Mobile workbench designs or tutorials?

[Kane Bragg]

Hello. Seeking plans, tutorials or general considerations for making a mobile woodworking workbench. I work almost exclusively outside my garage door when nice out and put all my mobile tools back inside the garage when done (table saw, bandsaw, miter station, etc) More and more I find myself looking for a good space to assemble and such. I'm trying to minimize future regrets - any words of wisdom or must haves? Ideal size?

Thank you all -
Kane

[Patrick Varley]

No specific recommendations, but from a general strategy standpoint I will say that I tried the "big, integrated bench" pathway at first and didn't like it. By the time you get everything on it, it's not that mobile. I much prefer multiple smaller carts that can roll independently. The exception to that is a nice sized assembly table, ideally that can double as the outfeed for your table saw.

The "flip top" concepts seem to be popular, but I've never been sold. First, I always wonder how stable they are.even a bit of play in the top would annoy me. Second, I'd rather have drawers/shelves available in two separate carts than one cart with no additional storage. But that's all personal preference.

If I were going to do it over again, I'd probably adapt some concepts from the Paulk-style benches.

[Charles Coolidge]

I have gone STEEL workbench, so long wood workbenches.

- Dead flat and will stay dead flat with precision CNC machined 5/8 inch thick steel tops.
- Impervious to glue, epoxy and drips of whatever it's Nitride finished the goop pops right off with a putty knife.
- There's about 1,000 different clamping and fixturing gadgets for these.
- Great base for bolting down job specific jigs, my sliding miter saw, anything heavy this one weighs over 300lbs.

475394

[Scott Clausen]

I have gone STEEL workbench, so long wood workbenches.

- Dead flat and will stay dead flat with precision CNC machined 5/8 inch thick steel tops.
- Impervious to glue, epoxy and drips of whatever it's Nitride finished the goop pops right off with a putty knife.
- There's about 1,000 different clamping and fixturing gadgets for these.
- Great base for bolting down job specific jigs, my sliding miter saw, anything heavy this one weighs over 300lbs.

475394
yeah but my chisels and saws would hate to have occasional contact with that.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My wife and I have been house - buying.rehabbing.renting them out since 2002.

The very first thing I do is find the nastiest inside door in the place - take it off it's hinges - stick it across a couple of saw horses.
I've made some portable flat surfaces using the torsion box design & cutting holes in the structural members to reduce weight, but, little beats an old hollow core door.

I also made a cutting table for sheet goods that does duty as a work table also.

Both can be found in this old thread:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?208368-Show-me-your-plywood-cutting-tables-(please)!

[Tom Trees]

This might be of interest
Carl Holmgren inspired, just lashed together with what I had lying around.
I posted a WIP elsewhere called a wheely good workbench solution,
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Here's another clever solution
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7ZvU2tyiMjM

Tom

[Tom Trees]

Harbour fright lifting trolley might be another solution.
Been thinking of making something like that, but with another set of arms, ala Marius Hornberger adjustable height table,
as it seems that you can't lift something with a screw!

Having that extra travel would double up for ride on lawnmowers and outfeeds for the saws,
Having no clue of what sort of ram I need, I haven't looked into this just yet, but have the steel to make it look Feldery.

Just incase that might be a solution also.
Tom

[Charles Coolidge]

yeah but my chisels and saws would hate to have occasional contact with that.

Throw a wood top on it when needed.

[Tom Bender]

One problem is floor flatness. I have considered making a bench with three feet so it never wobbles. This could mean three legs or four legs with a foot between two legs on one end.

Also, instead of a 'stub your toes' mobile base a pair of jackable wheels hidden under the center should do it and be more solid.

[Kane Bragg]

Hello. Seeking plans, tutorials or general considerations for making a mobile woodworking workbench. I work almost exclusively outside my garage door when nice out and put all my mobile tools back inside the garage when done (table saw, bandsaw, miter station, etc) More and more I find myself looking for a good space to assemble and such. I'm trying to minimize future regrets - any words of wisdom or must haves? Ideal size?

Thank you all -
Kane

Belated update. So I bought a couple butcher block counter top pieces from Menards, glued them together, trimmed the edges. Kind of took the ideas from several examples. First real woodworking bench I’ve ever had. Better late than never.

[Jamie Buxton]

Look up the Paulk workbench on YouTube or other places. It has a big following.

[Derek Cohen]

Hello. Seeking plans, tutorials or general considerations for making a mobile woodworking workbench. I work almost exclusively outside my garage door when nice out and put all my mobile tools back inside the garage when done (table saw, bandsaw, miter station, etc) More and more I find myself looking for a good space to assemble and such. I'm trying to minimize future regrets - any words of wisdom or must haves? Ideal size?

Thank you all -
Kane

Hi Kane

I built a handtool-orientated mini bench top for demonstrations at wood shows and my woodworking club. This sits on a bench or table top, but you could easily make a simple and solid base for it.

https://i.postimg.cc/xT7JWGV9/1a.jpg

This has a Moxon vise for sawing dovetails or planing edges, an end stop for planing faces, an end vise (with a shopmade wooden screw), and bench dogs.

https://i.postimg.cc/13qnPgyw/2a.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/sXVvpw74/6a.jpg

Details of the basic build are here (noting that there have been modifications since): http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Personally, I use the Noden Adjust-A-Bench products for my mobile benches. My main bench uses the original kit and my auxiliary bench uses the new Craftsman Hardware kit.

[Kane Bragg]

Hi Kane

I built a handtool-orientated mini bench top for demonstrations at wood shows and my woodworking club. This sits on a bench or table top, but you could easily make a simple and solid base for it.

This has a Moxon vise for sawing dovetails or planing edges, an end stop for planing faces, an end vise (with a shopmade wooden screw), and bench dogs.

Details of the basic build are here (noting that there have been modifications since): http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

Very nice work.

[Bobby Robbinett]

I built my bench by using the plastic leg kits from Amazon which was roughly $90 and two layers of 3/4” plywood stretchers ripped at 3.5” glued together so 1.5” thick and a 4” thick torsion box top that has a grid of 2.5” thick 3/4” ply and a 3/4” bottom and a 3/4” top with a 1/2” MDF sacrificial top on top of that. I used 330lb (each) rated casters too. My bench is 49” deep x 97” wide. It’s dead flat and mobile