Work bench design / suggestions?

[ohekk]

As I prepare to start setting up my shop, I want to consider the options for work benches.

My old work benches were 2'deep x 8' long and constructed of 2x4s and plywood with a galvanized sheet metal top.

They worked OK but got woobly after a while and the shelves collected alot of clutter & dust.

The 2' deep top was limiting as well.

I'm thinking going 32 or 36" deep.

I have studs/ drywall on one wall and block on the other.

Any ideas /designs would be appreciated.

[Junket]

In my shop I made mine 36" used 1 1/8" plywood on the top then went over it with 48" 3/32 metal bent 1" on front and 12" in back run 2X4s in front for drawers face and the 12" left over from the top made 24" shelves below.Can weld grind and take my frustration out
Ken

[BMK]

Hi all

Just completed a small garage bench construction job.

I looked up a few garage suppliers on site here and decided on using a formboard for my bench tops. This is a green finished ply that is used in concrete formwork construction.

It allows you to wipe oil etc. off the surface.

I have used some stainless steel ( left over after restaurant fitout) around my bench vice and grinder wheel. To date it cleans up well.

I used 100 x 100 (4"x4") legs and rebated in cross frames. Its very strong and sturdy.



One thing I did pick up as a tip was to make the bench height to your own comfort height. If you are working over a bench assembling it saves back pain.

I placed a half shelf at eye height to store small cans of lubricants and cleaning product that I often use.

Nows the time to put in two or three power outlets for drills etc. You cannot have to many. I also have a power outlet hanging from the roof just above my car. This helps keeping leads of the floor and from hanging around legs.

Have also installed a swivel crane type light that I can pull down to where I'm working. A four foot tube is also fitted to the wall.

Just a few thoughts/ideas. Hope it of some assistance

Cheers

Bernie

[Morris]

You might want to check out the Butcher Block work bench tops at Grainger..... very strong and come in many different sizes....

We use them in the shop and in the trailers...

Morris

[Rick Parker]

http://www.tracertoolboxes.com/?page=stainless

Theres are very nice,made in stainless and mild steel, with powder coationg throughout.

Rick

[thorconstr]

Bernie, That "form board or green finished plywood" is pressure treated plywood or plywood that has been injected with chemicals to prevent decay in moist situations. Warnings are usualy posted on a tag that is stapled to the product, such as, "Wear gloves when handling"or "Do not breathe dust when cutting". They inject some pretty nasty chemicals into that stuff. I would'nt have that in an enclosed space that I was working on all the time. If you start glowing in the dark or get weird growths-------!!!

[Lowell W]

Ohekk,

If you make your bench tops 32" or 36" deep, make sure you can reach the wall outlets easily.

Ken,

Aren't you concerned about burning the bench top beneath the steel sheet when you're welding? The steel top does sound great for a work surface, though.

I made a 30" X 39" all steel rolling welding table with a 5/16" top with ribs welded to the underside, square sides and angle iron legs flush and square with the top so I can use it like a big cube for clamping. Then I mounted a swivel vise on one corner. I have swivel casters on one end and non-swiveling casters on the end with the vise. Lots of cutting and grinding and welding involved and overkill, perhaps, but well worth the effort every time I use it.

Lowell

[Dwight]

I USED A STEEL FRAME ( ANGLE IRON AND TUBE STEEL) AND OLD HOSPITAL DOORS. THE DOORS ARE 2" THICK AND 42" WIDE AND 7'7" TALL. I CUT THEM TO 32" WIDE. I HAVE DOUBLE OUTLETS EVERY 6' AND 18" ABOVE THE TABLE. THE BENCHES ARE WAIST HEIGHT FOR 'ME'. 30 INCHES. I HAVE PLANS OF BUILDING ONE ON CASTERS ABOUT 26" HIGH AND 42" x 72". A STEEL TABLE IS THE BEST FOR WELDING!

[xlr8or]

I put my bench at belly button high for more comfort and it also is just the right height for a small rollaway tool box to sit under it.
Bench is 36" deep and the over head shelf is 18" deep and eyeball high. The whole thing is 12' feet long so the upper shelf and space below offer lots of storage.

[ohekk]

Junket: You said 1 1/8" ply wood...where do you get that?

I also built a metal welding table with locking castors. It has a shelf on the back and a rack for hanging a variety of clamps.

I think I'll add a vice like Lowell...GREAT suggestion!

xlr8or: I like your idea of setting the height so that a roller cabinet
with fit below.

Dwight: Where do you find 7'7" "hospital" doors?

