Archived from the Tools In Action forum (In The Shop). This thread is read-only.
Once it finally cools down a little I’m looking to build a perminant work bench out in my little shop. I’m sure I will have several questions thru the build so I thought I’d just start a thread to keep it all together. my shop has cynderblock walls and a concrete slab, I’m planning on it making an “L” shape using one side as a bench to do a little bit of everything on and on the other side use it as, more of a desk where I can sit and clean my guns or build small objects. My initial questions are do you recommend mounting the bench directly to the wall for added stability or more of a free standing bench? I was also wanting to throw up on one “back splash” of the bench a peg board along the wall where I can hang a lot of my power tools and other hand tools so they are nice and handy but I wasn’t sure if y’all knew of something a little bit better than that.
Looking forward to this project, as long as your not doing real heavy tools on the bench I don’t see a problem attaching it to the wall
Jimbo
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I like the idea of mounting only to the wall with support bracing angled back down out of the way, to keep the floor more open. Then items can be rolled under the bench for storage. I want to do something similar where I’m at because of limited space. Looking forward to your progress !
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
As soon as I wrap up my bathroom remodel I told my wife I am building a workbench for myself before I start any more projects. I’m planning on building a bench on casters so I can roll it out of the garage to use the grinder. The people that had the house before us put peg board up along one wall where my bench will go so I don’t need a backsplash. Looking forward to watching your progress, I may have to steal some of your ideas!
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
I really enjoy watching the progress of workshop builds, they provide inspiration, and ideas. Looking forward to seeing the updates.
When I built my work bench I mounted it to the wall I think it makes it a little more stable but I also dislike how if I want to move the bench around or out of the way it is a lot harder to then if I didn’t mount it to the wall if you plane on never moving it I would definitely mount it to the wall
I have a rather large workbench that my Dad made probably before I was born. It’s not anchored to the wall, is all wood and it doesn’t move at all. The weight of the wood is enough to keep it put. What’s nice is being able to pull it out if you need to, maybe to get to an outlet(I have one behind my bench) or if something falls behind the bench or to just clean back there.
Thanks everybody for the positive words. I’m not gonna be doing anything too heavy duty on it. I am planning on installing a bench vise, but no plans on needing it to hold down some serious weight. I’ll let y’all know how it goes during the process. I’ve watched a few videos on YouTube, but nothing matches exactly what I have in mind.
I am sorta starting to regret OVER building my 4 x 8 workbench, I do mostly small scale stuff. I been thinking of cutting it half, and to make two separate work benches.
WigWagWorkshop wrote:
2 hours ago, WigWagWorkshop said:I am sorta starting to regret OVER building my 4 x 8 workbench, I do mostly small scale stuff. I been thinking of cutting it half, and to make two separate work benches.
I only regret my overbuilt bench when I have to move it. Lol otherwise it’s solid
If it’s permanent like you say then nothing wrong with fixing to the wall and it does free up some materials as you can design the bench to not need rear legs just front legs and it will naturally want to lean against the wall and when it’s fixed it won’t move anywhere
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
mine is an L shape. Ill get some pics for you. it is a mess right now. I plan to cut mine up some to add my miter saw level with the bench and a t track for a tape measure and stop block.
JimboS1ice wrote:
On 7/31/2016 at 3:58 AM, JimboS1ice said:Looking forward to this project, as long as your not doing real heavy tools on the bench I don’t see a problem attaching it to the wall
Jimbo
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Craigh9916 wrote:
On 8/6/2016 at 4:42 AM, Craigh9916 said:If it’s permanent like you say then nothing wrong with fixing to the wall and it does free up some materials as you can design the bench to not need rear legs just front legs and it will naturally want to lean against the wall and when it’s fixed it won’t move anywhere
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Both of these are right. This is what I did in my tool room. My workbench only has one 4×4 leg in the middle and is supported on the back and sides by 2×4’s mounted to the walls. Five 2×4’s were use for the frame of each half. Four for the length and one for the ends. For a total of ten 2×4’s, one sheet of plywood and one 4×4. Oh, and a piece of 2×6 on the front to help reinforce the 4×4 from being knocked backwards.. I used random cabinets bought from the Habitat store for storage.
It’s more than sturdy enough to handle anything you can physically lift high enough to put on it. I weigh just under 200lbs and had no problem walking on it to install the upper cabinets. I wouldn’t put heavy machinery on it though.
Also, lateral file cabinets are great for storage. They can handle a good amount of weight in the drawers and can be locked if you feel the need. Craigslist is (sometimes) a great place to pick these up for cheap, got mine for free.
@Oilpatch what do you think of having an L shaped work bench with wheel casters on it? Also could make it so it splits in half for the option of 2 small work tables or one large worktable.
Here are a few of my work tables. The plywood one, I bought the plans on eBay and the CNC guys at work cut it out for me. The other two I bought from CL and modified them. I need to add wheels to the one but since the floor is not level I need to make them adjustable some how.
