The general principle of the development of materials processing technology from prehistoric times to the present day is how to make parts for more precise ones using inaccurate equipment. And it all started with a workbench; prototypes of it are found during excavations of Stone Age settlements. It is quite possible to build a workbench, a full-fledged one, with your own hands, and this will not only save a significant amount, but will also simplify, facilitate the work and improve its results.
Three mistakes
Amateurs, sometimes, judging by their designs, very experienced, knowledgeable and diligent, sometimes make themselves workbenches on which, figuratively speaking, you can smash a tank with a sledgehammer. They take a lot of time and labor, and hardly less money than a good branded amateur workbench. Repeating industrial prototypes in a design for your own use, designed for intensive work in 3 shifts and a static load of more than a ton, with a service life of 20 years or more, is one of the typical mistakes in developing workbenches of your own design.
The second is neglect of vibrations. Not a clearly felt “game” or “recoil”, but a small tremor that significantly complicates the work and reduces its quality. Vibrations have a particularly strong effect on workbenches on a metal frame.
The third - repeat carpentry or metal workbenches; perhaps with some modifications to suit your needs. Meanwhile, there are many designs of workbenches for home/amateur work of various types. There are workbenches that are more or less specialized or, conversely, universal, temporary, made from scrap materials, etc.
In this article we will figure out how to make a workbench taking into account these errors, firstly, simpler and cheaper, in accordance with the range of needs and/or hobbies of the craftsman. Secondly, how to make a workbench general purpose or universal for special conditions use - in a cramped garage, for carpentry at a construction site from scrap rubbish, at home for small precision work, for children.
About universal workbenches
Among the branded products, which are sometimes quite expensive, you can find “universal” workbenches in the form of a carpenter’s bench with a lid without a tray, a complete bench vice on a wooden cushion, and a clamp for their installation, like the one in the photo:
“Universal” factory-made workbench
This is a wrong decision not only because wooden table top carpentry work deteriorates. The main thing that is bad here is the technological fluids used in metal processing - oil, kerosene, etc. Wood soaked in them becomes much more flammable. Self-ignition is also possible; Remember, it is strictly forbidden to accumulate oily rags in production. Approach to designing a tabletop (boards, lids) universal workbench another one is needed based on the type of work it is primarily used for - fine or coarse, see below.
Work bench
In the West, amateur/home workbenches with a stacked table top framed by a side are widespread. Drawings of such a “work bench” are shown in Fig. Under the fitter, the lid is covered with a sheet of steel 1.5-2 mm thick and a vice is placed on the pad.
The bench workbench dampens vibrations well; It can be made from pine or spruce. But the design is complex, and it is inconvenient to work with long materials and furniture on such a workbench. Therefore, we will first look at how to make the most common carpentry workbench, then a garage and a mechanic's workbench. Next, we will try to combine them into a universal workbench and see what we can come up with on this basis for special needs.
Workbench composition
A workbench of “our” type (conditionally, since it is impossible to accurately establish its origin) consists of:
- A bench (in carpentry workbenches), or a bed (in metalworking benches), ensuring the stability of the entire unit and the ergonomics of the workplace.
- Covers, box-shaped or in the form of a tray, giving the work area the necessary rigidity.
- Shelves; possibly with a tray, nests, and stops on which work operations are performed.
- An apron on which the tool is hung. An apron is not a necessary accessory for a workbench; it can hang on the wall or be replaced with a cabinet, rack, etc.
Note: workbench height approx. 900 mm. The length and width are selected according to the installation location and type of work within the range of 1200-2500 and 350-1000 mm, respectively.
The lid and shelf are most often made at the same time, one-piece, and are simply called a lid, a workbench board or a tabletop. To dampen vibrations, the shelf is always made on a base (bed, substrate) made of wood. In a metalworking workbench, the bed is covered with a steel sheet from 2 mm thick and can be made of coniferous wood. Its overall strength is sufficient, and the steel tire protects the tree from local damage and the ingress of technical fluids. In a carpentry workbench, a bed made of high-quality (without knots, twists, etc. defects) solid fine-grained wood (oak, beech, hornbeam, elm, walnut) also serves as a shelf; in a workbench for the home, for the sake of simplifying it, without sacrificing quality, it is possible to have 2 -layer construction, see below.
