rogerpjr
Member
I was looking for a decent bench on which to put my daughter's new Delta 46-460 12" Midi Lathe. I checked the local Craig's List and Harbor Freight for a tool chest or work bench and came up with the Harbor Freight 60" hardwood workbench with four drawers. Their Item Number is 93454. Another post by bking0217 in Casual Conversations talked about him using one of these and thinking it was pretty good. The local HF didn't have any of the benches on display, but based on his comments and the reviews on the HF site, I bought one today. The regular price is $199.99, but it goes on sale frequently for $159.99. It is on sale for $139.99 for the Veterans Day weekend. Here's a link to the workbench: http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-solid-oak-workbench-93454.html
It took quite a while to unpack all the individually bubble wrapped parts and make six trips to the basement from the garage. What I found was one of the better buys at HF. It took me about two hours to assemble by myself. It would go quicker and a little easier with a helper as their instructions tell you. Although it is not the highest quality wood, it was a very good buy for the money. I make furniture and cabinents off and on, and I could not even come close to making the bench for the price they asked and the time to assemble it. It is very sturdy and easily supports the Delta Midi with one bed extension attached. The top is actually only about 1" thick but it appears to be about 2" in the pictures as there is a framework around the edges of the top. The finish is pretty good. There is also a fairly low quality vise on one end, but you can leave it off if you wanted. I put it on as who knows if it would come in handy later.
I had printed the instruction manual off the HF site and it was easier to read than the small size one supplied. It also seemed to be worded differently and the pictures weren't exactly the same, but either one would work. The instructions were pretty clear and easy to follow. There were no missing parts and even a couple spare nut/bolt sets were included. The only tool I used besides the included hex key was a cordless screwdriver as there were about sixty screws to install. You could do it with a standard hand screwdriver, but who does that if they don't have to.
The drawer slides are fairly low quality ball bearing type and unfortunately the drawers only open about half way, but they will do. The drawer bottoms are almost 1/2" thick and are covered in dark green felt. I did find that I had to remove the bottom piece from the legs and cut six inches off each leg and re-attach the bottom to get the Delta lathe to a comfortable working height. There is a full length & width shelf on the lower part of the leg assembly. I'm planning to add a small cabinet and/or drawers to the bottom to make the space more usefull to me.
All in all, it is a very good buy and well worth the purchase price.
It took quite a while to unpack all the individually bubble wrapped parts and make six trips to the basement from the garage. What I found was one of the better buys at HF. It took me about two hours to assemble by myself. It would go quicker and a little easier with a helper as their instructions tell you. Although it is not the highest quality wood, it was a very good buy for the money. I make furniture and cabinents off and on, and I could not even come close to making the bench for the price they asked and the time to assemble it. It is very sturdy and easily supports the Delta Midi with one bed extension attached. The top is actually only about 1" thick but it appears to be about 2" in the pictures as there is a framework around the edges of the top. The finish is pretty good. There is also a fairly low quality vise on one end, but you can leave it off if you wanted. I put it on as who knows if it would come in handy later.
I had printed the instruction manual off the HF site and it was easier to read than the small size one supplied. It also seemed to be worded differently and the pictures weren't exactly the same, but either one would work. The instructions were pretty clear and easy to follow. There were no missing parts and even a couple spare nut/bolt sets were included. The only tool I used besides the included hex key was a cordless screwdriver as there were about sixty screws to install. You could do it with a standard hand screwdriver, but who does that if they don't have to.
The drawer slides are fairly low quality ball bearing type and unfortunately the drawers only open about half way, but they will do. The drawer bottoms are almost 1/2" thick and are covered in dark green felt. I did find that I had to remove the bottom piece from the legs and cut six inches off each leg and re-attach the bottom to get the Delta lathe to a comfortable working height. There is a full length & width shelf on the lower part of the leg assembly. I'm planning to add a small cabinet and/or drawers to the bottom to make the space more usefull to me.
All in all, it is a very good buy and well worth the purchase price.
