2/20/04
More Workbench

I actually had to work on my real job today, so I didn’t get a chance to work on my Ferrari this week, but in order to provide you all with something to look at this week, here’s the progress I made on my workbench last Saturday. The framing of the bench is almost complete, and is about ready for the counter top.

I received a lot of e-mail telling me to use a solid core door for the top of the workbench, but when I stopped by my local lumber yard they didn’t have any smooth surfaced doors in stock, so I bought some plywood, angle iron, and masonite to make my own counter top.

The plan is to use a double thickness of 3/4 inch plywood that will be supported by the 2X4s I have framed. The front edge of my work bench will have a piece of 1/8 inch angle iron screwed into the plywood, and a sheet of 1/8 inch masonite will fit flush with the angle iron and finish off the top of the table. The height of this table will end up about 40 inches high, and about 28 inches deep. It will be used mainly for small projects so I can get up close without bending over, and the shallow depth will be so I can reach the back of the counter where I’ll be hanging things on a pegboard. 

My second workbench will be about 35 inches high, plus or minus a few inches. This will be the bench that I will mount the vise. Since objects mounted to the vise will be higher than the table top, I will have to think about how high I want those objects to be in relationship to the height of the bench. This middle height bench will take the transmissions, and differentials that I may be working on in the future, so it too will have to be pretty sturdy. I’m sure all that I’ve learned from building the “high” bench will make my second bench that much better!

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