workbench designs

[Jon Wyatt]

Planning to build a woodworking bench approximately 36 X 96 inches using a MDF top. Will be on casters and have storage underneath. Looking for ideas and plans. Any suggestions?

Jon

[Thomas Crawford]

Maybe look for plans for assembly tables instead of workbenches, workbenches are usually narrower.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I just did something similar a couple of months ago. I wanted a bench for use as a general work top area.

I made the top line up, in height, with my SawStop table saw, so I could use it for indeed/outfeed or side support.

I put a wood vice on it and then mounted my metal vide on some thick hard maple, so I could clamp that vice in the wood vice when I needed to use it.

I went wit a smaller top with the though in mind, if I need 48x96, I'd just lay a sheet of plywood on it. I also lay a big piece of purple foam insulation on it to provide support when I'm using the track saw to cut large sheets of plywood.

I mounted it on five castors, four locking on each corner and on in the middle center for support.

Here's some pictures, might give you some ideas.

[Matthew Curtis]

I have three of these in my shop. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2007...-plywood-bench

One is an outfeed table with two five drawer cabinets on bottom shelf. The other two are used for assembly and organizing parts. Super easy to make and easy to replace the tips if needed. I have had the oldest for about 10 years and have yet to replace the top. It is very sturdy.

[John Goodin]

I too made mine the same height as the table saw and topped it with prefinished plywood. I can flip the top when it gets too beat up. The bench also has a double gang box on each end with two outlets in each. There are connected together and a power cord runs out of one that can stretch half way across the shop. 8 tools can plugged in at one time with only one cord running across the floor.

[Terry Hatfield]

I think the size you've chosen is good. My main bench is virtually that same size. I love having a big flat surface to work/build on. As far as the storage goes, I'd lay out the things you plan to store and design drawers or doors etc... accordingly. I have a combination of drawers, doors with open storage and doors with pull out trays to fit what I chose to store in the bench.

[Martin Wasner]

The mixer lift idea is pretty good. I hate having our sharpener sitting on the counter all the time.

[Thomas Crawford]

I just did something similar a couple of months ago. I wanted a bench for use as a general work top area.

I made the top line up, in height, with my SawStop table saw, so I could use it for indeed/outfeed or side support.

I put a wood vice on it and then mounted my metal vide on some thick hard maple, so I could clamp that vice in the wood vice when I needed to use it.

I went wit a smaller top with the though in mind, if I need 48x96, I'd just lay a sheet of plywood on it. I also lay a big piece of purple foam insulation on it to provide support when I'm using the track saw to cut large sheets of plywood.

I mounted it on five castors, four locking on each corner and on in the middle center for support.

Here's some pictures, might give you some ideas.

That's nice, I might make one like that slightly shorter.

[Van Huskey]

This bench has some of the best ideas for a power tool woodworking bench.

[Peter Christensen]

Van was that a special sharpening pad for the stones or a floor matt turned upside down?

[Jon Wyatt]

Beautiful workbench and shop!

[Andrew Seemann]

Here is my assembly bench. It is 3 x 7 and doubles as the outfield for my table saw. The top is formica mounted on a torsion box frame, and the whole thing is on casters. A large machinist's vise, seen on the floor, can be mounted on the left hand corner of the top. The drawers have layout tools, plans, drafting supplies, cordless drills, safety gear, and other things I like to keep handy. Most of the hand tools are in wall mounted cabinets next to the bench. My Frid bench is on the right side of the rug seen on the floor, and the sharpening bench is on the far side of the bench (with a partially finished spinet on it).

IMG_4717.jpgIMG_4715.jpg

As a side note, after I built it, my father kept on telling me in great detail why he didn't need a bench like this, and how he preferred his sawhorses and 2x10 planks. This went on for about 2 years until we finally built him one

[Van Huskey]

Van was that a special sharpening pad for the stones or a floor matt turned upside down?

I don't know for sure and don't think there was anything about it in the article in the German magazine I downloaded for plans but I didn't translate everything. That said based on shape alone I would say it is a car mat.

I felt kinda dumb paying for the article because you can see enough of it to build the whole thing but I wanted the details for the MFT like drop down track.


To Martin re the mixer lift, while you may have one just sitting around in the shop I have seen similar built out of wood in multiple articles though I can't remember specifically where.

[Martin Wasner]

As a side note, after I built it, my father kept on telling me in great detail why he didn't need a bench like this, and how he preferred his sawhorses and 2x10 planks. This went on for about 2 years until we finally built him one

Very few things get built on a table in my shop. Drawers and doors is really about it. Everything else is done on steel sawhorses I had welded up years ago. They stack as well.

To me a bench is basically a giant toolbox and that's about it.

I just made these this year. Three new benches. Each has an mitre saw, a Biesemeyer clone fence that a buddy of mine welded up. Outlets in the face. Outlets in one of the top sections for chargers, and outlets below the doors for the controllers for the vacuum and dust collection, (which I still haven't put in yet) They're plumbed for dust collection and vacuum. Also plumbed for compressed air, though I regret putting only one connection point in. Drawers are on Blum soft close undermounts, with Baltic Birch dovetailed drawers. Doors are all soft close as well. I made them out of Beech since it's cheap and kinda different looking. We don't see much Beech around here. The top that the saw sits on is actually made entirely out of mdf. I had my finisher prime them heavily then I just scuffed and poured epoxy on them. They didn't turn out perfect, but luckily most of it is covered by the cabinet in top anyways. So far, maybe four months into them being built, they've held up well.



They're sweet. Wish I could've done it years ago, but with material, labor, and finishing I figure I've got $12k into all three of them.








I really, really hate how this forum rotates images. It is annoying.

[Andrew Seemann]

Very few things get built on a table in my shop. Drawers and doors is really about it. Everything else is done on steel sawhorses I had welded up years ago. They stack as well.

To me a bench is basically a giant toolbox and that's about it.

It's probably a function of the scale of the work. What you have got on your horses in the picture wouldn't work easily on a bench. Most of what I do works well on the 3 x 7 bench; it tends to be smaller pieces of furniture and things where I need a large flat reference surface to work off of. The original design of the bench was actually sized for planing harpsichord soundboards. It ended not being used for that very often, but it has been handy for most of what i do.

The old man did stained glass, so he liked the large flat surface for layout and soldering. We did shallow depth drawers for tools and glass storage. For his we eliminated the center drawers except for a pencil drawer so he could use it as a kneehole to sit and work at the center of the bench. Mine has the top offset to the right so that end can be used for drafting and sitting work.

I do like those stacking sawhorses. I might need to weld up a couple of them. Are they made of 1" square tubing? It is hard to tell from the picture.

Also, how is the beech working for the doors? I like the look and machinability of it, but whenever I see it at the lumberyard, it looks like a collection of old hockey sticks, airplane propellers, and canoe ribs. The Europeans use it like we use pine, so there must be some way of getting it to behave.