The traditional design of the bench, on the contrary, is collapsible from the same wood as the carpentry shelf. This comes from the master craftsmen of the past, who transported their equipment from customer to customer on a cart. It is from the bed/bench that you should start developing your workbench, no worse, but simpler than traditional ones.
Bed: metal or wood?
Stationary wooden workbench has advantages over those on a steel frame not only in lower cost and labor intensity. Wood, firstly, is not plastic. Workbench on wooden base can be broken, but if the wood used is seasoned and impregnated, it will never bend. Secondly, wood perfectly dampens vibrations. The foundations of your buildings are not reinforced vibration-absorbing ones, like workshops in a factory? And the overall strength and stability of the home workbench frame will be fully ensured by commercial coniferous wood of ordinary quality.
The design of a wooden workbench frame made from 120x40 boards is shown on the left in Fig. Permissible static load – 150 kgf; dynamic vertically downward for 1 s – 600 kgf. Corner posts (legs) are assembled on 6x70 self-tapping screws in a zigzag (snake) pattern with a distance from the edge of 30 mm and a pitch of 100-120 mm. Double-sided fastening; the snakes on both sides of the package are made in mirror image. Intermediate support beams are fastened with steel angles on self-tapping screws; the edge ones - with pairs of self-tapping screws at the tenons of the posts and, on the outside, with corners.
If timber 150x50 or (180...200)x60 is available, the design can be simplified, as shown in the center in Fig. The load-bearing capacity will increase to 200/750 kgf. And from timber 150x150, 150x75 and (180...200)x60 you can build a frame capable of bearing 450 kgf in static conditions and 1200 in dynamics, on the right in Fig.
Note: Any of these beds is suitable for both carpentry and metalworking workbenches. Under the joinery, a box-shaped lid is placed on it (see below), and under the fitter, a tray from a 60x60x4 angle with welded 4-mm strips above the intermediate beams is placed. A wooden cushion is placed in the tray and covered with steel, also see below.
If there is no welding
All wood workbench, no need for welding work to make it, you can do it according to the following pattern. rice. The “trick” here is the tabletop, glued together from 75x50 lumber and fastened with ties. If the timber is oak, then permissible load– 400/1300 kgf. Corner posts – timber 150x150; the rest is timber 150x75.
Metal
It happens the other way around: metal is more accessible than wood, and welding is available. Then the workbench table for a load of 100/300 kgf can be assembled according to the drawing on the left in Fig. Materials – corner 35x35x3 and 20x20x2. Boxes are made of galvanized steel. Disadvantage - it is impossible to make an opening at the bottom for the legs; the structure will lose its ability to bear dynamic loads.
For a load of 200/600, a more convenient one is suitable metal workbench according to the diagram at the top right from a corrugated pipe 50x50 (corner posts), 30x30 (other vertical parts) and a corner 30x30x3. The plank cushion of both workbenches is laid only across (bottom right) from tongue-and-groove boards (120...150)x40.
Shelf – steel 2 mm. The shelf is attached to the pillow with 4x(30...35) self-tapping screws, a pair at each edge of each board, and along the outer boards - in increments of (60...70) mm. Only in this design will the workbench show the specified load-bearing capacity.
These workbenches are already universal: the lid is turned over under the joinery wooden side up or adjust as described below. A bench vise is mounted on a wooden pad, but is not secured with a clamp. A collet anchor for an M10-M14 bolt is driven into the vice pad from below, and a collet anchor is drilled into the lid for it through hole. A 60x2 washer is placed under the bolt head. This solution is convenient because it is possible to use inexpensive non-rotating vices.
For carpentry
The cover of a carpenter's workbench, unlike a metalworker's one, is tightly attached to the bench and is box-shaped for overall rigidity. The best option fastenings for a non-dismountable workbench - steel angles and self-tapping screws. The underbench can also be a steel frame from those described above.
How a traditional carpentry workbench works is shown in pos. And rice; accessories to it on pos. B. The bench board (in this case it is a separate device) is used to work with long pieces. The support in its groove is made from a wedged piece of board, see below. It is advisable to drill a longitudinal row of holes in the board and secure it into the sockets with bolts with conical heads. The traditional design of a carpentry bench is shown in pos. G, but – see above.
