I used 2 home depot cabinets configured w/a mix of drawers and pullout wire baskets.

I put a 3/4" sheet of particle board on top, then a piece of kitchen counter top.  Very solid.

This time, I just bought a $84~ish Gorilla Bench that is steel w/a wood top, and I'm just as happy.

What kinda workbench?

For gun work?

For wood work?

For general work?

here is one a friend of mine built to do woodworking, it is pretty nice

[url]http://www.americanwoodshop.org/images/projects/perfect_workbench.gif[/url]

well if you need plans here is a site for a lot of woodworking plans [url]http://the3house.com/plans/menus/free_top_nav1.htm[/url]
here is one for a workbench
[url]http://www.charm.net/~jriley/bench.html[/url]

I did it the easy way and you could too.  The community center in Adams TN was remodeling and I got their kitchen cabinet.  It is 30' long and the perfect height to work.  It has 10 drawers directly below the work surface and 10 doors.  The top, of course, is a laminated particle board.  I have it sectioned off for wood working (various bench toos bolted on) and seperate sections for other purposes.  Now you will probably not be as lucky to find one as long as mine, but check salvage yards for kitchen cabinet assemblies and counter tops.  It will be cheaper and all you have to do is haul them home, slap some paint on and go for it.

If you are going to make it stationary and you have a wall masonary or studded then you are home free with a simple but great design I use all the time for work benches.


OK here we go,
cut the top of the bench form 3/4 inch plywood to what ever size you need , 24 inches wide is usually plenty of room for the width ,now for the length,if you have the room keep it the eight foot in length it is.

Now take 2x4's and cut them so that they stand on end and go around the outside edge of your bench top,this gets hard to explain but if you are doing it right the top and the 2x4's are now 4 1/4" thick.
lift the plywood up and set the two short 2x4's on each end and then put the front 2x4 in place,line all three pieces up and attach with 1 1/2" coarse thread drywall screws.
you don't need to attach the back 2x4 yet because you are going to screw it to the wall or anchor it to the masonary at the hieght you desire your workbench,then you will lift the top into place and rest it on the 2x4 that is secured to the wall,thats when you will screw it to the plywood top of your work bench.

You will need to have a 2x4 handy to temp screw to the front of the bench to support the bench while you measure and cut the legs ,you will mount them under the bench to the inside box of the 2x4's that the top is already attached to,you will angle them back and they will rest against the wall where the wall meets the floor.

This project is quick and clean and easy to make.
For a really accurate top have the home depot guys cut the top with that panel saw they have and you will get a true enough 24 inch work bench top.

I built 2 of these, and they are very solid. Perfect for a reloading bench

Use a solid core door for the top.  2x6 underneath around the perimeter. 2 2x6 at each corner. 2x6 around the bottom, about 1 foot from floor.  Build shelves to suit.

Instead of building, I got 4 6' steel benches (unassembled of course) from Globle(?) Equipment for $232 +/- . Sturdy as hell. Probably not very good for woodworking though.  

The best workbench page here:

[url]http://www.terraclavis.com/bws/benches.htm[/url]

Other Resources:

[url]http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bench.html[/url]


Or here:

[url]http://www.shavings.net/images/BenchLegs.jpg[/url]



I like this style of 2x4 construction for simple, sturdy legs, stretchers and tops.  You can then use this style of overlapping 2x4's to extend the stretchers and create a top for any size or length.  It's a bit like a puzzle, though, but the interlocking pieces brace themselves well.  

Make a frame, lay 2x4's on top (either on edge or flat), plane them flat, bingo!

Adjust the design as needed:


[img]http://www.shavings.net/images/BenchLegs.jpg[/img]

Where were you guys when I was building my reloading bench?  

I ended up using 4x4's for the legs and 2x6's for the cross pieces.  I have 2x4's going diagonally from upper front to lower rear to directly oppose the torque of the reloading press.  I used two 3/4" sheets of MDF that I glued and clamped toether as the surface.  I used lag screws to fasten the whole thing together except the MDF to the top of the bench.  The good news is, I built a 2'x4' surfaced reloading table for under $40.

How do I save this thread so I can go back and reference it when I build another bench?

Neat-O.

Copy and paste into a word processor- just click and hold while selecting all of it, then copy/paste into you WP...

Or save the links in Favorites...
Good luck!