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A workbench is a workbench

1658 Views 11 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  Camden, 
G
After seeing several threads about freaking out over how to make a work bench, I got to laughing, because I have a work bench been using for over twenty years, that is nothing more then a 1/2" piece of plywood sitting on a couple saw horses. Yes believe it or not, this thing has been sitting in my shop since around 1990....:laughing:....we set this thing up as a temporary table, and just never took it down. Hey when it's perfect, it's perfect, never had the need to take it down, even now it has the remanence of a dozen projects sitting on it, and it's the perfect height for that chair ...lol... so all I have to say is, quit fretting over your work bench and just make one, any one else have one like this...just curious

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M
If you're like me, you never took it down because you always had something on it. That's the problem with horizontal surfaces. There's always something you can put on it just for a minute... Every time I need to work on something, I have to clear a space for it because my benches are always full.
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F
Everyone has a different idea of what they need to get the job done. I built a workbench because I wanted to, not because I "needed" to.
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sawdustfactory
If it works for you, great. But try to hand plane rough lumber on your bench ;-0
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C
I think it's cool that works for you. :thumbsup:
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Noek
I have a butcher block workbench but my B&D Workmate sees way more action and abuse. Never thought I would use it so much as a mini workstation but to me it's the same way I feel about my truck. I would never be without one.
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G
sawdustfactory said:
If it works for you, great. But try to hand plane rough lumber on your bench ;-0
Click to expand...
:laughing:...ya I have a butcher block bench with bench dogs and wood vises on either end for that..this is sorta a catch all. Not mention the bench on either side of built in CSMS...:laughing:..there is pretty much stuff on all of them, but the one pictured gets the most use for sure...
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Al B Thayer
It amazes me how so many guys can cut themselves short and miss out on some of the best aspects in fine woodworking. I never have to clear anything from my bench except the tools I just finished using because my bench has a large set of drawers under under it to put them away in. My bench is like a best friend to me. Almost everything revolves around it. There is no way I could have built the pieces I have in the last 28 years without it.

Bet if some of you guy built one you'd be singing a different tune.

Furniture Table Workbench Desk Wood stain


Not to mention something to very proud of.

Al

Nails only hold themselves.
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johnnie52
Work bench? What the heck is that? :laughing::laughing:

I have a 3'x6' steel table that sits outside. I built a 2x12 surface for it that needs to be flattened again (third time in three years because its out in the weather), no vice, no dogs, and darn little of anything else except warped wood right now. Over on the car port I have piece of 2x2x1/2 plywood on a work mate that I use for finishing small projects and holding junk, I mean stuff :brows: I think I may need at the saws or router..
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J
yeah I am conflicted on this one, I have a 2 x 4 and mdf table I built very early on that well works wonders but I am getting more and more into hand tools which means I need something more sturdy. So no stress about building one but still need to.
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G
I am totally with the original poster. I have a permanent bench built along the wall (120" by 27"), but that pretty much holds such things as tool chests, grinders, bench top drill press etc It is used for small non-woodworking projects. Full cabinets underneath and above.

My woodworking "benches" are whatever is available. When the table saw is not being used to cut, it is frequently called into service as a flat assembly bench. A full sized door on saw horses provides a large work surface that can be tucked away after used. Then there are a couple of fold away benches/tables that are also pressed into service when needed.

To me a workbench is a tool. Not an end into itself.

The door-bench once stayed on its horses for two years. It only got put away when I needed the space to park a golf cart.

George
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C
I'm like Frank on this one: I had plenty of surface, but I wanted to build a workbench. I wanted to see if I could, how it would turn out, what I would learn, etc. It's still pretty close to my favorite thing that I've ever built. If I could make a living building work benches, you better believe I would. And I'm not hung up on any one type, either. Mine is a sort of Roubo hybrid, but I like a lot of the early German designs, and incorporated so e if that in mine. The Swedish benches at woodcraft are real purty, too. And, I'm no stranger to sawhorses and plywood, or like johnnie said, a big steel table w/ a wood surface slapped on it. If it facilitates getting the job done, the it's the perfect work bench.

Cam
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