ULine Welded Steel Workbench

[quilty]

Looking at finally replacing my folding table / moving blanket combo with a legitimate workbench. Mostly working on recreational light-duty automotive (motorcycles, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, etc.) So there will definitely be some oils/greases/cleaning solutions involved frequently, kind of why I like the idea of a steel top over wood. I also need to be able to solid mount my Wilton vise.

I came across this workbench on Uline's website:

Welded Steel Workbench - 72 x 30

Lasts forever. Withstands the heaviest loads. Use in manufacturing, assembly areas and maintenance rooms. All-welded construction. No bolts to work loose. Beefy 2" square legs with pre-drilled floor mounting pads. 34" high. 1 1/2" thick steel top with square edges. Wide, 18" deep bottom shelf...

www.uline.com

All welded construction, 2" square legs, 12gauge steel top, claims to be made in the USA. For $730 bucks it seems to be a good deal. Does anybody have any experience with these Uline workbenches?

I see they also offer a 1/8" thick workbench mat that I could lay down for more sensitive projects.

Workbench Mats in Stock - Uline

Uline stocks a wide selection of Workbench Mats. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 40,000 products in stock. 12 Locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Workbench Mats.

www.uline.com

Thank you

 

[quilty]

I also just found this other option:

https://www.grainger.com/product/LITTLE-GIANT-Workbench-3-34AV62?searchQuery=WSJ2-3072-36-DR&searchBar=true&tier=Tier+6

Now the idea of a butcher block top is growing on me

 

[Max]

The first one looks like a very good quality industrial type bench. The second one’s legs do not look as sturdy and at $1500+ it’s kinda pricy. (Granted Grainger is generally expensive.)

Zoro carries similar type stuff, and if you get a 20% off coupon that could help a lot. Since these are welded they will ship large, and shipping cost might add a bunch.

I forgot to add that for engine/mechanical work, rubber over metal is a good option. But butcher block will need protection from gas and oil, and it scratches easily.

 

[quilty]

The second one’s legs do not look as sturdy and at $1500+ it’s kinda pricy. (Granted Grainger is generally expensive.)

I just found the same bench without the drawer for $1,100

https://www.grainger.com/product/LITTLE-GIANT-Workbench-3-34AV58

I forgot to add that for engine/mechanical work, rubber over metal is a good option. But butcher block will need protection from gas and oil, and it scratches easily.

Yea, I'm really torn between a steel top and butcher block top now...

 

[vrinner]

Looks like the one I got from my work and they bought everything from U-Line. You can see it's up on some wooden blocks because apparently they (this was our plant engineering group's workbench) thought it was too low and they also filled in that blank space with a piece of wood. The shelf I figured was a good idea but raising it up seemed weird because those guys were all short. Works for me though.

 

[LXCam]

There's nothing to be torn about.

GJ wisdom denotes one must own both in order to not lose man-card




U-line as well as Grainger / Zoro sell quality stuff, but you pay for it. No matter what material you decide on, I'd take the advice already given to you and get it from Zoro when that have a decent discount code. If you've never dealt with them before they are more or less a clearing house kinda deal for Grainger. Sign up for their site and put what you want in your basket and wait - you'll get a discount code within a week or so.

 

[quilty]

Sign up for their site and put what you want in your basket and wait - you'll get a discount code within a week or so.

That's great advice...thank you.

 

[racecougar]

I have two of the benches in your first link. They've been in service here for 4 years, and I have no complaints. They are good solid units.

EDIT: I take that back. I have the lighter duty Industrial Packing Tables. Still, zero complaints, and I put them through their paces.

Industrial Work Tables, Industrial Packing Tables in Stock - ULINE

Uline stocks a wide selection of Industrial Packing Tables. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 40,000 products in stock. 12 Locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Industrial Packing Tables.

www.uline.com

 

[GirlnAgarage]

We've got the Uline Welded steel machine tables 2x3ish size on casters at work and they are no joke. Everyone hates them because they will jack you up if you bang your ankle into the square foot pad but I love the construction, they are sturdy. The welded areas are not completely slag free, you'll need to take a file and knock off a few sharp beads which is a shame because they are already finished. One gripe, the paint chips easily on the top. IDK what my coworkers do but they've managed to scrape off small areas of the surface andthey're less than a year old. I don't know what it is that we can't just have nice things.

 

[quilty]

Now I'm wondering how the Uline bench compares to Little Giant - they both look very comparable with similar price points.

Little Giant WST2-3072-36 $938.91 Workbench, Steel, 72" W, 30" D | Zoro.com

Order Little Giant Workbench, Steel, 72" W, 30" D, WST2-3072-36 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

 

[Ben Glaser]

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

Fasten legs to floor, add the braces, and a Bally butcher block 2' thick with rounded edges.

 

[nadogail]

I was given a used Hallowell bench in 1976.

I am not ever letting it get away from me.

 

[CraigStu]

Look at lowes and HD and wood flooring stores for butcher block. I have a wood top on my tool box and it is pretty good. Sure looks nice but I always worry about it getting damaged. I would prefer steel.

 

[quilty]

Yup, I'm leaning towards a steel flat top (no raised edges).

 

[quilty]

I've narrowed it down to (3) separate models from different manufactures:

Little Giant

WST2-3072-36 | Little Giant Products

Smooth 12 gauge steel top is double-reinforced with angle iron on the underside and gussets in the corners for exceptional strength and rigidity. Legs and lower braces are 1-1/2” x 1-1/2” x 3/16” thick angle iron. Legs have footpads with 5/8” hole for mounting to the floor. - All-welded and...

www.littlegiant-usa.com

JAMCO

Item # UA372, Workbench with Flush Top On Jamco Products, Inc.

