# Thoughts about a new workbench



## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

My workbench has been for some time our old kitchen table which is oval, not flat and not heavy enough.
I cant really mount vises on it, so I am forced to use clamps which is getting old.
So here are some thoughts about a new workbench:

Budget - I can't spend a lot of money on it. Somewhere in the $500 range is what I am thinking. This pretty much rules out buying an already made bench as the ones in that price range don't seem worthwhile (maybe I am missing something here)

Building my own - I don't want to make this a huge project. I just made my own router table and stand and part way into the stand I was wishing I just bought a metal one, but in the end it turned out pretty good. So I am willing to put some time and effort into it.

Materials - I don't have access to free or low cost hardwood. I don't have access to a huge sanding machine to make it flat. I don't want to do a huge glue up for the top. So I am thinking of buying a maple bench top like this:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/G9914

I could make a support structure out of DF 2×4s and MDF and then put an edge around it.

Would like hear if I am on the right track and what other approaches I should consider.
Are there any books or other resources I should look at as far coming up with a good design?

Thanks


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

You could buy that top and make a base out of cheap construction lumber. I have similar plans for my new workbench. You could also just laminate the top out of construction lumber, making it thick enough to be sturdy.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Get ya some doug fir 2x. Usually…. around here at least… the borg has like 2×10 and 2×12 doug fir as opposed to 2×4 made of "white wood" which is basically any crappy pine they can get a board from. 

Rip the doug fir and laminate a top. You'll be out a LOT less than the $175 for that store bought maple top.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I was also wondering about the possibility of using solid hardwood flooring on top of MDF.
Not sure sure how flat it would be or how to attach it.
It is pretty cheap around $3 to $4 per sq ft.
I did some searching and didn't come up with much.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Go and buy the one from Harbor Freight, add a 3/4" thick plywood panel on the legs at each end, and maybe a solid shelf between the ends…..oh, and use the coupon for more savings…


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

My first work bench was a book case turned on it's side 2×4 legs attached and two layers of 3/4" plywood for the top. It was only a temporary fix. I attached a Record Vise in short order. 25 years latter it's still being used almost every day and is has served me well. I'm finally getting around to my "real" bench, a Roubo with Benchcrafted vises. I might actually get it built in the next few years. In the mean time, and since I built it the old bench has served me very well. My skills, tools and projects have improved consistently to the point that I consider myself to be a good woodworker with a well equipped shop, except my work bench. It's not perfect, or even close, it needs to be replaced but it's fine for now. There are so many other projects I want to do and that old bench isn't the problem. I'm just saying.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Here is a link to the Handyman web page with the article to build this. Cost is less than $100.
http://www.familyhandyman.com/workshop/workbench/build-a-work-bench-on-a-budget/view-all

They used 2×4s, but I find 2×6 or 2×8 much better grade lumber in the Home stores because they are usually used for rafters. You just have to rip them down to the width you want for the thicknes of the top.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

What I found after reading reviews of the maple butcher block tops is that they are not flat.
So I don't think it is worth buying one.
So my question right now is how to get a flat top without access to a large sander?
Should I be looking for a cabinet shop that can sand it flat for me?
Is hand planing with a long jointer plane doable?


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## Iguana (Jun 22, 2011)

Yes, hand.planing is a good way to do it. With a softwood, it goes pretty quickly. Probably faster than the time needed to make a trip to a cabinet shop for a sanding session.

