Its going to be a couple years before I can build a second garage, till then I need to make due with the space I've got. From the door to my kitchen to the water heater is 6ft and the water heater is supported out 2ft so I have 6'x2' work area. I apologize for the mess.




Any recommendations on top surface material? Build techniques? Must have features?

I don't have any welding equipment so it's going to be wood based.

Tools I have to build:

Hammers
Drill/Impact driver
Circular saw
Small router
Irwin clamps


Features I'd like:
Vise
Light fixture
Power strip
Air tool manifold

2x4 frame with a 3/4" plywood top (nice plywood, not that crap they side houses with). Nothing fancy and cheap. I built mine with 2x4s in the scrap pile of a house being framed. I put up peg board to store most of my hand tools which keeps them very organized and I always know where they are. I also made mine just tall enough to get my table saw under. If you want to store anything under keep that in mind.

I built mine using cabinet seconds (several sites sell these) and built the top with 3 layers of 3/4" plywood and a layer of 1/8" masonite. Trimmed the top with 1x3 pine.

2x4 or 2x6 framing, leave room for cabinets or tool box storage underneath, or build a shelf or two. Plywood or MDF topped with masonite works great. My last benches used reclaimed bowling alley lanes made of hard maple and turned out great, but you'll have to get lucky finding some.

My son and I built his workbench stacking 2x4's Glueing each and 3 threaded rods to keep pressure. 4x4 legs. It has performed well, even with large vise mounted. I'll post pictures if needed.

4x4 legs, 3/4 ply top, 2x4 frame under top, 32" high. Another 2x4 frame at 15" off floor with ply surfac for a shelf. Furring strips on wall for mounting pegboard.

By all mean please share pics of your setups.

Aero- that bowling alley top sounds awesome

Mrad- do you mean kind of a butcher block type surface? I like this idea too.

Yes, butcher block. We jigged up and drilled 3 holes in each 2x4. Ran a threaded rod thru, glued each. Then tightened. He sanded the top and it looks great. He also built drawers for each side. I'll get him to take pictures tomorrow

I used 4x4 for legs, 2x6 for the frame, and the finish grade plywood for the top. I coated it with Minwax poly and it seems to have taken well as I've cleaned it up several times.

Mine is 8 foot by 30 something inches. It has a lower shelf on one side and is open on the other to fit a pressure washer and some buckets. I started to use bolts but that got to be a little harder than I expected. I think bolting the thing together is a must if you want to tear it down when you move. I'd recommend using a drill press -- a regular drill isn't going to work as well.

I used 6 4x4 posts -- 2 on each end and 2 in the middle. The 2x6 frame board went on the OUTSIDE of the posts all the way around. One thing you'll need to check is the level-ness of the floor you're building on. Correspond that to the table when you get things attached.

I can't recommend more STRONGLY that you buy your lumber at a lumber yard. HD/Lowes lumber sucks. If you decide to use screws, use Spax screws (home depot) and get the square drive head. You will hate yourself if you go cheap and get the generic screws. They will strip and even break.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/04/04/how-to-make-a-work-bench/

I had pegboard above mine and when I'm really attacking something in the vise it starts raining tools.

At least a 1" so lip is good to clamp down the bead roller or metal brake. And dont skimp on the vise. And slide under keyboard and mouse tray is good along with a junk computer and VESA monitor swing out arm so you can have the FSM PDF open when figuring something out.

Junk computer is the key. They don't like grinding dust. Just get one powerful enough to Remote Desktop to your real PC so you can search in the AC and minimize non work time in the sauna that is a Texas garage.

Sauna? I've got foil-backed foam on the door and a portable a/c. It'll hold 76 with the door shut.

This is my main workbench when it was still shiny. Veritas vise on the end and an under mount vice from Woodcraft on the front. Top is 1 3/4" thick. Legs are tensioned with all-thread.




Here's another I made especially for a belt grinder (shown in sideways position here). Welded metal frame and plywood top/shelves.




For a good, general purpose top I can't recommend a butcher block slab from grizzly highly enough. Nice and flat at a good value - those will last you a lifetime. I used a 1 3/4" one as the main sections of my wood bench above (cut into 2 long pieces separated by the tool trough).

You dont need to get crazy, get several 2x4 studs from the hardware store, frame the table out, let the "columns" for the table run long and put a shelf above it. 1/2 or 3/4 plywood top. No big deal.

AgEng08 said:

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http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/04/04/how-to-make-a-work-bench/

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I made this one without the casters. Easy and solid.

I forgot to mention earlier, if you're looking for ideas/inspiration you can't beat www.garagejournal.com. you'll need a comfy chair and big beverage before going there, though!

Here is mine

BenTheGoodAg said:

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I've got a space that's similar to yours for my working area, except I had a little more room for another tool chest. Here's how I used it (closet is also my water heater):



My working surface is 6'-8" by 2'-8", so a little wider and deeper. I built a chest into my workbench to save on some space. I like using my tool chests for stuff that doesn't hang well, i.e. files, air tools, drill bits, etc.

I really like filing cabinets for power tool storage. It's a great way to store those oddly shaped items, and I also use it to file my sandpaper by grit/type. I've got a few others in the garage not shown. Pegboard is my favorite way to manage hand tools and clamps, I've got a few more sections around the garage.

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can you draw up the plans to build this? that looks great!

If you can do it, add locking casters to the workbench. Very handy if you are limited in space.

Thanks! Would a picture of a scrap pile and a six pack get you there?

I used mostly scrap 2x6s and just a few 1x3s. I basically built this to fit the tool chest first:


I then slid the tool chest in and enclosed it with the remaining lumber:


Finally I painted it. There are a few more ribs and braces not shown to provide rigidity to the working surface and toolbox. You could put whatever style working surface you wanted on it.

I agree with a couple points here; use a cheap computer and higher quality lumber. My bench sits a half inch off the wall to prevent "tool rain". It's super heavy with the tools, so no need to worry about it sliding.

I used an old kitchen table like this:



I cut it down to the depth I wanted (about 2/3rds lengthwise). I attached the back of it to the wall with construction adhesive and lag bolts into the studs. I then took the legs and made extensions out of 4x4 to get it to the height I needed. So kitchen legs in front, attached to stud wall in the rear and it's a laminated hardwood top.

The extra 1/3rd of the top that was left over went into making a shelf.

These tables can be found on craigslist all the time. It's the "my first apartment" table. lol

Agmechanic said:

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Here is mine

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Similar to mine, but I don't have time to play the piano much.

Eff that piano. Srsly