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
The best kind is the one you make yourself. Customized to suit your needs. Built strong enough to last forever.
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.
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....
Dave, decides to chip in.
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
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.
Thanks for the great suggestions.
Love this NG.
Dave
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 >I'm moving into a new (for us) house which finally has a little workshop >area.
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.)
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
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
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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