Building a workbench

[kbasa]

OK, so all the melamine shelving I'd put up 6 years ago came crashing down this weekend. That meant that after I got home from St. Louis, I spent the rest of the day cleaning up all the stuff in the garage, sorting it all out, going to Home Depot and getting started on putting up some new shelves.

The shelving missed all the bikes, with the exception of the top plate, which caught itself on the passenger peg of the airhead. This saved three helmets from crashing down onto the ground at minimum and kept the shelves from crashing into the GS, which would have fallen over, taking out the RT and the VFR at maximum.

The VFR is now in the atrium, hiding. Wierd. Pics later. Anyway, on to the real purpose.

One big difference between the old setup and the new is that I'm going to install a nice big workbench. I've got a basic design sketched out, but am wondering what folks are using for a top surface. I had a masonite surface on my last decent bench, but wonder if folks have had experience with anything else.

Also - Concrete, Corian, Formica and the like are Right Out. I'm going to be yanking a CB750 motor apart and the surface should be able to withstand a motor getting dragged around on top of it, with the attendant oily bits erupting fluids.

[GeoffMiller]

I would go with the masonite. Countersink the screws for a smooth working surface. Laminates are not going to hold up and are difficult to replace. In a year or two, unscrew the trashed masonite and replace it. You might want to think about how you attached the shelves. :laugh Perhaps some re engineering should be considered? :p

[kbasa]

I would go with the masonite. Countersink the screws for a smooth working surface. Laminates are not going to hold up and are difficult to replace. In a year or two, unscrew the trashed masonite and replace it. You might want to think about how you attached the shelves. :laugh Perhaps some re engineering should be considered? :p

Yeah. Total re-engineering is in order here. I used melamine and eventually the stays at the top pulled away from the wall.

This time, I'm constructing boxed 2x4 panels, sheathed with ply and screwing them together like cabinets. It should be much stronger. One of the items I had stored in two big boxes was most of a CB750. I'm going to try and turn it back into a bike so it's easier to store. :evil :thumb

[sgborgstrom]

As I finish up my new shop space I've been thinking about workbenches too. For design ideas and possibly plans for the home built bench, go check out your local library. Over in the periodicals section one can often find an assortment of "handyman" and woodworker type magazines with feature articles on how to build benches and even outfit an entire shop space.

Don't even pick up the copy of "Woodenboat" you'll find down there in the "W" section unless you have time, $ and drool to spare.

Back when I was a builder of theatrical scenery we used both masonite and metal covered bench tops. Masonite holds up well to most things and is easily replaceable. But it soaks up fluids so I would recommend spending the money on a nice sturdy metal plate to use as the work surface of your motorcycle bench.

A nice 1/8" thick piece of cold rolled steel will last forever and doubles as a ground if you want to do some welding. Or you could go upscale and visit your local restaurant supply house and pick up a stainless steel work surface...ooh la la...come to think of it we have a couple of used restaurant supplies shops here in Seattle I might have to go visit next time I'm over there.

Steve

[Visian]

I'm going to be yanking a CB750 motor apart and the surface should be able to withstand a motor getting dragged around on top of it, with the attendant oily bits erupting fluids.

Dave - one thing I saw a tuner friend of mine do was use 2x4s to make a rectangle that fit around the cases so that they didn't slide all over the place. He would screw them down onto his plywood work table and then remove them when not needed. He had boxes for each type of motor he worked on... much cheaper that mechanics stands.

Another suggestion is to look for a company that sells old kitchen equipment. For years I had a set of stainless steel units that served very well as a working surface. Got them for the princely sum of $75.

Ian

[andy45320]

Built mine about 4 years ago...2x4' and used and 3/4" masonite sign board for the top (a full sheet size so no cutting involved). I just counter sunk drywall screws into the top of the 2x4'. One other suggestion if you go with open framing like mine is to put a single shelf on the bottom, and build it to height of some rubbermade containers that I could stow things in (think storage bins). That way you still have space below to put heavy stuff on the floor. Works great for me. I also put up a full sheet of pegboard masonite right above it (matches the full size sheet width of the top) and spray painted it white and painted the base and shelf with kilz. I bought some shelf brackets from homestupid so I can just put smaller shelfs on the pegboard.

[k12koop]

Dave,

Go to the local sheet metal shop or HVAC guys and get a sheet of sheetmetal cut to size. It will last for ever and is handy for using torch and stuff. In time it will get scuffed up but will still be there for you.

Koop

[flash412]

I've got a basic design sketched out, but am wondering what folks are using for a top surface. I had a masonite surface on my last decent bench, but wonder if folks have had experience with anything else.Build the bench top out of 5/8" chipboard. It is cheap and STRONG. Then, tack a layer of whatever you prefer on top of that. Personally, I like to have a few carpet scraps handy that I can put on the bench under a motor to make it easier to slide around. They're also great when you're disassembling a carb (for example) or working on electronics or anything else with small parts. When the tiny bits hit the carpet, they STOP... instead of shooting off into far recesses and hidden crannies.

