Work bench?

[andrewgr]

I don't have a desk or bench that's heavy/solid enough to feel good about attaching a heavy vise, using any sort of heavy saw, etc.
I want to buy one that I do NOT intend to put a lathe or anything like that on. It's just a work area for general use.

I realize I'm supposed to build my own, but I lack the knowledge and skills. Also, with Covid (my wife has an auto-immune disease so I'm really paranoid about social distancing-- I leave the house less than once per month), it would be awkward for me to go shopping for the various parts, talk to the friendly people a the hardware and lumber stores, etc. So, I want to buy one.

Anything in particular I should be looking for? It doesn't need to be the perfect, use-forever work bench; but right now, I'm using an old Ikea kitchen table, which just isn't going to work. One specific question I have is depth-- most of the ones that you buy from someplace like Zoro seem to be about 24" deep, which I guess seems a little narrow to me?

Any tips or suggestions gratefully accepted.

 

[yendor]

Buy a damaged Butcher Block Counter Top from a Big Box Home Store and build your own base out of 4x4 or doubled up 2x4's.

 

[pontiac428]

Some of the "Kobalt" benches at Lowes/HD with the butcher block tops are nice. I have two older ones that have done okay, but the new ones are better built and stronger.

 

[Aukai]

If you don't get out search Amazon mobile workbench.

 

[NC Rick]

I have a few benches made with maple 1 1/2 thick tops and the commercial stamped leg sets. I find these sturdy and quick to implement. For a big vise, you may want to anchor the bench to the ground. Someone said that Grizzly has the tops, I have used USA stuff from McMaster Carr. In the past I have used prefab laminated kitchen counter tops from homeless despot but that requires Venturi g into public. Mail order solution sounds really good.

 

[silence dogood]

Check out Grizzly. Right now they have sales going on. Shipping for you should not be too bad since Grizzly has a store in Bellingham just north of you. Their phone number is 800-523-4777.

 

[Aaron_W]

I see a lot of workbenches turn up on Craigslist, some used, and some that look like people are building and selling. I see a couple right now on Seattle CL, including one seller in Tacoma that looks like they build and sell work benches.

Harbor Freight has a decent wooden workbench for the price. The sample in my local store is a bit wobbly, but my guess is that is due to just being slapped together. If assembled well, with glue and screws I think it would be a lot more stable. It is about 21x60 so a bit on the narrow side, but as far as your 24" being narrow, I think that is a pretty common width. I've built myself several workbenches over the years and usually cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood in half and then use it in a double layer, so 24" looks about right for me. Much deeper and the backside tends to collect junk.

HF workbench

Home Depot also has some decent looking workbenches.

If you want deeper than 24", maybe try looking for a work table instead of a bench.

 

[WobblyHand]

I bought a 60" x 30" maple top from Grizzly in the spring when they had a steep markdown on shipping. Also purchased the heavy duty steel legs. Definitely sturdy. 30" depth works for me, as it allows me to push stuff aside without constantly bussing the table. I also put a single shelf on the bottom, for heavy stuff I'm not using. Made the shelf out of 3 2x8's. I'm sure you know this, but solid maple tops are heavy. Mine was 99 lbs. One of my better purchases.

 

[Larry$]

The 1 1/2" maple tops make good bench tops.
Mine is homemade and about 32 x 60 with a vice mounted on one corner, an 8" bench grinder and a tool and cutter grinder. I made it 42" tall which I find is much more comfortable than 30 or 36. Legs are 4x4s, some shelves and drawers that I made. I used a frame bolted around the top and near the bottom and I put 3/4" panels on the ends to prevent racking if the bolts didn't make it solid enough. I glued everything. All that stuff makes it heavy enough to be stable. You can get lumber delivered.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

It won't be much help in your situation. But a workbench is usually something very personal and fitted to the intended use. Something as simple as a plastic folding table for my computer and fiddling with Wife's "projects". Or more complex like the HF woodworker's bench. And literally anything in between. I have a welding shop pile in the barn. OA torch, a metal table and a welder. Big vise and a a "po' man's" anvil. A 3 foot section of railroad iron on a homemade stand. And the big tools specific to the tractor. (25 HP Diesel) And the fuel and other flammables, of course.

My model building and electronics bench is hung from a wall. Some 30 inches deep with a 24 inch top and a piece of 2x4 on edge behind as a "stop". The open space is to allow routing cables for power supplies and the like. The working surface is from a thin plywood, I think a door skin. There is a section front and center that takes a beating from small cutting and drilling. That area has a "patch" that is replaced as needed. There is a smaller, 5 inch vise there, bolted to the bench. And a "PanaVise" model builders vise on an electronic's stand that can be moved as needed.

Another "catch all" bench, against a different wall, has a HF mini mill that I use as a small drill press. And a sheet metal brake, also very small. The bench has legs to the floor and a shelf below the bench for "stuff". Also 30 inches deep, although 24 would work just as well. The back 6 inches just catches more "stuff". It was built from 2x6s with doubled up 2x4s for legs.

The machines each have a stand, of sorts. One lathe is on a frame welded up from angle, the other came with the machine. I am quite tall, over six feet, so the machine stands have been modified to suit me. The shaper stand was cobbled up from junk wood and later metal, also junk. The horizontal mill is on a stand from Grizzly. It isn't for that machine but works well enough and is stable. A big drill press and some wood working machines are outside under a roof but otherwise exposed.

All benches and machines have wire shelves along the walls above. Tools hang from the front of the shelves and over the machines. My "stuff" caches occupy all of the remaining space. And then some.. . .

It has taken years to get what I have now. Early on, I used saw horses with 2x4 stretchers and a piece of plywood for a top. An old steel desk, likely GSA, was the inside bench for electronics, computers, and model building. Over time, I purchased the house next door. (After a fire) I originally bought the property for the lot size. When the (burned) house turned out to still be structurally sound, I gutted it and used it for a shop. I'd rather have a 2 car garage. But I am in an old neighborhood with big houses on small lots. It takes time to get functional. Or lots of bucks. I had the time, didn't have the bucks.

Your situation is different, I'm sure. A large steel office desk is usually strong enough for a stout vise and light hammering. If your wife insists, it can usually be made publicly acceptable with shelf paper and paint. It should fit what you want it to do. Buy her some flowers or candy and get on with your work.

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