It is possible to reduce the cost of the carpentry workbench cover by making it 2-layer, pos. Q. Then high-quality hardwood boards will only be needed for the shelf. They lay it by laying the boards with “humps” of annual layers, alternately up and down, to avoid warping. The shelf flooring is first glued together with PVA or carpentry glue, tightly compressed with a clamp or wrapped with a cord; put on the pillow using the same glue. The lid skirt is assembled separately using glue and through tenons (inset in pos. B) and attached to the pillow-shelf package with self-tapping screws.
Carpentry vice
Solid wood carpenter's vices, front and chair, are now almost completely replaced by a vice with a metal screw clamp, pos. D; their device is shown in pos. E. Some comments are needed here.
First, you need to place 2-3 steel washers under the head of the clamping screw, otherwise it will quickly eat through the cushion (wood 4x4x1 cm). Secondly, if the nut is not custom-made or purchased, then at least temporarily acquire a set of taps for the thread you are using. In this case, do not try to use a screw that is too thick for evenness and smoothness of the clamp; M12-M16 is quite enough.
The nut of a homemade clamping pair is welded onto a base with a diameter of 60 mm or, square, from 70x70 mm. It is not necessary to recess it into the clamp pad, this way there is less chance that the nut will break off when clamped. But welding will cause the thread to go ugly; you can’t get rid of it with a bolt. The thread of the welded nut will need to be passed with taps according to the complete pattern, as when cutting: first tap - second - third (if included in the kit).
Note: The nut welded to the base must be allowed to rest for 2 hours before passing the thread so that the residual deformations “settle down.”
Vise and joinery for mechanics
The vice on the bench is installed in the corner (see inset in the figure) so that as much as possible most of dynamic loads during metal processing fell vertically on the corner post. Location cross beams and intermediate vertical racks It is advisable to make a workbench with a stationary vice slightly asymmetrical, placing them at smaller intervals towards the corner with the vice. The vice is also installed starting from the corner:
- A collet anchor is driven into a wooden corner post under an installation bolt, and a tall nut or threaded bushing is welded into a metal one (attachment point 1 at the bottom left in the figure);
- If the fastening unit is welded, the threads are threaded with taps, as in a homemade nut in a carpentry vice, see above;
- Place the vice temporarily on 1 bolt and mark the holes for fastening points 2, 3 and 4;
- The vice is removed and through holes 2, 3 and 4 are drilled;
- Place a vice on bolts 1, 2 and 3;
- For fastening to bolt 4, place a jib U from wooden beam from 60x60 or professional pipes from 40x40. It is not necessary to secure the jib, but it must rest from the bottom against the upper frame (frame) of the bed, but not against the table top!
- Finally attach the vice to bolt 4.
Note: Stationary power tools are also secured in the same way, for example. emery.
Under the carpentry
A workbench can also be adapted for carpentry work if you drill 2-4 pairs of holes in the tabletop for fixing the carpentry stop (on the right and in the center in the figure). In this case, round bosses are screwed to the lower surface of the stop with self-tapping screws; plugs from plastic bottles, they endure a tight fit many times.
Workbench for garage
It is impossible to make a workbench in a garage with an optimal width for the ergonomics of the workspace - the dimensions of a standard box of 4x7 m with a car parked in it do not allow it. Long ago, through trial and error, the width of the garage workbench was determined to be 510 mm: it is quite convenient to turn between it and the hood, and it is more or less possible to work. A narrow workbench under a heavy load (for example, a motor removed for rebuilding) turns out to be unstable, so it is attached to the wall. Often - angular, this increases stability, but any wall workbench“rings back” stronger than a workbench-table of the same design
A diagram of the structure of one section of a garage workbench is shown in Fig. This design uses an ingenious method of additional vibration damping: cells of the lid frames and the bottom shelf of the edge farthest from the corner different sizes. The installation accuracy of the crossbars is +/– 1 cm. For the same purpose, the lid and bottom shelf are made of 32 mm thick laminated chipboard and covered with linoleum instead of steel. Its durability is sufficient for garage work; can be easily replaced.
Fastening to walls - self-tapping screws from 8 mm or bolts from M8 with a pitch of 250-350 mm. Recess into a stone wall is 70-80 mm; in wooden 120-130 mm. Propylene dowels are placed under the self-tapping screws in the stone wall; for bolts - collet anchors.
