Outdoors Bench (work bench)

[Pedro Reyes]

All,

I don't post projects often, mostly because I don't have time with two kids both under 3. And what little I have posted, you can see I am working outside on a couple of sawhorses with a plywood top or a craftsman workmate. This is because we recently moved, and bottom line I have no space for a proper shop right now.

So I thought about the feasibility of building a simple bench outside and covering it with a large grill cover. I am of course not building my dream bench out of maple & purpleheart (I don't think I'll ever will) but simply a laminated SYP from a home center store. I don't live in portland, but not Arizona desert either, we get about 32" of rain a year, and really hot months in summer.

I will never keep the bottom 6" of the legs from getting wet, even with a cover, but the rest should stay fairly dry, does anyone think this is feasible and useable? Are there any strong reasons why I should not even bother? Any decent surface would be a huge improvement for me.

Thanks

Pedro

[steven c newman]

I have been known to use a 6' step ladder, a wide plank, and a couple clamps. Used this to build a sawbench, and a workbench for the shop. When NOT in use, the plank gets put up, the ladder put away, and the clamps go into the tool box. 288265fairly simple. You can clamp things to the plank as needed. 288266 use it to assemble projects288267maybe do some sawing work, and IF you need to288268stand an item up to work underneath, like adding a brace to a bench. Fairly stable, too.

[Curt Putnam]

Paint the legs and put a $10 plastic tarp over the top. You may have to flatten the top every couple months - for precision work. Try and get some shade - looking at light wood under direct sunlight is about as bad as looking at the sun.

[Paul Incognito]

I don't see why this wouldn't work. People leave wooden picinic tables out all year and still get years out of them. I wouldn't go crazy with the build, simple and cheap will do the trick. I'd also make sure any vises on it are easily detachable so they can be stored indoors when not in use. That way the screws don't get rusty.
Paul

[John Sanford]

It's both quite doable, and useable. When I was visiting family on the Big Island (Hawaii) I saw a commercial shop between Hilo and Volcano, mostly turning, where pretty much everything was outside, albeit under cover. This sounds like a perfect opportunity to build a classic Nicholson style bench, and then when you're done with it for woodworking, retire it to gardening use or such.

[Lonnie Gallaher]

A friend of mine has just that. It is a slab pine top from the fire wood lot, with construction lumber supports. It is all heavily coated with Poly. Oh, and it has a nice vintage iron vise on the side.

[Jim Matthews]

I bought a pair of VIKA folding benches for just this kind of application.
They fold up, and are nearly indestructible.

Anything wooden that sits on the ground will eventually return to the elements.

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[Chuck Darney]

I made a sort of assembly table that I move outside when the weather's nice. I just replaced the one I had with a 4'x5'x2" torsion box that sits on top of saw horses. I just put it back in the workshop when I'm done or if the weather looks bad.

[Brian Holcombe]

If the area is covered you probably won't have much trouble with it. Just use joinery that can survive outside without issue, such as draw bored mortise and tenons.

[Steve Friedman]

Pedro,

I have been thinking about building an outdoor workbench for several years because I love working outside when the weather permits. I have built a couple of wooden adze platforms (for making bowls), but they all deform over time.

My latest concept for an outdoor bench is to use Pressure Treated 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 timbers for the base. For the top, I think the best material to use might be cement Hardie Board. It's heavy, and won't warp or rot. One concept is to build a wooden torsion box and cover it on all 6 sides with Hardie Board - as if I was going to tile the top. The other concept is just to laminate several layers of Hardie Board to make a 3" thick the top. The only part I haven't figured out is what to use as a final surface on top of the Hardie Board. It can be pretty thin, so even something like Ipe might be feasible.

Just my thoughts.

Steve

[Pedro Reyes]

Pedro,

I have been thinking about building an outdoor workbench for several years because I love working outside when the weather permits. I have built a couple of wooden adze platforms (for making bowls), but they all deform over time.

...

