work benches

Alright so I think it's time for me to upgrade from constantly working on the floor and invest in a real bench to do stuff on. I searched around a little bit and liked the look of this bench by Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93454
It looks really good for the price, however I went to check it out in person and it was actually really rickety. The 250lb weight limit doesn't impress me either.

Then I looked at this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94309
And although it looks sturdy, it seems kind of a bit too wide for what I need. I work in a 1 car garage so space is precious.

Share your thoughts and maybe what you guys use for work benches. I do want to put a vise on there so I'm looking for an excellent table top, maybe 3/4" or 1" thick.

I'll have to see where I put them, but I used plans I got from NRMA (National Reloaders Manufacturers' Association) that were originally intended for reloading benches. I made a couple of mods and changed materials in a couple of places (primarily using 3/4" ACX plywood for the top - I picked up five and a half sheets as part of a cleanup job...) and built a couple of solid benches for myself.

Test? My two boys and I jumped around on top of them after I finished building them - hand to sand the footprints clean - and they didn't even flex. That was around six hundred pounds of active meat...

If you're going to use a wooden top, I'd like to suggest a couple of things:

1) Where you bolt your vice, use a metal "load spreader" plate (painted steel or aluminum) on the underside of the bench, drilled to match the vise foot. Mine is about twelve inches square, and occupies the corner underside below the vice. I can stand on a pipe clamped in the vice - the pipe bends, but the bench doesn't.

2) If you have a number of tools that want bolted down, but you want to be able to move and switch between them, get a 3/4"-1" thick metal plate (painted steel or aluminum - I used steel) and make a "bench block." Drill and tap for the various patterns. I can switch between my reloading presses and a few other tools without having to reach under the bench to hold the other end of the screw. In my case, I made a "sandwich" of the benchtop - about 12" bench block atop, and about 18" spreader plate below.

3) Use a corner rounding bit to round over the corner of the top of the bench. It's a small thing, but it helps.

4) Be picky about materials - particularly the benchtop.

5) The "ideal" height for a workbench top comes to within about four inches plus-or-minus of the height of your navel. That's high enough that you won't have to lean to reach a job, but still low enough that you can use body mass and leverage when you need to (and do so effectively.)

6) Building a lower shelf is a huge help - you can use it to store works in progress or parts, and keep them out of your way and off the floor.

What are my benches made from? The legs are 4x4", the frame is 2x4", and the front "lip" of the bench is 2x6" for a strong lip. Most of the materials I'd gotten for free - I think I spent a total of about fifty bucks for the two benches (including five bucks pack & post to get the plans in the first place.) Metal I had floating around, and most of the lumber I got from the cleanup job.

Benchtops are 72"x30", which is plenty of room (I even put four outlets on a switch in the benchtop, and I can plug the benches into the wall when I want to power them. Had most of that lying about as well - advantages to working on pretty much anything...)

If you don't want to wait for me, check the adverts in the back of various shooting magazines - NRMA probably still advertises plans for that bench, and I've found them superior to pretty much any prefab bench made. And, you can modify the plans to fit your particular needs.

my work bench has been serving my well sinse i was 8 years old, its made out of 2x12's for the work top, and 2x6 for the legs...

growing up, we moved A LOT... and it allways fallowed us.

i learned to weld on it, putting some nasty burns into the top, so we went to a local metal shop, and had them bend us up a diamond plate aluminum table top, it came out EXCELLANT.

i would say, build your own. i share a 2car garage, so i too basically work in a 1-car shop, so the long and narrow works well for me.

your 2nd link says the fallowing: "[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Rugged all-welded construction", BULLSHIT, i can see the screws.=\


[/FONT]

It's been about 6 years since I last did woodworking in high school. I made a really nice nightstand out of cherry, using dovetails and woodglue to keep it together. Would have been a beautiful piece if I didn't drop it on the edge of a table and made a huge dent in one of the back legs. I'll have to check out your plans and see if it's feasible for me. Back then I had access to table saws, planers, wood files, tons of hand saws, clamps, routers and a teacher. Now most of my tools are geared towards metal working. Please send the plans if you do find them. Also have a couple of questions:

5-90 said:

I'll have to see where I put them, but I used plans I got from NRMA (National Reloaders Manufacturers' Association) that were originally intended for reloading benches. I made a couple of mods and changed materials in a couple of places (primarily using 3/4" ACX plywood for the top - I picked up five and a half sheets as part of a cleanup job...) and built a couple of solid benches for myself.

