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Big Custom Workbench Build

Avery4jc

Avery4jc

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Fresno, Ca.
I've been spending my spare time after work and some Saturdays working on a big workbench for a friend/customer. Figured everyone around here likes tools/garage stuff just as much as I do and it might give you ideas for your own bench builds.
It's a "light duty" piece compared to what I'm used to because he didn't want a solid plate steel top. He has a beautiful '69 Camaro he works on at his place and has been finishing his garage (sheetrock, can lights, extra roll-up door for side yard access, etc) and wanted one huge bench that fit into a specific area.

So here's some pics. He told me overall dimensions and where he wanted the toolbox and fridge and left it at that.

I drew it up in Bendtech to get a good idea of what I'd need for material and how to maximize my cuts.


Here's my tac'd up frame...


Fits a big toolbox he supplied and his mini fridge :)


Drilled some plate and welded 3/4"-10 nuts on the back side so all eight legs will be adjustable...


He didn't have a specific function for the dead space in front of the fridge and it was kind of small so I gave him three shelves. They're tall enough to fit tall cans of brake cleaner or those super tall new cans of WD-40...


There are two shelves that are specific sizes underneath that fit two small and two large jackstands he uses...


 
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Then I rolled it over and over and over and welded everything completely around...




I ground off the faces and areas that would later be skinned as well as the front just for aesthetics.
 
I work in steel all day every day so my sources and knowledge are in that area but wood is new to me. Luckily there is a massive lumber yard and truss plant across the street from my work. They have a little hardware store inside that I constantly grab stuff out of for the shop so we have a good relationship. They tried to find some scraps I could make a big solid wood top out of but didn't have anything that would work. They did have a big pile of these solid doors so I bought two of them for cheap and stripped the hardware off.


Chop, chop, chop, sand, sand, sand and now we have a base for the sheetmetal...


Welded in a big plate so his vise wasn't just bolted to the wood top. Also welded in a bunch of tabs underneath to bolt the top on. Counterbored the holes in the wood top so the bolts sank down in.



 
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Look back at the previous picture, the vise was very functional but had seen better days. I stripped it apart and gave it a spit shine...




So now we're current. Last night after work I stopped by another shop down the street that does sheetmetal fab and the manager and I sheared out a bunch of panels to skin some spots on this thing as well as made a top for it. They're a really cool shop and don't charge me near enough for firing up the big shear and press brakes.






I'm heading over now to work on the skins (they were just leaning in place in those pics) and then I think it's just about time to paint it and think about transporting this giant thing to his house.
 
I like it. No backsplash? I am not sure if that is the right name for it.

Another really handy thing to have in a work bench, is a hole in the top. To set shafts through.

Martin
 
Nope, no lip in the back. It goes up against a wall.
He isn't a hardcore wrenching kinda guy so it's a little different than what we would want in a bench.
 
Then got it painted and did a final assembly to check the fit of everything. That red toolbox even empty and drawers gutted is a bitch to get in and out by myself.




 
I have a few good pieces of redwood from a custom fence/gate project I did recently and I'm going to cut out some shelves for those three spots on the right hand side. It'll fill in all the edges and make it flat so stuff can't fall down through the cracks. Plus it'll just look nice.
 
.093" I believe. I'd have to look back at my paperwork or measure it. Neither of which I can do from my apartment.
 
My shop was closed today for the holiday so I used the free time to deliver this thing.
It worked out great because he had two HUGE cabinets and a pallet of smaller wall mount cabinets that were delivered to his shop.
His right hand man grabbed their forklift and a trailer and met me at my house to load the bench on my trailer and I followed him to their shop to load the cabinets, then we both went over to my friend's house. Better than blowing out everyone's backs all day. The red cabinets are nice USA built units that are really heavy.




 
Oh and it's really hard to tell in these pics but I cut and stained some redwood for the shelves. I just scrolled up and noticed the shelves were bare in all the other pics.
 
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