More for the garage
Another version of the garage workbench is already wall-mounted, and the wall-mounted one is on the left in Fig. It can only be mounted on stone walls. Bench board folding 2-layer; each layer of plywood is 10-12 mm. Opening for the machine with a stepped inner edge. In this case, a “milling machine” means a mini-drilling machine with a movable rotary table and a workpiece clamp. The design is convenient in that the shavings fall directly onto the floor.
If your car is something like a Daewoo or Chery with a 3-cylinder engine, and the garage is very small, then you can put a folding mini workbench cabinet with a lifting tabletop in it, on the right in the figure; it will fit in the house for fine workmanship(electronics, precision mechanics). The tabletop is suspended on a piano hinge, the legs are on cardboard. To fold, the legs are tucked under the tabletop (it would be useful to tie them with a leg), and the tabletop is lowered.
Note: for a cramped garage with an ordinary city car, perhaps a folding workbench box would be optimal, see the video below.
Video: folding workbench box
Home station wagon
At home they are engaged in smaller, but painstaking technical creativity: soldering, model making, watchmaking, artistic sawing from plywood, etc. For small, delicate work, a universal workbench is suitable, drawings of which and its accessories are given in Fig. The durability of the working surface and its vibration absorption in this case are not as important as evenness, smoothness and some adhesion (“stickiness” of parts), so the tabletop is covered with linoleum. The bench vise for this workbench needs to be small, with a screw clamp fastening.
More about plywood
In general, it is undesirable to work with metal “roughly” on plywood, because... she calls back well. If the pillow is board mechanic's workbench After all, it is made of plywood, then to its underside you need to glue a frame (frame) also made of plywood on PVA, see fig. Then it is advisable to first cover the upper (working side) with linoleum without a lining, and then lay the steel on it.
The younger shift
Another case when making a workbench board from plywood is justified is a student workbench for a child. Pedagogical considerations play a role here: let him learn to feel the material and not beat him too much in vain, but work carefully. For the same purpose, masters of the past deliberately gave their students bad instruments.
Workbenches for the dacha
When country house or other lung wooden structure It’s still just under construction, there’s no time for bench-widths, you need at least something on which you can carry out simple carpentry work. For such a case, you can whip up a carpentry workbench for a summer house from scrap materials, on the left in Fig. The design is remarkable in that it clearly and fully embodies the principle: we make good things with bad equipment.
For subsequent work on arranging the dacha, a mini-workbench will be useful, on the right in Fig. At minimum consumption material and extremely simple design, it is sufficient for ordinary carpentry work and is stable in all respects, because the middle of the bench board is supported by a pair of struts. If you put them on bolts, the workbench will be foldable and stand in the pantry from weekend to weekend. For disassembly, after releasing the struts, the spacer is removed along with them, and the legs are tucked under the board. Finally, for a dacha inhabited permanently or all summer, with a craftsman owner, by the way, you will need a more complex but fully functional folding workbench, see the video below.
A workbench is an indispensable attribute of any carpentry workshop. It is a work table used for tooling workpieces, storing tools, materials, drawings and accessories.
In this article we will look at the design and dimensions of workbenches, offer an overview of the most popular factory models and introduce step by step instructions, following which you can make a homemade carpentry workbench.
1 Construction and design of carpentry workbenches
Just as for a blacksmith the main working tool is a grinding anvil, so in a carpentry workshop the main working element is a workbench. Such a work table is universal; it simultaneously acts as a place for cutting, processing and assembling wooden parts, storing working tools and accessories.
The basic part of the design of any workbench, no matter how many operations will be performed on it, is a regular tabletop made of hard rocks wood (beech and oak are best). The thickness of the table top should be 60-70 mm, while a longitudinal groove for storage is cut in the back along its entire length small tools. Large fixtures are stored in the underbench - a shelf under the tabletop.
The carpentry workbench must have a vice, which is used to fix the workpieces being processed. The functionality of the table is significantly expanded by holes for installing clamps, which are drilled along the edge of the inner contour of the tabletop.
The overall height of the structure must be selected based on the height of the master; it usually varies between 70-80 cm. The width and length of the tabletop directly depend on the size of the workshop or garage; for a single-seat work table, the optimal length is 2 meters, the width is around 90 cm.
