Inexpensive workbench build

jack of all

Here's a simple, inexpensive workbench I built last week; it's more of a layout/ glue-up bench, although I plan to build another version which will be equipped with a vice and bench hold-down. Construction is straightforward: PAO timbers, 1/2" ply, 15mm and 3/4" MDF, most joints are biscuited and glued with coach screws and carriage bolts used in the final assembly. The "legs" or "gables" are framed up from 3x2" PAO, biscuit jointed and faced in ply each side, glued and screwed. The framework for the top and shelf are buiscuited, the top is a sandwich construction of 3/4" MDF with 15mm MDF spacers (biscuited again), finished in polyurethane and waxed. The resulting bench is not too heavy but is good and sturdy, dead flat and resists racking. I already had some of the stuff to hand but I reckon this bench would cost about €100 in materials to build from scratch.

ShamFeen

Nice job, very sturdy. I built a few one from the show "Woodworks" and heavier one for banging projects into shape. I'd say yours is fairly heavy is it?

SpitfireIV

Nice looking bench joa! . I'll shortly be putting a new top on my workbench, the one thats on it at the moment is just three layers of 3/4" ply sandwiched together. I was interested however in the construction of your bench top. Why the centre section with the 'hollows'? was this simply to save on weight and material or is there another mechanical reason?

I was thinking of making mine, say 2 1/4" (64mm) thick, then, putting an edging board around the bench 74mm thick, thus leaving a 10mm space to drop a cut piece of 10mm MDF into so I can drill, cut, write and draw on the bench, then, just flip the MDF over to make a fresh start!

jack of all

Thanks for the feedback; this isn't my own personal bench as such, I actually built this for my own use in a new job I've just started. I see this as a prototype for my own ideal bench down the road! I've seen some very innovative and quite simple "torsion box" designs which are made entirely from sheet material (mostly ply) and the drop-in sacrificial MDF/ hardboard top is a great idea. The completed bench is heavy enough and certainly felt good to work on when I started working with it today. I'm not sure which "hollows" you are referring to CroppyBoy- the voids in the 15mm core/ spacer of the laminated top were simply to save material, I have loads of strip waste which I wanted to use up. I also thought this type of construction (sort of "torsion box"?) might be more rigid and stronger than using 3 full width sheets, glue up was easier too (okay, I did have to cut all the spacer strips and biscuit them so a lot more labour intensive!). I was concerned about racking of the bench in use so I introduced the solid blocking at either ends of the top and shelf frames. For my next bench (with vise and hold down) I might fit a 1/2" or 3/4" back to the rear of the frame to improve stiffness even further. Bench dogs and tail vice would be nice but my work doesn't call for it.

Double Barrel

I like it Jack, nice job.

I think what Croppy is referring to is the frame and panel construction of the top.
Could be wrong though.

jack of all

Thanks for the feedback, might be starting work on bench Mk II shortly, will report in due course!

Carlow52

nice workmanship indeed.

For completeness would be nice to know the following:

Overall dimensions of bench.
size of timbers and spacing on top and bottom frames.
how many biscuits per joint.

In passing, when using big screws/coach screws in end grain I usually put a hardwood dowel about 25/30mm from the end of the end grain

jack of all

Hi Carlow52,

Overall dimensions (approx. as I'm away from the bench now) are 2100x 610mm for the bench top- a little narrow in width, the next bench (just started this) will be 800mm wide minimum. I opted for a 900mm bench height for assembly work, next bench will be 820mm for hand planing and sawing. I used PAO stock off the shelf so I had to make do with what was available; top frame is 134x 30mm (approx), with crosspieces at roughly 400 c/cs I think. Bottom frame is 104x 30mm. I wanted to use hardwood dowels with the coach screws as you rightly point out but could not find properly sized dowel rod or precut dowels locally to suit my dowel drill bits (all dowel rod is oversized and I don't have a dowel plate- another item for the "wish list"!). I bored a "generous" pilot hole for each carriage screw and greased each screw with candle wax before driving them home. I used only one biscuit at each joint and each frame was well cramped after assembly. In addition you may see that I screwed and pelleted the middle noggin on each frame. I will most likely beef up things on my next bench, but I've been using this bench for a good week now and it more than meets my expectations and there is no discernible movement at all. I found that the PAO timber available is very limited- I wanted to use 38mm thick stock throughout and a 144mm deep rail for the top frame but I found that all planed timber was essentially door liner and frame stock so this was limiting. I thus opted to include plenty of noggins to make up for the thin stock available. I've found the second bench to be a much quicker build and I don't think I'll be changing much in terms of design- this is a pretty quick and cheap way of building a modest bench.

Carlow52

Thanks for details, will send u my address so as when u tire of the version 1 ....:D

jack of all

Carlow52 wrote: »

Thanks for details, will send u my address so as when u tire of the version 1 ....:D

Grand job, only fair to warn you that packaging and shipping will probably come to €350!:D

ennisa

Very nice indeed Jack, lovely job. The first thing I wanted to do after building my bench was build another! So it's not an unusual reaction

jack of all

Thanks ennisa, my next workbench build is on hold mid-stream, I've got to get a few shelving / display units finished for the shop floor, 'tis christmas you see!!

aerosol

Fine looking bench joa:D