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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2014
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    Melbourne
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    Default Advise on material for workbench

    Hello, i know this question has probably been asked a million times so sorry!

    I am interested in getting into work working and id assume the first step is a sturdy work bench.. at the moment i am not greatly knowledgeable on the best types of timbers for outdoor/garage use (staying straight and not warping easily)

    It will be stored in my garage so it will be in the cold elements so i am looking for a good materiel to use for the legs and top, I am assuming 90*45 for the rest of the frame should be fine.

    Bunnings is about a 2 min drive from my house so preferably i would visit bunnings for my needs but a local timber shop isnt to far away.

    Hope someone can help !

    Thank you.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Sydney
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    Default

    You can pretty much make a workbench out of anything you want. There are plenty out there made out of construction lumber.
    Firstly, are you able to mill the timber? This will dictate a lot of what you can use. If you can look for some recycled timber on gumtree. Might have to pull out a few nails bit could get some nice hardwood.
    Alternatively there is nothing wrong with glueing a couple of sheets of ply together for a top.
    One of the main things you want is rigidity and weight. You don’t want it to flex and rack while you using it or slide around on the floor if your hammering joints/ planning stock.etc..
    have a look at the workbench thread on this forum and there is 100’s of example of different bench types and materials used.
    Enjoy.
    Shane.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    Default

    You can make a perfectly suitable workbench entirely from framing timber alone, you don’t need any exotic materials. 90x45 and 70x35 can be pressed into service for every part, it all depends on the bench type you want to make to determine that three important questions need to be answered; firstly what do you intend to use the bench for, secondly what tooling do you have available for its constrction, and finally what overall size are you after?

    The first question is the most important. Do you see yourself as predominantly a power tool user or do you have ambitions of being a hand tool darksider? Have a real good look at bench pictures and decide for yourself what features you feel you need to perform the work you wish to do. Do you need a vise, if so what type and where? Dog holes? A traveller? A tool well? Clear space underneath or drawers for tools storage?

    What tools do you have or are willing to buy for this? A table saw, chop saw and a thicknesser would make this a doddle, hand power tools such as a circular saw and a power plane can perform the same the same tasks; as can a cheap backsaw, a mitre box and a chisel, with a flea market hand plane.

    Last thing; what do you have to build your bench components on? A Workmate or similar is very handy but a pair of tressles can do at a pinch.

    We all love a good workbench build here so this will have plenty of members watching and ready to offer advice!
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    start with a second hand interior door approx $10 add a sheet of 6mm MDF screw the 2 together add a set of saw horses, very very basic but we all start somewhere.
    I would love to grow my own food, but I can not find bacon seeds

  6. #5
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    Aug 2008
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    Melbourne
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    Default

    If you want a solid, stable top, a sheet of 32mm MDF is an easy way to get there. Cover it with a sheet of 3mm MDF so when it gets covered in glue and crap you can replace it.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Perth WA Australia
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    Being your first work bench I'd build something as simple as possible, don't over think it as its something you'll probably rebuild (multiple times) in the future as you learn what you want in a bench, improve your skills, acquire additional tools to make your bench, funds to make better bench etc.

    As others have said using MDF, doors etc will be fine for your first bench and serve you well for quite a while, I've used an old metal gate clamped to saw horses topped with a sheet of MDF for quite a number of years. I still on the occasion pull it out when I'm working outside and it works great and packs away nicely when not required.

    The issue with making a bench with solid timber is you need to know how to flatten tops/square lumber. Plus you'll need to reflatten your bench from time to time, not something i'd consider "weekend fun woodworking".

  8. #7
    Join Date
    May 2013
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    Rockhampton QLD
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    Default

    Welcome to the forum.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    May 2010
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    Not far enough away from Melbourne
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    Default

    I endorse Chief Tiff's post above. Sound advice for anyone who wants to start building a bench.

    I will add that it helped me to get a couple of books on the subject and have a good read.

    There are lots of styles out there all with good and bad points.

    What you see as good may be seen as bad by someone who works differently, so read the books with what you want to achieve in mind.

    Always remember that the bench is essentially just another tool - a damn important one, but it is a tool, not an end product.
    I got sick of sitting around doing nothing - so I took up meditation.

  10. #9
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    Jul 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tonto View Post
    start with a second hand interior door approx $10 add a sheet of 6mm MDF screw the 2 together add a set of saw horses, very very basic but we all start somewhere.
    Tonto's on the money here.