[Gizmo]

Build the bench top out of 5/8" chipboard. It is cheap and STRONG. Then, tack a layer of whatever you prefer on top of that. Personally, I like to have a few carpet scraps handy that I can put on the bench under a motor to make it easier to slide around. They're also great when you're disassembling a carb (for example) or working on electronics or anything else with small parts. When the tiny bits hit the carpet, they STOP... instead of shooting off into far recesses and hidden crannies.


I did a variation on this and it has worked quite well for me over several years.
I glued two pieces of 3/4" chipboard together, glued a piece of masonite on top and trimmed the outer edges with strips of oak mitered at the corners. Looks nice and while heavy when it needs to be moved it is very, very solid.

[kbasa]

I did a variation on this and it has worked quite well for me over several years.
I glued two pieces of 3/4" chipboard together, glued a piece of masonite on top and trimmed the outer edges with strips of oak mitered at the corners. Looks nice and while heavy when it needs to be moved it is very, very solid.

I like this idea. I had a stand that could hold a bike and that was how I built it.

The carpet ideas are nice too, flash. Thanks.

I hadn't thought of the stainless tables. I might be able to get one for less money than what the lumber would cost, so some pricing is going to be needed.

Here's what it looked like when we started sorting it out.


http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608201-M.jpg

[Gizmo]

I like this idea. I had a stand that could hold a bike and that was how I built it.

The carpet ideas are nice too, flash. Thanks.

I hadn't thought of the stainless tables. I might be able to get one for less money than what the lumber would cost, so some pricing is going to be needed.

Here's what it looked like when we started sorting it out.


http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608201-M.jpg

Yikes! What a mess to come back to, good luck with getting it sorted out and getting your bench built.

[kbasa]

Here's what we managed to get accomplished yesterday. Just a spot for the riding gear.

I'm going to build a shelf that rests on the top of this to carry the saddlebags. It'll extend on down to the right to another set of shelves that will carry the the camping stuff.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608940-M.jpg

[kbasa]

Oh, the VFR is in teh atrium now. This is the view from our kitchen. :evil I had to turn on the sparkly lights and all.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37609217-M.jpg

[Colt03]

Dave,

I made a workbench from a set of plans the Stanley put out back in the 80's. Basically 4x4's on the corners and the top is one sheet of 3/4" ply cut in half and glued and screwed together. That makes the top 1.5 " thick and it is pds. ( pretty Darn sturdy).

Good Luck.

[sgborgstrom]

For some design ideas try this:

http://www.freeww.com/workbenches.html

From the simple to the cool.

Steve

[dbrick]

I've built almost-identical benches in my last three houses. The verticals are 2x4s, there are 2x6s on edge to hold the top, the top is a row of 2x4s or 2x6s, and the whole thing's covered (and, in #3, edged) with masonite. There's a shelf at ankle level to keep stuff off the floor. If I ever have to do it again, I think I'll use chipboard for the top like you suggest, flash.

Think about height. I've found that I'm much more comfortable working at a height slightly higher (maybe 2") than normal. I like electrical outlets under the outside edge of the bench (i.e., in front of my belt buckle), so they're fewer cords across the top. I have three outlet boxes in the current 10' bench. There's a grinder at the left corner, a metal vise in the middle, and a more-than-a-century-old wood vise at the right corner. (When I move, I take the wood vise with me!). The garage wall behind the bench is covered with a plywood sheet, full of tool hooks, small fastener cabinets, etc.

I like your clothing and helmet storage, perhaps because we have a nearly identical construction.

[ironMan]

I spent many years as a cabinet maker, We use to use a ¼ “ masonite product called colonial white. It is made for showers so it is water proof and can be cleaned with most solvents. When it gets trashed just rip it off and stick another piece down. Lowes sold it for > $10.00 a sheet but that was awhile ago.

[BradfordBenn]

I like the tempered masonite as a work surface. You might also want to get yourself a non skid piece of material to put down when you don't want stuff slidding around. I use the cheap drawer liner from Sears. Also something I did with mine was put in two plug strips in as I was planning, one on the back side of the bench and one on the front side. It made it real easy to plug stuff in.

[dlearl476]

I'll add my voice to the masonite top. Easy to sheet-rock-screw down to a 5/8" 4X8, easy, and cheap, to replace. That waterproof stuff sounds nice, I just use the painted on one side version.

