work benches... from scratch

[thomfr]

I am curious about this vice/vise, why does it have two handles at the base? one for swivel?

Good job with the bench too

Looks like the Heuer Klapp Lift system:

http://www.brockhaus-heuer.de/1/web/index.php?lang=de_
(no direct link, click the klapp lift button in the list on the left)

(sorry, could not find the English version).

Thom

 

[sams]

ah now this concept makes some sense to me, for people who sometimes lay a large flat pannel on their bench they can fold it out of the way.

 

[wishihadatalon]

I have been building this for ~13 weeks at school.

 

[sams]

wishihadatalon it looks like you have something specific for it's use, or am I wrong? Amazing work though, must of been quite time consuming to get it right.

 

[wishihadatalon]

just a fabrication bench/table. I wanted to do some fixturing with it though so it has 96 tapped holes.

 

[cool50]

Looks like I got me some good ideas. My bench is to deep and I can't reach the pegboard to good. Plus It came with the house and I never liked it anyway, need to build one myself.

 

[larry_g]

Looks like the Heuer Klapp Lift system:

http://www.brockhaus-heuer.de/1/web/index.php?lang=de_
(no direct link, click the klapp lift button in the list on the left)

(sorry, could not find the English version).

Thom

http://www.samstagsales.com/brockhaus.htm

Try the above for english.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Krokodil]

Nice solid bench!

 

[Sr. WiNdTeCh]

I got a wild hair in March and gutted my garage, insulated it and bought a bunch of OSB and 2X4's and started building with basically no plan. I got robbed 2 years ago so I knew I wanted some lockable storage for expensive tools. As you can see I just made a sliding door for my tools, I waxed where it slides and added some dish soap for good measure. It wooks pretty good, I have more in there then you think. Hobart 187 welder and plasma cutter and helmet, Chainsaw, Table saw, Air compressor, Portaband, tons of DeWalt cordless tools and my electricians belt, probably missing something. Anyways the main bench is 16' long 50" high and 32"deep. I'm 6'4" so the bench is just right. I have more pictures of my garage if interested. This is a work in progress and I see this as half done, I've came a long way in 45 days.

The pictures were taken on my galaxy tab and so was this post so sorry for poor quality or spelling errors. Also as my lights are CFL's I just turned them on and its 40degrees in there so the pictures are a little dim yet.

 

[weatmaster]

Nice bench. Nice color, too.

Good to hear that from you - thanks.

I am curious about this vice/vise, why does it have two handles at the base? one for swivel?

Good job with the bench too

Thanks... here are some detailed pics of the vice:

 

[BEAVO]

thats pretty neat never seen anything like that!! bet it has alot of good uses and has made life alot easier

 

[Full Size 66]

Those are some seriously expensive vises. The cool thing is the collapsable lift/mount. This will be in my new shop... All I can say is wow! I have never seen one like it before.

 

[Berserker]

That bracket for the vice, who makes that or what is it called? I have seen the part that bolts to the vice at Northern Tool, but not the receiver.


I read on Family Handyman's website you can use a router to make cuts for biscuits. I think I am going to try this. Though not really sure why.

 

[Berserker]

Windtech, I have been thinking of something to lock my tools up in the garage. I keep some in the basement, but thats a PIA. I was thinking similar but sliding horizinally, and making it hidden. On my bench, one side will be open to sit at and put a shop vac.

I like what you got, but people can tell its there. My idea was hopefully to have it appear just as a front. Not sure if that would fool anyone.

I have also though about the above the ceiling for the stuff I don't use alot. Though it is a PIA to get it. But alot of the stuff sits for long periods.


I hate to sound like a *****, but how did you attach the 45s to the wall. Its easy with no sheeting Did you just drill through them into a stud?

 

[Sr. WiNdTeCh]

My intension isnt to fool or stop anyone, but slow them down. I have an infered sensor for our NEW house alarm system that is pointed at the bench, so hopefully it will keep them occupied until the cops show up. I lost 15,000$ worth of tools, reloading supplies, couple guns (lucky the expensive ones were with me shooting prairie dogs), electronics. It ***** getting robbed.

 

[Berserker]

I have never been robbed, but ya it crosses my mind. I was thinking maybe a gangbox in the pole barn. I have a pole barn about 8' away.

