Question about Harbor Freight workbench

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

I guess that this isn’t a power tool question, but I’ve been wanting a nice workbench for awhile, and I don’t think that I can build one that will satisfy me.

Harbor Freight is selling what looks to me to be a very nice workbench. It’s five foot long, by about 20 inches deep, with a vise on one end. It has four drawers and a lower shelf. HF is selling it for $199, but it’s on sale now for $159. According to the ad, it’s made from solid oak.

Do any of you have this bench, or you do have any comments about it?

Thanks,
Louis

[Don Dorn]

There is a HF about a mile from me and I'm in there a couple times a week even though I don't buy a whole lot. They have that bench on display and I guess it would adequate for assembly, but it's not near sturdy enough to do the work that the presence of a vice would suggest that it would.

The top seems decent enough, but not very large and I think the vice itself would probably suffice, but you'd have to build a new base because the one with it would scoot right across your shop if you tried to plane anything.

[george wilson]

Costco sells a workbench without vises that is $199.00.It has a 2" top and a heavy steel frame construction. Looks pretty stout to me. It is about 30" x 6'. I can't recall,but about that size. It was up on a shelf.

That bench and a few vises would give a much better bench. It is much more rigid,and larger.

Those little benches like I ASSUME HF has,are very light,made up of short pieces of wood,and have a thick,slippery finish. They are prone to popping open at glue lines,and I wouldn't want to go pounding on chisels on their thin tops.

We bought one of those type of benches several years ago for my wife's jewelry making shop. I do not recommend it for heavier use.

[David DeCristoforo]

These benches have been the topic of discussion many times, mostly on the "Neander" forum. The consensus has typically been that they are very poorly made and "worth" their price only in the sense that you would probably have to spend an equal amount to buy that much oak. They are "rickety" and, as George mentioned, they tend to split and warp and the glue lines are prone to failure. You get what you pay for. Spend a bit more and you could get a good quality 1.5 or 2" thick slab of "butcher block", a strong steel frame and a "bolt on" vice. In the end you would have a much better bench.

[george wilson]

The Costco bench has a standard type of butcher block top. I think it is an excellent buy. It might be tricky putting vises on it,though,due to the steel frame apron under the top,if you aren't a metal worker. Go see one.

[Chris Kennedy]

The Costco bench has a standard type of butcher block top. I think it is an excellent buy. It might be tricky putting vises on it,though,due to the steel frame apron under the top,if you aren't a metal worker. Go see one.

Someone did this on here, but I cannot remember who. I don't remember if it was with a Costco bench or the Sam's club equivalent. I did a little searching trying to find it and failed. Sorry. Hopefully whoever did it will see the thread.

As for the HF -- I've seen it and not in a thousand years. The top is pretty thin and the whole thing racks if you look at it funny. Save your money. I have a bottom of the line Sjoberg that works really well once you weight it down.

Cheers,

Chris

[Jay Yoder]

I have the HF workbench and it works great...as a shelf. The vice is not smooth at all. I bought it b/c i needed a cheap one for assembly. If I did any amount of hand tool work, it would need bolted to the floor. I don't regret buying it, but it will definately be replaced with a "Real" workbench in the future. It just is not heavy enough, and also, not truly flat.