Dave, I don't know if you remember, but when I first joined the forum we corresponded about some shelves in your house. I went ahead and built my version, out of uni-strut. This stuff is cheap, built like a brick s**t-house, and easy to work. I'll post a pic of my shelves this evening.
I'm lucky in that I have a cheap (free) supply of one of the best shelf/desktop substance known to man. Arboron (http://www.monoco.com/arboron.asp) We use it to cover the deck and run 20 ton set pieces over it. When we put in a new show, we'll we pull up these $1k 4X8s and divey
'em up before we lay new ones.
Anyway, I digress. A frame of uni-strut topped with a panels of your choice is an easy, cheap (relatively, for the durability/changablility of it) and quick way to make some workspace.

[James.A]

In my basement workshop I have a 4 foot long bench constructed from 2x4's laid side by side to make a 2 foot wide work surface with a 2x8 on the back edge. It is drilled thru and held together with long threaded rods. I could send you a picture or two or post some. It is very sturdy.

In my garage, I use a small steel welding table I made a few years ago and another old home made table topped with 1 by boards and then clad with a sheet of stainless steel. It is very old, My dad made it in the 50's

My British and Indian restorer buddy just uses kitchen counter top blanks. He hawks his material from building supply liquidation auctions.

[BradfordBenn]

I'll add my voice to the masonite top. Easy to sheet-rock-screw down to a 5/8" 4X8, easy, and cheap, to replace. That waterproof stuff sounds nice, I just use the painted on one side version.

Dave, I don't know if you remember, but when I first joined the forum we corresponded about some shelves in your house. I went ahead and built my version, out of uni-strut. This stuff is cheap, built like a brick s**t-house, and easy to work.

Unistrut, the Tinkertoys and Erector Set for grown men. Unistrut is great stuff to work with. It is a brand as well as a common name. You may also want to look at U-Line and Beeline as they are a little less expensive.

[BubbaZanetti]

i've never seen a photo set itself up for a caption contest like this one:

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608201-M.jpg

except for the fact that now, i've gone to the trouble of linking the image, i can't think of a damn thing to say :wave

[The_Veg]

"There's gotta be a suasage in here somewhere!"

[Rich]

#!@!&*#!@#!#@#!@$$$***!

Well, at least that's what I would have said....

[BradfordBenn]

That is what happens when you don't take Tina on a trip.

[Emoto]

I used pressure treated 2x6 lumber that was both screwed together and bonded with construction adhesive. The bench rear support is screwed through the sheetrock into the wall studs. This bench is SOLID. The bench is 16' long and 2' deep.

I used high grade 3/4" plywood for the top (can't recall the specific). If I am doing something particularly messy on it, I throw down newspaper or any of the 2' x 4' pieces of masonite that I keep around the garage. I prefer the light color of the plywood for most tasks. Makes it easier to see small things.

[dlearl476]

ooh, ooh, ooh, I almost forgot. My NEW FAVORITE workbench topping is INDUSTRIAL RUBBER MATTING! I stole this from my favorite wrench. The stuff is relatively cheap and indestructible. Plus, you can put a freshly polished Ducati engine case on it and hammer a seal into it and have it STILL be freshly polished! You can spill pretty much anything on it and it's untouched, including battery acid. And a bit of Kerosene on a rag and it's "brand-new-spotless".

[MrsKbasa]

That is what happens when you don't take Tina on a trip.

You said it Brad!

When I heard the noise, I heard breaking glass. With all the glass in this place, who knows what it could have been.

I didn't even think earthquake. I actually thought a racoon had entered via the catdoor and was wreaking havoc in our utility room. Especially since my poor cat jumped 3 feet in the air with the noise :cat

I couldn't even get into the room to really make sure other than I could see the bikes were okay.

It was quite a scene, view from house
http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37607214-M.jpg

The airhead saves the day:
http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37607441-M.jpg

[djw]

Unistrut, the Tinkertoys and Erector Set for grown men. Unistrut is great stuff to work with. It is a brand as well as a common name. You may also want to look at U-Line and Beeline as they are a little less expensive.

Also look into Gorilla Rack. It is the consumer-sized version of the big display shelving (pallet racks) you might see at Home Depot.

[darencs]

My favorite for a workbench top is a solid core exterior door. I picked up a 30x80 inch damaged door at my local "home improvment warehouse" for $5, put it on some 4x4 legs (damaged side down), braced as needed with 2x4s and painted it with several coats of clear polyurethane to give it a tough, durable, waterproof finish. It also makes for a heavy workbench that doesn't move when you don't want it to.
I agree with dlearl476 about the industrial rubber matting. Your parts don't get banged up or slide off.

[ian408]

The VFR is on the wrong side of the galss.

Ian

[Rich]

Here is what I made for my woodworking shop. I wanted it to look nice too, so for the top I purchased a regular countertop. When I want to do something that requires a tougher surface, I roll out a rubber mat to cover it up, and I'm good to go.

[Rich]

I dug this idea out of a Family Handyman, it sure makes it easier to find what you are looking for. Drawer slides, can't live without em.

