Machining work bench

Hey Guys, so I finally got a decent tool box to hold my machining tooling...

Craftsman 41inch tool chest...

To house the tool chest I decided to build a nice sturdy metal work bench. It will be really nice have to have a bench near the Mill and lathe.

So the plan is to build a sturdy metal frame around the tool chest and then put a 1/4in steel top on it. This is just a work bench NOT a welding table, so a really thick top isn't required.

I'm also going to incorporate a system so that the bench can have wheels that raise/ lower if I want to move it.

Here's all the steel that will soon become a bench...



I used my mill to drill out holes in the front and back pieces of the frame.

The holes on the bottom frame will be for leveing feet...


I cut to length some 3/4in steel round stock and pre-drilled to size the ID for threading.

Next the round stock was welded in place and threads cut through the whole 2.5in length...


pre-fit of leveling feet...

I used the same process for the top frame. The threaded holes in the top frame are to allow attachent points if the bench needs to be hoised in a truck etc... 1/2-13 bolts can be used.

Now that that was done it was time to start building the the frame for the top out of metal 2x2 and 2x4 (1/8 wall). Yhe dimensions for the top is 28in wide × 50in long.








Next up was to build the bottom frame that supports the tool chest...

I ran out of welding wire, so that's as far as I got for now.

 

The eyeball engineer in me thinks a car on top wont hurt it.

haha, Ya I think it could proabbly support quite a bit, lol.

Use a step drill rather than regular bits, will be faster and safer.

John

Ya I can give that a try I have a step drill so it will be easy to try. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Also Happy new years everyone!

Thanks for all the advice.

 

So I made a little more progress on the bench today.

Here's the casters I will be using. They are a steel construction and rated for 750lbs each, so 3000lbs combined. All 4 caster swivel.



Based on this mock-up I took some measurements and figured out where the support for the jack needs to be...

I also added a cross-brace across the back of the bench for more rigidity/support.

The leveling feet are also in place now.

After those pieces were welded in I figured it was time to start making the access slots on the front on the legs so the sizor jacks can be easily raised and lowered from the front. I used AmericanMachinists idea of drilling a hole at each end of the slot (once I figured out the required travel).


So for all my worrying I think making the slots will end up being a non-issue. drilling the holes with the dewalt drill was a piece of cake. The drill was plenty powerful, but not so powerful I couldn't hold it if the drill bit jams when brsking through the metal. I drilled the holes out to 13/16 size, I think that will be plenty. All that's left now is to use a zip disc to cut between the holes which should be simple.

This bench is a bit of a beast to move, so i'm glad it is going to have casters, I's estimate it is around 350lbs now and will likely be close to 400lbs when finished!

 

Looks great! I really like your approach with the scissor jacks. I'm looking forward to seeing how you 'channel' them to keep the them flat with the bench, i.e. the bench from pivoting on top of the scissor jack.

Thanks for sharing and keep up the nice work! You're going to have a bench that's a joy to work at for sure.

 

Looks great! I really like your approach with the scissor jacks. I'm looking forward to seeing how you 'channel' them to keep the them flat with the bench, i.e. the bench from pivoting on top of the scissor jack.

Thanks for sharing and keep up the nice work! You're going to have a bench that's a joy to work at for sure.

Thanks, Americanmachinist. Your idea for drilling a hole at each end of the slot worked perfectly

There will be a sizor jack at each end of the table, which will have to be raised and lowed indpendently using the access slots on the front legs of the table. The 2x4'sthat the casters are attached too at each end of the table will have a 1×1 notch front and back which will allow them to be guided by a 1x1 which will be welded vertically to the legs and prevent any twisting or lateral forces from bending the sizor jacks if your pushing the table around with the casters down.

It's a little hard to explain but will make sense once I take some pictures of it, once I build it.

 

Hey everyone, so I did some more work on the bench yesterday.

I finished making the access slots for the sizor jacks. I used a air powered cutoff tool with a zip disc. It was kind of a pain and took a while complete the slots but in the end it worked.

I also milled the guide slots on the 2x4 that the casters mount to on the one side.






Hopefully with the pictures it makes sense how the mechanism to raise and lower the casters works...

I had really hope to finish the table yesterday as i'm back to work tomorrow, but ran out of time... so the last little bit may take longer.

Here's where I left off after welding the 'guide rails in place on the one side:

 

That's a VERY slick way to raise and lower your table! Great leverage, able to handle the weight, and nicely out of the way.

 

That's a VERY slick way to raise and lower your table! Great leverage, able to handle the weight, and nicely out of the way.

Thanks, ya I had to spend a lot of time thinking about how to make the raising and lowering mechanism work and also be out of the way. Hopefully it works as well as I envision it will

 

Nice work, just wondering, how many tons do you plan to have this bench support?

 

Nice work, just wondering, how many tons do you plan to have this bench support?

Haha ya this bench is way overkill for sure, but it'll be nice to have a real sturdy work bench, and also be able to move it around the shop too.