Thanks all for your suggestions. I am leaning towards a Nicholson type bench with perhaps easily replaceable legs or at least the bottom portion of the legs. I also thought PT wood for the legs, specially if I end up with a Nicholson.

Steve,

When you say they deformed, were these completely exposed or were they covered when not in use?

Thanks

Pedro

[Richard Line]

I'd like to add one more suggestion. For the cover, figure out a way to let air circulate around and over the top. Having a tarp laying on the top will make sure the moisture can sit there and do whatever it wants to do to the wood (mold, mildew, etc.). Some kind of easily set up spacers to let the air get to the top.

[Dave Anderson NH]

One suggestion is that if you expect the bottom 6" of the legs to get wet, turn the bench upside down and use Minwax Wood Hardener on them. It's pretty simple. Make a masking tape dam about an inch high around the perimeter of the legs and just keep pouring the water thin liquid hardener into the dam and onto the legs until they won't absorb any more. This will prevent water wicking up the end grain of the legs and rotting them. I did it with a picnic table made from framing lumber about 25 years ago and left completely exposed to the rain, sun, and snow of NH. The whole table was rotted but the bottom of the legs which sat on the back lawn survived unharmed after 18 years. I finally broke the remains of the table up and burned them at the edge of the woods.

[Judson Green]

I'd like to add one more suggestion. For the cover, figure out a way to let air circulate around and over the top. Having a tarp laying on the top will make sure the moisture can sit there and do whatever it wants to do to the wood (mold, mildew, etc.). Some kind of easily set up spacers to let the air get to the top.


+1 to that.

And what about non-wood legs? Like that decking stuff made from plastic jugs (heck ya could make the entire bench out that) or just using wood that won't rot like white oak.

[Richard Verwoest]

Couple of ideas.....

Make some sort of "feet" from Redwood or Cedar. You will get many years of use before they need to be replaced. Does the bench have to be mobile? If not, maybe anchor it down with Simpson type post bases? These would keep the bottoms of the legs off the ground. Thinking about it, the bench could still be moved, with a little effort.

Richard

[Steve Friedman]

When you say they deformed, were these completely exposed or were they covered when not in use?

Never covered. It's essentially a 1' x 1' x 5' solid cube made of PT 2 x 12s with some dog holes in it. It's held together with lag bolts (no glue), but the wood definitely moves a lot. It does it's job because the top doesn't need to be flat, but I would vote for minimizing the wood in any outdoor bench that needs to stay flat. I agree about the cover being a bad idea unless there is airflow. Personally, I wouldn't use a cover because I'm too lazy and because I don't want to build a motel for critters.

Steve

[Edward Mitton]

My 'outdoor' bench is a 2' x 4' plywood top attached atop a frame made of 2x4s which all clamps on to a Workmate. Easily portable and sets up anywhere it is needed. During the winter months it resides in my basement shop and serves as an assembly / finishing table. Also serves double duty in the spring to hold all my garden seed starter flats. Though it isn't solid enough to do any haevy duty planing and such, it serves very well as a utility workbench. Check out the Denver Bronco shop apron made by the LOML!
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[maximillian arango]

One suggestion is that if you expect the bottom 6" of the legs to get wet, turn the bench upside down and use Minwax Wood Hardener on them. It's pretty simple. Make a masking tape dam about an inch high around the perimeter of the legs and just keep pouring the water thin liquid hardener into the dam and onto the legs until they won't absorb any more. This will prevent water wicking up the end grain of the legs and rotting them. I did it with a picnic table made from framing lumber about 25 years ago and left completely exposed to the rain, sun, and snow of NH. The whole table was rotted but the bottom of the legs which sat on the back lawn survived unharmed after 18 years. I finally broke the remains of the table up and burned them at the edge of the woods.


any reason not to do this to the whole thing?

[Dave Anderson NH]

The problem with coating the whole bench would be cost. I also suspect applying the coating to the top would only be temporary and it would wear off since it wouldn't absorb into the face grain as well as the end grain. On the other hand, it just might work well enough that occasionally reapplying would prolong the life and even repel some rain water.