My workbench story started with new doors being installed where I worked. One of the take offs was over 2" thick, solid core, and hardboard skins. It leaned against the wall at work for a couple weeks, then I tried to move it and found it was heavy and solid. I took it home.
I had some cheap sawhorses, and made an instant workbench. I even found the door handle hole to be useful for drilling holes in boards without damaging the door. A little while later, I got some 4x4 and 2x4 material and made a framework for my 'bench'.
Several years passed, with me using it that way, until I found some 6" wheels real cheap at a store going out of business and I installed them. Now I could wheel my bench out in the driveway, throw a tarp over it, and use it to spray paint stuff. Did a lot of that. I also made some 6x6" plywood donuts to keep the wheels from turning when not needed. Made the donut hole just the right size that the wheels drop in, and don't move. Very solid. Sprayed the whole frame white, when I painted some trim for the house.
A couple more years passed, and I built drawers out of scrap, and mounted them under the bench, along with a WW vise on one end. Time passed again, and I removed the bench top (door), and replaced it with two layers of 3/4" particle board with a birch trim around the edges, and a 1/4" thick white melamine work surface. That was almost 15years ago, and I really should replace that melamine surface someday.
This whole process started in 1980, and I have absolutely no reason to replace it. I know it is not a 'real' woodworkers bench, but it has worked well for me, and is still rock solid.
The moral of this story is "Just DO something". Your needs will change over the years anyway.
Rick Potter
DIY journeyman,
FWW wannabe.
AKA Village Idiot.