Browse Item # UA372, Workbench with Flush Top in the Jamco Products, Inc. catalog including Item #,Item Name,Description,Model,Width,Depth,Overall Height,# of Shelves,Shelf Material,Clearance,Capacity,Weight of Standard Model,Standard Finish,Optional

industrialcarts.jamcoproducts.com

And also the original Uline model

Welded Steel Workbench - 72 x 30

Lasts forever. Withstands the heaviest loads. Use in manufacturing, assembly areas and maintenance rooms. All-welded construction. No bolts to work loose. Beefy 2" square legs with pre-drilled floor mounting pads. 34" high. 1 1/2" thick steel top with square edges. Wide, 18" deep bottom shelf...

www.uline.com

Looks like the Little Giant has 4k capacity, while the other two have 3k capacity. The Little Giant model has 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 3/16" thick angle iron legs, where as the JAMCO and Uline products have 2" square legs. Not sure which would be best.

 

[CraigStu]

Generally I'd prefer the legs to be square but they don't give wall thickness. If they are 1/16 walls they may be weaker than the angle legs. OTOH 3/16x1.5x1.5 is a nice chunk of steel.

 

[pl_silverado]

Having just gone thru the same ordeal trying to find a workbench, I just ordered 3 of these...7ga top vs 12ga on that uline, and slightly cheaper with free shipping to boot. If it's built anything like their cabinets, this is a steal. Wonder what condition it'll show up in beings its listed as overstock. Likely better than most of the cheap used **** on Craigslist and facebook locally.

T8436-7024-WHSE – Extreme Duty 7 GA Shop Table with 1 Shelf - 84 In. W x 36 In. D x 34 In. H

All products are functional with minor cosmetic issues: scratches, dents, rust Welded angle legs 10000 lbs table top capacity All welded bottom shelf for added storage All sales are final.

strong-hold.com

 

[quilty]

Having just gone thru the same ordeal trying to find a workbench, I just ordered 3 of these...7ga top vs 12ga on that uline, and slightly cheaper with free shipping to boot. If it's built anything like their cabinets, this is a steal. Wonder what condition it'll show up in beings its listed as overstock. Likely better than most of the cheap used **** on Craigslist and facebook locally.

T8436-7024-WHSE – Extreme Duty 7 GA Shop Table with 1 Shelf - 84 In. W x 36 In. D x 34 In. H

All products are functional with minor cosmetic issues: scratches, dents, rust Welded angle legs 10000 lbs table top capacity All welded bottom shelf for added storage All sales are final.

strong-hold.com

Man, too bad that's 84" long. If it was 72" long I'd be all over that.

Where'd you get the free shipping from? I added that to my cart just to see and it's charging me $134.70 for shipping.

 

[pl_silverado]

Man, too bad that's 84" long. If it was 72" long I'd be all over that.

Where'd you get the free shipping from? I added that to my cart just to see and it's charging me $134.70 for shipping.

Directly from them. I ordered two cabinets aswell, to a business address with forklift to unload so maybe thats the difference.

 

[quilty]

Directly from them. I ordered two cabinets aswell, to a business address with forklift to unload so maybe thats the difference.

I typed in shipping info for my business address as well. I'll double check with them.

I also just noticed that table is 36" depth as opposed to a 30" depth. Not sure if that will make grabbing things off the wall behind it a challenge. Kind of sharing the same thought on that full-depth bottom shelf. I like the idea of a half-depth bottom shelf for your feet as wll as being able to just slide things under the table.

 

[quilty]

Generally I'd prefer the legs to be square but they don't give wall thickness. If they are 1/16 walls they may be weaker than the angle legs. OTOH 3/16x1.5x1.5 is a nice chunk of steel.

The JAMCO legs are 7 gauge steel.

 

[rocco]

I have three of those Uline benches in my shop and they are extremely sturdy the paint is terrible and flakes right off though.

 

[CraigStu]

7ga is .179" and 3/16 is .187" and the legs are 2" square (I think I read that correctly) so they would be significantly stronger than 3/16x1.5 angle.

 

[pl_silverado]

Well, they showed up today...

 

[quilty]

Well, they showed up today...

Those look great, I actually ended up ordering on from their "overstock" section.

 

[pl_silverado]

Those look great, I actually ended up ordering on from their "overstock" section.

All of mine was from overstock also, I honestly couldn't find any real defects to speak of. Very happy with what I paid/got. You will be too!

 

[quilty]

All of mine was from overstock also, I honestly couldn't find any real defects to speak of. Very happy with what I paid/got. You will be too!

Are you going to mount a vise to any of your new tables?

 

[isb cornbinder]

E-Z-Rect Manufacturing Ltd.

ezrect.ca

I have made really good work benches with components from this company. Easy to build. Only tool needed is a hammer.

 

[rmmiller]

We have an old Uline bench at work. This thing gets abused, incoming freight and heavy parts get slammed around on it daily and it's still in good working order. It does have a slight sag but I think that's from some of the big boys we work with sitting on it.

 

[pl_silverado]

Are you going to mount a vise to any of your new tables?

Yes, I have 4 Wiltons, haven't decided which ones getting mounted.

 

[Sumboodie]

There's no way a bench with a 1.5" thick steel top is only weighing 176lbs unless it's wood with a thin steel skin.

My bench has a 3/4" thick top. It's 3x8ft. It's probably over 700lbs.

 

[Jayman17]

Wow nice work area you have set up there.

Jay