work benches... from scratch

[SpeedCoach]

What's better for a workbench, coarse thread or fine thread screws?

I was taught course thread for soft woods, fine threads for hard woods

 

[jerseywild]

A question for those building a bench from wood:

If fastening with wood screws do you like to drill a small pilot hole for the screw? I like to do this, as I feel it helps prevent splitting the wood. It also helps ensure the screw finds the right path.

What's better for a workbench, coarse thread or fine thread screws?

I'm building a bench soon, and appreciate the advice.

Coarse thread for soft woods, fine thread for hardwoods. It never hurts to drill a pilot hole.

 

[iagsxr]

In case you missed my other thread;

Backsplash is under construction

 

[regguy1]

In case you missed my other thread;

Backsplash is under construction

Very nice, neat and clever idea

 

[DCarr]

These are just started, I am going to put a 2x4 frame at the bottom w/ 3/4" ply. for the floor and since I have a whole bunch of rough sawn oak I am going to plane it all down and make some nice Oak fronts & doors for them.

 

[DCarr]

These are my work surfaces. Got the drawer cabinets for free and they are great I used doubled advantec for the tops covered with masonite.

I really like this bench .... good job on it !

 

[demographic]

In case you missed my other thread;

Backsplash is under construction

I like that a lot,have seen them made out of wood that fold away but like the metal frame on that one.

 

[sscustom]

that red workbench sunspended is awsome

 

[magnusk750]

i look at your benches and they mostly seem so narrow. Or pictures make it look like that? I 've always had them about 90 - 100 cm, (3-3,5 ft) wide to be able work also in the big lumps.

 

[abrahamfh]

In case you missed my other thread;

Backsplash is under construction

I like it, especially how you centered it right above the vent, keep those toes nice and warm.

 

[strnge]

Here is my bench:

Top is 2 3/4 plywood

Legs are 4 x4
Bracing is 2 x 4

My two daughters helping me build the workbench

All done!!! This thing weighs a ton!!! Solid as hell!!!

Mike

 

[mastiff0]

Workbench I made from scrap 2x4s and OSB for light duty work. Needed it to allow my dogs kennel to fit underneath it. I covered the top with white board instead of normal hardboard so I would have some water-resistance.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

i look at your benches and they mostly seem so narrow. Or pictures make it look like that? I 've always had them about 90 - 100 cm, (3-3,5 ft) wide to be able work also in the big lumps.

My old bench was about 3 feet wide. I am going to have to make my next bench a lot more narrow though. Not much room in my new 20x20.

 

[hdossett]

In case you missed my other thread;

Backsplash is under construction

Finally, Someone "One upped" Jack O and built a bench that raises and lower via Remote Control.
Very nice!
Harold

 

[55stlalive]

hey guys first post for me i built a 2ftx4ft one and put locking wheels on it, cant ever tell when you might have to make a yard call,if i do i just throw the tools i need on there and hit the driveway!

 

[iagsxr]

Thanks for the compliments on my first bench.

Other than the casters I built this one out of scrap. I'm restoring an 81 YZ 250 and I wanted to have a dedicated place to reassemble it;

It's probably a single-use thing. As I'm going together I'll just screw stands, wheel chocks and whatnot right to the bench as needed. Don't think I'll keep it in the garage once the bike's done.

 

[66pnl]

So here is my attempt to build a bench. First I built the top frame and attached it to the wall. Next I completed the frame all out of 2x4's. Last I added two 3/4 inch MDF sheets to the top. I secured the first sheet of MDF by counter sinking screws to the frame. I then attached the top piece by screwing underneath the first. I added a 1x6 skirt to cap the edges. So far I have 5 hours and $100 in it. I will add a second shelf and polyurethane the shelves and skirt. The rest will be primed and painted dark gray.

