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biggenius29

biggenius29

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I need some workbench ideas. I am in the process of putting one in my basement. Right now I am going to hold off of putting a shop in my barn, but when I do I still think I will want one in my basement for working on saws and grinding chains. I am figuring that in the summer I have AC to stay nice and cool instead of hot outside, and in the winter I can work in comfort alongside my furnace.

I dont have much space, maybe about a 10' wall that I will build a bench. It is in a old Michigan basement, and the room I will work in already has a wall of shelves that used to be used for a canning room. I was thinking of a 8-10' long bench out of 3/4" plywood with 3/4" plywood on the back to hang tools and chains on.

What I am really interested in is your set-ups you have. I have 2 grinders, a Silvey for grinding and a Efco for rakers, along with a chain breaker and a spinner. Now with all that set up that will take up all my bench space and leave me no room to work on saws. I was thinking of some sort of set up that the grinders might be able to flip down and out of the way when I am done using them. But my problem is I am not good with wood working at all. I am looking for a simple workbench, and a way to have all my stuff but not have it in the way either. I also dont want to Obama rig it either.

Pics and ideas would be great.

thanks
 
My basement bench is made of 2 x 10s. Not much room but it is sturdy. Pic in the 044 handle repair thread in my sig.Maybe each tool can be fastened to a piece of 2 x 12 and clamped to the workbench when needed.
 
I built my bench 4x8, so that I only had to buy one piece of plywood and for fitment, I just rip cut down the center. The underside of the top and bottom is framed in 2x4 (like a wall) with 2x6's used for the legs. It worked out great, and is super sturdy. The bottom shelf is the leftover half of the 4x8 piece of plywood, and I cut out the corners to fit around the legs. Very nice looking bench if I do say so myself!

http://arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=1927728#post1927728

Scroll about half way down and you will see a picture of my bench. Just a little cluttered up at the moment!
 
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procarbine2k1 said:
I built my bench 4x8, so that I only had to buy one piece of plywood and for fitment, I just rip cut down the center. The underside of the top and bottom is framed in 2x4 (like a wall) with 2x6's used for the legs. It worked out great, and is super sturdy. The bottom shelf is the leftover half of the 4x8 piece of plywood, and I cut out the corners to fit around the legs. Very nice looking bench if I do say so myself!
Click to expand...

What is a good hight? I am 6' 3" is a 36" tall bench good, or should I go taller or shorter?
 
biggenius29 said:
I am figuring that in the summer I have AC to stay nice and cool instead of hot outside, and in the winter I can work in comfort alongside my furnace.
Click to expand...
Don't every need a heater but I wish I had AC.

I dont have much space, maybe about a 10' wall that I will build a bench. It is in a old Michigan basement, and the room I will work in already has a wall of shelves that used to be used for a canning room. I was thinking of a 8-10' long bench out of 3/4" plywood with 3/4" plywood on the back to hang tools and chains on.
Click to expand...
I do a lot of saw repair on my wood work bench which has a frame made out of 4 x 4 and 2 x 4" treated pine I scavenged from a construction site (I also added a hardwood front apron) all bolted together, with a 3/4" ply top. I also have a 3 x 3 ft hardwood hardwood bench top with a regular vice on it where I sharpen.

I have 2 grinders, a Silvey for grinding and a Efco for rakers, along with a chain breaker and a spinner.
Click to expand...

I reckon Grinders are better off on a stand or post, or on a dedicated wall shelf than permanently taking up valuable space. Likewise Spinners and breakers, blot them to a 2 x 8 board and just clamp that to your bench when you need them.
 
biggenius29 said:
What is a good hight? I am 6' 3" is a 36" tall bench good, or should I go taller or shorter?
Click to expand...

I can't remember what mine is, I was thinking around 40" tall but I will have to double check. You may want to make yours a bit taller, I am 5' 9"...
 
For my home workshop I had friend doing a kitchen reno, I grabbed all of their cabinets to save them from the dump. I beefed up the top supports with some 2x8's,the top is made from 3/4 ply covered with some melamine.The top cabinets are the bees knees perfect for cans/parts of all that sort of stuff. The "back splash" is more melamine easy wipe on and off holds my 4inch vise.The lower cabinets are also good for larger parts.There is a gap so I slide my roller stool in and out. The floor is painted light gray.BTW the fridge takes up the other side,Hmmmm wonder whats in there:cheers:.So when the "warden" says go to the garage and fix a car ,tie flies or something.

The sign above the door "Marks' pad when Michelle is mad!"
 
biggenius29 said:
What is a good hight? I am 6' 3" is a 36" tall bench good, or should I go taller or shorter?
Click to expand...

Take the measuring tape and measur from the ground to your belt buckle while wearing your Boots. Right in that range is about perfect for most as the vice will raise the work a couple inches. ;)

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
biggenius29 said:
I need some workbench ideas. I am in the process of putting one in my basement. Right now I am going to hold off of putting a shop in my barn, but when I do I still think I will want one in my basement for working on saws and grinding chains. I am figuring that in the summer I have AC to stay nice and cool instead of hot outside, and in the winter I can work in comfort alongside my furnace.

I dont have much space, maybe about a 10' wall that I will build a bench. It is in a old Michigan basement, and the room I will work in already has a wall of shelves that used to be used for a canning room. I was thinking of a 8-10' long bench out of 3/4" plywood with 3/4" plywood on the back to hang tools and chains on.

