workbench for heavy mill and lathe

[crazybrit]

I'm looking to build a new workbench for my CNC mill (350 pounds) and CNC lathe (250 pounds). Probably about 7-8' long. 3-4' deep.

I quite like the design at the bottom of this post here (the picture with the 2 kids crawling over it). No clue where it originally came from.

The other attached drawing (came from a thread over at CNCzone) looks more finished but has a lot more joints (pocket screws?) and I'm not sure on it's rigidity.

Before I start building, curious if anyone has any pearls of wisdom. I'll probably use 6 4x4 legs (rather than 8).

For the top, probably 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood glued together. I'm not sure if this is a good surface for this weight of equipment. Covering with a thin sheet of steel plate is an option but steel is $$$ right now. Long term I'd really like a concrete top but a) that's really heavy b) not sure if this is the best structure for it.

Not sure on whether leveling feet (or combo leveling casters/feet) are a good idea. I don't have any major need to move the bench around the shop.

Short term I just want to get the machines off the floor and onto the basic skeleton frame of the bench. Longer term I'll add drawers and shelving underneath.

 

[Moosefire]

If you do concrete, here's a video of a guy doing plywood covered concrete workbench that I found to be pretty cool. Otherwise, I'm sure the platform would be pretty sturdy. Might need some bracing to make sure it doesnt have any wiggle but that seems ok

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[ericlar80]

Sturdy is less of an issue than stiffness is. When the CNC is going back-and-forth or side-to-side, you want the table to resist rocking. Make sure you add some cross-braces if made of wood.

 

[rsanter]

If it was me I would buy 2 toolboxes and make a steel frame around them.
You can use the storage in the boxes for the machine tooling

 

[ZRX61]

Use 6x6 for the legs & rabbet the top of them to take 2x6's so the edges of the table are flush with the legs.
Cut 2x's to run front/back for the top, then top that with 3/4in ply (at the very least)

 

[isb cornbinder]

I had a 3/8" bench top folded by a fab-shop. The base legs are 2" square tube with X-bracing. I have a BEACH toolbox base under the late table.
The box showing side cabinet is a MAC. The MAC went to a new home.

 

[bluegoose972]

Really, you're not talking about that much weight. The bottom bench will be fine and if you build it in place, just make sure the horizontal members are level so you don't need adjusting feet. I would spend a little more time on bracing under the plywood on top so you minimize any deflection. I also use 3/4" plywood glued together. For the top surface, I would consider what it will be exposed to. If you're machines are just for wood work, then the plywood will be fine. But if the CNC uses oil (can't tell what type of machines those are from the pictures) for milling, then I would invest in steel for the ease of cleanup. Just my $0.02.

 

[CraigStu]

I did one for a similar lathe a couple months ago. I bought a piece of butcherblock from Lowes
https://www.lowes.com/pd/The-Baltic...cher-Block-Birch-Kitchen-Countertop/999931664
I used three super heavy angle brackets to tie it to the studs in the wall. Then I got lengths of black pipe threaded both ends and some end caps, and two of these
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mueller-Proline-1-2-in-dia-Black-Iron-Floor-Flange-Fitting/1000217675
to attach to the underside. I was able to adjust how tight I screwed the pieces together to get these supports the perfect length.

 

[Bretny]

This should be made from metal. Im not sure what 250lbs feels like falling on me and nor do i want to.

 

[bad_idea]

Do you have welding capabilities? Should be able to build a stout table with three sticks of 2x2x1/8" angle and one stick of 2x2x1/8" square tube. Perhaps it is because I work in ship repair, but everything I build is typically steel and stout. I would use square tube for six legs and angle iron for the top frame with angle iron ran directly under the mounting feet of each piece of equipment and a lower shelf frame. Sheet the top in butcher block and use plywood for the lower shelf.

 

[bdbecker]

Instead of using 4x4's or 4x6's, I laminated 2x4's together to make my workbench legs - a write up can be found here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6111516&postcount=128

View media item 65172

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'm looking to build a new workbench for my CNC mill (350 pounds) and CNC lathe (250 pounds). Probably about 7-8' long. 3-4' deep.

