This is a new workbench I just built. It's a lighter, mobile workbench that is better suited to the type of woodworking I do. It's not made for heavy hand tool work, but it's perfect for assembly, light planning, sanding, etc. There are a couple of nice features built in. There is an internal dust collection system - one side of the bench houses a shop vac, which is enclosed for noise reduction, while the other side houses a small cyclone Dust Deputy, and a pull out dust bin. There is a vacuum switch on the outside, which turns on when the tool I'm using is turned on, and turns off when the tool is powered off. Works great!
Finally, the top of the workbench, houses an internal clamping system made from standard 3/4" pipe clamps. A few 3/4" dowels with some 3/4" ID plastic tubing rings for bench dogs complete the clamping system. I also built a couple of filler strips to complete the bench top, when I'm not using the clamps. It's also taller than a standard workbench, i.e. it's 34 inches high. It's the perfect height for working with power tools. I'm not a giant at 5'9" and it works great for me. Easy on the back. It also works pretty well as an outfeed table for my table saw, if I can remember to remove the bench dogs before I start cutting!!
The entire workbench is built out of 3/4" plywood (I used Birch plywood) and drywall screws. The joinery is very simple - just butt joints with some reinforcing cleats. No gluing, either, which came in pretty handy for me. When I built it, I wasn't especially careful in which direction I mounted the top. Turns out when the bench was positioned the way I want to work with it, the dust port was on the opposite side from my table saw. Sooo, I would have had to run a much longer hose around the back of the bench, to the table saw. That might not matter to you, but I've got a small shop, and clutter matters. The whole bench top is built in layers, but when assembled it is one solid unit. That unit gets screwed into the base through a couple of cleats. All I had to do was unscrew those drywall screws, turn the top around 180 degrees, and screw it back in. Much cleaner, and worth the time for me.
Note, this is NOT my design. I took this from a magazine article in Fine Woodworking. They call it "The Wired Workbench." It's not a complete set of plans in the article, but there are enough pictures, illustrations, and explanations to figure out how to build it. It cost me about $300 to build, including the cyclone and the vacuum switch. It's 3 sheets of plywood (I have the cutting diagram if anyone is interested. The article did not include one. I used a free version of MaxCut, which turned out to work great - very little waste, and I still have almost a 1/2 sheet of plywood left.), a couple of pieces of scrap 1/2" plywood, and screws. I already had the pipe clamps and the shop vac.
I didn't have a dedicated workbench here. I had a great one that I had built at my previous location, but no room for it here. So I was working with a makeshift bench top on a pair of saw horses. I really enjoy working with this new bench.
Finally, the top of the workbench, houses an internal clamping system made from standard 3/4" pipe clamps. A few 3/4" dowels with some 3/4" ID plastic tubing rings for bench dogs complete the clamping system. I also built a couple of filler strips to complete the bench top, when I'm not using the clamps. It's also taller than a standard workbench, i.e. it's 34 inches high. It's the perfect height for working with power tools. I'm not a giant at 5'9" and it works great for me. Easy on the back. It also works pretty well as an outfeed table for my table saw, if I can remember to remove the bench dogs before I start cutting!!
The entire workbench is built out of 3/4" plywood (I used Birch plywood) and drywall screws. The joinery is very simple - just butt joints with some reinforcing cleats. No gluing, either, which came in pretty handy for me. When I built it, I wasn't especially careful in which direction I mounted the top. Turns out when the bench was positioned the way I want to work with it, the dust port was on the opposite side from my table saw. Sooo, I would have had to run a much longer hose around the back of the bench, to the table saw. That might not matter to you, but I've got a small shop, and clutter matters. The whole bench top is built in layers, but when assembled it is one solid unit. That unit gets screwed into the base through a couple of cleats. All I had to do was unscrew those drywall screws, turn the top around 180 degrees, and screw it back in. Much cleaner, and worth the time for me.
Note, this is NOT my design. I took this from a magazine article in Fine Woodworking. They call it "The Wired Workbench." It's not a complete set of plans in the article, but there are enough pictures, illustrations, and explanations to figure out how to build it. It cost me about $300 to build, including the cyclone and the vacuum switch. It's 3 sheets of plywood (I have the cutting diagram if anyone is interested. The article did not include one. I used a free version of MaxCut, which turned out to work great - very little waste, and I still have almost a 1/2 sheet of plywood left.), a couple of pieces of scrap 1/2" plywood, and screws. I already had the pipe clamps and the shop vac.
I didn't have a dedicated workbench here. I had a great one that I had built at my previous location, but no room for it here. So I was working with a makeshift bench top on a pair of saw horses. I really enjoy working with this new bench.
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