I stopped at my buddies last night to check out his woodworking shop. He used solid core doors that he got as "seconds" from Home Depot...makes for a nice solid surface!

I like Bernie's suggestion for a stainless steel top. I have a friend that works for an elevator company. He said he has a stainless steel elevator door for his bench top.

and yes... I put in plenty of outlets.

Thanks for the ideas!

[Junket]

Lowell I don't cut on the table with the torch just use the wire feed and grind sure keeps the sparks in check. The 1 1/8" plywood is used for sub floor in homes I belive you can still get it.
Ken

[Dangerous Doug]

I just installed 16' of cabinetry along the back of my garage (See "Garage Mahal"), and installed a formica counter top. The cabinets are "Mills Pride" from Home Depot, and are what I consider "rental home grade", or in my case, "garage grade". Not too expensive, but not entirely cheap, either. I used mostly 36" wide by 36" high (with the counter top installed). They go together easily, and they look great. You get the added advantage of having all of the hinges and stuff pre-drilled and aligned, and the drawers are easy to put together.

One other thing that I did is I build a mobile work space with some 5/8" plywood, wheels and pipe. It has storage down below, and a large workspace on top. The wheels allow me to move it in and out of the garage, or over to the house ---- where ever I need to work. I builtd this because after I installed all of the cabinetry and counter top along the back of my garage, it just looked too nice to start drilling holes in it to mount my bench grinder and vise. So, This mobile work bench (which, incidentally, was designed with a top just large enough to rebuild a Jag IRS...) can also have my grinder and vise temporarily installed with bolts and wingnuts. I'll probably put a steel or aluminum sheet on top of the mobile work bench sometime soon (other projects with higher priority, you know.)

Dangerous Doug

[Burnd]

Originally posted by ohekk


They worked OK but got woobly after a while and the shelves collected alot of clutter & dust.

The 2' deep top was limiting as well.

I'm thinking going 32 or 36" deep.

I have studs/ drywall on one wall and block on the other.

Any ideas /designs would be appreciated.

We just built an extra bench in my outside work shop and it was rock solid in the same kind of setup as yours. Difference is I framed the top base in 4"x4"'s. I then used upright 4x4 posts as legs and then lag bolted the frame into the side/top 4x4 posts. (The frame has 3 cross members on the inside of the frame). Its 36" deep x 8' long and I can still reach the wall without standing on my wife. I used 2"x8"x8's on the top and used stainless steel wood screws (NOT NAILS), counter sunk into the tops of the frame cross members. Also allowed overhand for Vise and grinder bolt down, etc. On the left end I put a 3'x3' square 1/4" steel plate for hot metal work and bolted it down. It's easy to build cause you can do the frame work flush on the floor. The back wall still has posts even though it's tied into the wall studs( or in your case, flush against the block), for rigidity. It's simple and rock solid. You can buy a thin formical sheet cheap if you want too cover the 5' not covered by the steel top but I prefer the 2x8 surface. On the front face we ran an electrical outlet bar just under the overlap and everything is convenient for electrical plugs. I do a lot of gun work and this bench serves perfect double duty. Don't make it too high and you'll find working on it is easier. I used a swivel bar stool and sat on it first to measure the heigth. Just some thoughts.

[ohekk]

yeah...I'm comfortable at that height!

...aand I like the idea of the 3x3 plate instead of the entire top being metal.

[relaxinrob]

I noticed that you are building these benches on a concrete wall as well as a wood wall with drywall. I did the exact same thin in my woodworking shop and the end result was som fantastic benches that are strong as on ox, and have no legs that sit on the floor!!!

What I did was attach a 2x4 at the base of the wall running the whole length of the workbench, then at the desired hieght of the bench(for me it was 36") I mounted the second 2x4 level at that height. The bench top is made out of 3/4" plywood cut to 30" depth. I screwed it to the top of the 2x4 on the wall, then temporarily propped it up level. I cut a notched 2x4 to rest on top of the 2x4 along the base of the wall and fit under the plywood out to the edge. Spend some time on this one, get it right and use it for a pattern. With the brace sitting on top of the base 2x4 and screwed to the under side of the benchtop, i put these every 4' or so. Then i cut strips of the 3/4 " plywood to fit under the edge of the bench between the supports to have a thickness of 1.5" at the front edge. Then i put a 3/4 x 1.5" board on the front and rounded over the edges. You can mount drawer slides under the bench or anything else that you like. I also put a 1' wode shelf on the braces for storage out of the way. This bench is super strong, doesn't get in the way, and is very versitile.

Good Luck.

Rob