Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long
wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I
am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry

On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:12:00 +0100, Cuprager
wrote:

|Hi,
|
|Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
|will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long
|wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
|engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
|of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I
|am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

B&Q have quite good flat pack wooden workbenches at about GBP 40.
I assembled mine with wood glue as well as the screws provided.
Then glued and screwed ply on the back and sides which made it really
strong. Then doors on the front made a really useful bench.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Cuprager wrote:

Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The
bench will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m
long wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though
I am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry

I made mine out of re-claimed timber from an old house being demolished -
using 4x2 joists for the frame and 6x1 (non-t&g) floorboards for the top.

The frame is bolted to walls on 3 sides, so it only has one leg - very near
to where the vice is mounted.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Cuprager" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long wall.
It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an engineers vice
attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking of making the
frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I am open to
suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry


I made frames of discarded CLS timber ( 38mm x 89mm, slightly under 4x2 )
which is nicely finished with rounded edges.

I designed the frame for a bench depth of 600mm, and a finished working
height of 900mm, after comparing the working height of several benches I
have used. I found 1100 too high for lifting heavy stuff on and off, and
900 just about right. Some people may find that a bit low, and prefer
1000. Each to their own.

These were placed at 1m spacing, ( 5 in total, 4m long bench ) with long
strips of the same timber at the front and rear at the top, to maintain the
spacing and provide support for the surface. This frame was screwed to the
back wall and the floor.

For a surface, I used 2 thicknesses of 18mm WBP ply glued together, topped
with a thin sheet of MDF tacked town which can be replaced when it starts to
look tashed. ( A single sheet of ply can be cut lengthways to give 2
sheets which can be further trimmed to 600mm ) This was finished with
whatever spare varnish I had laying around.

Then I used a strip of hardwood along the front to tidy up the exposed edge
of the ply.

The frames also have additional front-rear struts at around a foot from the
ground, providing support for a full-length shelf of single thickness 18mm
ply.

If the bench is going to get light use, a single thickness of ply may be
good enough for the top, but with the vice you mention, I'd go with double
thickness myself.

--
Ron

"Cuprager" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long wall.
It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an engineers vice
attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking of making the
frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I am open to
suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry

I made frames of discarded CLS timber ( 38mm x 89mm, slightly under 4x2 )
which is nicely finished with rounded edges.

I designed the frame for a bench depth of 600mm, and a finished working
height of 900mm, after comparing the working height of several benches I
have used. I found 1100 too high for lifting heavy stuff on and off, and
900 just about right. Some people may find that a bit low, and prefer
1000. Each to their own.

These were placed at 1m spacing, ( 5 in total, 4m long bench ) with long
strips of the same timber at the front and rear at the top, to maintain the
spacing and provide support for the surface. This frame was screwed to the
back wall and the floor.

For a surface, I used 2 thicknesses of 18mm WBP ply glued together, topped
with a thin sheet of MDF tacked town which can be replaced when it starts to
look tashed. ( A single sheet of ply can be cut lengthways to give 2
sheets which can be further trimmed to 600mm ) This was finished with
whatever spare varnish I had laying around.

Then I used a strip of hardwood along the front to tidy up the exposed edge
of the ply.

The frames also have additional front-rear struts at around a foot from the
ground, providing support for a full-length shelf of single thickness 18mm
ply.

If the bench is going to get light use, a single thickness of ply may be
good enough for the top, but with the vice you mention, I'd go with double
thickness myself.

--
Ron

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench?
:

I built mine in a corner of a brick-built garage using 2"x4"
floor-joists as battens along the walls and a 4"x4" fencepost bolted to
the floor with a MetPost flange at the open corner, supporting a frame
made of similar 4"x4", with a section of kitchen worktop on top of
that, then my dad's old steel 6" vice sited right over the leg and
bolted through everything. That's not going anywhere.

Everything else in the garage is Spur shelving, including a
reasonable-sized table next to the workbench (braced to the wall with a
ratchet tie-down), which can be adusted to most convenient standing or
sitting height and comes out completely if I need side-access to the
vice.

Finally, a nice coat of blue garden-furniture paint on all woodwork &
MDF. Then pile on a load of junk over every surface which means I
haven't actually used the workbench for at least a year.

Hope that helps,
Al.

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long
wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I
am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry
Thanks to all who replied for your ideas!

Cuprager wrote:
Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The
bench will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one
3m long wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will
have an engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I
was thinking of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as
the top - though I am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry
Thanks to all who replied for your ideas!

Subscribe to this news group...

rec.woodworking

They have sites for showing of their bits&pieces. ;-)
--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

"Cuprager" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The bench
will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m long wall.
It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an engineers vice
attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking of making the
frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though I am open to
suggestions and interesting ideas!

I made five, about 20 years ago, using 9" x 2" joinery quality timber for
the top, on 4" x 4" legs, with 4" x 2" bracing. The top was also fixed to
the wall with angle brackets. If I didn't need to take them down for the
space, they would certainly last another 20 years.

Colin Bignell

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The
bench will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m
long wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though
I am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

Don't build it along a wall. Build it so you can get around three sides of
it. Much easier to move around the bench that move the object you are
sanding, painting, building etc.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The
bench will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m
long wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though
I am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry

Now thats a workbench but does it get used. ;-)

I reckon he's a retired Surgeon. lol

http://pages.friendlycity.net/~krucker/Bench/index.htm

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench? The
bench will be fixed in my outhouse (3m x 3m) and will go along one 3m
long wall. It will be used for all types of DIY jobs and will have an
engineers vice attached to it so it needs to be strong. I was thinking
of making the frame out of 4x2 and using 18mm ply as the top - though
I am open to suggestions and interesting ideas!

TIA

Gerry

Found this one. ;-)
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...e/1273396.html

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The message k
from "The3rd Earl Of Derby" contains these words:

I reckon he's a retired Surgeon. lol

http://pages.friendlycity.net/~krucker/Bench/index.htm

I hope he sews better than he spells.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Al, Cambridge, UK wrote:

Cuprager wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone on here have any plans for a good solid workbench?
:

I built mine in a corner of a brick-built garage using 2"x4"
floor-joists as battens along the walls and a 4"x4" fencepost bolted to
the floor with a MetPost flange at the open corner, supporting a frame
made of similar 4"x4", with a section of kitchen worktop on top of
that, then my dad's old steel 6" vice sited right over the leg and
bolted through everything. That's not going anywhere.

Everything else in the garage is Spur shelving, including a
reasonable-sized table next to the workbench (braced to the wall with a
ratchet tie-down), which can be adusted to most convenient standing or
sitting height and comes out completely if I need side-access to the
vice.

Finally, a nice coat of blue garden-furniture paint on all woodwork &
MDF. Then pile on a load of junk over every surface which means I
haven't actually used the workbench for at least a year.


Mine's a bit similar. Legs are 4" fenceposts that were sold as damaged
ones and picked up for a nominal sum. The worktop is a kitchen worktop,
sold cheap because it was deeply scratched in several places. It's
supported by fence posts running the entire length. I've screwed a
plywood facing on it as I imagine it's probably a little kinder to the
drills that come through work and into the work surface. The vice is
quite a big one and gets a load of abuse, so there's some re-inforcement
below it's mounting points, but I suspect that I was being overly
cautious.

All the bits are held together with big bolts courtesy of Messrs
Screwfix.