Our New Work Bench

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FineWine

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#273343 17-Aug-2020 17:22

Over the last fortnight we have been busy building a mobile work bench for the garage. We placed it on 6 casters (120Kg rated each caster) of which the 4 corners are lockable. Installed a ToolShed wood vice and a multi-purpose machine vice .

We also mounted a 4 x power board at one end which is connected using an Arlec 15m ext cable with built-in RCD safety switch via a male inlet socket.

The mobility of it enables us to wheel the bench either into the centre of the garage or outside in front of the garage which is where we do most of our saw table work.

On the wall where the bench parks we installed a shelf 2cm off the bench top. The bench rolls under it.

We coated it all in CD50 Extreme timber protector oil.

The bench measures: 72cm wide x 210cm long x 88.5cm high. The height matches the height of the saw table.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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#2543189 17-Aug-2020 19:24

Nice work! Looks like something that I should consider ...

Mehrts

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#2543198 17-Aug-2020 19:44

With six casters, there's the possibility that they can end up acting as a see-saw, although it can depend on how much flex/sag the bench can allow.

Nice work though, looks great!

Senecio

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#2543206 17-Aug-2020 20:04

That looks awesome.

Would you be happy to share the plans or cut list with us. I’ve been looking for inspiration to something similar.

I loved the idea of a fixed shelf on the wall above where the workbench is stored. Means you don’t have to remove all the crap you’ve stored on top of the bench to use it.

Technofreak

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#2543240 17-Aug-2020 21:29

Every home needs one. I'd want to mount my Bosch compound mitre saw on something like that.

I like the fact you have put a storage area under the bench.

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#2543271 17-Aug-2020 22:27

If you could stop by our place and build us something similar, that'd be great. :)

neb

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#2543274 17-Aug-2020 22:34

Is that polished/sealed concrete under there or some sort of floor covering? Been trying to figure out what to do to the floor of the planned workroom in the Casa de Cowboy rebuild.

MikeAqua

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#2543301 18-Aug-2020 06:49

Fantastic

Mike

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FineWine

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#2543545 18-Aug-2020 11:28

Thanks guys - it was a very rewarding project

@Mehrts - there should not be any sagging as the bottom front and back beams are 45mm x 70mm with same size cross beam in the middle. There is also a 45mm x 145mm beam along the top front to take the weight of the two vices with a 45mm x 70mm along the top back as well as a similar top cross beam. The top is a single 30mm thick sheet of pine laminated worktop panel and the bottom shelve is a 18mm thick sheet of pine laminated worktop panel. Every thing is rebated, glued and screwed with 14g decking screws.

@Senecio - My partner will put together a build list later this week.

@Technofreak - if you zoom in on the picture you can see we have a 15yr Ryobi 1000w compound mitre saw. Also tucked away under the bench is a ToolShed Router 1/4in Variable Speed 1200w, Bosh electric drill, B&D cordless drill, 20yr AEG jigsaw cutter, 15yr SkillSaw, 35yr Makita belt sander, B&D mighty mouse sander, a multitool, angle grinder and other odds & sods. My partner made purpose sized container boxes for all these tools. We also have a Mako mitre saw extendable stand and a ToolShed Roller Stand. Plus the ToolShed saw table you can see in the left corner. There is also a pair of saw horses just out of shot.

@neb - Yes that is polished concrete. Rather abused now what with paint, oil, timber stains etc on it. In the photo the bench is on a bit of old carpet left over from when we made a cat jungle gym. Also there is a large rubber mat left over from when we had our own, little used, multi-gym apparatus.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

neb

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#2543598 18-Aug-2020 11:55

How do you find that in terms of providing stable footing? Friend of mine recommended it for here as a way of sealing the concrete against stains but I was imagining it'd be rather slippery, particularly if it got anything spilled on it.

FineWine

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#2543610 18-Aug-2020 12:28

neb: How do you find that in terms of providing stable footing? Friend of mine recommended it for here as a way of sealing the concrete against stains but I was imagining it'd be rather slippery, particularly if it got anything spilled on it.

Like all shiny smooth surfaces yes it is slippery when wet but not overly so. It is 20yrs old now but it is still way more aesthetically pleasing than non polished concrete. As I stated it is bit abused now and when we bought the house I did soap & water scrub it and then used CRC on it but that just cleaned off the organic stains. The remaining stains are now mostly paint, timber oil and varnish. Polished concrete does make it easy to simply wipe up at the time of spill.

Friends of ours had garage carpet put in. That's OK if you are not a DIYer . The garage is really our main front door as the garage door is mostly always up and we have just a small piece for shoe wipe (65x90cm) in front of the internal door leading into the house and trying to vacuum that when it gets; sawdust, mud & dust etc is a challenge sometimes. So you can image a whole garage. Besides what do you do when you drive in from the rain and your car is dripping wet, it must take awhile for the garage carpet to dry out.

You can get concrete additives these days. One is 'rubcrete' which uses old tyres. Others use polyma's etc. Also you can colourise. 😀 Though if you are a DIYer or car enthusiast then I would just stick to a smooth concrete surface with maybe some of the mentioned additives.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

FineWine

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#2545389 20-Aug-2020 16:39

@Seneci

Workbench Overview
The workbench was based loosely on the Mitre 10 Easy as guide, “How to build a workbench”.
However the design was modified to suit our needs and the additional use of Laminated Pine Panels for the top and the shelves.

