Bolting Bench Down

[Doug Mason]

Like most of you, my concrete garage floor is uneven. To level my workbench at it's current location, I hammer in 1/4 and 3/8 shims, respectively, on the ends of each of the two feet; notwithstanding laying concrete blocks on the bottom for weight, the bench still moves without too much effort, throwing off all my leveling efforts - and I'm at my "wits" end in dealing with it.

So shims aren't working for me - due to a combination of the constant angled slope of my garage floor and there not being enough bench weight (and I have a big eight foot Dienfeter bench). Even if I were to screw the shims from underneath to the bottom of the feet, and put masking tape down so I could reposition the bench to level each time it moved, it's still too much trouble to deal with.

So my choices are:
1) Add more weight via concrete or cabinets - niether of which I want to do.
2) Put levelers on - but I see a wracking issue here; or
3) Drill holes in and thread the concrete to accept bolts from the top (the bolts would go through the end of the feet and in turn through the leveling shims into the concrete). I would only need two bolts--for each of the outside feet where the shims are.

Option 3 seems most logical here. I could care less about drilling two holes in my garage floor or my bench. Anyone try this - or see any issues?

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Doug,

If your floor is uneven, seems to me the common solution are the levelers. They would solve racking not create it. You can get some intended to hinde sliding, though I use to just cut a square of rubber and place under the levelers.

With bolts and an uneven floor, seems you would still need a method to level (nuts and washers or ?) so the feet sit level.

Take care, Mike

[Johnny Kleso]

Can you glue some shims to the feet?

Just use some heavy weights on the corners instead of clamps :)

[John Keeton]

Assuming your bench has solid legs, I would favor getting the bench in the acceptable location then mark the floor for placement of the bench. I would then add temporary shims to level the bench, noting the thickness needed on each leg. Then upright the bench, apply the shims and drill the legs in order to install a short section of metal rod - threaded or not - in each leg, exposing an inch or so . You could add some yellow glue or some other adhesive to hold them there temporarily. Then, drill holes in the floor and place the bench.

That way you don't have a rod mounted in the floor, and you could remove the rods from the bench legs if needed someday.

[David Keller NC]

A simple and quick solution (and easier than drilling the larger holes necessary for threaded rod or bolts) would be to purchase some of the concrete screws and drill bit sold as a kit in the home improvement stores, and some short angle brackets. A couple of screws and angle brackets in each leg would give you roughly 500 lbs of shear strength in a lateral direction, which should be more than enough for planing unless you're King Kong. ;)

[Barry Vabeach]

Doug, what I did was cut a hole the same size as the leg in a couple of peices of scrap that were a few inches bigger than the legs , and then used concrete screws ( tapcons ) to screw the scraps to the floor, then the legs just fit in the holes . I placed 2 of them, one each at opposing corners, and the bench doesn't move. It is the same concept as angle iron or corner braces, but I think it is easier to do - half inch plywood is plenty thick enough, and the shear strength is only limited by the tapcons , just paint it or finish the scraps first, concrete has a lot of moisture.

[Bill Houghton]

A simple and quick solution (and easier than drilling the larger holes necessary for threaded rod or bolts) would be to purchase some of the concrete screws and drill bit sold as a kit in the home improvement stores, and some short angle brackets. A couple of screws and angle brackets in each leg would give you roughly 500 lbs of shear strength in a lateral direction, which should be more than enough for planing unless you're King Kong. ;)

I've thought about this myself when I've dreamt of a larger shop, and had thought I'd drill and bolt a 2x4 or 4x4 to the floor right next to the legs at each end - basically a bump stop. This would also not require you to be turning the bench over, fussing with careful alignment of holes, etc. You can get a variety of devices to hold the wood in place.

I've regularly slathered shims with glue before driving them in, when I was confident that the place I was putting something was its long-term home. Works a treat.

[Jim Koepke]

My solution to wracking is to place a board along the bottom front of the bench that I can stand on while planing. It is secured to the tail end of the legs. My weight is enough to keep the back end of the bench from lifting up.

jim

[glenn bradley]

Assuming your bench has solid legs, I would favor getting the bench in the acceptable location then mark the floor for placement of the bench. I would then add temporary shims to level the bench, noting the thickness needed on each leg. Then upright the bench, apply the shims and drill the legs in order to install a short section of metal rod - threaded or not - in each leg, exposing an inch or so . You could add some yellow glue or some other adhesive to hold them there temporarily. Then, drill holes in the floor and place the bench.

That way you don't have a rod mounted in the floor, and you could remove the rods from the bench legs if needed someday.

John's got my vote. Pin it but not permanently.

[Zahid Naqvi]

I suppose if you are already using concrete blocks the issue is not weight, but "grip". I'd start with marking the permanent location of the bench and marking the floor as John recommends. Once you are done with levelling with shims etc. flip the bench and just glue pieces of rubber (old bicycle tubes etc.) under each leg. This should keep the bench in place as well as avoid drilling holes in concrete.

[Wilbur Pan]

Hi Doug,

You didn't explicitly say this, but my guess is that your bench is moving as you're trying to plane a board. If your bench is near a wall, you can put a 2x4 on the floor cut so that it's up against your bench leg and the wall so that the bench is braced against the wall as you are planing. This way, as you plane, you are "pushing" the bench into the wall via the 2x4. Your bench won't move unless you move the wall. This is much easier than trying to get your bench to "stick" to your floor.