Test? My two boys and I jumped around on top of them after I finished building them - hand to sand the footprints clean - and they didn't even flex. That was around six hundred pounds of active meat...

If you're going to use a wooden top, I'd like to suggest a couple of things:

1) Where you bolt your vice, use a metal "load spreader" plate (painted steel or aluminum) on the underside of the bench, drilled to match the vise foot. Mine is about twelve inches square, and occupies the corner underside below the vice. I can stand on a pipe clamped in the vice - the pipe bends, but the bench doesn't.
What thickness do you recommend? I most likely will use aluminum as it'll be easier to drill through and lighter. 1/8"? 3/16"?

3) Use a corner rounding bit to round over the corner of the top of the bench. It's a small thing, but it helps.
What's the primary purpose of this? I'm guessing you need a router for it?
4) Be picky about materials - particularly the benchtop.
What would you suggest? Plywood or solid wood? I was thinking maybe walnut or mahogany.


What are my benches made from? The legs are 4x4", the frame is 2x4", and the front "lip" of the bench is 2x6" for a strong lip. Most of the materials I'd gotten for free - I think I spent a total of about fifty bucks for the two benches (including five bucks pack & post to get the plans in the first place.) Metal I had floating around, and most of the lumber I got from the cleanup job.

Benchtops are 72"x30", which is plenty of room (I even put four outlets on a switch in the benchtop, and I can plug the benches into the wall when I want to power them. Had most of that lying about as well - advantages to working on pretty much anything...)

If you don't want to wait for me, check the adverts in the back of various shooting magazines - NRMA probably still advertises plans for that bench, and I've found them superior to pretty much any prefab bench made. And, you can modify the plans to fit your particular needs.

Click to expand...

And one last question: What should be used to assemble the pieces together? Bolts or wood screws? I'm guessing bolts right?

I bought a steel bench frame off of a craigslist ad for $40. It's a nice industrial type with outlet holes and a small shelf at the bottem. Went to HomeDepot, bought a sheet of 3/4" ply, had them cut it to the size that i wanted and then used the scraps to to build it up to 1 1/2". Then I framed it with some 1x2" pine and used some outdoor varnish to seal it all up. Less then $100 into it and fairly beefy. Just some food for thought.

back in the day my stepdad built a set of 4 benches that i now use. the tops start with 2x4s or 2x6s as the bottom layer, a thin piece of plywood, then a 1/4" thick piece of that dark brown paper-like composite board. the lip of the table sits flush with the top layer. the top layer is replaceable in the event that it gets too torn up- which its almost there after a ton of projects, a blown water heater, sye, a bit of reloading, tons of tools on it......

a replaceable top is a huge benefit

crimsondragon said:

It's been about 6 years since I last did woodworking in high school. I made a really nice nightstand out of cherry, using dovetails and woodglue to keep it together. Would have been a beautiful piece if I didn't drop it on the edge of a table and made a huge dent in one of the back legs. I'll have to check out your plans and see if it's feasible for me. Back then I had access to table saws, planers, wood files, tons of hand saws, clamps, routers and a teacher. Now most of my tools are geared towards metal working. Please send the plans if you do find them. Also have a couple of questions:


And one last question: What should be used to assemble the pieces together? Bolts or wood screws? I'm guessing bolts right?

Click to expand...

Tools needed should be minimal - I cut the 4x4 with a hand saw, and everything else with a circ. Used a drill to bore holes for the carriage bolts to stick the legs on, and used Spax screws everywhere else (think uber-wood screw. I use them in sheetmetal, wood, light masonry, ...)