For the top, probably 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood glued together. I'm not sure if this is a good surface for this weight of equipment.

So that's 600 pounds. If you think about it, the floor in your house is likely made of 3/4" plywood, and it will hold up three 200 pound men standing side by side without any problems...1" of plywood will be plenty strong. As mentioned by others, rigidity of the bench may be more important for the lathe and mill to work accurately.

 

[dadsEH]

Steel bench and top made of 1inch flooring Mdf.
Bullet proof when bolted to the back wall.

 

[crazybrit]

Lots of good ideas. Thank you everyone.

Yes. I have a Thermalarc TIG welder but I don't have a large enough indoor space to weld up a table this large (argon). It does have a stick mode but I'm not practiced in that process. Also steel has become very expensive due to the tarifs and here in the PAC NW lumber is fairly cheap.

I'm definitely concerned about rigidity which is why I didn't like the design from cnczone as it has joints between each leg rather than a single cross member.

If it needs to be made from steel then sobeit.

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[crazybrit]

Steel bench and top made of 1inch flooring Mdf.
Bullet proof when bolted to the back wall.

It'll have to be free standing due to layout of shop. No option to wall mount.

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[dadsEH]

What i meant was...free standing and a couple of brackets to hold it against the wall.
Wood will be fine. Make sure its bolted together well.

 

[crazybrit]

What i meant was...free standing and a couple of brackets to hold it against the wall.

Understand but there is no wall space available. It will be free standing in middle of shop. No other option.

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[cj7jeep81]

Understand but there is no wall space available. It will be free standing in middle of shop. No other option.

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You'll be fine, I'd just put some diagonal bracing on it to prevent any racking, but 2x construction with 3/4 plywood will be plenty sturdy.

 

[mxdev]

My vote would be to base your design off of this standard table.

http://www.eaa1000.av.org/technicl/worktabl/tablefig.htm

It's nothing but 2x4's and simple to put together, but by overlapping the pieces the legs transfer the weight directly to the floor. Instead of other designs where the weight is transferred through fasteners.

The top is framed, so you don't rely on plywood top to resist flex, but the 2x4's which won't be bending with that amount of weight.

My take on it was a 6 leg design, with two pieces of 3/4" ply glued together.

 

[Falcon67]

I use this for my light weight 9x20 lathe - Seville bench from Sams:

For my 900 lb square column and 1700 lb lathe - steel all the way.

If you want to only work with wood - I'd do a layer of 3/4 ply with 1" or so MDF on top, or two layers of 3/4 ply with 1/8" hardboard on top. As noted, for machine work rigidity wins the day.

 

[cj7jeep81]

I use this for my light weight 9x20 lathe - Seville bench from Sams:

For my 900 lb square column and 1700 lb lathe - steel all the way.

If you want to only work with wood - I'd do a layer of 3/4 ply with 1" or so MDF on top, or two layers of 3/4 ply with 1/8" hardboard on top. As noted, for machine work rigidity wins the day.

With those small a machines though, I really don't think he'll run into rigidity issues from the stand. You're not going to be doing super precision work on that light of equipment to begin with. If he has all the equipment, welding is nice as the structure is much smaller, so you'd have a lot more storage underneath. But if you don't have a welder/ability to weld it up, there's no reason a well designed stand out of 2x's and plywood won't be perfectly fine.

 

[crazybrit]

With those small a machines though, I really don't think he'll run into rigidity issues from the stand. You're not going to be doing super precision work on that light of equipment to begin with.

Tangent but I guess you're not that familiar with the light machines/intelitek machines? They are actually very accurate.

I suppose I'm talking myself into a metal table here

 

[cj7jeep81]

Tangent but I guess you're not that familiar with the light machines/intelitek machines? They are actually very accurate.

