Thread: Workbench design

Total price for everything (including having timbers professionally cut to size) = $99.95 exactly.

Screws not included (I have plenty of batten screws already).

Are you sure you want/need to use pine?
A complex design - I'd be more concerned about racking at the top corners especially if you decide to do some hand planing of larger pieces....

If you don't already have a bench at all this looks like a good cost effective starting point. That said I have two suggestions:

1) At least two layers of yellow tongue. Aside from the extra mass this will give you sufficient depth in the top to add dog holes comfortably.
2) If you've going to rely on batten screws for rigidity in 70x35mm pine you'd be well served to add either full back and side coverings in MDF, or at least some diagonal member to make it rigid.

I made a bench similar in size using 90x45mm pine with corner diagonals for rigidity... it wasn't enough for planing.

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

I don't really want to use pine, but I can't find anything cheaper. I don't really like the complexity of the design either, but it does have the advantage of ensuring that no fixings bear shearing forces, and makes it easier to add shelves, pipe clamps and whatnot later.

Following your suggestions, I'd use two sheets of yellowtongue and increase the lumber thickness to 90x45. That should bring the total weight of the bench to a not inconsiderable 89.1 kg, and only increase the cost to $130.

Adding shelves, pipe clamps, vice should bring the weight to around 130-140kg. I'd also add another bit of yellowtongue to the back as bracing, bringing me to around 160kg.

If it's cheaper to just use big, solid lumps of timber, what should I use?

I don't think you'll find anything cheaper than pine, unless you get hold of recycled hardwood. The fact remains pine isn't favoured for bench frames as it aint that great.....

I used plain old F27 kiln dried hardwood for mine (mostly blackbutt), 90x45 about $10 per metre - you might find the cost not as prohibitive as it sounds as you should need less linear metres of timber. Nice to work with too....

The only cost effective way to get good, solid, large section timbers is the scrounge them! As long as you have some bracing pine will do just fine.

Just built myself another bench (1800X600) using pine and yellow tongue leftovers. Legs are 2/90x35 MGP10 and the temporary top is one layer of yellow tongue and one layer of 3mm MDF over the top. All joints are half lap with a bolt through it.
The top is temporary so I can use it to build a hardwood top but it works fine so far. Used 6mm bolts all around, no bracing and it doesnt rack at all. In terms of mass it's impossible to move once I stacked toolboxes, mitre saw, bench grinder etc on the lower shelf. Plan to paint the base green

Under where I needed dog holes I fixed 45 thick pine to accomodate the required depth.

Pine will be ok, it's cheap and easy to work with so you can start actually building things on top of it quickly. I got sucked in to the trophy bench first time around - Tage Frid style in F17. Like this one much better.

Last week, I finished 4 workbenches for the back yard. They can stay out there until they rot. Two at desktop height, two at kitchen countertop height.
Cut down freight pallets, 60 x 120cm + extra wood in the gaps.
Junk 10x10cm fenceposts canted at 15 degrees and lag-bolted in underneath.
15cm x 12mm ply bracing so they don't wiggle.

I am grinding/polishing 50mm stone slabs for stone cut printing this coming winter. One stone on top of the other with a fine sand+water abrasive and really put my weight into it (short of sitting on top.) Random motions until the sand turns to gravy. Wash off, do 5X.
Despite the fact that the benches stand on the grass, they don't move. I love that.

If you can't foresee needing to move the bench, the biggest, junkiest timber frame will be the best. Mass is the mostest! The only thing better than 5cm x 15cm legs would be 15cmx15cm legs.

I would suggest you check out some of the local demolition yards. I think you will find some better than others for what you are looking fo.

I think that with a bit of searching you might be lucky and get some hardwood for a very reasonable price. I know I do.

Pete

Unfortunately scrounging for hardwood's not really an option, since I'll be building the bench in Bendigo (don't have the facilities here) and won't be there often enough to get some decent timber.

But without further ado, here's my next design.

The advantage of this one is that it's bolted together, so it can be taken apart and moved (handy, since I'm renting, and might end up taking the bench indoors - I'm a darksider, more or less). It won't be quite as heavy though.

Downside is it's much more expensive ($200) since I need to buy bolts and three layers of yellowtongue to give the top enough strength.

Does this look more suitable?

EDIT Yes it's still pine

Ah, I like this latest iteration. Bolted for portability. 3 Big Macs and two sides of fries for that. Can you add some diagonal braces at the back and at the ends to prevent sway with repeated motions/work?
I believe that the real deal is to decide what are you going to be making?

I need a bench (indoors) that can take 6hrs/day with gouges and a 850g mallet
on carvings that can be 10 x 60 x 100cm.
Outdoors, it's smash 'em, crash 'em. As I said, the stone grinding is a ton of work (no pun intended). If the bench jiggled, I'd go nuts. I don't think that any or my stone slabs are over 20kg but they are still a grunt to carry around.

I have to chop the lumps off major wood carving blanks for my next winter's work.
My outdoor benches are turning out to be ideal.
Now if I could get a length of old telephone pole for legs. . . . . . . . I'd be in it like a rat up a drainpipe.

I can't really add cross-bracing without either sacrificing portability or using more bolts, which are expensive.

Honestly, it'll be experiencing only very occasional use, I imagine it'll hold up just fine. Of course, I can always add bracing if necessary.

The advantage of this is that, if I do find some decent sized hardwood (say telephone poles...) the parts are more or less interchangeable.

Sorry I haven't commented prior

see if the local library has "the workbench design book" by Chris Schwarz and others

Your design looks like one in the book
The main downside is that when moved they really never come together the same
they still recommend mortise and tenon joints for the legs and stiles

I thought about using mortise and tenon joints, but I've never done one before - I don't trust myself to get a tight enough fit. Besides, I imagine that it wouldn't help with the portability.

You're probably right about the fact that it's unlikely to come together again properly the second time around. I thought I might cut the rails into the posts 10ml or so, to hold them in alignment. Or, I could use large, loosely fitting dowels (although I can imagine finding that challenging).

Do you think that might solve the problem?