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This is my attempt at a workbench, my first real one. Real from a non-Rubio non-Schwartz perspective anyway.

I needed a basic design since I was building it on my shop/basement floor. Its of Shop Notes origin but modified.

- the legs are pine 2×4s glued up.
- 39" high, as i am taller than most
- the front stringers are attached via glue and lag bolts. Mortising in my then tool-less work space didn't excite me.

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- the end stringers are actually birch ply glued and screwed to the back of the 2×4s. the Notes design called for MDF all the way to the floor, but by using nice ply and shortening it a bit, I've created a design I call the "ghetto panel".




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- the top is a 36" x 80" solid core door, with a layer of MDF and Ply beneath for weight and rigidity. There is a surprising amount of flex in a solid core door. I added a layer of hardwood around the edge.



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36" is wider than normal, but i didn't realize that until after I came into possession of the door.
Have yet to put in a vice and dogs, but at least now i have a level surface to put things.

Gallery

Comments

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56 Posts
Great re-use and very nice design. Thank you for the pictures they provide nice ideas. I built a smaller one for my router not too long ago with a piece of a solid wood door as well; worked out great.

Nice Workbench!
 

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38 Posts
Right now I have a hollow core door on plastic sawhorses. I like yours much better. Nice work.
 

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Both of my benches are 39" tall also. Since you're tall too, it's a good move. Just be sure it's weighted down securely with lotsa heavy stuff, so it doesn't walk away from you.
 

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861 Posts
Nice Job. Don't you hate it when it gets the first scuff?
 

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300 Posts
Looks good.

I used the same design, modified it to fit a space I had, but used their basic design for the base. It's sturdier than I thought it would be, and very sturdy considering how simple it was to build. My floor is uneven, so I used leveling feet on the corner posts. For my top, I ripped 2×6's and laminated them together. I picked up a quick release vise from Rockler on sale, and have been using the heck out of this bench.

I am sure that you'll get years of good work out of this one.
 

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Very impressive - will be sure to check back on this when building my own. Well done! :)
 

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Excellent! Rough and tuff and hard to bluff. :)
As long as it is a comfortable height, holds your work and does not move around whilst planing, you are set.
Cheers
John
 

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189 Posts
Now comes the fun part, use and abuse it.
 

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Looks nice and beefy! Should serve you well.
 

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I remember seeing that bench in ShopNotes magazine, and also one like it (similar) on Woodsmith shows…..

Stellar job on the build…..it will serve you well for many years…...
 

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368 Posts
Mark, this looks great! Sometimes a simple design is all that is needed. How flat are solid core doors?
 

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Great job. Nice use of of the door. Sure speeds up construction.
 

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Thanks all for the comments. It was fun and easy. Now comes the real projects….

Vertigo- the door is very flat. I would caution all to not use ply as one or both under layers (instead use MDF for weight). The ply warped a bit and was able to distort the mfd and the door ( I was shocked that the ply warp had this strength). Luckily I had just screwed the door to the layers and was able to unscrew and correct it. My 200+ lbs can't deflect the overhang.
 

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Looks like a very solid workbench that will serve you for many years!
 

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Great bench! I built one very similar to yours using the same solid core door. I found the door at my local lumber yard for a song. It had minor water damage on one end which I trimmed off. I got it for about $25.
I like your design though.
 
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