Work bench, how tall?

[WMarshy]

I only put the shelf half way accross for that exact reason... Looks good anyhow... A wise man once said... something profitheticle (sp?)((Real word?)) about men only being as good as their work bench, or work only being as good as the bench it's on... I'm sure some wise dude somewere said that at some point...

Lol I like that! Thanks!

[Kronk]

I only put the shelf half way accross for that exact reason... Looks good anyhow... A wise man once said... something profitheticle (sp?)((Real word?)) about men only being as good as their work bench, or work only being as good as the bench it's on... I'm sure some wise dude somewere said that at some point...

[WMarshy]

Yeah, if I was to do it over again I would leave 1.5-2 inches over hang on the front... at least I left it on the end though...

I have another 4-5 feet from the end of my bench to the corner foundation to the right. Im debating on building a a shorter bench there out an old piece of counter top. Something I can roll a chair under would be nice, that way I can sit and work on the smaller/lighter things like carbs or radio and be comfortable...

[Kronk]

looks good man! I made the mistake of not leaving an overhanh on the front, so I got a new 3/4'' plywood, and screwed er down on top with about 3'' hanging off the front for clamps

[WMarshy]

Well, finially got the entire bench "finished"!



The top is at a very comfortable 40" and is 32" deep. I chose the expensive oak plywood, 3/4" thick and used 4x4 pressure treated posts on the exposed corner and for the middle support. The framing is 2x4 and 16 OC. The top is 8' long but I stopped the framing 3 inches short so I have an overhang to clamp on at the end. I then built a shelf underneath the main bench that is 24" deep using 1/2" pine as the top and 2x4 24" OC.

Almost forgot the second most important part! The blaring AC/DC in the background is being powered by my vintage Pioneer SX650 and a pair of knock-around technics speakers. At 35W per channel it does surprisingly well. Near future plan is to clean it up and rebuild the switches. Oh, and get 2 more speakers

[natemoen]

When I built my bench, I left an overhang of 2" in front to be able to clamp down pieces being worked on. I must have used this feature hundreds of times.

I wish I had done this. Thankfully I have plenty of clamps that can go over the 2x4 and still work.

[bikerphil]

When I built my bench, I left an overhang of 2" in front to be able to clamp down pieces being worked on. I must have used this feature hundreds of times.

[Kronk]

Little late to chime in, but I got 2 work benches; one is for sitting and one is for standing... The one for sitting is about 30" high and the one for standing is 38" high. I am 6'7" and this works well for me... Also if you want a chair, make sure there is room for your legs underneath... My standing bench was the first one, and was going to be the sitting bench, but on a bar stool I can't get my legs under it. So I got an old office chair, but the bench was too high from that, so I built the smaller one. Both tops are 8' by 2' which is perfect for tools on the wall.

[natemoen]

No... Apparently his wife does...

Absolutely! Happy wife, happy life! Sometimes she isn't so happy...

[b.walker5]

No... Apparently his wife does...

[DenyP]

Wife would throw a fit if she found bike parts there! She gets mad enough when I use the dishwasher as a parts cleaner.....

Good One!! You win!

Deny

[natemoen]

Favorite workbench!



Deny

Wife would throw a fit if she found bike parts there! She gets mad enough when I use the dishwasher as a parts cleaner.....

[DenyP]

Favorite workbench!



Deny

[jwhughes3]

MDF and masonite

Use a double MDF top glued together to make it 1.5" thick and spray glue a piece of masonite on it as a replaceable work surface. You could also glue the MDF to plywood.


The double MDF is strong - my vise is mounted in it and I beat the crap out of it without any sign of weakness.

John

[DGXSER]

That is interesting Rob. I know when I used to build golf clubs that most folks finger tips are about 27" IIRC from the floor. No matter how tall or short, 90% of the time that measurement will be the same.