WorkShop table

Very nice and functional shop table. Is it set up to match the height of your table saw?

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

A nice looking bench snowdog. What are the dimensions on it? Did you use 2×4’s for the legs and supports? How thick is the top?

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Snowdog,
Thanks for posting your workbench. It’s nice that we have a wide range of skill levels on this forum. There is enough to challenge all of us and keep us humble. It’s really beneficial to have so many woodworkers sharing there construction details and tips. I have already learned a lot here.

By the way, I’m still using the first workbench I ever made. It resembles yours in that it was constructed with 2×4’s.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I’m very jealous of all of you that have a huge workshop. I have to move wife’s car out, pull this out, pull that, move this, get that out and then I can have some fun. :-(

-- rb1

It is my firm belief that constructing the cabinets and tables in the shop is one of the best ways to learn the basics of woodworking. You don’t have to worry about it being too perfect because it is in the shop.

I still like making the quick and easy shop cabinets and tables. One place I practiced on tapered legs and arches was on a work table in my shop. It added a real touch of class and I did the legs out of a doug fir 4×4.

It looks like you have a nice shop. I would be excited to work in there myself.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

The top is 2×4 on the flat with 1/2 lap joints 16” apart, glued and screwed with 3/4 plywood on top of that. I saw Norm do it on his Workshop Hutch. If it was good enough for him, I figure it will work for me :)

The hight is just a scant below my table saw. The floor is so far out of level in spots (sloped to the drains) that I didn’t want to have to worry about it being to high if I moved it around.

I am going to try a workbench with a vice next. It seems like hard maple is what many people prefer for a bench top and the sawmill down the road has some for sale. I have been thinking about it for moe years than I care to saw but I can see it in my near future.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

rb1: Been where you are, dude. It was only the move to the country that gave me the chance for the shop that I now have. Don’t despair, though. With a little creativity you can make all sorts of work surfaces, etc. that will rapidly set up and fold away. I’ve seen a lot of plans for such online.

Todd: I was literally just making that point to my wife. The workbench base I’m building now is giving me a wealth of experience in mortise-and-tenon joinery. Every mortise I cut or tenon I fit goes faster and better than the one before.

Snowdog: Nothing at all wrong with screwed 2×4 construction. That’s how I made the base for my lathe, and it’s still going strong years later. Nice functional table.

-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle

Looks totally functional. Function trumps form, in the shop!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I agree woth Mot, it looks very functional, simple in design and it works! May you create many a good memory on this work bench Snowdog. Thanks for sharing it with us.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Hey Snowdog, A work benches beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Utilitarian things built to last dont have to be elegant!
Looks good to me.

-- Normite Lou

nice bench, at the moment I’m dragging the outdoor dining table into the carport whenever I need it, beats building stuff on the floor though :) I think a bench will have to be on the way soon.

-- Perth, Australia

Man, you can be proud of that work table. Looks solid as a rock.

looks very sturdy to me! NICE!

and if the looks are not sufficient enough for you – you could always upgrade it one piece at a time.

the most important thing is the construction and stability – and in that sense it looks excellent!

The shop is the BEST place to practice new ideas/designs/ constructions… worst case, youve learnt something new, and can remake it tomorrow if its not good enough :)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

2×4’s make great workbench frames. My basement workbench is just a 2×4 frame with a solid core door top. Works great.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

Thats a nice workbench.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

Just came across your bench and I think it looks great. I have one built from two by fours and simpson strong ties and some 1/2in plywood. I made it 5 years ago and it’s still a workhorse and while I’d love a snazzy new bench, I don’t need one so I build other stuff. If the bench works for you, that’s it perfect!