Cheap workbench with end vice and moxon, under $60

**Bendigo Bob** · 10th March 2016, 10:03 PM

Well I can't afford to buy a good workbench, and i can't afford fancy timbers so when the big green store started having $1 offcuts, including 4 foot 2x4's I started ferreting thru them finding fairly good straight ones.

Figured I needed 3 dozen, got a few more for spares, but used 33 for the build, plus $20 in casters and hinges, and $6 worth of MDF, so scraped in under $60 for this.

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Was pretty happy, used a scrap bit of form-ply for the substrate of the top. Secured top to base with coach screws but if there is movement later on will use the router to carve out vertical mortices from the side and tenon it together. honestly don't think that will be needed.
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It was a bit of an effort gluing the two slabs up as i had no good surface to work with, on top of butt joining 5 rows of alternating 4 foot and 2 foot bits at the same time as laminating them together to get the 6 foot length I wanted. (but hey, at quarter price we can 'feel the pain' a bit can't we?

) Overall with ends it is now exactly 2 metres by 600mm.

Pretty normal m&t joinery for the leg frames (as above) which i did on the table saw before gluing up, only needed a bit of finessing to fit.

But i linked the two leg frames with stretchers notched in and tightened with large coach bolts, as here, stretcher on left
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Simple platforms with cast iron casters ($4 from 'big green store') and hinge system to lift up and move when needed (that darned small shop!), kept at back so i can still fit some drawers later that i salvaged from someone's kitchen remodel, should be enough left over form-ply to do case
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Personally i like the 'well' in the middle. the mdf covers work well, good place to keep the plane etc.
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Yes, that's a 7" Groz on the end now, off of my old bench. Ran two rows of dog holes (made the dogs out of dowel with ball catches embedded to act as pressure to hold in place) for clamping panels and boards.

I really wanted a moxon style vice on the side but again was thinking el cheapo! so what have we got?

As in this photo we have some 16mm rod and a couple of unused dumbbells (lazy sod, I know)
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Dumbbells it is, lovely big acme thread. they got the chop and a flat surface so I could drill thru the top into them once embedded from the side.

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Job done, it was a pain as the diameter was 27mm and nearest spade bit was 25 mm, so lots of reaming out holes and faffing about but it is installed. Clamps nice and tight too. Just need to make a couple of large washers (those lock nuts bite into the wood a bit), probably out of HDPE tomorrow when my wife is not around to tell me off for cooking plastic in the kitchen oven.

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Only got a whisker over 2 inches of clamping, but hey, it was a free Moxon. (face timber is part of an unused door frame, 40mm hardwood.

It's held in with a 9mm dowel driven thru from the top
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OK, on to using this baby.

Cheers guys

**artme** · 10th March 2016, 10:24 PM

Bloody good bench there Bob!!

Goes to show how much can be done for just a little outlay!

**snowyskiesau** · 10th March 2016, 10:26 PM

That's some nice looking timber for the price, and a more than nice looking bench.

**orraloon** · 10th March 2016, 10:56 PM

Really great job for so small an outlay. I like to see people make the best of what they have.
Clever use of the weight bar for the moxon. My son has a set of weights he does not use. Hmmmmmm.
Regards
John

**Luke Maddux** · 10th March 2016, 11:42 PM

I'm thoroughly impressed. Well done!

**Bendigo Bob** · 11th March 2016, 07:10 AM

Thanks guys, as for the nice looking timber i did make a pain of myself sorting thru the $1 bin at big green. But hey, it's my money Ralph, even if it's only a dollar. luckily I've still got my Sheppech combo jointer/thicknesser from my more prosperous working days of times past, so i could tidy up the stock easily. That meant the slabs were limited to 240mm wide for thicknessing. I was thinking of adding an extra layer afterwards but honestly i don't think I'll need it.

**Uncle Al** · 11th March 2016, 08:20 AM

A good result for not a big outlay, this should inspire others. It is amazing what can be produced from discarded materials, whether they be leftovers from a construction site, or reclaimed furniture etc. from council cleanups.
Thanks for the photos and write-up.

Alan...

**Bendigo Bob** · 11th March 2016, 10:15 AM

Hmm, you've given me ideas there Alan. There are three new construction going on down the road a bit. Big skips outside the fences too, on the nature strips. Wonder what I might find

**artme** · 11th March 2016, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Bendigo Bob

Hmm, you've given me ideas there Alan. There are three new construction going on down the road a bit. Big skips outside the fences too, on the nature strips. Wonder what I might find

You might find plenty Bob!!

I once scavenged in the skips at a refurbishment of the Woolies at Sunnybank.

Enough electical wiring to do my shed and then some! A sheet of laminex covered 15mm chipboard that became a bench top.
Enough conduit to hide all the free wiring! enough 3x2 to build a lot of shelving!!

Went through a skip here and found enough cornice to do a small job in the kitchen when we renovated. Enough 3x2 to do a bit of shelving.
Some handy lengths of top hat battens that I used to keep stuphph off the ground.

Go scrounging young fella!!!!

**Bendigo Bob** · 12th March 2016, 04:36 PM

Went to those job sites and rummaged thru two big bins. sadly nothing

Oh well, on to making the carcase for those drawers I've got.

**Not enough!!** · 12th March 2016, 08:44 PM

Fok yer , great job Bob (sorry l've had a few sherberts) that is a great bench, full-stop!

**hurcorh** · 12th March 2016, 11:37 PM

Very smart use of the dumbell bars! Did you get this idea from somewhere or conjure it up yourself?

**Bendigo Bob** · 13th March 2016, 07:00 AM

Saw a portable Moxon on Youtube where the guy used longer sections off a full barbell. I realised that the large acme thread would work well for both quick clamping and release. My problem was I wanted to incorporate it into the side of the actual bench, so I opted for the smaller bars.

Took ages to cut them with the cutoff saw too. Apparently the heat build up must drastically reduce the cutting ability of the blades.

**hurcorh** · 13th March 2016, 10:16 AM

Yep it makes it so much harder to cut thicker stock when that happens water or lubricating oil helps a lot there.

**Christos** · 22nd March 2016, 06:47 PM

Great going on this bench build.

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Cheap workbench with end vice and moxon, under $60

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