I think above the garage ceiling would be a good place. Just need to work on access. Some said they knew someone who had a motor that would lower stuff down.

I like the idea of trying to hide it better.


Great looking bench.

 

[Adrien]

I wanted to do some fixturing with it though so it has 96 tapped holes.

Nicely done. I'd love to have something like that, but it's entirely too tedious for me to even attempt. I'd end up with half of them done, or less.

Adrien

 

[wishihadatalon]

Nicely done. I'd love to have something like that, but it's entirely too tedious for me to even attempt. I'd end up with half of them done, or less.

Adrien

Thanks, it really helped that it was a school project and I had a lot of very expensive tools available to use.

 

[Krokodil]

I love the vice bracket thing!

 

[rocklobster]

This last winter I built this bench in my basement. I have a detached 26X28 shop that is currently unheated and I live in Canada so I needed a good work area for winter projects and servicing and drying chainsaws/guns/toys after use. The previous owner of the house had made a craft table with basically a low 4x8 sheet of ply and a shelf in the back that was a stretch to reach even for my ape index. I would never want such a wide bench again as it just seemed to collect junk, I have read that you cant build a bench too long or too strong but you can build too wide...

I lived with that craft table for 3 years and it felt so good to tear it apart! I reused as much of it as I could and here is what I have built so far:

It is 2x6 construction 24 inches wide and 8 ft long. The top is 2x6 boards under 2 sheets of 3/4 ply. I will admit I got a little carried away building "project Mega Bench" but I would like to carry on my fathers and grandfathers tradition of building a nice strong work bench in every house owned.

I still have some more work to do. I will be adding some nice cabinet drawers to the right side of the bench. I want to move my HW tank over into the corner to the right and place a sturdy file cabinet in its place for more storage. I will also build a storage shelf to the left of the bench to store camping gear and other domestic things...

I had a bunch of leftover 2x6 boards that my Grandfather gave me when I helped him clean out his shed, so I used them here and there and to make the top.

Homemade socket organizer made of reused materials:

Cheap driver storage. I like how visible this is instead of the 4x deep driver rack that I have in the shop

Robertson drive first of course! I hate phillips drive... I eliminate them in my house whenever I can. Once you go Robertson you never go back!

 

[BEAVO]

what did you use to hold your sockets on im thinking of making my own thanks i was just thinking of using wooden dowls

 

[rocklobster]

I used some steel rod from metal rack salvaged from the dump and just glued them into a drilled hole in a piece of black ash with wood glue.

 

[csp]

Thanks, it really helped that it was a school project and I had a lot of very expensive tools available to use.

Did you use a mag drill to drill/tap the holes?

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Not sure if I have already posted my workbench that we built out of pallet rack parts and plywood, but here it is. We covered the tops with linoleum counter top sheet in a gray, 50's boomerang pattern. I love it. Still working out the lighting and other things. Not exactly where/how I'll mount the vise when I get it. Perhaps I'll use the receiver hitch idea.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

 

[wishihadatalon]

Did you use a mag drill to drill/tap the holes?

The holes were pierced using a plasma table and then drilled using a mag drill.

The threading in the holes is from weld nuts that were placed on the underside of the table top.

I did that mainly to have them replaceable for when I mess up the threads.

 

[c_mccann]

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy61/c_mccann/cabinetandbenchfinished-1.jpg

 

[Corsario]

I have alredy put this images but yesterday I upgraded the cabinet so, here they are again

This old table

<script src='http://img122.imageshack.us/shareable/?i=garage0061600x1200.jpg' type='text/javascript'></script><noscript> </noscript>

Becames this rolling cart after some work. Sitting aside my xs 650

<script src='http://img29.imageshack.us/shareable/?i=img0021jz.jpg' type='text/javascript'></script><noscript> </noscript>

 

[greenenvy1]

Mostly finished mine finally. 30" x 96" and 40 3/4" tall. Need to source a vice at some point. Need to deceide where I'm putting it and put some shelves in the bottom. Excuse the cell phone pics, can't find camera since the move a month ago.

 

[srmofo]

That bracket for the vice, who makes that or what is it called? I have seen the part that bolts to the vice at Northern Tool, but not the receiver.


I read on Family Handyman's website you can use a router to make cuts for biscuits. I think I am going to try this. Though not really sure why.