A stationary table can weigh up to 100 kilograms. If you plan to make a folding workbench, then you will need to take care of making it lighter by using less thick wood. The folding design implies the possibility of unscrewing the tabletop from the legs, while the legs themselves can be collapsible or telescopic.
In a workshop, it is best to place a workbench near a window, which will provide the workplace with natural light during the day. The presence of artificial lighting is mandatory, and several sockets for connecting power tools should be placed near the tabletop.
1.1 Material selection and assembly
For the manufacture of the frame and legs, planed timber measuring 100 * 70 mm is well suited; for the tabletop, it is best to take planed oak or beech boards 4-5 cm thick. A cheaper option is a tabletop made of chipboard sheet, however, it will last less. Remember that the thicker the boards used, the heavier and more stable the carpentry workbench will be, which will have a positive effect on the ease of work.
Fastening elements are selected based on whether the table will be stationary (nails and screws are used) or prefabricated (bolts and nuts). From power tools for installation work you will need a drill, a grinder and a screwdriver, they will also come in handy Sander, however, you can get by with a regular plane.
Carpentry workbench Do it yourself in two stages - assembling the frame and installing the countertop. When assembling the base, you need to try to get the frame as rigid as possible; this can be achieved by placing horizontal jumpers between the legs (at a height of 50-60 cm from the floor), which will later serve load-bearing element for installation of shelves.
The frame beams can be connected to each other by gluing them into a tongue-and-groove system, but it is most convenient to use metal corners and self-tapping screws. You can increase the reliability of the structure by rigidly screwing one of the horizontal jumpers to the wall, but this solution is applicable only when making a stationary workbench.
Having finished with the base, you can move on to assembling the second part - the tabletop. If the work surface consists of several boards, they need to be joined together as carefully as possible so that moisture and dust do not accumulate in the cracks. The boards are connected on 3 bars (side and central) located under the tabletop. The dimensions of the tabletop should be such that its contours extend beyond the base by 5-10 cm. Upon completion of assembly, the tabletop is sanded and covered with drying oil; the easiest way to secure it to the base is with steel corners.
You need to fasten the vice to the workbench using M12 bolts and nuts, and you must first cut holes in the tabletops for the bolt heads. You can place the vice in any place convenient for you, but not in a corner, since under heavy load it can break off.
The construction of a carpentry workbench also requires the presence of stops, which can be purchased ready-made and secured with bolts, or made by hand. For the stops, holes are cut in the front part of the tabletop, in which wooden blocks turned to size are placed. For more reliable fixation, they can be made in the form of pegs expanding towards the top.
1.2 Homemade workbench (video)
2 Selecting a factory-made workbench
If it is not possible to make a homemade desktop workbench, it makes sense to pay attention to factory-made products. In the budget price category best choice there will be a Unipro 16900u desktop, which can be bought for less than 3 thousand rubles.
The Unipro 16900u is an excellent metal workbench that is well suited for home hobbyist use. The work table has dimensions of 520*300 mm, which allows you to process workpieces up to 265 mm wide. On the surface of the tabletop there is a protractor, an inch and a metric scale, and there are also sliding holders for workpieces.
The Unipro 16900u model is designed for a total load of up to 100 kg, while the weight of the structure itself is 8 kg. Despite its compactness, the table is quite stable; its only drawback is the supplied bolts, which are made of soft metal. Reviews from owners indicate that it is very easy to tear off the bolt head with a bat, so immediately after purchase it makes sense to replace the bolts with better ones.
If you need a professional workbench, we recommend paying attention to the Master Cut series from Wolfcraft (Germany). The line includes metal tables, for which the manufacturer provides a 10-year guarantee, which indicates their highest quality.
Wolfcraft offers the following woodworking bench models:
- Wolfcraft Master Cut 1500 - working area 78*50 cm, height 86 cm, can withstand a load of 200 kg. Price 24 thousand rubles.
- Wolfcraft Master 700 - features an adjustable height between 78-95 cm and a smaller table (68*39 cm). Designed for a load of up to 150 kg, cost - 17 thousand.
- Wolfcraft Master Cut 200 - the most affordable model in the line professional equipment(price 7 thousand). The table top for the workbench has dimensions of 30*44 cm, height - 80 cm. This is an excellent student's table that can be considered as a universal workbench for domestic use.
