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Posted: 12/26/2012 1:17:30 PM EDT
| Looking for something sturdy that I can drill and bolt a vise and reload press onto. Suggestions? |
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Quoted: I picked up a 8' counter top, 4x4s, 2x4s, lag bolts and some peg board from Menards. Took an afternoon but it is solid and the vice bolts go through the counter top and 2x4s. Less than $100 http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/dphill15/036.jpg The vice bolt through the 2x4s http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/dphill15/015-2.jpg I did pretty much the same. Found a smoking deal on a chipped counter top and cut out the bad section and built two benches.    |
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Harbor Freight has this one for $159.99:
Bench 
Not shown in the photo, but I have a vice on it now. Works good for me and it was fairly inexpensive. |
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Well,
I got a nice steel frame and a butcher block top at Menards for I think $165? or in that range... The frame is rated for 1500Lbs and the top is solid oak I'm usually the build it myself type...but it was not worth it for that price... I know most home centers and places like northern too or harbor freight have them too... Mine is still in the garage... But my new Rolling toolbox is in there already! :) I'm building out my vault as we speak... The new bench...few small parts bins...and gridwall on one wall of the vault...Called gridwall MX in brushed aluminum... I got the hooks today...Hope the other stuff gets here soon... http://diamondlifegear.com/slatgrid.html Room isn't as big as I would have liked...it's 10x16'... But has a fire rated vault door and 1 foot of concrete and rebar 6" on center horizontal and vertically...Also bent corners in #5 bar...I think my back still hurts from bending those... Anyhow, Hope you find you items soon.... I'd post pics...But it's still a shambles...But it's painted... Bret |
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Quoted:
Harbor Freight has this one for $159.99: Bench http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo69/bfh1831/Colt%206920/AR-15COM/004-1.jpg Not shown in the photo, but I have a vice on it now. Works good for me and it was fairly inexpensive. +1. I use the same bench for reloading. I bolted it to a wall and it's rock solid. It's a good deal at that price. One of my drawer fronts had a chunk missing, but I called the # on the instructions and they sent a new one with no hassles. |
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Quoted:
ams club. Search workbenches. Heavy duty $199.99 http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag56/cdy11/samsworkbench_zps19cab663.jpg That is the one that I am looking at getting. |
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Quoted:
ams club. Search workbenches. Heavy duty $199.99 http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag56/cdy11/samsworkbench_zps19cab663.jpg I have one of these in the garage. It is a very nice bench. |
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If you want a kit, and cheap, but gets the job done, I use this one. http://www.stack-on.com/categories/workbenches--2/products/208 You can't go wrong with this as a project bench, and I think they have some add-on kit stuff to expand on this bench. Stack-on is like the guys IKEA when it comes to this kinda stuff.
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I've built two of these.
They're rock solid. Skip the sliding doors on the cabinets. Whatever you build, use 4x4 legs for the extra weight. You don't want the bench moving. |
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Quoted:
Built one 90% Saturday. Need to put the pegboard on the back. Went with 3/4 treated ply for the work top. Anyone seal theirs? Ideas for finishing off plywood work surfaces? I've used polyurethane in the past and it was a bad idea as brake cleaner ate through it very, very quickly. Lacquer seems to hold up a bit better. The best solution is to put on a 1/4" or 3/8" sacrificial wood top. Aluminum scratches too easily, carbon steel rusts, and stainless is way too expensive. |
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Make sure you have lots of lighting. Mini LED or flourecents like you put under cabinets work well.
