Workbench ideas

[OscarMyers]

I have found lots of workbench ideas on various websites, but I am curious what has worked for anyone on the forum. Taking into account PCSing and ease of reassembly. It will be used mostly for gun maintenance, car parts and miscellaneous evil genius tinkering.

 

[Gatordev]

My appartment now has this work area in front of the cars that allowed for one of Sear's simple work benches. NMCI isn't really going to let me find the link right now, but I believe it's the 5' one. It's pretty simple (think table top with that coating, two metal legs the width of the table) but is pretty sturdy. I drilled some holes for a vise (I think it's a 4", but it might be a 5") on the side. If I start torquing down on something, the bench will start to move, but otherwise, it's good to go. My one complaint is the water heater right next to it, but that's not the bench's fault. I'd love to have more bench space, but that's not to be for now.

I'll see if I can get a link when I'm at home.

 

[TimeBomb]

I have a setup from Lowe's that assembles either as shelving or as a workbench (hit lowes.com and search for "shelving"). It's pretty cheap, and one advantage is that the shelving/workbench surface is 2 feet by 4 feet, so you can replace them easily and without any waste when they get trashed out from some project malfunction or by the low-bid PCS movers. The down side is that at 2 feet, they're a little narrow for some projects, but I've put two of them side-by-side to give me an 8'x2' work surface. Being narrow has some advantage in that it fits pretty well into a standard garage without getting in the way of the car doors. I've used it for years for exactly what you're describing and have been pretty happy.
R/

 

[Gatordev]

Here's what I ended up getting. Remove a couple of bolts on each "leg" and it's easy to move...or so it seems from when I put it together. Haven't moved with it yet. It is heavy, though, so like I said, it can take some torquing.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-6'-workbench-black/p-00910138000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[OscarMyers]

Thanks for the Ideas, I had even dabbled with the thought of building one. Not sure if I'm handy enough with a circular saw to pull that one off.

Here's what I ended up getting. Remove a couple of bolts on each "leg" and it's easy to move...or so it seems from when I put it together. Haven't moved with it yet. It is heavy, though, so like I said, it can take some torquing.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-6'-workbench-black/p-00910138000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Is there anywhere to mount a vice to this bench?

 

[Gatordev]

Yes. I put mine on the left front corner (could do the same on the right). You could probably also mount it somewhere on the front, but I think it would have to be to the right (or left) of the top of the leg "thingy" that the bolts go into. There's a bar that runs along the bottom that can make it difficult, but if it's a smaller vise (I think mines a 5", but I may be exaggerating...that's what she said), it works. I'll try and take a picture of mine.

 

[The Chief]

Ideas?
These may be too large, but gives you an idea.
The first bench base is from salvaged kitchen cabinets, with 3/4 inch birch plywood top, heavy coat of spar polyurethane. Six feet long by 24 inches wide. Cabinets are held together laterally with a couple of screws Top secured by screws in each corner. 30 minutes to knock down, have moved seven times. Preempted for current use but was loading stations. Very cheap, tons of storage. Top need refinishing?, simply drag out the sander and reapply polyurethane. No skill at all to build (obviously).
Second bench is 84 x 36. Top is a solid wooden door 1 ½". From salvage. Built originally to hold a T-bird 460 CID mill rebuild. Did the job and then some. Legs are 4x4, 44 inches high. Rails are 2x4. Top is fastened to the top rails, bottom shelf is 3/8 plywood, free floating, notched at ends to hold down lateral movement. Carriage bolts hold the rails to the legs, two bolts at each corner. 8 bolts on top and 8 bolts on bottom and it is dis-assembled. This too was moved 7 times. Could not live without it. You could get fancy and dado the legs and rails to fit smoothly, which I did not do, works just as well. Have refinished the spar polyurethane 8 or 9 times. Green paint is all I had handy.

Excuse the mess. Several different projects underway.

 

[feddoc]

I've got a reloading bench similar to what the Master Chief has...two base cabinets with 3 pieces of 3/4" MDF for counter space/mounting my press(s).

For my work bench, I built two, with the idea that I could break it down into pieces for PCS stuff. (BTW, don't use lag bolts as the holes will eventually wobble out). Three pieces of either MDF or birch plywood for the top. Legs are 4X6s with dado cuts which hold my 2X4 runners. 1/2" bolts all the way around. Simpson brand ties make both benches nearly bullet proof. One has steerable/lockable wheels at all four corners, the other is just flat.

 

[Gatordev]

Is there anywhere to mount a vice to this bench?

Here's a full on pic (and a bit of a mess) with the vise. There's a cross bar that runs along the length of the "table" on the front that makes it harder to drill some holes, but the corners are clear and have plenty of material to put four bolts through and still apply a decent amount of Tq.