Those are some seriously expensive vises. The cool thing is the collapsable lift/mount. This will be in my new shop... All I can say is wow! I have never seen one like it before.

thats pretty neat never seen anything like that!! bet it has alot of good uses and has made life alot easier

That collapsable vise lift is at the bottom of this link. Its $1280!
Just a collapsable jig is $650

http://www.samstagsales.com/brockhaus.htm

Try the above for english.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[weatmaster]

That collapsable vise lift is at the bottom of this link. Its $1280!
Just a collapsable jig is $650

Yeah,
the collapsible lift is like 1280$ and the vice another 700$.

If anyone is really interrested in it I can get them and ship them way cheaper.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Mostly finished mine finally. 30" x 96" and 40 3/4" tall. Need to source a vice at some point. Need to deceide where I'm putting it and put some shelves in the bottom. Excuse the cell phone pics, can't find camera since the move a month ago.

Well, good luck with the camera. I would suggest that you set up that sofa next to a small fridge full of cold beverages.

A man has to have priorities.

 

[santagary]

a bit cluttered right now...

While you're at it, using white pegboard or painting what you have white would brighten up that area immensely! My 2 cents.

 

[jakeb]

I made this last week...still have a few things to do as well as clean things up. Eventually the walls will get insulated and finished and some wall cabinets will go above the bench. As well as painting the cabinets and raw metal of the bench.....but I have other car projects to get going on before that happens.

it is 13' long, 24" wide, and right around 41" tall. I like a tall bench. It is made of 1.25" angle for the top and then some beefy 3.5" leg angle for the legs. The leg angle was too cheap to pass up so I went a little thicker than needed.
The left side surface is an old stainless steel elevator door, and the right side is just covered particle board. The left will be for heavy work and the right is more for soldering, lighter work. If you notice I was able to fit my bench grinder in the top of a cabinet drawer. Also the space between the old metal kitchen cabinets works out for metal storage and then scrap wood storage on the other side.

 

[Sr. WiNdTeCh]

Same vise as me, damn good vise. Also my bench is 4' tall. Lol I like a tall bench.

 

[LeonardY]

Hi everyone,

First time post here.
Those are some really nice benches.
Here's one of mine. I'm guessing it weighs about +300lbs. It's constructed of 3/4" plywood laminated together with West System epoxy. It has a 2'x7' 1-1/2 thick maple top. A quick release vise on the end and a pattern makers vise on the side. I had the brackets for the casters welded up at work by a certified welder. I was afraid the bench would sag in the middle but in ten years it's still flat.

Leonard

 

[mastiff0]

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy61/c_mccann/cabinetandbenchfinished-1.jpg

I like this! Can you tell me how you made the top?

 

[Morrisman]

I built mine out of 2 x 4, coach bolted together, then the top was made of 2 layers of 3/4" decking chipboard, with a layer of 3/4" marine ply on top of that.

I never really thought it out much before I started, or I would have made it bigger inside, for storage. As it was I had barely 14" in between the uprights inside, though I did add a second shelf all the way along.

The sheet wood was bought in 24" widths, so that pretty much dictated the overall size. Next time I plan to go 30" width.

That old bench to the left I built in the Philippines some 15 years ago. It travelled to a couple of different garages with me over there, then we shipped it to the UK with our household stuff, it moved through three houses and four garages in England. It had a new top surface grafted on and ended up as a dedicated 'drill bench' for several years. Now we have moved again it is now it is back in the Philippines currently serving me well as a normal every day multi-purpose over-crowded bench in my latest tiny garage.

If benches could talk, the stories they would tell.....

When my new garage is finished 'old faithful' will be turned back into a drill bench. I shall never get rid of it, as it has seen me through good times and bad, rich and poor.

 

[Marty256]

Nothing fancy but I'm also limmited for space. 62" wide and 42" tall. Bad back and can't be bent over working too long. Also wanted to be able to store tool cart underneath.

 

[Manicmech]

One thing I found real useful is a "dropped down" section towards the middle of the bench for my sliding chop saw to rest in. The drop allows the bench top surface to be even with the chop saw's cutting table surface, making working with long stock much easier, without having to break out the saw's table for quick cuts. I also made a "blank" to fit in the recess when the saw is not being used.

 

[Rockcam]

Nice work.

I live in GR - what school?