Wanting to build a new bench... Looking for a couple Ideas

What's the main purpose going to be

To work on.... no really just to keep some tools on and so i can piddle around with stuff

Heavy Work Bench for The Press, Dies, Primers, Powders. I needed a heavy bench to withstand the rocking from the press. I also have a bench vice that works well on that table top. THis is a little over 450ish pounds.



Shelves For Clean Brass, Dirty Brass, Bullets, Organizers. Since this pic was taken i've reorganized this to where the organizers hold the brass instead of the bags. It stacks much better and seems to be a better method for storing the brass




Ammo Rack for Loaded Ammo. This rack has held over 26k rounds of 9, 40, 45, 357 sig, 38 special, 357 magnum, 50AE, 5,56, .223, 300 blackout, 308, 7.62x39, 300 win mag, 12 gauge, 22, 338 lapua, and a few ods and ends. Very sturdy on a flat surface for less that $100



I hope this helps... The bases for the wooden materials were off of amazon and this cost me around $300 in total to build.

Greg137 that is an impressive set up, a good looking work place.

Webstertroy, go to Harbor Freight and look at their work bench. http://www.harborfreight.com/workbench-with-4-drawers-60-hardwood-69054.html
It is a good basic design that will enough for most home workshops.

Or you can make a bench like this guy did.
[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tFOfbHEi6Us[/video]

Diggin your setup Greg. One day...

I salvaged a solid core wood door and use it for a work bench. Have it sitting on a small chest of drawers that was salvaged also! The door is very heavy, took two people to load and unload, so it's not going anywhere!

I too scrounge solid core doors for this purpose. My loading bench is topped with one, and my workbench in the shop is two of them end to end on top of base cabinets also scrounged from a job-site or two. For cleaner work I have an old refrigerated base cabinet with a stainless top I scrounged off a Subway remodel. I fixed the fridge portion, but rarely ever use it unless I have a time consuming project.

It's amazing the stuff that gets tossed from construction sites.

I built me a metal one and mounted a vise to it.

That's what I did Greg but I got mine at Northern.

I will get some pics today but I made me a 8'x36" bench with a mid shelf half way across this weekend and it turned out great and perfect for my garage. Maybe $80 in the whole thing with screws and lumber.

Measure from the floor to your belt buckle, make it that high or even up to 6" higher. I have a steel fab shop I work in every day I'm not at the fire station. Tables/ benches that are too short make your lower back hurt.

If it's a bench 2' deep will yield two full pieces out of a sheet of 4' x 8' plywood or steel. 3' deep and you have a hard time being able to touch the wall behind it.

If it's on four legs, make sure and gusset the legs with screws or bolts. It will be shakey without any triangular connections.

I bet you're not a welder, so I'm going to make a SWAG that you'll be building it out of wood. Go get a sheet of 3/4" plywood (doesn't have to be a hardwood, but it helps) Rip it right down the center to yield a two 2' x 8' pieces. Frame it out of 2" x 4" at minimum one on the edges, and one in the center. Get a counter sink bit, locate all your screw holes in 12" or 16" centers down the edges and the center joist, drill the holes. Screw down one of the 2' x 8' sheets. Locate your screw holes on the second sheet 1" to 2" off set from the first sheet. Lay down "Titebond" wood glue on the edges, lay down the second sheet, drive the screws home. I know this makes this thing pretty dard heavy, but you will have a rock solid work surface.

YOU NEED A VISE! Every man that does anything for himself does. My welding table has two on it. Don't go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one of their POS Made in China vises. You'll clamp work pieces in there and the jaws won't stay parrallel. It's a waste of money for nothing more than a paper weight, door prop, or weight in the scrap metal pile. Get on Craigslist and Ebay and look for an old Wilton Bullet Vist, a Starret, a Rock Island, or any other old school, MADE IN USA, built like a tank vise. There's a reason I have three (one is on my welding trailer) perfectly good 1940's made vises. They were well made and built heavy duty, that's why they are still in service and work for me every single day I'm in the shop. The two in the shop are swivel vises. Even though they live a hard life the jaws and the swivel are rock solid every time I lock them down.

You're 1 1/2" table top will be stout enough to hold said vise.

By the way. My table is a 4' x 8', framed out of square tubing and channel iron. The top is 1/2" plate steel. But if I were to build a wooden work bench I'd build it like I suggested.

I also used a solid core door but I mounted it on an old steel desk on stilts. The deep drawers and ability to lock them are an added bonus. I added some additional shelves on both sides of the desk as well.

This bench I made with 2x6's left on the job site. The top is 5x24x36, height 38" tall the drawers are friction mounted, from the top down - tray - 1/2 - 1-1/2 - 2-1/2 - 2-1/2 - 4 - 4 deep. I sealed it with a flat clear finish and I used 9mm, 45acp and ( 20 ga. Brass part only ) as my drawer pulls. This is the only picture I had on my computer since I washed my phone.

Just finished this one for the new gunsmith shop. 4x4 legs and a full sheet of birch plywood ripped down the center and doubled up. The lower shelf is a 2x12. The top also has three braces in the middle, and I may add some 4x4 bracing just for extra weight and stability, but it doesn't really need it.

Get some carpet to put on that bench, it will keep those small screws from bouncing into "never" found land. The carpet will also protect the finishes on the gunstocks and even on metal parts. You don't have to cover the complete top, just big enough area where you will do most of your work.

Get 2 pieces, that way when you knock over your coffee, you can quickly replace it with the dry piece.

Mine was a freebie! LOL - I threw it together from leftover scrap - 2X6 form boards from a concrete slab, some 7/8 (I think) plywood subflooring and some leftover scab studs. Used a couple racks of 3s and some deck screws. Built them in sections then combined and built top. Bench and shelf are 16' long. Workbench surface is 32" deep and shelf is 16" deep (ripped from one sheet each). I did buy the pegboard...but everything else was just leftovers!

How long did it take you to clean that up for the photo?

My bench has never been that clean and if it was I'd never be able to find anything.....

I used a couple of cabinets that were salvaged from a post office remodel. and ran double sheets of 3/4" plywood for a top.

LOL H&F, you busted me! I had my 7 and 9 year old in there clearing it off for me... of course, now it will take me 5X as long to figure out where they put everything.

Old cabinets are the best...Im on the lookout for some of those myself. Im wanting to build a wall of them for some seasonal and rarely used items.

If you have a Habitat for Humanity organization store in the area check with them. When they remodel homes they sometimes change out the cabinets and sell the old ones in their resale store. You have to be quick, they sell fast and ours will not hold or call you.

This is one I built a while back. Still going strong, after being a reloading bench for a while, I sold all my reloading setup and started making holsters on it. Its been a champ throughout the years. Now it sits as a work bench if I ever need to do anything on it, but it doesn't get much use anymore.

Well done

Those are looking good guys. I need to build a bench for my new garage.

Also check Home Depot or Lowe's for Damaged sink bases. I got a 5 foot sink base for 40 bucks and a 3 foot for 25. Then ran a 2X4 the length of the back on edge for a backsplash, reinforced the cabinets with some 2X4's for the countertop and then doubled up 3/4 inch plywood for the top.