You had asked about books. Chris Schwarz has written two. Scott Landis and Lon Schleining have each written one. All are good reads. In one of his books (can't remember if it isn't he blue or red.book), Schwarz has several examples of solid benches that can be built on a budget.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> Yes, hand.planing is a good way to do it. With a softwood, it goes pretty quickly. Probably faster than the time needed to make a trip to a cabinet shop for a sanding session.
> 
> You had asked about books. Chris Schwarz has written two. Scott Landis and Lon Schleining have each written one. All are good reads. In one of his books (can t remember if it isn t he blue or red.book), Schwarz has several examples of solid benches that can be built on a budget.
> 
> - Mark Kornell


I looked into those books, guess I should buy one $20 is probably a good investment and I am no expert on work benches.
My latest thought is to use ripped 2X? DF and make a jig to drill several holes in each one. When I glue it to together I can put a long threaded rod through each set of holes with a nut and washer on each end to pull it tight. Its a challenge to find good quality DF, I can get go to a real lumber yard and pay more for kiln dried clear. I did that on my router stand and I think paid $35 for the lumber and it came out pretty nice.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

DF or other softwood makes a perfectly usable softwood bench. You don't need to spend for the clear stuff either, just pick through the wider (2×10 or 2×12) boards at the lumberyard to find the ones with the best grain and make sure that any knots are tight. I spent less than $200 total on my bench that is mostly SPF construction lumber from the BORG.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Or, just go to pbs.org, and look up the Woodwright's shop. Then watch and listen as Roy Underhill makes a couple..

Mine was done on a sunny Sunday afternoon









That I salvaged from a Dumpster…Biggest expense was a box of 2" long screws…


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## dczward (May 23, 2011)

Joel, read Chris Schwarz' book. He explains how to get good lumber out of cheap 2×12's from the big box store, and make a great bench inexpensively. I did, and here's mine. Buy one or two of those books, give them a read, and go to it!


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I was reading about a $175 workbench where they suggested gluing the top in sections and running then run them through the jointer and then glue the sections together. I have access to a 6" jointer so could glue sections of three 2×3 together and run each one through. I also have a planar so if I could cut and glue the 2×3 flat enough i could do wider sections and skip the jointer and just run through the planer.


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## BasementShop (Nov 3, 2014)

> Budget - I can t spend a lot of money on it. Somewhere in the $500 range is what I am thinking.


If you want a design already completed, the Harbor Freight option isn't too bad given your budget: http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-workbench-93454.html. As was mentioned earlier, get your 20% off coupon out of the paper and away you go!

Good luck!


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Save your money for vise hardware. 1 3/4" thick is pretty wimpy for a work bench, 3" is much better. The top is the easiest part of making a work bench, You can level it w/ a hand plane. Make it out of construction lumber.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I think the HF isn't a bad option but its kind of whimpy and the top is only 60" x 20".
I was thinking 72" x 30".
I would also like to have a lot of storage in the base so I would be building some drawers in.
The HF has a few drawers but I would like more than that.


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## dczward (May 23, 2011)

Joel, more options…

see http://lostartpress.com/collections/dvds/products/the-naked-woodworker

or Paul Seller's great, cheap bench…


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

I don't think you will find that running a section of a workbench made of 2X is gonna work on a lunchbox planer. It's too heavy to feed reasonably well.

Lots, and lots, and lots of benches are made with 2X on end. Mine is. It's a good, cheap, heavy, relatively easy solution.

If you do that, you need to let the boards acclimate to your shop and get down to 7% or so moisture content. That can take a while. They might twist and warp when they do that. It's another reason to start with 2×10s and cut down.

Two ideas:
1. Joint the edge and cut off the other side parallel with a table saw. Then make yourself a couple of cauls with a spring edge (slight curve, wider in the middle, narrower at the ends), use packing tape to avoid glue squeezeout issues, clamp the glue up with them on the ends, and maybe in the middle also. This will get the top pretty flat out of the gate, and a hand plane will finish the job.

2. Glue up messy - just stack the boards and glue them up in one go. The top will be rough and uneven. Clamp a pair of straight, flat 2×4s to the edge of the rough top so they are parallel with one another, and sticking up from the high spot. Drop a piece of 3/4 ply with a slot cut out of it and braced with a pair of 2×4s across those rails. Make the width between the inside of the stiffeners a tad bigger than the size of your router plate. Use your router with a 1 3/4" bottom cleaning bit to do most of the flattening, sliding the board down the rails and the router across in the slot. Finish with a hand plane. If it's really, really rough, it might pay to run a 3/4" spiral across first and then the bottom cleaning bit, but that takes a lot more router time. You might want to do the same on the bottom, but you don't have to.

