I'm moving into a new (for us) house which finally has a little workshop
area.
Any ideas for a good workbench? Lowes has a line of grey-ish particle board
stuff. It is OK but I'd like something a little more durable.
Dave
As someone else already said, build it yourself. 2x6's for the
frame, some long (21/2-3") drywall screws to hold most of it
together, some shorter ones and a few joist hangers to hold the
sides in place. The top can be anything from a scrap piece of
kitchen countertop to a bunch of 1x6 or 1x8's to some heavy ass
oak planks, all your choice. K.I.S.S. Best "size" is one big
enough to work with yet small enough so it doesn't take on a
life of its own. If you crunch the numbers on how high and
deep it should be, you'll find a nice cozy arrangement where
8' - the depth (30"-34" is nice) gives you a nice ~5' piece
left over for a length, so 4 2x6's give you 2 front pieces,
2 back pieces and 4 sides. That's your basic "boxes", one
high and one low, and you'll split 2 pieces to make your legs.
Beyond that? Screw some 2x4 uprights to the back legs to
serve as shelf standards. Some of those metal brackets and
a couple of 1X8 shelves above the work surface make a great
place for boxes of screws and nails, your radio, some small
cans of stains and paint, coffee cup, etc. They're not for
permanant, heavy storage, they're for -convenience- items.
Key points: It doesn't need to measure any certain size,
don't be afraid to pull something apart and try it another
way, and build something you can enjoy using. Good luck.
--
Baisez-les s'ils ne peuvent pas prendre une plaisanterie
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And I'm too much of an amateur to know the difference! lol
But yes, that's a good point. The point was, of course, to
use something he can shoot in with a drill or power driver
rather than drilling holes for regular wood screws.
(I'm assuming deck screws have a slightly thicker body.)
--
Baisez-les s'ils ne peuvent pas prendre une plaisanterie
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If you really want it solid use 1/4" lag bolts. They take a little longer
to install than drywalls
or deck screws but they are secure. Drywall screws are good for screwing
the top in.
Nate
--
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com ).
Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/03
I would use carriage bolts in drilled holes to assemble a workbench
frame. They are easily retightened as the wood shrinks, and they
won't tear out and strip the hole under duress.
Barry
stay away from particle board stuff unless you plan on making paper
dolls.... one good blow with a hammer and its history.. the best ever
work bench that i got was for free. it was a Palet when i was a kid..
the top was 2 by 6 inch. pine and the bottom runners were 4 by 6 inch.
boards that thing was put on some 4 by 4 post and lasted for about 20
yrs.. it still might be there as we left it when we moved.... could beat
it with a sledge hammer and no damage.....
plus it was all for free, picked it up from a dump area behind the
business that was throwing it out....
I went to Rockler Woodworking picked up their steel legs and runners $39.99
and built a maple top, and other accessories like woodworker vise and dogs,
even put a couple of drawers and cabinet doors in as well. Works great for
woodworking. Picked up more legs and runners and a cheap solid core door
and built one I can use for automotive and other grimmy stuff.
Rich
--
You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK.
Check out Simpson products. They make kits to build shelving units and
other things like workbenches. Works well. they are like the hangers
used on construction to hold joists. Even the part time handyman can
knock one together easily.
best workbench i ever had was one i built myself
go to you hometown hardware store and find some mistake,
slightly damaged, solid core door, it might even have a hole drilled
into it for the knob, that you can pull wires thru
it will be cheap, like maybe less than $10
put a 2x4 ledger on the studs on your wall and
as the back support, it a corner location do it on another
side too
then get a 4x4 and cut it for the front legs, with the
door sitting directly on them
you might also give it some more stability by
running a 1x4 from the studs to each of the legs
even more stability by 2 more 4x4s on the
wall side at the end of the ledger
should hold about 1000#
bill
then On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 21:25:36 GMT, "Dave"
Wait 10, 20 ,50 yrs. You will be the ASS that experimented, and
HD now wont warranty your PUSS,,,,, Wake UP It lasts thousands
of years done right ,, Bozo, YOU a BOZO , BOZO
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