I suppose I'm talking myself into a metal table here

Sorry, I have not, but I'll have to. I should have said more about rigidity, as I can't see how a 350lb machine would be so rigid that a sturdy wooden bench would reduce its rigidity. Its not like you're going to be having a 60lb chunk of steel on it flying around at 100ipm or anything.

 

[ItsNemo]

Sorry, I have not, but I'll have to. I should have said more about rigidity, as I can't see how a 350lb machine would be so rigid that a sturdy wooden bench would reduce its rigidity. Its not like you're going to be having a 60lb chunk of steel on it flying around at 100ipm or anything.

The flip side though is a sturdy bench can provide more mass/stability to a machine bolted to it.

 

[crazybrit]

I called a different local steel yard and their prices are way better than the one I usually use.

$41 for a stick of 2x2x1/8 square $29 for a stick of 2x2x1/8 angle.

 

[crazybrit]

This looks simple

Anyone have anything they'd suggest doing differently? I'm looking at 7' x 3' top dimensions.

Angle would work for the upper horizontals but price wise (previous) it's not massively cheaper than square.

As I said earlier I'd like to get a skeleton built quickly so I can get mill and lathe up off floor. Add internal shelving and drawers later. Understand adding these later may mean removing paint finish for later welds and maybe removing lathe/mill from top.

I need to rent a metal chop saw. I've still not fixed my compact bandsaw (doesn't cut straight -- thread here) which makes welding joint hard(er) and was one of the reasons I was thinking wood. I'm better at starting projects than finishing them :-(

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[rsanter]

The other option is two HF 41” toolboxes and your done.
One for each machine.
I have a lathe on my HF toolbox and have had for years. Works well and hasn’t phased that box a bit.
I did add a piece of plywood covered in Formica that I had so it made the top solid and smooth plus easy cleanup

 

[crazybrit]

The other option is two HF 41” toolboxes and your done.
One for each machine.

Except they're not deep enough.

I don't love this idea anyways.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Personally I would hit up the local scrap yard or check CL for a steel bench(s) that small

 

[crazybrit]

Personally I would hit up the local scrap yard or check CL for a steel bench(s) that small

Alas most of the local scrap yards accept ferrous metal but don't sell it. The one that does gets picked over fast for anything useful like angle/square and it's also not that cheap. CL isn't a bad idea.

 

[bad_idea]

This looks simple

Anyone have anything they'd suggest doing differently? I'm looking at 7' x 3' top dimensions.

Angle would work for the upper horizontals but price wise (previous) it's not massively cheaper than square.

That is the design I had in mind for the bench. I suggest angle for the horizontal members for ease of assembly, not cost. It is simple to drill through the angle to bolt the top down to. I drilled a 5/16" hole in the angle iron and ran a 1/4" lag screw into the top from the underside. No fasteners visible from the top. The 5/16" hole in the angle is to allow for expansion and contraction of the top. The front face of the angle is also great for clamping vise grips to. I built my weld table the same way and store all of my vise grips clamped to one of the pieces of angle supporting the top.

Building shop furniture is an excellent way to sharpen up your stick skills. It surprises me you are better at TIG than stick. In ship repair they reserve the TIG welding for the more experienced welders. TIG has a lot more going on and takes more finesse. Stick you set your amps for the rod size and jam it in there. Does your machine do DC stick? Get some 7018 and try that, easy rod to run but it does best with DC. If the cost isn't too much more, step up the material thickness to 3/16 if you decide to stick weld it. Easier to weld thicker stuff with stick.

For that simple of a table design you should be able to cut up all of your material with a 4 1/2" grinder fairly quick. With stick you can fill a fair sized gap pretty easy. Weld everything 100% and any crappy welds won't affect the strength any.

Another design consideration - you can leave the lower bracing across the front off to slide a tool box under the table. Makes for great storage of all of the tooling for the machines. The HF 41" cabinets can be had (later when funds become available) fairly cheap. Better yet, place the lower shelf low enough to put the tool chest on the shelf below the top. The extra mass of the loaded tool box will help keep the table steady/stationary.

