Jump to content

Work bench set ups.

Rate this topic


AKotoun

Recommended Posts

Just moved into what will hopefully be my house for quite a while. Has a basement that is capable of a nice work bench set up. Wondering about good ways to organize / build it up. Plug storage as well. 

Anyone got any tips / good ideas or pics of theirs?

 

thanks. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on the house. One of the things I did for a work area was I went to home Depot and found a returned kitchen counter top for cheep. Built it up on some 2x's. Then a friend had some kitchen cabinets, so I added them for storage. A little here n there..turned into a decent little shop. Add more electrical outlets/ receptacles, and lightning before you start. Good luck, have fun!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Figure out what height is comfortable to you and go with that.  Don't just pic a default number or a 'recommended' height based on other items.  When I was first putting my wood shop together, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, a 2x4 section of half in plywood and a bunch of different spacer blocks to get a feel for the height that was comfortable for me to work at, which happens to be  about 4-6 inches higher than the 'standard' recommended height for a bench.

 

From there, I have most of my shop set up at this height.  My assembly table, my table saws, my router table, miter saw... they're all the same height.  The exceptions are the bench I use for the midi lathe, the midi lathe itself, the planer, and the band saws.  I typically sit when I'm doing finishing work or assembly of stuff from the midi lathe.  Being able to scoot back and forth on my chair from the lathe to the bench at the same height is nice.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get a nice sturdy slab of some kind, a really old solid wood door is perfect, I personally would not find a HD laminate top heavy enough to mount a 4" vise to (vise from Harbor-Freight). Get 2 sturdy legs, then lag bolt the back side to the wall so it ain't going nowhere when you're banging on something in the vise. Most of the box stores now have LED "shoplites" that look like a 48" 2 tube fluorescent. Good shadowless lighting. Storage is very personal. I like carboard "pick" boxes stored on shelves. you can get them in whatever size you like, and grab it off the shelf to take to the bench. Works for everything from magazines to boxes of screws.

 

5073t15p1-f01a-digitall.png?ver=145709515073t12p1-f01a-digitall.png?ver=15040839

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 mins ago, AKotoun said:

Ive seen the work shop set up thread before and man there are some nice get ups in there. I'm a little more focused on the bench it self. any pointers greatly appreciated. 

Gotcha. I wish I had space for a nice work bench. As of now I'm confined to the garage, which is full of stuff. It's a 2 car garage and I can barely fit my son's power wheels in there, let alone a car. My shoddy work bench consists of 2 4'x2'x3' metal frame storage shelving units from home depot. My house has no real usable storage other than the garage. Because of that I have no room for a real work bench. My power tools (miter saw, router table, drill press, etc.) stay underneath the benches until they're needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously you can base a workbench on everything from a crappy old door to custom hardwood butcher block.  Depends on your OCD, available time and budget.  ...and how utilitarian you want it to be 

 

I have made workbenches with 2x4 frame...frame the "deck" just as you would a floor system.  Top it off with 3/4" AC plywood.  Attach back to wall and use 2x4 legs (framed in an "L- configuration)...and make a bottom "shelf" underneath about 4" off the floor.  If you need to move it around obviously make all four corners with legs.  Put extra blocking in the deck framing where you want your vise to go.

 

The AC plywood is good.  Nice and smooth but you won't be bummed out if you end up accidentally drilling a hole through it or spilling paint or oil.  Install with Torx-drive screws so it's easier to replace later if you need to.

 

Good and solid, easy to build and affordable.  

 

I've made standard workbenches like this as well as large 4' x 8' work tables.

Edited by blackdogfish

The Great Big Jig in the Sky...Shine on you crazy diamond jig.

rsz_2aa17withhook.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, cheech said:

I made my top from on edge 2x3s, glued and screwed. If you want to go extreme, threaded rod like this butcher block! Good luck with the project.

E97E0110-062B-4D71-9E61-74DA8231CAB5.jpeg

Nice work. Now you got me interested in making a similar block. I always has an issue with wood expanding contracting, resulting in splitting, cracking etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, blackdogfish said:

Obviously you can base a workbench on everything from a crappy old door to custom hardwood butcher block.  Depends on your OCD, available time and budget.  ...and how utilitarian you want it to be 

 

I have made workbenches with 2x4 frame...frame the "deck" just as you would a floor system.  Top it off with 3/4" AC plywood.  Attach back to wall and use 2x4 legs (framed in an "L- configuration)...and make a bottom "shelf" underneath about 4" off the floor.  If you need to move it around obviously make all four corners with legs.  Put extra blocking in the deck framing where you want your vise to go.

 

The AC plywood is good.  Nice and smooth but you won't be bummed out if you end up accidentally drilling a hole through it or spilling paint or oil.  Install with Torx-drive screws so it's easier to replace later if you need to.

 

Good and solid, easy to build and affordable.  

 

I've made standard workbenches like this as well as large 4' x 8' work tables.

This sounds very similar to the 4' reloading bench i built in the spare bedroom when my daughter moved out. Very solid 2x4 frame, legs in "L" configuration, and a recessed shelf (so I wouldn't be banging my legs into it while sitting on the stool and reloading).  House already had a nice work bench in garage. This is where I pour jigs among other things. Also have a long bench in basement that I rarely use. If I ever get back into building rods it would be perfect because of its length.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, hobobob said:

Nice work. Now you got me interested in making a similar block. I always has an issue with wood expanding contracting, resulting in splitting, cracking etc.

The strongest chopping blocks are end grain. This was once a 30yr old flat maple workbench top discarded from a wastewater trtmt. plant maintenance shop. The black is oil and grease stains.

E55641A2-DC66-4BE8-9576-AE1D48A218B8.jpeg

Tis better to remain silent and thought the fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to register here in order to participate.

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...