The German company's assortment also includes carpentry workbenches with drawers for storing tools - Wolfcraft Workshop. Their working surface is made of solid beech 30 mm thick and covered with a sheet of galvanized steel. Characteristic feature The Workshop series is modular - the client gets the opportunity to independently choose the configuration of the storage compartment, combining the shelves and drawers of different sizes offered in the catalog at his discretion.
The total load that the Workshop system can withstand is 600 kg, while Weight Limit per box should not exceed 600 kg. The cost of such equipment directly depends on its configuration; prices start from 40 thousand rubles.
Any business man needs his own equipment workplace for storing tools and performing carpentry and plumbing work. In that case, just necessary element your workplace will become a workbench, and now we will tell you how to make a workbench on your own.
In contact with
Classmates
Indeed, to buy it, you will need to shell out a significant amount and, in addition, select right size specifically for your premises seems to be quite a difficult task. But if you do it yourself, you can choose the required size of the workbench to the nearest centimeter.
What kind of workbenches are there?
A workbench is a work table on which a craftsman performs manual work on processing wooden, metal and other parts. Self-made workbenches are installed in the garage, at the dacha and even in the apartment. The workbench is equipped with various additional devices that may be needed during work, such as stops and a vice. In addition, workbenches are equipped with containers for storing various tools and even documentation. Based on the type of work, there are carpentry, carpentry and metal workbenches.
DIY workbench video:
Carpentry workbench
A standard carpentry workbench has this design. The main parts are the bench plate and the bench. The underframe looks like a stand (usually two) that are connected to each other wooden blocks. The material of this table element is usually pine or other softwood.
The bench board or cover is made of hard wood, such as oak, and has a thickness of up to 8 cm. The surface of the board is covered with drying oil. If you are going to assemble a workbench with your own hands, then you should know what additional devices need to be installed on the tabletop.
Note!
First of all, it should be a vice located in the front part and used to fix parts.
It is necessary to make a recess in the back to store small tools. There are holes on the edge of the bench board into which wooden blocks and metal combs are inserted. A standard workbench is mainly suitable for self made, and if you also want to use power tools, then for this you need to choose a workbench board with a large number of holes for stops.
Mechanic's workbench
A mechanic's workbench is a more powerful structure. It has metal carcass, on which a wooden cover up to 6 cm thick and covered with an iron sheet is placed. The lid is edged with a three-sided edge and, in most cases, a bench vice is installed on it. The tabletop on such workbenches is made powerful so that it can withstand high impact loads, including sledgehammers.
The material is chosen at will, but the most popular is MDF with galvanization, which allows you to protect the countertop from the influence of aggressive environments such as gasoline, oils or solvents. In addition, such a tabletop is easy to clean from dirt. The bench is equipped with several pull-out drawers for storing tools.
Carpenter's workbench
Another type of such structure is the carpenter's workbench. This workplace is designed for processing boards and has dimensions significantly larger than the two previous options. Its dimensions are up to 6 m long and 1 m wide. A stop for processing the board must be installed on the carpentry workbench. It has a triangle-shaped cutout for securing the board with wedges, and is used when processing its edges.
Making a construction workbench
Let's figure out how to make a carpentry workbench with your own hands. First you need to make a frame from beams, and between the legs, for strength, install a jumper and drawer ( connecting element, holding the structure together). It is advisable that they be located at a distance of about 45 cm from the floor. Installation of the workbench frame occurs in this order. First you need to prepare the grooves, then we assemble the structure and coat the connection points with glue. The final fastening is carried out using clamps.
Workbench table top
It is worth recalling that the production of any design occurs more quickly and efficiently if you have at least the simplest drawing of a carpentry workbench or part of it at hand. Below we show a drawing of the tabletop, top view.
If the tabletop is made of several boards, then it is necessary to ensure that there are no gaps between them, in order to avoid dust getting in there during subsequent work. The dimensions of the tabletop should be 3-5 cm larger than the workbench itself, for greater ease of cleaning the tool. The tabletop must be sanded and varnished. This will serve as protection against getting splinters into your hands.
Installing a vice and creating stops
After we have installed the tabletop, we need to mount a vice on them. To do this, you need to cut a recess on the working surface so that you can put vertical plate in the same plane with the tabletop. We place the vice in the place where it will stand in the future, preferably not at a corner, and make a mark for drilling. Then fasten it with nuts.