Legs
Cut the legs to length. A good height for a bench is 900mm. We made ours 885mm to match our Saw Table. The bench top is 75mm thick (a combination of the laminated sheet 30mm and the support rail 45mm) and we have put casters on with a height of 100mm so we pre-cut the legs to 710mm. (885 - 75 - 100 = 710). Use your own calculations depending on the type of top and if you are using casters.

Frame
For the frame, we used 3x2 rails (70x45mm dressed) and 6x2 rails (140x45mm dressed) We rebated the bottom frame and the top ends (all 3x2’s) so that it sat flush with the legs. In ours we rebated the top and bottom of the legs. If you are not using casters then you may want to rebate the bottom of the legs say 100mm up. We did not rebate the front and back at the top as we placed the 6x2 rails on top of the legs to strengthen our laminated panel.

To cut the rebate, we used our saw table and adjusted the blade to the depth of the rebate.

Fix the rails into place using the batten screws. Remember to pre-drill the holes for all screws before inserting them into place to avoid the wood splitting.

You should now have the frame for your workbench. Check it is square, by measuring both the diagonals. The measurements should be the same. You can straighten up if you need to by shuffling the frame.

Top Rails
You now need to put in the top rails (6x2’s). You’ll need one to go across the width of the top of the bench at the front and one at the back. Screw into place remembering to pre-drill your holes first.

Support Rails
You now need to put in the support rails (3x2’s). You’ll need three to go across the width of the top of the bench (both ends and the middle) between the 6x2’s. You will also need one (or two if having centre casters) to go the width of the bench at the bottom. Measure the distance in between the existing frame and cut the support rails to size. Screw into place remembering to pre-drill your holes first.

Shelf
We created the shelf with a laminated pine panel (1800 x 600 x 18) the same size as our frame. We cut out the corners (100 x 100) to fit around the legs. Screwing this into place.
We created a second half shelf using the same framing wood and an additional laminated panel to create the shelf and the divider.

Top
We used a laminated pine panel (2100 x 900 x 30) which we cut down to 720 wide to create an off cut the same length as our bench top to create an additional wall shelf.

Attach the top (now 2100 x 720 x 30) by screwing from the bottom so you create a clean top for your workbench. Remembering to pre-drill your holes first.

Additional Floating Shelf
We wanted to create a wall shelf that floated above our workbench, so with the off cut from the top (2100 x 180 x 30),using 4 angle brackets (150 x 200) we attached this to the wall just 10mm above the total height of our workbench. This enables us to have lots of things on the shelf and still be able to just wheel our workbench out without the need to move anything else.

Finishing off
We gave the entire workbench (and additional shelf) a protective coat using CD50 Extreme. 3 coats were applied to the top and 2 coats everywhere else.

Mounted both a ToolShed wood vice and a multi-purpose machine vice to complete the project.

NOTE: wood vice mounting bolts x 4 were rebated into the top by approx ½" deep & 1" wide hole then plugged with a piece of 1" dowel and sanded off flush with top.

Materials Used
Assuming the same size as ours

Top - 2100 x 720
Frame - 1800 x 600
Wall shelf - 2100 x 180
Legs: 100 x 100mm posts
Shelf: Laminated Pine Panel (1800 x 600 x 18) You will need two if you want an extra shelf
Bench top and floating shelf: Laminated Pine Panel (2100 x 900 x 30)
Frame: 3x2’s, (70 x 45mm) and 6x2’s (140 x 45mm)
Batten screws: Zenith 14G x 100mm Galvanised Type 17 Bugle Head Timber Batten Screw (- 25 Pack) - for a flush surface finish
Castor - Move It 80mm 120kg White Polypropylene Swivel Plate Castor
Castor - Move It 80mm 120kg White Polypropylene Swivel Plate Castor With Brake

Note: we purchased all the above materials used from Bunnings.

Powerboard Black+Decker With Individual Switches & Surge Protection 10 amp White (left cord exit) - [Mitre10]
Clipsal Type 435A socket Inlet, 3 PIN, 10A, 250V - [electrical wholesaler]
Arlec 15m Orange In-Line RCD Safety Switch Heavy Duty Lead Extension - [Bunnings]

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

Handsomedan

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#2545400 20-Aug-2020 16:59

This thread makes me feel particularly emasculated...

All I have is one of these: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-wooden-foldable-workbench_p0254309

I feel woefully inadequate.

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FineWine

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#2545447 20-Aug-2020 17:04

Handsomedan:

This thread makes me feel particularly emasculated...

All I have is one of these: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-wooden-foldable-workbench_p0254309

I feel woefully inadequate.

Don't feel inadequate as we still have one of those except under the Black & Decker brand which we bought in Aussie years ago. It served its purpose well.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

neb

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#2545479 20-Aug-2020 17:26

FineWine:
Finishing off
We gave the entire workbench (and additional shelf) a protective coat using CD50 Extreme. 3 coats were applied to the top and 2 coats everywhere else.

Being a geek I had to know what this was among the infinite number of timber oils out there. From the MSDS it's a dewaxed heavy mineral oil with fungicide additives.

I'm sure y'all were dying to know that...

neb

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#2545480 20-Aug-2020 17:28

Handsomedan:
This thread makes me feel particularly emasculated...

All I have is one of these: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-wooden-foldable-workbench_p0254309

I got the Bosch one from payment for jury duty a few years back. It's useful to do stuff that won't fit on the indoors workbench or will create too much mess/cause breathing problems, I can carry it outside, do whatever needs to be done, and pack it back inside again with the mess/fumes left outdoors.

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