have a seat.
I like it but for light duty.

 

[545_days]

I wouldn't want to hammer, twist or pull on anything heavy attached to that bench. I think it would find plenty of use from people looking for a flat space to do light hobby work, paint, lay out parts or tools solder, disassemble small electronic components, etc.

 

[AEAdam]

I always thought folding benches were a dumb idea. Like slant top desks, I now think their chief advantage is you use it then fold it down so it doesn’t become a catch all for recycling, kids sports equipment, shoes that need repair etc

 

[Beerhippie]

I always thought folding benches were a dumb idea. Like slant top desks, I now think their chief advantage is you use it then fold it down so it doesn’t become a catch all for recycling, kids sports equipment, shoes that need repair etc

And everyone will know when you fold it down from the sound of all that **** crashing to the floor!

 

[KnurledNut]

A couple things I like about this:
-When its folded down, a 5" shelf remains.
-Soft close.

 

[Dagny]

How can you pile stuff 4 feet hi on that? Mine is 3 feet by 36 feet long and I can't find a place to set my coffee cup.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Put a fat dude on it and have him wiggle around and see what it does.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Well..... with the modern 19x19 2 car garage, it might be all that a person has space for.

In a place like that, it might fit in just right where no real mechanical work is being done.

 

[Mr_B]

Useful as a secondary work surface/layout area put into use when needed but you not going do any heavy work on it .
If you look at the install video you can conclude it not going cope with real workbench heavy tasks but indeed could be a useful bench surface area .
For the price it looks pretty neat out the box solution for a small folding bench top .

 

[danielbuck]

my problem with fold down work benches/tables, is that at least for me, I will never be able to fold them back up. they will always have something on them.

 

[neophyte]

How can you pile stuff 4 feet hi on that? Mine is 3 feet by 36 feet long and I can't find a place to set my coffee cup.

Put a narrow shelf above the bench.
Leave a permanent spot or two for a coffee cup or other beverage.
Just make sure the bench isn’t so deep you have to lean over to reach the coffee.

 

[neophyte]

my problem with fold down work benches/tables, is that at least for me, I will never be able to fold them back up. they will always have something on them.

Buy a shelving unit with shelves at least as large as the folding bench.
Make “removable bench tops” that allow you to remove the entire contents of the bench, and transfer that content to the shelving unit in one go.

 

[Shiftless]

My bench top Craftsman drill press weighs 160 and my Wilton bench vise weighs 80. That wouldn’t leave much of a safety margin would it?

 

[KnurledNut]

We used to make something similar to this on builds for the purpose of holding blueprints.

 

[Bubba Fett]

A friend of mine made a similar workbench by attaching a solid wood door sideways to a wall. It folded upwards, and when lowered to workbench position, he had chains connected to it for stability - like a truck tailgate. He mentioned adding fold-out legs so it would support more weight.

Ultimately, the issue is that whatever this is mounted to needs to be strong enough to support the weight. In other words, not mounted to drywall, but to studs with proper screws. More mounts will spread the weight and will be more stable.

The problem my friend had, and that this will have, is that you are locked in place, and cannot move the workbench to another spot. You also can only use it from three sides, and two of those are limited. He eventually built a stand-alone workbench to put in the middle of the workshop. The fold-out bench was still useful for things like servicing chainsaws or weed trimmers, and other things like that.

Just some things to consider before making a purchase.

 

[zendriver]

Honestly, like post #7 if it had fold-down legs, it would be completely different in terms of support.

 

[orangeblood]

OP - not as deep as the one you are considering, but check out Pitpal's folding shelf

high quality aluminum construction made in the USA

Pitpal Folding Shelf

 

[TailGunner3000]

The answer lies in the fact that nearly every picture on the Ryobi website shows it as a shelf and not a workbench.

 

[Beerhippie]

The answer lies in the fact that nearly every picture on the Ryobi website shows it as a shelf and not a workbench.

Yeah, that.