For a top on both my reloading benches I got a piece of glossy white wall panel from Lowes, cut to fit, and gorilla glued it to the bench. The white reflects light so it makes the work area brighter, its smooth so you can clean up easy, see small parts very easy, no cracks for stuff to get lost, and $10 a sheet. |
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Quoted:
Built one 90% Saturday. Need to put the pegboard on the back. Went with 3/4 treated ply for the work top. Anyone seal theirs? Ideas for finishing off plywood work surfaces? It's a work bench right? Need to resolve yourself to the fact that it will get dinged up and stained. Yeah, I too cringed when I put my first ding in my $700 workbench. Get over it. Having gone through an number of work surfaces over the years, my recommendation is two layers of 3/4" plywood topped with a 1/4" piece of hardboard. Like this 
The two layers of 3/4" plywood are glued together. The 1/4" layer of hardboard is screwed to the plywood in recessed holes. When it gets too dinged up and stained for my use I simply replace it. ETA, this is my $700+ workbench right after I first made it. 
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Quoted:
ETA, this is my $700+ workbench right after I first made it. http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/Covertness/WorkbenchFinal2.jpg 
Dang, that is nice. |
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I've never thought standard pieces of counter top stock were deep enough or solid enough for a workbench top. My longtime favorite for workbench top is 1 3/4 solid core wooden doors. Most suppliers have scratched and dent doors available for pocket change. The base for the workbench can be anything from saw horses to kitchen cabinets. |
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Quoted: I've never thought standard pieces of counter top stock were deep enough or solid enough for a workbench top. My longtime favorite for workbench top is 1 3/4 solid core wooden doors. Most suppliers have scratched and dent doors available for pocket change. The base for the workbench can be anything from saw horses to kitchen cabinets. Funny you mention that - I just got back from Home Depot and bought two 1 3/4 solid core slab doors for my upcoming bench build. They make great bench tops. I'll be using 4x4's and 2x6's for the base. |
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I checked on craigslist and found one close to me that had a lot of wood in it for the money. I got the guy to come way down on the price and took it home and completely disassembled it and rebuilt it the way I wanted it.
Chris http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8503/8334918253_12f6bf0870_z.jpg |
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It was timely for this thread to pop up, as tomorrow my woodworker friend is coming over to help me build a good solid work bench. I'm real excited but I have no idea what style it's going to be. I do know that he told me that I'll be buying some 2x12s, 2x6s and 2x4s...I believe he means to make the top from the 2x12s, but plywood sounds mo flatter of a surface to me...
Please keep posting your benches to give me ideas though! |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Built one 90% Saturday. Need to put the pegboard on the back. Went with 3/4 treated ply for the work top. Anyone seal theirs? Ideas for finishing off plywood work surfaces? It's a work bench right? Need to resolve yourself to the fact that it will get dinged up and stained. Yeah, I too cringed when I put my first ding in my $700 workbench. Get over it. Having gone through an number of work surfaces over the years, my recommendation is two layers of 3/4" plywood topped with a 1/4" piece of hardboard. Like this http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/Covertness/DSCF1362.jpg The two layers of 3/4" plywood are glued together. The 1/4" layer of hardboard is screwed to the plywood in recessed holes. When it gets too dinged up and stained for my use I simply replace it. ETA, this is my $700+ workbench right after I first made it. http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/Covertness/WorkbenchFinal2.jpg Where did you get the vice setups? I saw a video a while back. It was someone making a bench very similar to yours, but I cant remember who/what it was. |
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Quoted: ams club. Search workbenches. Heavy duty $199.99 http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag56/cdy11/samsworkbench_zps19cab663.jpg Came here to post this. I have 3 of those, and one with the drawers. |
i built my own, to the size i needed... mush easier to measure the space you have and build it to your own specs... 
for the heavy duty Legs... I used treated "garden landscape timbers" instead of 4x4's for the legs... they are cheaper and they are treated... paid like $3.00 for the 8' long piece... they are heavy duty and nice and rugged and look better because they are kind of roundesh looking... i then used regular 2x4's for the frame and bottem shelf, witch all got stained a dark ebony... and for my counter/work surface i used a sheet of 3/4" plywood and then i put solid wood flooring on top of that.... had some hardwood flooring left over and decided to use it.... the one i used is a hicory pecan color but with the dark ebony frame and light tan counter top.... my bench loooks furniture grade... 
if i ever make a new one i will be using solid Bamboo flooring for the top surface... thats stuff is awsome...!!! |
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