I would like to build a homemade work bench. I have a brother in law who is a carpenter and can help. Does anyone have experience building one, or does anyone have plans? I am going to use it for razor and brush restoration. Thanks
Homemade work bench
- Thread starter Storer50
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This is really subjective. A good work bench will take into consideration your height (often overlooked) and where it will be installed (or stored). Since your brother in law is a carpenter he should be able to get you squared away rather nicely. One thing I typically try to do is make sure that the work surface is a solid hardwood. Outside of that your options are limitless.
I built mine, and I couldnt be happier with it. I used 2x6's for the top section frame, and put 2x4 crosss braces in it. I built it about 6' wide, and 3' deep, which is plenty of work space. I used 4x4's for the legs, with 3/8" lag bolts holding them to the frame (3 on each leg). For the top, I used a sheet of 1" plywood. The cross braces and plywood top are held to the frame with 3" decking screws. It is probably the most solid table I have ever felt. I weigh almost 300lbs, and have stood on top of it several times, along with all the tools and junk that is on it. It doesnt wabble, even with me on it. I bolted a small vise to one corner.
Do you hone, or plan on honing in the future? If so, several considerations are water spillage (for those hones using a lot of water), and especially comfort when honing. You won't stand. So, height for sitting should be considered, and/or the height of a COMFORTABLE chair.
Cheap sturdy workbench:
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20.html
Also looks like that site has a bunch of other tips.
My dad has a workbench in the garage that it topped with old doors (solid core), cheap and solid. For that one I think he bolted 2x4's into the wall of the garage, and used 4x4's for the front legs of the workbench.
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20.html
Also looks like that site has a bunch of other tips.
My dad has a workbench in the garage that it topped with old doors (solid core), cheap and solid. For that one I think he bolted 2x4's into the wall of the garage, and used 4x4's for the front legs of the workbench.
For benches that I generally stand at while working that's generally how I build my benches w/ a few minor changes.
1) The shelf is all inside the legs so I don't have to notch the plywood for the shelf.
2) The shelf is higher so I can put stuff on the floor under it.
3) I used 4"x4" for the legs
4) I screw a piece of 1" wood on the back of the working surface to keep things from falling down behind it.
For my reloading benches where I'm sitting on a stool or at a chair I have no shelf, but will reinforce the legs on the outside and back, but not the front.
The folks over at Popular Woodworking magazine (and http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/) have been going over workbench designs for the past year and a half or so. They are very woodworking centric, but many of the joinery and layout features are ideas you could borrow from. They even came out with a book on workbench designs and it's full of many different designs. The bench designs range from using solid wood to plywood. There's a quick video on their inexpensive LVL (laminated veneer lumber) bench that's pretty interesting.
Way I see it the key considerations are size, aesthetics, expected use, and storage/features. Generally a bigger bench is better as you will never have enough work space to spread all your stuff out, but it has to fit in the area you want it. If this is in a basement or garage then plywood and 2x4s will be fine, but if you want it to look nicer you're going to have to invest in better materials or be prepared to paint the whole thing. And shelves and drawers are great, but they need to be in the right place for you to use them. And they add a lot of time to the build, so if you want this to be a single weekend project then perhaps you won't be able to do much of that.
I generally build mine similar to the ones described above. A couple of things that I do extra
1. cross brace the back of the bench with a board from top right to bottom left
2. I always add a board on three sides around the bottom
3. Where I mount my loader or vise I always double layer wht top espically if I am using a 1" top. A loading press can put a bit of torque on the bench top. For the Vise I usually just add a scrap cut in a triangle to the corner inside bottom.
1. cross brace the back of the bench with a board from top right to bottom left
2. I always add a board on three sides around the bottom
3. Where I mount my loader or vise I always double layer wht top espically if I am using a 1" top. A loading press can put a bit of torque on the bench top. For the Vise I usually just add a scrap cut in a triangle to the corner inside bottom.