    Given that you have to start somewhere, make something quick, cheap and workable.

    I actually bumped into a set of plans from April Wilkerson's channel where she made this workbench: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9XIrfiNyUA

    The plans to it (no affiliation) are here: https://wilkerdos.com/product/ultima...ood-workbench/

    I made it (but not all the storage, I didn't need those):

    Wilkerson Workbench.jpg

    (Yes, I tested out the UJK Park Guide system at the same time).

    The whole thing cost around $110 - 2 sheets of 18mm "furniture grade" ply from Trademaster, and an 18mm sheet of MDF from Bunnings. It got built using a track saw (you could easily just use a circular saw), a drill and driver, handful of screws and one afternoon.

    It's been super useful, and it's given me exposure to working on a Festool MFT type surface, enough to know how it will fit into the final design of my workshop (soon to get under construction, and again, facilitated by this quick, cheap and workable bench).

    EDIT: Paul Sellers is building a plywood workbench on his Youtube channel - it's worth checking out. If you're not keen on hand tools for the prep, simply substitute in your power tool of choice.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
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    Default

    i see myself using power tools i have all makita 18v tools and a few electric saws and planers. i reckon i will need a vise at some stage, a traveller? i was thinking of putting some heavy duty swivel wheels.
    trying to steal a table saw from my dads shed lol his got one brand new in the box been sitting in the shed for years , already have a dropsaw.
    a thicknesser one day they look like fun,

    no workmate or anything yet, i was just going to make frame on the floor and maybe some saw horses

    i would use the bench for everything pretty much..

    would a 100x100 cypress post twist and bow if i used them for legs of the bench?

  12. #11
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    Jul 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by simo90 View Post
    would a 100x100 cypress post twist and bow if i used them for legs of the bench?
    Not if the timber is properly dry.

    100x100 is quite a decent piece of timber - you're talking a bit more than 2 lengths of 90x45 sistered together.

    Take a browse around the web at Roubo benches. I'm not saying you should make one, I'm suggesting you should look at the material they use for legs. They're usually made from hardwood, so their legs will be a bit "stronger" for want of a better word than a softwood like Cypress pine, but a Roubo bench leg can easily be made from 2x4's in the old language, or 50x100.

    Your 100x100 is plenty strong enough to use for leg/post material for a bench!

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
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    1,166

    Default

    I'd also look at the Paul Sellers bench he makes with 4x2 pine, again not suggesting to build it but you can compare the construction and scale of materials to things you may have or may want.

    I am actually loving some of the ideas from this thread, I have decided to defer all major bench builds until after my next house move (timeframe TBD) so there's some great hints that I can leverage to get working better than I do today !

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Darkest NSW
    Posts
    3,197

    Default

    Solid core door for the top - heavy, flat, cheaper than thick MDF

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/hume-doo...-door_p1971771

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Hobart
    Posts
    5,105

    Default Go Simple

    Good Morning Simo90

    Most of us go through five or six work benches as our skill levels change and as our needs change. Do not think in terms of a "forever" bench. As you say that you are "..... interested in getting into work working and id assume the first step is a sturdy work bench....." I would assume that your skill levels are basic and you do not yet have many ideas about what you need. That's a good place to start.

    May I suggest that you defer investing a lot of thought and effort into a workbench, and simply use a "make do learners bench" until you have firmer ideas. Possibly you could follow a path similar to my own:
    • Buy a "condemned" solid core plywood door from a retailer; mine always cost $10 - $15. A "condemned" door has minor damage - bruised corners from dropped pallet, hinge and lock mortices cut on same edge, surface staining or scratching, etc.
    • Buy or make a pair of saw horses. These are your beginners bench legs, but you always need saw horses.
    • Buy a Swiss-made Zyliss Z-vise and clamp set. They are incredble versatile when used on a door. Z-VISE, formerly Zyliss Vice, a multi-purpose portable clamping system
    • That's it - bench top, legs and vise.


    I simply screw hold downs and planing stops into the door/bench top using self tapping screws. When the top gets too daggy, turn it over. Both sides daggy, buy a new door. Its not worth the cost or effort of putting a 3 mm MDF skin on the top to extend its life.

    Welcome to the craft.


    Cheers

    Graeme

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