workbenches

A

AndyC_1

New member
I'm in the process of designing an L shaped bench to fit in the corner of my single car garage and wondered if any has any plans for something they've either done or plan to do.



It will be timber in construction and use MDF for the top and a lower shelf. I'll post pics of the garage as it stands as soon as I can download them.



Thanks in advance:)
 
I can tell you a little something that might be better.. For an L go to a hardware store (i'm not sure if you have those in the UK you can find an L at those cheap enough) and buy a kitchen counter and then get two cabnits and then have a nice place to store things either a draw on or a door front if you want to get fance the corner one can be a lazy susan .



just a thought
 
is this going to be permanant?



i made mine permanat. i used 2x6 and tied it into the wall studs with a stringer lag screwed in along the back, the front is supported with 2x6 legs.

it is basically frmed like a porch or deck and coupld probably support 600lb+ per 6' section
 
MDF is a bit rough for the surface of a work bench. You might consider using cabinet grade plywood (moderately expensive) or if you want to go a cheaper route, top your MDF with hardboard. The advantage to that is if you get it messed up or stained, you can replace the hardboard cheaply.
 
holland_patrick said:
I can tell you a little something that might be better.. For an L go to a hardware store (i'm not sure if you have those in the UK you can find an L at those cheap enough) and buy a kitchen counter and then get two cabnits and then have a nice place to store things either a draw on or a door front if you want to get fance the corner one can be a lazy susan .



just a thought
Click to expand...



Hey now THAT'S an idea and it sounds better than my initial plan - worktop is fairly cheap (particularly when you know someone in the trade;)



Thanks for that:up
 
I just used a counter top from Home Depot, I think it cost $20.

The cabinets were free from a buddy that does remodeling, they were old ones and will soon get a facelift.



16103mvc-003f-med.jpg
 
I've got those craftsman socket handles just like yours. I really like them. You can take them with you and get the exact size you need plus instantly see when you have one missing.
 
erok01 said:
I just used a counter top from Home Depot, I think it cost $20.

The cabinets were free from a buddy that does remodeling, they were old ones and will soon get a facelift.



16103mvc-003f-med.jpg
Click to expand...



Great idea. I will have to check this out. :)
 
I am very happy with my Sam's Club stainless steel workbench. Works well and I get lots of compliments on the design. $109 is a decent price also.
 
craftsman makes a whole line of benches and accessories that are top quality and reasonable price wise. they also assemble and deliver if you dont want to screw with it
 
The Craftsman benches and cabinets are nice. Home Depot also sells a similar set made by Stanley for slightly less money. I saw an add the other day that had one of the larger Craftsman side cabinets on closeout. It made me wonder what they might replace it with.
 
I have a smooth workbench.....and a "work" workbench. The smooth one is for normal stuff (i.e. electrical work, etc.) but my "work" bench is 12' long, made entirely out of 4"x4" posts and 12' 2"x6"s . Top and bottom shelf are also 2"x 6" construction and hold my vice and I also have mounts built into it for my 12" drill press, etc. It is entirely put together with lag bolts and the top and bottom shelfs are in with 2.25" wood screws....HEFTY.......but you can throw whatever you are working on up there and not have to work about structural integrity!!!
 
I had forgotten about this thread but saw an add the other day and it appears the Sears is now selling Gladiator benches and cabinets. They seem to be a step up from the average.
 
The Gladiator stuff is subpar IMO. The "simulated" diamond plate looks pretty crappy, and it seems to be a really thin gauge metal that didn't feel as if it would be sturdy.



They also didn't feel sturdy when trying to close the doors of cabinets or stand up chests.
 
mikev said:
The Gladiator stuff is subpar IMO. The "simulated" diamond plate looks pretty crappy, and it seems to be a really thin gauge metal that didn't feel as if it would be sturdy.



They also didn't feel sturdy when trying to close the doors of cabinets or stand up chests.
Click to expand...



I have looked at quite a few of the "house brand" type set-ups. I really thought the Gladiator product looked a little nicer than the Stanley and Craftsman products that I compared it to.



Maybe you could give us some of the names that meet your standard for what par is. I would like to see some of the better products that have this look. Thanks.
 
GearHead_1 said:
I have looked at quite a few of the "house brand" type set-ups. I really thought the Gladiator product looked a little nicer than the Stanley and Craftsman products that I compared it to.



Maybe you could give us some of the names that meet your standard for what par is. I would like to see some of the better products that have this look. Thanks.
Click to expand...



Actually, I really liked the Craftsman brand wall cabinets, I thought that the deeper opening in the doors was nice, and it felt more solid than the Gladiator doors did when you closed them.



To be honest, I liked the Gladiator workbench a lot better than the Craftsman brand (both of them are set up side by side at my local Sears), since it seemed to be more stable and the worktop looked like a nicer wood than the Craftsman (maple-look vs. ?????).



Honestly, my friend picked up a workbench from 3Com (his dad worked there) when they were scaling down and getting rid of a bunch of warehouse stuff, and it was a big metal industrial one. It was almost like this: http://www.lkgoodwin.com//more_info/stackbin_packing_stations/stackbin_packing_stations.shtml slightly wider though, and it has a 4 foot flourescent light on top.



I dunno, I just can't justify the price for the Craftsman or Gladiator workbenches



If I had the means, I'd build myself this bench http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/articles/200212/fixit/main.html



-M
 
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