What I am really interested in is your set-ups you have. I have 2 grinders, a Silvey for grinding and a Efco for rakers, along with a chain breaker and a spinner. Now with all that set up that will take up all my bench space and leave me no room to work on saws. I was thinking of some sort of set up that the grinders might be able to flip down and out of the way when I am done using them. But my problem is I am not good with wood working at all. I am looking for a simple workbench, and a way to have all my stuff but not have it in the way either. I also dont want to Obama rig it either.

Pics and ideas would be great.

thanks
Click to expand...

Doesn't take much to make a decent bench. The one in this pic is nothing but a solid core door made into a bench. A man specail ordered that door and never come picked it up. I laid it in the floor, built a frame to it, flip it over and it became a bench. Heavy as hell but works good.

attachment.php
 
one other tip

I think most here know it, but bolt the back of the bench to your wall. If you've got a concrete wall to work with, it will be the sturdiest bench you've ever seen.

Another thing I love on my bench is a patternmaker's vise. It is a big sturdy vise, but the jaws both pivot so you can securely hold oddly shaped stuff like guns, chainsaws, etc. It is best on a freestanding table, but works well on a bench like yours too.

Here's a picture of mine covered in turkey calls and a stock, but it will hold anything.

IMGP0554.jpg


Pete
 
you want the bench height about were your elbows hang, Thats sort of rule of thumb, comfort is the main issue, I have 2 benchs One has a vise the other a anvil built into the end I have shelves under the benches for my saws Also have somthing nice to stand on rubber mat or similair
 
DroppedP51 said:
you want the bench height about were your elbows hang, Thats sort of rule of thumb, comfort is the main issue, I have 2 benchs One has a vise the other a anvil built into the end I have shelves under the benches for my saws Also have somthing nice to stand on rubber mat or similair
Click to expand...

:agree2:

having a bench a bit higher like that also helps with precision stuff like carb rebuilds.
 
Greetings fellows.

biggenius29, I do not believe that you can repair a chainsaw but cannot arc weld. In this side of the puddle, workbenches are built with good old steel. THALL10326 gave us a very nice picture of a workbench, but I suggest to build it with steel. 10 mm thick top plate (15 mm would be even better) and leg frame in 60 mm x 60 mm x 3.25 mm square profile. You can drill the plate in convenient spots to install the vice and other equipment. A workbench in metal is stronger and can take much more abuse then a wood one. Other advantage of a metal workbench is that will be easier for you to use it for welding jobs.

Good luck
 
I really like a free standing bench for working on saws, that way you can move around if needed. I have a 4" machinist vice on mine that I use primarily to clamp the bar when sharpening chains. I also have an all position holding device on the other end to hold a power head when I am doing a more serious tear down.

A metal top would be nice for clean up, but if you can find an old counter top you would like that equally well as it wipes clean very easily. I added a 1/4 hard board top to mine (2x8 planks and a layer of MDF under that) to make it heavy and flat. I added some drawers to keep certain gear close at hand, and I have an air line and a trouble light on retractable reels directly over the bench.

I have my breaker and spinner mounted to a piece of MDF with a cleat on the bottom so I can clamp in it a wood working vice when I need it.

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Mark
 
walk around

I didn't mention it in my post, (and I apologize for the "fancy" rags I had on the bench at the time of the photo, but a rag is a rag.... but the walk around bench is a huge advantage, especialy with vises mounted on corners and not screwing up your back when applying leverage. A wall mounted workbench along with a freestander is the best for me.

And if you are frequently welding, then certainly a metal bench top makes sense, but I'm a wood guy.

Just my thoughts.

Pete
 
swift4me said:
I didn't mention it in my post, (and I apologize for the "fancy" rags I had on the bench at the time of the photo, but a rag is a rag.... but the walk around bench is a huge advantage, especialy with vises mounted on corners and not screwing up your back when applying leverage. A wall mounted workbench along with a freestander is the best for me.

And if you are frequently welding, then certainly a metal bench top makes sense, but I'm a wood guy.

Just my thoughts.

Pete
Click to expand...

The metal-covered bench is the best idea with a folded-over lip on the edge next to the user. This top cleans up well and stops small screws from rolling off in the floor. Welding is also a possibility. I used a roll of flashing from the local hardware.
Igpoe:cheers:
 
Here is mine that I built about 20+ years ago. Used 2x4's for frame with 2x6's layed on top, and 3/4" partical board screwed on top, so I could replace it eventually. So, far havn't done that.:)

Also use an old home built kithen cabinet that we took out of the house when we remodeled.

I saw THALL's big Stihl sign above his bench, so had to add mine to this also..LOL:D

:cheers:
Gregg,

100_0122.jpg


100_0116-1.jpg


100_0123-1.jpg
 
Got saws?

All the benches are very functional, but I see most are built from dimensional lumber.

We all have saws, why not mill your own boards?

I have just milled my first tree, and can tell you it is a great way to put those old big saws to work.

That said, My bench is made from 10 ft of old bowling lane.

You can rebuild a big block V8 on that thing! (ask me how I know)


attachment.php



Crappy pic, but you get the idea, There is a vice hidden behind all that crap, (need another)

Hmmm, you gave me a great idea for my next milled tree, Thanks
 
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