I used this technique (which you can see here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=85596)) on my "temporary" bench, which is a piece of 12/4 poplar on two sawhorses. I say "temporary" since this really was supposed to be my temporary bench, but it has worked so well that I haven't made any progress towards my "real" bench in the past 6 months.

To my delight, I learned at Woodworking in America that for one of the magazines, this has become the go-to answer for the "How do I make a bench without a bench?" question.

[David Keller NC]

"This would also not require you to be turning the bench over, fussing with careful alignment of holes, etc. You can get a variety of devices to hold the wood in place."

Ah - but this is the beauty of using the concrete screws and angle brackets - no turning the bench over. You just set the angles down next to the leg, clamp them in place, and drill through the angle with a twist-drill, then switch to the concrete bit when you get through the metal. The screws, of course, install from the top with a screwdriver.

I'll have to say, though - my personal preference is to make the bench massive enough so that I can't move it by planing, but can pick up and move one end of it if I need to get around the back side.

[Doug Mason]

Thx for the input - some good ideas. My bench is not near a wall

I like the idea's sugessted by Barry, Bill and David - all which rely of screwing a support of some sort next to the two outside feet. Quick and simple - and no fussy alignment issues.

1) With Barry's method, I would need to screw 4 holes into the concrete at each leg for the plywood cutoff- into which the bench leg would go. No drilling into the bench legs.
2) Per Bill's suggestion, I would need to drill two holes into the concrete at each leg to supoort the 2x4 (1 foot long). But what about needing to drill/bolt the bench leg to the 2x4 support for maximum support?
3)Per Bavid's suggestion, I would need to drill two holes into the concrete for each piece of angle iron--but in addition I would also need to screw/bolt the upright part of the angle iron to the bench leg.

[David Keller NC]

"3)Per Bavid's suggestion, I would need to drill two holes into the concrete for each piece of angle iron--but in addition I would also need to screw/bolt the upright part of the angle iron to the bench leg."

Nope - just one. One goes into the concrete, one goes into the leg of the bench, and you'd probably find that you could use just one piece of angle at each of the two back legs - so only 2 holes in the concrete. Moreover, you might want to use aluminum brackets for this job. They'll be plenty strong in the shear direction, they won't rust, and they're easy to drill through.

[Michael Faurot]

Another simple way to keep a bench from moving, without drilling holes in the floor, is to put down a piece of plywood and then put the bench on top of it. The bench is then anchored to the plywood with 'L' brackets. Now instead of four small points of contact with the floor, you've got a single massive area. To further prevent movement, add bags of salt, sand, etc. to the area under the bench and on top of the plywood.

[dan grant]

Another simple way to keep a bench from moving, without drilling holes in the floor, is to put down a piece of plywood and then put the bench on top of it. The bench is then anchored to the plywood with 'L' brackets. Now instead of four small points of contact with the floor, you've got a single massive area. To further prevent movement, add bags of salt, sand, etc. to the area under the bench and on top of the plywood.
my thoughts also

[Bill Houghton]

Thx for the input - some good ideas. My bench is not near a wall

I like the idea's sugessted by Barry, Bill and David - all which rely of screwing a support of some sort next to the two outside feet. Quick and simple - and no fussy alignment issues.

1) With Barry's method, I would need to screw 4 holes into the concrete at each leg for the plywood cutoff- into which the bench leg would go. No drilling into the bench legs.
2) Per Bill's suggestion, I would need to drill two holes into the concrete at each leg to supoort the 2x4 (1 foot long). But what about needing to drill/bolt the bench leg to the 2x4 support for maximum support?
3)Per Bavid's suggestion, I would need to drill two holes into the concrete for each piece of angle iron--but in addition I would also need to screw/bolt the upright part of the angle iron to the bench leg.

The angle iron vs. 2x4 are variations of the same idea, with perhaps not much to recommend one vs. the other.

If your bench is heavy enough not to jump up over the 2x4, you may not need to fasten the 2x4 to the legs - you could either install one at the end toward which you exert the most pressure when working; or, if you find that you're moving it both ways, one at each end, outboard of the legs. All you're really providing is a bump stop.

I tend to over-complicate things. You may be falling into the same trap. Sometimes simpler is better, as Wilbur Pan's experience suggests.

[James K Peterson]

I had the same problem Doug. I was going to use the shim method and even try the angle bracket and concrete anchors, but I was messing with my anti-fatigue matt and discovered it would compress enough under the bench to level it and the non-slip surface prevented any movement. so now my bench sits on a piece of anti-fatigue matt, happily un-moved :D

There's a cheap sheet Wal-Mart carries as a excersize matt in sporting goods for about $10 IIRC, and the Borgs sell it by the foot on rolls three feet wide (about $3 per foot).

Thanks
James

[Mark Roderick]

Another possibility. Rather than attach the feet to the floor, attach the legs (or some other cross-member) to the wall.

For years I had a tiny basement shop with a bench I inherited from the previous owner of the house. It wobbled with any significant push. Then I had the idea of just screwing the stretchers into the wall behind the bench, and from then on it was absolutely rock-solid.

[Vince Shriver]

I know you must have heard of Jeff Noden's Adjust-a-bench. Well, as an accessory, Jeff offers an angle-iron/adjustable caster set which just bolts on to his bench. Take a look at his webside. I don't see any reason you couldn't add that same caster set to your bench, and thereby solving not only your whippy-wobble, but making your bench moveable. Mine work really well. The only downside is that the casters do protrude from the legs a bit and you have to be careful when you walk around the bench. His site, take a look:

http://www.adjustabench.com