What size should a workbench top be

[Brian Hale]

I'm ready to order a bench top (i'll make the base) and i'm curious what you all consider an optimal size is. I can easily find space for a 4' x 12' bench but that's most likely overkill ;)

TIA
Brian :)

[Gary Keedwell]

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I'm ready to order a bench top (i'll make the base) and i'm curious what you all consider an optimal size is. I can easily find space for a 4' x 12' bench but that's most likely overkill ;)

TIA
Brian :)My bench is 60"X30" and I feel it adequate. I have two rows of bench dogs and a vise at the end. I use it for sanding , finishing, assembly, drawing etc.

Gary K.






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[Phil Ordway]

For me, it would depend on two things. What I anticipated working on, and the space I had to work with. I would make the top only slightly larger than I figured I would need, and use the rest of the space for a table to put the stuff that always seems to clog up my workbench. I've always had a problem keeping horizontal surfaces clean enough to use for their intended purtpose.

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Guys!

I should have mentioned that most, if not all, my work is case work; cabinets, tables, shelves, etc.

Within the next year and a half my shop/garage should be built and I'll have a space about 35' x 45' so even though I'll be a bit cramped till then I'm sure I'll get by. Also, the new shop will have a 4'8' out feed table for the saw that'll double as an assembly table. The workbench will be used mostly for hand tool work but since i also have a problem with horizontal surfaces, bigger is better.

Brian :)

[Dave Ray]

I've always had a problem keeping horizontal surfaces clean enough to use for their intended purtpose.

Phil, I can relate to that...... so very true in my case. :eek: :eek:

[lou sansone]

hi brian
I have two major work benches in my shop. One is a ulmia bench that is about 30 x 86 and the other I built, and is about 36 x 84. If I had room for 48 x 96 I would do it.

best wishes
lou

[Jesse Cloud]

would be a workbench about just about the size of the pieces I would work on, with good vices, plenty of benchdog holes, and storage for hand tools. Then, I would also want a large assembly table, lower from the ground than the workbench and plenty wide.

[Bruce Page]

Bigger is better but a lot depends on how much room you have. Mine's 36" X 96".

[John Kempkes]

Ever see the size of a real Shaker bench? 4' x 12' wouldn't be out of place, you might even find open space on it when you need it :p

[Bob Noles]

Brian,

A good rule of thumb is not to make the width any wider than your reach to the other side. As far as length..... well..... just as long as you have room for. Go for it :)

[glenn bradley]

Brian, I know you only asked this question to see if you could break the record for most responses on this forum :D . I had a 30" by 8 foot and it was great but usually held 'other stuff' as I had so much room. My next bench will be 30" by 8' again but I am attaching it to a wall. If I was going with a free standing design I could go smaller; 24 to 30" by 6'.

Only you know how much room your projects take. Visualize a larger project, walk around this virtual object and map out how much surface you may need. I also keep a rolling worktable (30" by 48") in the shop. This acts as my 'I'll just set this down here" area and saves on actual required bench space.

[Ken Garlock]

Brian, listen carefully,

30 X 96

[Alan Turner]

I like to be able to work a bench from both sides. Thus, the width for me which is comfortable is 26 1/2". But, length? As long as possible, basically. Most important is how the bench will hold your work. On my 2 main benches, I have traditional tail vises, and love them! One has an Emmert No. 2, and the other an older Richards Wilcox gravity drop half nut quick action. Both are good vises.

[Brian Hale]

Thanks guys.

Been looking 'round the 'net and there aren't many places that make custom sized wood workbench tops. Most are the standard 24", 30" and 36" wide by 60", 72" and 96" and most of them are 1 3/4" thick.

Any suggestions on how thick? My Anant vice would fit a 4" thick top with shims but i haven't decided on and end vice yet. I'm hoping to find something at least 3" thick, 4" would be better but I'm sure the prices go up exponentially.

The search continues.......

Thanks again for your input! I'm leaning toward 3' x 10' but we'll see whats available

Brian :)

[Allen Bookout]

Brian,

I have been watching this as I was wondering where that you were going to get a custom bench top from. I did not even know that there was such a thing- other that the standard work benches. I do not really know but I would think that the cost, as compared to building it yourself, would be way up there.

Allen

[Brian Hale]

Allen, i keep telling myself to build it myself but i don't have a reliable way to flatten it (other then a router bridge) and i just don't have that much free time. Our daughter just got her first house and it's a fixer-upper so since i know how to cut a board to length, i also the "hired carpenter' :rolleyes:

It' looks like some of the custom kitchen counter top builders can make me one but i have to submit an RFQ

Brian :)

[Ken Garlock]

Brian, when I buy a pre-made top it will be from the Bally Block people. They make a variety of bench tops and the 30x96 is available in 2 1/8 thickness.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

as big as you please.
I have one that I can't reach all the way across without using tiip toes.

[Chris Padilla]

Brian,

Building a flat workbench top isn't all that complicated...think in terms of a torsion box.

With appropriate shimming and support, you can create a flat enough surface in your garage/shop to build a very, very flat torsion box.

Now this torsion box could be the next benchtop or assembly top. Now everything you build upon the flat torsion box will be flat, too.

Here are my plans for a laminated benchtop:

Maple end-grain or butcher block top (I have several 12" wide, 2.5" thick maple planks 10'+ long just waiting...I mean drying! ;) ) about 3/4" thick...maybe more, maybe less.

3-4 sheets of 1/2" MDF

1 sheet of 1/2" (maybe 3/4") maple plywood for the bottom

I will skirt the whole thing in maple and maybe some walnut.

I have a Veritas Twin Screw Vise whose jaws might be maple/walnut combo

I plan to laminate the whole thing with Unibond 800 and I have those fancy adjustable base/legs.

I plan to build the top upon my own MDF torsion box so it should be pretty flat.

Fun, eh?

Oh, the size? Tough call...very personal choice if you make your own of course. I plan to custom-size mine to a particular spot in my garage...should work well. Will be about 28-29" wide by about 74" long--including the vise sticking out on the end.

[Gary Curtis]

30x98. I'm just putting it together. Beech top is 2". Base is Western Maple.

More depth would get in the way. The length would be fine at a minimum of 78". My shop in a new home is only 3 weeks old and already I am seeing the truth in the statement from Tage Frid about Americans not liking tool trays.Without a tool tray on the bench, I am dropping a lot of tools.

gary curtis

[Jeff Singleton]

Brian,

My workbench is 64" x 108", 3" thick soft maple. I glued the top up in 16" wide pieces so I could take it apart and run it thru my planer when it gets all banged up. The legs are 6" x 8" doug fir I had left over when I built my timberframe addition. Makes for one soild workbench. Plenty of room for a lot of case goods, beds, tables, and also great for patternmaking. It also has two Emmerts hanging off it.
:)
Jeff Singleton