Bill-
Pix of workbench and shop renovation follow. Sorry that it took so
long. I see that some people post pix in the MB size, but I've
reduced these to about 10% of the original and they're easily
viewable here. And, well, you know the rest of the story, but I
finally got an email client configured so anybody can see the pix.

The garage had become a shop over the last 20 years, but I'd never
built a functional bench. I used a number of 3' deep wall-mounted
horizontal surfaces I'd built, but they had only a 12" shelf
underneath each one that held whatever got in the way after
accumulating on top. They were plywood tops supported in the
same manner as the wood rack in the photo.

My goals were simple:
Functional bench with storage
Made from parts on hand
Get permission from wife

The order changed in the process. The new wood rack was going
to come first since the old one had to come down, then the bench.
When the wife suggested I just take down the rack and build a
bench first, I jumped on it. Permission granted, one goal met.

Pictures were taken early in the process, as modules were built,
during dry assembly, during and after glue-up, and as I was starting
to load it up.

Measurements: Top is 92" wide, 38" high, and 33" deep. Bottom
shelf opening is 16" and top shelf opening is 15", plus the 1.5"
inside the grid above them.

It's made of 2x6s, 2x4s, and 1x2s, and a 1x4 wall cleat. Top is 2
sheets of heavy duty laminated particle board glued and screwed
together (1.75" thick. I think it was a full 4x8 sheet before
cut-down that was about 150 pounds - weighed as best as possible
on a bathroom scale) and the side panels are one layer of the same.
Shelves are a thin particle board, well supported.

The edge and side trim was sandwiched together from a bunk bed's
2x6s that had large dadoes cut in them. I used the dadoed parts to
make 1/2 lap joints, then trimmed to about 1/2 width.

I did end up buying some 2x6s, but they replaced some I had on
hand that were used in a simultaneous project that wasn't expected.
All sheet goods came from a high school shop teacher that was
cleaning up a few years ago. The bottom half of the walls is
Hardibacker concrete board with sheetrock compound and the top
is used T-111.

I think the goals were met with an effective outlay of $0. The trip
to the doctor for broken fingers (2 plus 1 probable) when a stack of
wood fell doesn't count.

What's left to go? Smooth out the joints and fill in the spot where
I routed the wrong side of the trim, put the ends to some sort of
storage - pegs (?), then maybe add sliding doors and some very
small shelves in one corner or just underneath the apron. Wall will
have French cleats for storage, starting soon. I will be making
some Tees to mount 3 vises, the belt sander, and who knows what
else on that can just drop into the bench vise when needed.

Today (and tomorrow, and ...) I re-rearrange the shop so I can
consolidate the wood racks.

--J