Where to get a good work bench?

[jgraff]

I need a smallish (40" X 32" ish) work bench that's suitable for silversmithing (hammering and such). It needs to be stored on my covered back porch and I'd like to clamp a smallish drill press, a rolling mill and a metal shear/break to it.

I've found tons of benches but they are either huge (72" long), unsuitable for hammering, or unsuitable for outside exposure.

I have no problem building one but I wondered if anyone had any suggestions or a pointer to some plans?

jgraff

[jgraff]

I should mention I found one I loved at Sears Online.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6012188401P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

But the shipping was more than the bench.

I may bite the bullet and just buy this one but any suggestions are appreciated.

jgraff

[houptdavid]

Costco had a real nice rolling workbench with a wood top that is about 5-6'
and Harbor Freight has a woodworking bench that is 5-6' for about 140.00

[Lorraine Chandler]

You could buy an old serviceable wood door on craigslist and cut it down to size. Saw horses will work under it or even an old dresser.

[kwelna]

Try the Xtreme garage steel shelving sold at Menards. A bit spendy, but i am in the process of replacing all my sears work benches. They loosen up and become too wiggley and will not stay solid over time. Granted these are the less expensive red series that sears sells, they just don't cut it over the haul.

[BrownGirl]

You could buy an old serviceable wood door on craigslist and cut it down to size. Saw horses will work under it or even an old dresser.

This is a great idea! You could even put that old door on an old kitchen counter. My fumehood is built on an old kitchen counter and works great. My jewelers bench is an old leather top bankers desk. It's so sturdy. But it's six feet long and 38" deep. It's a beast.

The workbench you found online at sears, I wonder if they would deliver to a store.

[BrownGirl]

I should mention I found one I loved at Sears Online.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6012188401P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

But the shipping was more than the bench.

I may bite the bullet and just buy this one but any suggestions are appreciated.

jgraff

You can build something nicer and more sturdy than that. Save your money.

[GlassyEyedGirl]

I just got a big old desk for a song. It's super sturdy, has storage drawers, and I don't care if it gets dinged up. I love it! Check Craigs list.

[jgraff]

You can build something nicer and more sturdy than that. Save your money.

Do you know where I can get plans to build this? We've built picnic benches and such before so work bench shouldn't be too much trouble. All the plans I've found so far look too wimpy to be hitting with a hammer much.

jgraff

[jgraff]

The workbench you found online at sears, I wonder if they would deliver to a store.[/QUOTE]

I've tried. Apparently Sears sells that through an outside vendor and they won't ship it to a store.

jgraff

[jgraff]

Try the Xtreme garage steel shelving sold at Menards. A bit spendy, but i am in the process of replacing all my sears work benches. They loosen up and become too wiggley and will not stay solid over time. Granted these are the less expensive red series that sears sells, they just don't cut it over the haul.

The Menard's bench looks great. The only problem is that I'm in California. I expect the shipping will cost more than the bench again. :(

jgraff

[cheng076]

Lunber Liquidators sells butcherblock countertops in various lengths pretty reasonably. 24 or 25 inches wide and 1 1/2" thick but IIRC the shortest is 5 ft long. Buy a long one, cut off what you need and sell the rest on craigs list. Maybe use 4"X4" for legs and a 2" x 4" frame held together with lag bolts. It sounds like you are handy enough with tools to do it.

I did all the countertops in my house with the stuff and over the years I have found any number of uses for the scraps I had left over...just sayin!

Give me a bit of time (few hours as I have errands to run) and I'll draw you up some plans and PM'em to ya.

PJH

[Alaska]

See what the folks have listed on Craig's List. Many times there are free benches or desks that can be used for your needs.

[samandsha]

I use a cabinet base with a piece of birch for the top. A bathroom vanity should work too. Check Craigslist. Leave an over hang so you can get your legs under it when sitting. This gives a great work bench and storage underneath.
Samma

[artwhim]

Avoid particle board if it will be exposed to the elements.

[finewine]

I use stainless steel- topped tables from Ikea- they have several kinds of legs to choose from too.

[Dale M.]

Go to GOOGLE IMAGES and search "workbench legs".... IF you find a set of legs the are acceptable click on image and go to site image represents and see of units are acceptable...

http://images.lmgtfy.com/?q=workbench+legs

And as for top.... HOME DEPOT sells (or used to) a laminated pine(?) "slab" used for work bench tops.... Very similar to laminated butchers block, but not a maple or other hard wood... I have a section as a shop bench (in garage) and it is very sturdy and less expensive that real butchers block...

Also for a sturdy top (small version) get a 4' x4' sheet of 3/4 plywood and cut it in half, and glue and screw into a double laminate it will give you a 2' x 4' top 1 - 1/2 inches thick and will stand up to most anything you can do to it....

Also have you looked into real "Jewelers Bench"...

http://images.lmgtfy.com/?q=jewelers+work+bench

Again pull up Google Images and use "jewelers bench" as search string...

Being a "visual person" and if I find something I really like (visually) I tend to use IMAGE searches first and go to website "images" links to... Much more rewarding and faster then text search sometimes...

Dale

[AmorphousDesigns]

Urban Ore in Berkeley http://urbanore.com/ (Http://urbanore.com/) has a ton of stuff, cabinets, tables, doors, countertops that could be suitable for a workbench.

I got a free kitchen counter with cabinets of Freecycle.com

[CheriB]

If you live near any military bases, watch for government sales of office furniture. They have old steel desks that sell cheap, are large, practically indestructible, and very sturdy.

I googled, and just as examples, check out
http://www.governmentauctions.org/labels/metal%20desks.asp
or
http://www.municibid.com/detail.asp?id=12138&n=Metal-Desk

For many years, I rejected updated furniture made of plastic and pressed board, and held on to my fabulous steel desk.

Cheryl

[jaci]

Colleges also do sales like the gov ones Cheryl mentioned. Uconn does a big surplus sale every 3rd Friday up here. First come first serve cash only. Oh the things I've wanted and had no where to put! Its great stuff! Sometimes some really really old unique items too.

[kwelna]

Check out any local big box lumber store like Home Depot, Lowes etc, most sell some thing simular to the Xtreme garage shelving. Just maybe a bit more money. The nice part is it is easy to break down and move, modular and relatively light so you can expand as needed. Looks like there are a couple of Manrads near LA. Road Trip??!!