[Rich]

This is how a ND guys puts up with the long winters. We use this pad all the time, including all our butchering and sausage making. I smile every time I walk into the place.

[The_Veg]

Nice shop Rich! But I can't help but shudder a bit when you mention butchering in a post that features a picture that includes a big-ass electric saw. :eek

All kidding aside, I know butchers use similar and worse.

[sgborgstrom]

I see a "show us your workshop" thread coming on :thumb

Steve

[Stuff2C]

Thats not a workshop...It's an operating room. :nod

[BradfordBenn]

Holy Cats!!!! :thumb

Cool workshop. Now I feel so inadequate

[Rich]

I see a "show us your workshop" thread coming on :thumb

Steve

Some of us guys that have been on for a little while did that a while ago, and the link is below. You new guys should post to it and revive it, that was very interesting. And fun to see what people have done.

By the way, thanks for the compliments. I live in a community where home prices were dirt cheap when I moved in in 1988, and I bought my home so cheap I figured a $10,000 garage addition was affordable, so we did it, doing all the work ourselves. Nothing like a home project to give the family some bonding time. We knocked the back wall out of our two stall garage and added on a 24 x 28 addition, which gave me a spot for boat storage and then the workshop.

Anyway, let's get back to helping Kbasa figure out what he wants in a workbench, and the rest of you new guys, check out that link below, and feel free to add to it.


http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1245&highlight=workshop

[kbasa]

Nice workshop there, Rich. I don't think I'm going to build anything that elaborate, but I do like the sliding drawers for tools.

I'm going to build a bench that is about 8' x 30" and only about 34" above the ground. I'll probably cover it with two layers of 3/4" ply and then screw a sacrificial sheet of masonite to it. Countersinking the heads of the screws will be part of the deal.

I'll be able to slide my rollaway under it, which should keep most of my tools handy. I'm going to have the radio shelf above and some kind of undershelf lighting.

I didn't make much progress this weekend. After a couple/three weeks of being pretty much straight out all day/allnight/all weekend, it was nice to spend a day just doing nothing but hanging out with Tina.

[rbertalotto]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads6/garager1128098604.jpg

[flash412]

Why? There are NO vehicles, making it obvious that nothing greasy ever happens in there. It looks to me like his wife turned it into the "boys den" and his idea of vehicle maintenance involves a phone call and a credit card.

Now if there was a beer fridge in the photo plus a urinal in the corner, THAT would be cool.

[Rich]

If it wasn't for the door opener you might think it's a family room.

And what's wrong with a phone and credit card for maintenance? I hope I can do that someday!

[dzimbric]

Dave
Just sell the bikes and start collecting something else, maybe toasters. They are not as heavy so you can buy some cheap shelving, are easy to store in boxes and you don't need to work on them so you don't need to worry about building a work bench. They don't go real fast but get excellent mileage so that should help offset the gas prices. The only drawback is you and Tina might look a little funny trying to ride two-up on a toaster. :stick

[kbasa]

The only drawback is you and Tina might look a little funny trying to ride two-up on a toaster. :stick

I dunno. I'd kinda like a /5. :ha

[j-budimlya]

And I got tired of having to make do with no good drawers, inconvient electrical sonnections etc and having to rebuild every time I moved the bench, so I have decided it's cheapere in the long run to use something well made and strong that can be moved, especially when you can buy this stuff used...for about half of it's regular price...

you can find used Workplace workbenches in many places...

http://www.workplacesystemsinc.com/p1000.htm

this stuff is very tough, and will hold up a horse....or two...

I've been able to find nice conditions used stuff at equipment outlets that is bought from companies that have gone out of business...

teh drawer and door units are very well made....but do cost more than plywood and screws.....

[sgborgstrom]

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608201-M.jpg[/QUOTE]

This was like 3 three weeks ago....how goes the remodel?

Steve

[kbasa]

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/37608201-M.jpg

This was like 3 three weeks ago....how goes the remodel?

Steve[/QUOTE]

Got most of the crap cleaned up and on shelving. There's a big pile of debris in the driveway that needs to go to the dump because I haven't been home or have been busy.

There's a bunch of lumber hiding in the garage that needs to get stashed - somewhere.

I need to yank my old bench out so I can build a decent work bench in there now. The power tools will get relocated and all the chemicals will go in another set of shelves that will get put up in a couple weeks.

If I was ever home or ever had any extra time, it'd be done, but in the meanwhile, the VFR is out of the atrium and all the bikes are back indoors.

But the garage is still pretty cluttered with all the extra lumber and stuff in there.

Soon. Not this weekend, but definitely next.

And I bought shelving because it was sturdy, quick to assemble and relatively cheap. :thumb And it holds a ton of stuff. :thumb :thumb

Pictures when I get done.