 

[PugetDude]

Steel square tubing legs, angle iron top frame and a 3' x 80" solid core exterior wood door slab.

 

[CraigStu]

The bench my old 1940s Craftsman lathe was on was at least 40 yrs old. Pretty well built w/ 2x4 and 2x6 framing pieces but just a 3/4 plywood top. When I brought the lathe home I could see where the lathe feet had sunken into the plywood maybe 1/8 inch. Who knows what quality the plywood was but it had also had plenty of oil on it over the years. That's why I went w/ butcher block and a sealing oil. 3/4 plywood certainly will hold up a 250# lathe but that 250# doesn't have many square inches at the bottom of the feet so the point loads are high.

 

[crazybrit]

Steel square tubing legs, angle iron top frame and a 3' x 80" solid core exterior wood door slab.

Will be going to the rebuilding center this weekend to try and find a door slab.

Stopped by the steel yard today looking for surplus. Nothing in 2" square but they're cutting some 2"x4"x1/8" for a customer and will have 3-1/2' remnants so will be picking up 6 of those later this week for $45.

Got seven 4' sections of 1-1/2" x 1/8 square which I'll use for the top/horizontals. More weld contact than angle plus they didn't have much angle.

The angle they did have I'll use for the lower horizontals.

Should be about $100 all in, plus whatever the top costs.

 

[crazybrit]

What do people recommend for height?

I'm 5'9". The table of the milling machine and the spindle of the lathe are both about 11" above the base of each unit.

I'm thinking something around 44"-46" for each of the above points. Which with a 1" wooden top, would put the height of the metal stand ar 32-34".

 

[PNWguy]

This should be made from metal. Im not sure what 250lbs feels like falling on me and nor do i want to.

Wood is plenty strong enough to support 250 pounds. 2x4s have held up entire houses for 100 years. We only switched to 2x6s because of insulation.

Strength is easy, but rigidity is what matters in this case.

 

[crazybrit]

Wood is plenty strong enough to support 250 pounds. 2x4s have held up entire houses for 100 years. We only switched to 2x6s because of insulation.



Strength is easy, but rigidity is what matters in this case.

Lathe and mill are 600+ pounds. In addition i may later replace wood top with concrete.

I've already got steel. Pretty committed to 7' x 3'. Only question now is height (see previous). Suggestions on this specific topic welcomed.

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[Aaron_W]

Wood would have been plenty strong, 4x4s are used in collapse rescue to hold up buildings.

It sounds like you are now committed to metal, and you are better off that way anyway. Wood can move and warp with changes in the weather enough to effect the accuracy of the machines, metal is less prone to movement.



With you building this free standing in the middle of a room, think about tipping issues. That table will be very top heavy. 600lbs sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. Unsecured I bet one person could move that table and / or flip it over a lot easier than you would think.

I have an 800lb milling machine and I am able to move it short distances in my shop without a whole lot of effort, by just giving it a good nudge.

 

[crazybrit]

With you building this free standing in the middle of a room, think about tipping issues.

What thought are you suggesting other than don't tip it over?

I have no other option in this shop than free standing. If we move to somewhere with larger shop I'll plan on wall location.

Obviously avoiding tipping implies making depth as large as possible and height as low as usable. Hence previous question on height. I'm going to be cutting steel this weekend.

I was thinking 3' depth was a lot from perspective of later adding drawers but the mill needs that depth. I can always add 18" drawers on both sides or 24" front drawers and use the 1" behind for some other storage.

Plan on having drawers at each end and center portion shelves.

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[bad_idea]

I find elbow height is ideal table height for detail work. Waist height is ideal for work requiring power tool use, hammering/prying or moving heavy items. I haven't worked with mills or lathes much. If I understand correctly, these are automated machines - so you just need to load metal into it, push start, then unload item. If that is the case, then I would think waist height would be ideal for a working surface.

Will both machines be facing the same side? If so, I would make 24" deep drawers on the front side and 12" open shelves on the other.