Use 3 laminated 2xs for the frame. A really great trick is to make tenons by laminating two short 2xs around a longer 2x, and make mortices by spacing cut pieces of 2xs between two longer 2xs to form through tenons. I made mine with a flush top, and stretchers that were a toe kick up from the floor. I put the mortices in the legs and the tenons on the stretchers. You have to chop conventional mortices for the stretchers on the "other" side, since they come in on all four sides of the legs. Then use lag bolts to attach the top to the frame. You may find you only need two bolts in the center to avoid having the top slide on the base. If you use more than two on the ends, you need to make elongated holes in the stretcher to allow for wood movement. If you a REALLY in to it, you can make the center 2x of the legs go through a mortice in the top made the same way, but I think that is overkill. I actually used bed bolts to hold the long stretchers in place so I could knock down the bench if I wanted to some day. That meant I didn't make through tenons on the long stretchers.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

> I think the HF isn t a bad option but its kind of whimpy and the top is only 60" x 20".
> I was thinking 72" x 30".
> I would also like to have a lot of storage in the base so I would be building some drawers in.
> The HF has a few drawers but I would like more than that.
> ...


Please read the Schwartz books. 
I did after I was half way through building mine and wished I had read it earlier.
Was able to incorporate most of his wisdom into my project but it would have been easier from the start.

One of the first mistakes most folks make is to make a bench too big. There are ranges of sizes that work for all kinds of different working styles, and locations within the shop, for instance. Too small and you get frustrated when it won't support your work, but too big and you tire of working around it and it becomes a catch all for everything not needed there.

Mainly, it's your bench and has to suit you and your work methods, but there are basic needs everyone has and that is what Schwartz is so good at pointing out. I liked his second book the best, by the way.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> Please read the Schwartz books.
> I did after I was half way through building mine and wished I had read it earlier.
> Was able to incorporate most of his wisdom into my project but it would have been easier from the start.
> 
> ...


Yeah I will get the book, it seems the second book is more popular than the first.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I have never done any work on this type of work bench. Are they designed just for hand tools?

Or are they also useful for building cabinets and other larger projects.

I looked at the HF model in person and shrugged it off. I wound up making a work table that I do everything on. It is heavy…and flat. the top is a 2 inch solid core door (originally 36×90 or something like that). I think it came out of a school or commercial building. I have since added drawers underneath. The top w/vise attached, lifts off.

I know it isn't what you want, but I thhought I would add my two cents on an alternative.
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/68635

Good luck.
Mike


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## MikeUT (Sep 5, 2014)

My main workbench is similar to MT_Stringer's. I grew up working on a laminated workbench my father and I made from 2×4's and flattened after. It spans the length of the garage (maybe 15-20' long) and is HEAVY! That thing will never be moved, unless we cut it up in a few pieces. I was planning on building a laminated top like my Dad's but I found a laminated counter-top that was probably a built-in desk at my local habitat restore for $5. It is about 28" deep and 5 1/2' long and dead flat. Glue doesn't really stick to it and I've spilled just about every liquid that has been in my shop on it and it cleans up without stains or blotches. The body is all 2×6 douglas fir. My only problem with it is weight, it has the opposite problem of my dad's old bench. When I plane it can dance around a bit. It is up against a wall I have heavy dumbbells around the legs and on the cross members, which is a good temporary fix. I plan on building drawers in to the base eventually. In all I probably spend $50-75. With your budget you could get a few cool vises and still come out looking good.


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## boatz (Nov 17, 2013)

I used the Grizzley workbench top for my bench. At the time my only tools were a drill and a circular saw and not near enough skills to build a Roubo. A work colleague has sick welding skills and he built the base for $100. This is the bench


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## daddywoofdawg (Feb 1, 2014)




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