You'd need a router for the corner-rounder bit - you can borrow one if you need to. I just like it because it saves me gouging myself on the corner, and I tend to smack my elbows into anything sharp.

Load-spreader plates underneath should be in the 1/8"-1/4" range. Plates overtop should be thick enough for what you're trying to do (3/4"-1" for a "bolt pattern" plate, down around 1/4" for general working surface.)

Plywood is stronger, and that's what you'll want. You don't have to use ACX/appearance grade - the only reason I did was because I got it for free. BCX will serve neatly - just sand it lightly before you put it into service (BCX can have surface splinters.)

Anywhere you use a fastener with a machine thread (carriage bolt, hex head bolt, nut, ...) use a fender washer under the head. The only problem will be the square protrusion under the head of a carriage bolt - but the head is fairly large. You want a load-spreader under anything that can be pulled into the wood for strength.

(NB: A "fender washer" is much larger than a comparable flat washer, think getting a 1-1/4" OD washer for a 1/4" nominal screw.)

Anything else?

I found the benches bought at a reasonable price are very flimsy. If you have access to a welder make your own. Great project, relatively inexpensive and you can make it any size you want.

My bench has a 4 x 8 x 1/4 thick top and 2x2 square tubing legs. I built a shelf underneath to hold my ARC welder and extra steel out of angle iron and mesh (so the dirt goes through to the floor instead of collecting in the shelf. Went to Sears tools and bought a dented 3 drawer add a box, then welded two mounting channels to the bottom of the bench and attached the box to these. Great for storing my welding gear. Attached a vice to one of the corners of the work bench. The bench has a lot of working room for whatever type of project I want to do.

Yes, the bench is heavy, but it will not move around no matter what you are working on.

Overall it is a great project you can do, and you can make it fit your application.

Build one...

My desk in my room is made entirely from 2x4s and 2x6s and is topped by 3/4" subflooring plywood. It's 8 feet long, cost me about $100, and supports 200lbs of computer gear and 200lbs of ham radio + electronics gear yet I can still stand on it without it flexing.

If you want to make one that'll handle even more, triangulate it a bit. Mine's just legs lag-bolted to the table support beams, no triangulation at all.

I also built shelves for my storage unit this way - 4x8x16 inch cement blocks, 3/4" plywood, and 2x4s. I think it cost me 200 bucks for a total of 8 shelves (plus the floor under the bottom shelf) with each 16" tall shelf measuring 8x2 feet. I tested them for strength by putting one shelf on some cement blocks and then jumping on it as hard as I could, it flexed about a quarter of an inch.

Check the local Craigslist ads for materials. It seems like there is always someone here wanting to give away bits of 4x4 left over from projects, etc. If not, then go to the local lumber yard (Home Depot or Lowes?) and buy what you need. Construction will depend on your needs, but I recommend planning for the most extreme case likely for you. I built the bench in my last garage of 4x4s on the legs and 2x6s on the upper horizontals, 2x4s on lower shelf supports. It was 96" wide and 32" deep, at around waist height. I braced in the middle every 4 ft. I covered in 3/4 plywood for strength and then sheathed in thin stainless steel (this can get very expensive, but was free to me because I got a surplus piece from work). This seems like overkill with the stainless, but I could set a whole SB V-8 on this bench and tear it down without it failing and without staining the bench top. There is good advice here, though, for mounting vices and such. The vice should be backed from beneath, and I like the idea of mounting the benchtop tools to similar plates that can be interchanged. Good luck, and remember to draw it all out several times until you get what you want. If you want, even mock it up with Balsa pieces to scale.

tdkask said:

Check the local Craigslist ads for materials. It seems like there is always someone here wanting to give away bits of 4x4 left over from projects, etc. If not, then go to the local lumber yard (Home Depot or Lowes?) and buy what you need. Construction will depend on your needs, but I recommend planning for the most extreme case likely for you. I built the bench in my last garage of 4x4s on the legs and 2x6s on the upper horizontals, 2x4s on lower shelf supports. It was 96" wide and 32" deep, at around waist height. I braced in the middle every 4 ft. I covered in 3/4 plywood for strength and then sheathed in thin stainless steel (this can get very expensive, but was free to me because I got a surplus piece from work). This seems like overkill with the stainless, but I could set a whole SB V-8 on this bench and tear it down without it failing and without staining the bench top. There is good advice here, though, for mounting vices and such. The vice should be backed from beneath, and I like the idea of mounting the benchtop tools to similar plates that can be interchanged. Good luck, and remember to draw it all out several times until you get what you want. If you want, even mock it up with Balsa pieces to scale.

Click to expand...

Thanks - but you may have missed what I'd meant on the second bit. I don't have the "swap tools" (mainly reloading gear at the moment) mounted to plates, I just have a heavy steel plate that is drilled & tapped to accept the two presses, case trimmer, and whatever else, and I just have a bag of screws and a wrench under the bench near where all of the goodies are stashed. Just one plate (well, one on top. There's a sammich plate underneath, so I can really bear down on it if need be. I do have a 2-ton mechanical arbor press that I use there as well...)

5-90 said:

Thanks - but you may have missed what I'd meant on the second bit. I don't have the "swap tools" (mainly reloading gear at the moment) mounted to plates, I just have a heavy steel plate that is drilled & tapped to accept the two presses, case trimmer, and whatever else, and I just have a bag of screws and a wrench under the bench near where all of the goodies are stashed. Just one plate (well, one on top. There's a sammich plate underneath, so I can really bear down on it if need be. I do have a 2-ton mechanical arbor press that I use there as well...)

Click to expand...

Oh, I got ya. Thanks. Even still, expresses the idea of versatility, thought out for multiple uses, and very stable and strong and secure. Anchored to a wall may serve you well, too. I forgot to say, I assembled mine with large wood screws and driver bit in a drill.

tdkask said:

Oh, I got ya. Thanks. Even still, expresses the idea of versatility, thought out for multiple uses, and very stable and strong and secure. Anchored to a wall may serve you well, too. I forgot to say, I assembled mine with large wood screws and driver bit in a drill.

Click to expand...

Yeah. It was an idea I got from my granddad when I was a kid, helping him handload.

Anchored to a wall or to the floor would serve if you own, but we rent (and it's easier to just put heavy iron castings on the bottom shelf than it is to undo a proper anchoring job - I don't want to explain the heavy lag bolts in the garage floor if I don't have to...)

I found this forum a couple of weeks back. Not much in the way of plans but pleanty of realy good ideas...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50406&highlight=workbench

SleeperXJ said:

I found this forum a couple of weeks back. Not much in the way of plans but pleanty of realy good ideas...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50406&highlight=workbench

Click to expand...

Great site for ideas, I have been a member there for about 1 year. Saw an idea I would like to use for my garage for the vice. You take a trailer hitch receiver tube and mount it to your bench, and then mount the vice to a receiver, this way you can store the vice, and pull it out only when you need it, simply slide it in, and put your pin in to hold it.

And you can use it for other things, like a grinder, band saw, drill press, etc... Great for small garages with limited space.

Also check craigslist, you can find some really well made stuff for a very fair price.

my local cabelas has a reloading workbench on display and it looks solid. i dont know the price though

If it is from Cabelas I am willing to bet it cost about 3 times more than it should.

I've been wanting to build my own bench for a long time now, I do all my work on the floor and it's getting old. I'm in if anyone has good plans for a simple wooden bench that can be made with basic hand tools / skills.

I would love to start reloading too if I get a bench to work off.

I'd give you plans but I just sorta winged it :dunno: All I needed was a drill, saber saw (because I did a semi-round cutout in the front edge in front of the computer+monitors), hand saw, screwdrivers, a carpenter's square, and some socket wrenches.

It's kinda completely buried in computer parts, jeep parts, and assorted paperwork right now, but I'm hopefully moving in a week and a half so I can take some pics once I have excavated it.