 

[KrisKustomPaint]

It isn't finished yet, but as you can see its already getting plenty of use. Built from scratch, with scrap wood. I don't think there was a single piece of straight lumber in the whole works. 6x6 legs, 2 1/2 x 8 3/4 for the top perimeter, old Pepsi bottle boxes for drawers, not sure what I'm gonna make the center drawer out of yet. The thin plywood on top is just temporary until I find something to make a top out of. The bottom is an old closet door, it just needed to be strong enough to hold my upholstery material. The proverbial brick **** house:
View media item 6410View media item 6411

 

[Jack Olsen]

Finally, Someone "One upped" Jack O and built a bench that raises and lower via Remote Control.

I actually planned that for my front bench. I even got hydraulic/pneumatic cylinders for it.

Then I worked out how much extra work and time were going to be involved, and backed off of the idea.

 

[Berserker]

Hi- 1st post. Not done yet. But I did it different then most. I built it on sawhorse, but with legs pointing down. Then all I had to do was slide it off. Rolled around on a mechanics chair.

2x6 top, 8' long, legs 2x6, with 2x4s tieing it together.

I only have a shelf on 1/2 of it. I want to be able to slide a chair or shop vac under one side of it. The side with the shelf is high enough to fit a motorcycle/atv lift under.


I don't have the top done yet. Probably 2x6 or 2x8s.

I used 2.5" #10 square head deck screws to fasten. Used speed squares to line it up and clamp and predrilled pretty much every thing.

I have been thinnking about enclosing the shelf. I have thought about a top on heavy hinges that could lift up, or a sliding panel. Thinkint it would be a good place to hide power tools.

 

[Berserker]

Here is another I did in the pole barn. what was challenging me in the pole barn was how to support it. The poles are 8' apart. I thouht about chain. But this seems to have worked very good. Every three week there are 2sx6s running horizontally. So I ran a 2x4 vertially between them and did support with 45s.

2x6sa mounted to the poles, are pretty sturdy too.

 

[mpire]

I have a large cast iron (I think.) vice that I want to put on a bench.

50+ lbs at least.

I am in the planning stages, so I am trying to figure out how heavy the bench needs to be so that its solid when grinding or drilling on something in the vice.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Here's the one I put together for the wife out of freebie aluminum tubing and honeycomb sandwich plate.

 

[v7guy]

built this from the 2x6s i removed when raising the ceiling in the garage. I think I have $30 in the plywood. weighs a lot and takes a beating.

 

[KYGTP]

Here are some pics from the benches that I just built in the new garage.

One bench is 9' that is a little lower to make it easier to us the grinders and the drill press and such. The other bench on the wall is 12' long with the "L" section 12' long as well. All the benches are 24" deep with the end of the "L" being 36" deep.

 

[mpire]

I love it. Run a router around the edges and it will look professional.

 

[Victorymike18]

Very nice build, looks GREAT!

I like the grey paintjob, made me double-check to see if it was wood or metal construction.

Question: Do you mind not being able to access the top storage of the Craftsman box with the "Cool It" sticker? That would bother me...

 

[KYGTP]

Very nice build, looks GREAT!

I like the grey painjob, made me double-check to see if it was wood or metal construction.

Question: Do you mind not being able to access the top storage of the Craftsman box with the "Cool It" sticker? That would bother me...

Thanks.

As for the top box on the shelf, I do not mind not being able to get into it. When it was in my other garage, there was so much stuff stacked on it, I was never really able to use it anyways, so no big deal. As you can see in this pic, it is in the background:

I just bought one of the HF Boxes the other weekend, so I gained a little bit of more space:

I also built a set of shelves to help with more storage as well, painted to match the lines on the wall.

Tomorrow I am bring home the rest of my Kennedy Boxes from work, since I really don't use them anymore, so I will have another machinist top box and a 3 draw box middle box to go on the Kennedy roll around that is in the first pic I post in my first post.

 

[m.james]

Good paint job their almost camouflage.

 

[V-10 Killer]

This thread motivated me to finally go out and build mine. I've still got to do five 30x36" wall cabinets and all the doors and drawers, but I promised to stop and come up with a wish list for christmas tools before I just go out and buy them. Relatives, what are ya gonna do, right. And might I say that the Kreg pocket jig kit is now my new favorite tool!

Mike Holmes would be proud, everything was glued and screwed lol!

