---Exactly.See it ^^^^Originally Posted by John C Cox
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---Exactly.See it ^^^^
Last edited by ernest dubois; 03-09-2018 at 6:22 PM.
Contributor
Tommy,
I worked on a simple cheap set up for several years, and in fact it was better than what I work on now, which is a set up of two sawhorses and some planks.
It was 3 cheap base cabinets that I got free by remodeling our house, and a top of 2 thicknesses of 3/4" particle board glued together and nailed to the cabinets. My wife and I had very little money back then, so whatever I did, it had to be cheap. I glued up the two sheets of particle board by laying them on a flat section of concrete, spreading the glue, laying the top on some old 2Xs, and nailing through both particle boards and into the 2Xs. The nails into the 2X essentially forming clamps that got the two halves well glued up.
The cabinets were really cheap, but the frames were solid wood. The cabinets were screwed together in the face frames, and I think I may have used shims and screwed them together at the back to lock the base cabinets together into a single solid unit. The cabinet frames, sides, and backs, and doubled 3/4" particle board glued together and nailed to the cabinets, when well attached together made a very rigid unit. It didn't go anywhere. The old double door under sink cabinet in the middle made for some very good storage.
You could upgrade the concept by pulling the top drawers, and adding a plywood shelf under the top drawer openings for sliding tools into, planes, etc. while working at the bench. You could also use a triple thickness of the particle board, cut the center piece narrower than the other two, and cut rabbets into a couple of glued up 2X6s glued together to form a tenon that would inset the 2Xs into the go into the "slot" formed by insetting the center piece of particle board. By doing that you could add a small end vise, like the cheaper one from Woodcraft, or something similar, add dog holes in the 2Xs and add an inexpensive face vise and you would be in business I didn't have a vise on mine, and got by with clamps, etc.
From personal experience I can tell you that you can do a lot of woodworking on that kind of a bench. It will be quite rigid, somewhat heavy with tools in the lower drawers and double under sink cabinet, and you won't be out an arm and a leg. If you keep an eye open, you may be able to find some used cabinets, for very little money.
I need a bench, and if I get room for one, that may be what I build first, something rigid, cheap, quick to assemble, but something that will work for me. If I every get a shop, that may be the first thing I build.
By the way, when we moved I sold the workbench for $20, which is more than I had in it.
Stew
Last edited by Stew Denton; 03-09-2018 at 11:50 PM.
Member
Hi there,
I purchased a workbench in the late 90's to replace the Norm Abram style bench I was working on. The Workbench Book had lots of great ideas, but I wasn't up to building a bench at the time. I guess now that I think about it, I still have the Record vise and a bench screw I got in preparation for building.
The bench I got was the Diefenbach Ultimate American. It is really a big piece of crap, with lots of quality issues and construction that is downright counterproductive. I see why they went out of business. If you are looking at a used one, check all the glue lines, check the vise operation, and assess for straight and square.
Curious what bench you want to build, and why?
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Member
Right hand bench.
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