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New Work Bench


chops1983

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Well ive been meaning to build a proper workbench for my shed for some time, so today i did!

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Its still not quite done, I ran out of screws so the outside boards still need outside rows of screws to be put in and i need to get a sheet of 12mm Mdf for the shelf and cut that in. Otherwise she has turned out great. The best thing about it is i can push it around the shed and outside if im making alot of dust!

Ive included the router table at one end and that panel is removable, is there any other nifty little things anyone else has incorporated into their benches? Maybe post a couple of pics!

Cheers Chad.

Edited by chops1983
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You'll LOVE having all that space.

Good idea, re: the built-in router table.

You might find you'll eventually want something flatter though, for the entire surface, in which case you could put a sheet or two of MDF or birch ply over your dimensional lumber.

+1 on adding a flat top. The casters may also be a problem, you want a solid non movable table. Otherwise good work.

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The Wood Whisperer had a series of video podcasts in which he made a torsion box/assembly table. He made an additional top from hardboard. There were a number of reasons for this: low cost, flat surface, easily replaceable. He wanted something that it would be OK if it had paint, finish, glue, etc. dripped onto it or that got banged up through normal use. When it got too bad, it's cheap & easy to replace. Your table is a perfect candidate for a hardboard top.

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Good job on the bench. It looks sturdy.

For the top, what about making a loose overlay made from particle board. Make it oversized such that you can attach strips of wood to the underside to keep it centered on your benchtop. That way you can have a nice level and smooth surface when needed and when you need to pound on something or possible make a mess, lift off the overlay and let the dimensional lumber top take a beating.

If you did that, you might want to think about incorporating the router table insert into the overlay. The reason I suggest that is that if you need to rout a part that is longer than the insert, the ends of the part could “catch” on the transition from the insert to the dimension lumber and leave a tell-tale on the work.

Here’s a few renderings of the bench I use (I don’t have any pictures of the finished project.) I built a riser to bring the work surface up higher, and built in 7 drawers into the riser. There is also a router table insert at one end. I can pop out the router and place in a flush plate.

On one long side, I have a full length pull out drawer for my bar clamps and on the other side I had put in a full length shelf. (I’ve since taken out the shelf). There is also a pocket for installing a woodworker’s vise.

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This is a welding table I made a while ago. It has a ½” thick steel top and is on an aluminum base. I drilled a bunch of holes through the steel plate to provide places to install clamps. As described above, I’ve since built a loose overlay out of particle board that I can lay on top of this welding table for when I need more woodworking workbench area and don’t want my work resting on a steel surface.

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Welder Carts

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Everyone seems to have nailed the flat top already, but I'll add to the casters migth be a bad idea. It is really going to depend on the type of tools you use. Power tools are not so much of an issue. But if you use a lot of hand tools you want the bench very heavy, and stable. The casters are nice for taking the bench outside to work though. My bench is very similar to yours except made from all northern ash and no casters. It comes in at a little under 300lbs, but when I put all 230 lbs of me behind a scrub plane, I need a bench that will stay put.

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Cheers for all the great suggestions guys!I was already thinking about the flat top but i was abit worried that when you get alot of dust on the top the sanding mats won't stick to it, plus i had all this pine lying around so it has a home now. The casters aren't as good as i would have hoped, but if i push the bench against a wall it keeps it still. I like the drop top theory with thick edges though.

I was thinking about making some legs that act on a lever so when you find your position you step on the lever and it lifts the wheels off the ground. I still may do a few of these things but ill just see how it goes. I reckon this bench will be a work in progress, probably have drawers and all sorts of stuff on it in a couple of years.

Tone blind that thing is awesome. You should build and sell them, they 're like the rolls royce of work benches :D

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