 

[Sloper0204]

Project from last weekend:

will need a new top sooner rather then later, but thats a problem to be dealt with whne it comes up...

edit:

yes I know the one top shelf brace is off. I measured wrong and it didn't really change the strength, so it will do...

 

[weatmaster]

Here are some pics from the benches that I just built in the new garage.

One bench is 9' that is a little lower to make it easier to us the grinders and the drill press and such. The other bench on the wall is 12' long with the "L" section 12' long as well. All the benches are 24" deep with the end of the "L" being 36" deep.

nice one....

 

[Ohio Auto]

Here's a pic of my workbench that I made from scratch. We actually cut the ash tree down and took the wood and had it kiln dried. Once I got the wood back from the kiln took it to my buddies wood shop and this is the end result. It's just shy of 12' long, heavy, and very sturdy.

And yes..it does get used.

 

[PatDoody]

Also made this for papa dukes last month.. It is made from 100% recycled 2x4's from crates at work... not all the way done in the photo but it came out great.

I have some more home made junk I will have to snap photos of tomorrow.

 

[PatDoody]

I recently made a chassis jig/body dolly/welding table. Turns out the floor in the shop I rent isn't level in the slightest bit I had to build this. All the metal on this is from left overs or I would have probably used different sized materials.

cut some table legs 3.5x3.5

welded nuts to the inside of the leg bottoms to accept the adjusters for leveling

legs done and added tabs to accept the casters I bought. I love things to be mobile.

mock up of the casters, local metal place called fazios has bins of these 7" usa made used casters for 3.00 a piece. the Chinese made new ones are 11.00 a piece. these have grease fittings well so I assume they will support some weight.

almost done table dimensions are 5x10'7"

when the adjusters are ran down the table becomes unmobile

finished product. rolls real easy. I also picked up some scrap 10g plate to put on topas well so it has a solid work platform, I just haven't got around to cutting it to size yet. also the way the table adjusters are I can later down the road make leg extensions to elevate it a little higher if I want to turn it into a permanent work bench when I get a larger shop.

 

[fuxl]

Here is mine:

It's nowhere close to the amazing stuff I've seen on here so far, but not too bad for free!
The only money I got in it is for the power outlets and switch I added to it.

 

[odie]

I just used the Craftsman toolboxes as the 'legs' and built the bench out of 2x6's and plywood. Then attached a 1x4 for the splashguard.

 

[Johnnie]

After looking through almost every bench on this thread and others, I decided for a simple but functional bench. It's 5 1/2' long, 30" deep and 42" high. The top piece is oak plywood and I want to give it a clear coat to protect from spills. I also added a drawer that I bought at Lowes for $5 and the peg board was purchased at Lowes on clearance.

Now I need to figure out how to mount my vise since I have the 2x4 on the front edge and I'm not sure that drilling a bolt down through a small 2x4 is a good idea.

 

[TN_GARAGE]

After looking through almost every bench on this thread and others, I decided for a simple but functional bench. It's 5 1/2' long, 30" deep and 42" high. The top piece is oak plywood and I want to give it a clear coat to protect from spills. I also added a drawer that I bought at Lowes for $5 and the peg board was purchased at Lowes on clearance.

Now I need to figure out how to mount my vise since I have the 2x4 on the front edge and I'm not sure that drilling a bolt down through a small 2x4 is a good idea.

You could "marry" up another couple of scrap pieces of 2x4s under the work surface to support the vice mounting screws. Just glue n screw the 2x4s into the legs n frame.

 

[y2knole]

I am about to build a bench...actually 2.

Ive got an 8' run and an idea.

I'd like to build a 4' bench on fixed legs, and another 4' on casters that I can move out from the wall.

couple questions. for the rolling shelf, I think I'll be best set to have a bottom shelf, and on the fixed leg bench, no floor level shelf, just sit stuff on the floor there.

the wheeled bench will be the right-hand side, and I think I'll have a vise on the right-most end of that bench. thoughts of having a vise on a rolling bench (with locking casters)?

Also, any thoughts on how to best line up the two benches to make one surface when things call for it that way?

thanks!