Workbench

[aggromere]

I have limited room in my garage (where i turn pens). I have a small 5ft by 2ft wide home made bench about 36 inches high. I stand up while im working. I have my jet mini and a table top band saw mounted at either end of the top. I ordered a byrne table saw a week ago and should be getting it pretty soon. At that point I will move the bandsaw to the top of another cabinet I have and use it for rough cutting blanks and such. I will do all my other work on the byrne and lathe.

I want to get a fairly nice workbench with draws for storage and cabinets so shavings dont get into everything. I've looked around and haven't found anything suitable. Maybe you guys know of someplace. I'm not to handy and cant build a nice one. the one i built is just 2x4's with plywood on the top. Had to shim the heck out of it to get it close to stable and level.

I was prowling through Home Depot today and came upon an idea. For well under $500 I can get 3 30inch base kitchen cabinets with 2 drawers each and 2 cabinets each with doors and an 8 foot long laminate counter top that is 2 feet wide. If I cut it to 7.5 feet it will cover the three cabinets perfectly. Is that a viable solution to a work bench?

Just looking for feed back and suggestions.

 

[holmqer]

It looks like a decent plan to me, a few questions / thoughts though.

With the Jet Mini on top of this new bench, will the spindle be at or slightly above elbow height? If not how far off is it, and would the lathe be high or low?

Will the largest items you have on any shelves below your current bench top fit in the cabinets? If not do you have a good alternate location for them?

You may wish to consider not cutting off the extra 6" and use the overhang to mount a bench vise. This may be a waste of time and money though as mounting the vise to the underlying particle board may not be practical.

 

[talbot]

I got rid of my 8' bench when I put the large lathe in the workshop and when I finish the mobile base for the lathe I intend to have a collapsible bench top hinged to the workshop wall behind the lathe bench. I'll fit both a front and end vice to the top which will be no more than two layers of ply on a 1" by 1" frame to give it rigidity.
I'll still have a bench top but save a lot of space.
regards, Bill

 

[wdcav1952]

Peter, I hope it is a viable idea as both of my work benches are done this way! I find that my CarbaTec lathe is at a good height for me on the table. I am a bit vertically challenged though. A tall person could easily build a base for the lather to raise it to a better height.

 

[bradh]

Have a look at the construction of the top, many are hollowed out in the center and it would be fairly easy to inset some plywood in areas that need more strength and then run bolts from the vice (and other tools) down into the plywood.

 

[jkeithrussell]

It sounds like a viable plan, but you could build something similar for a lot less than $500. Basically just a square frame with a flat surface and a few drawers and/or shelves. I've got Memorial Day weekend set aside to build a new workbench for my garage.

 

[titan2]

I was prowling through Home Depot today and came upon an idea. For well under $500 I can get 3 30inch base kitchen cabinets with 2 drawers each and 2 cabinets each with doors and an 8 foot long laminate counter top that is 2 feet wide. If I cut it to 7.5 feet it will cover the three cabinets perfectly. Is that a viable solution to a work bench?

Just looking for feed back and suggestions.

I would look for a 'Butcher Block' counter top instead of a liminate counter top.......much more sturdy and you can bolt everything down without destroying the top. The 'Butcher Block' can take a beating as no laminate can.

Post some pics of what you come up with.....

Barney

 

[nava1uni]

I found a butcher block rolling kitchen cabinet on the street and put heavier casters on it and plywood on three sides and it makes a great counter bench. It is 2" thick and was easy to drill through and is very solid I put some shelves in and mounted my grinder, belt sender and sharpener and store wood underneath. Put a surge protector on the back and everything plugs into it. Run the cords through the top and out the back so nothing is in the way when using the tools. www.flickr.com/photos/handyrn/3496464746/