Note!
Stops can be purchased at the store, or you can make them yourself.
Then we recommend making them rectangular in shape with the ability to adjust the height. It is advisable to make holes for the stops at a length of 50% of the vice stroke. In this situation, you will be able to fix various workpieces well. Video instructions for making a workbench can be viewed in our article.
Wooden workbench
Making a metal workbench
Let's look at how you can make a mechanic's workbench with your own hands.
- Let's determine the height of the future table. It can be different for each person, for example, if a man is 180 cm tall, then the height of the workbench is 90 cm. But still, for the final decision you need to focus only on yourself.
- Do not forget that the drawings of the metalwork bench drawn by you will be useful for faster and higher-quality assembly.
- For a metalworking workbench, the frame is best welded from profile pipe and corners, but in as a last resort it can be made in the same way as a carpentry structure, from beams.
- To make the structure as strong as possible, you need to place spacers between the legs. Sometimes, instead of spacers, a shelf is installed, into which you can later put tools, paint and varnish liquids, or other necessary items.
- For structural stability, you can attach the legs to the floor. This will prevent the workbench from wobbling while working.
- Build a countertop from MDF and galvanize it if possible. This will significantly increase its strength.
- If you want your workbench to be equipped drawers, then place runners under the upper beams, similar to those installed for drawers in. Then you will have storage space for small parts, screws and nails.
Folding workbench
There is another type of workbenches that are used for both carpentry and plumbing work. This is a folding workbench. It is very convenient when there is no extra space in the room. After working on it, you can always fold it and put it in a corner to wait next job. In addition, when folded, it can be transported to the country house. This workbench consists of two parts: a removable workbench board and a folding table. It is usually made in smaller sizes than a stationary table.
DIY workbench video:
In contact with
See inaccuracies, incomplete or incorrect information? Do you know how to make an article better?
Would you like to suggest photos on the topic for publication?
Please help us make the site better! Leave a message and your contacts in the comments - we will contact you and together we will make the publication better!
Surely, every man in his youth, during labor lessons, more than once had to make some object out of wood, standing for more than one hour at such a device.
And now, having become an adult, and creating beautiful and practical works from wood, you are thinking about purchasing your own carpentry workbench. My advice to you is that you shouldn’t spend money, it’s better to spend a little personal time and get a quality “workplace” in return.
So, what is a “carpentry workbench”? It is stable, solid (often made of wood), the purpose of which lies in the processing of all kinds of products using hand and mechanized tools.
If you are seriously thinking about making a workbench, you should note that there are several types:
Wood or metal?
First of all, before you start creating your own workbench, you should think about what material it will be made of. A wooden base will be appropriate if the intended working area does not take up much space.
The ideal option for a tabletop would be laminated chipboard or pressed plywood. For a stationary sample, a combination of planed wooden planks and metal.
Advice: an old unnecessary table will also work well as a base, or quality door made from solid fabric.
It is not advisable to make a workbench from metal, an acceptable compromise would be a wooden lid and frame with metal sheathing.
It is best to use not one or two vices, but as many as possible. Some help secure long boards without much effort, while others are suitable for fastening small parts.
Dimensions and drawing
Before we start manufacturing, we need to think about its design, dimensions, and purpose. To manufacture parts and assemble the table, you will need to make a drawing. We indicate all the data on it with millimeter accuracy. Next, you will often have to use the drawing during the manufacturing process individual elements and during product assembly.
Advice: when drawing up a drawing, focus on the tabletop size of 1600x800 and a height of 870 mm.
Tools
What set of tools will the master need:
Of course, the list may vary depending on what material you decide to choose for the base of the workbench, and what design it will be.
Reference: It is extremely important to decide on the height of the workbench at the very beginning. For an experienced master It will be possible to make a device with an adjustable height; others are advised to focus on the distance from the extreme point of the arm bent at the elbow to the floor.
How to do it?
Manufacturing
This process occurs in several stages, the first of which is the base assembly. This is followed by installation of the countertop and installation of all necessary equipment.
We prepare vertical supports and jumpers, drill a through hole in a horizontally located bar. Then screw the nut and washer onto the bolt from the groove side. We install jumpers in the middle of the tabletop (there will be drawers between them), and slats are attached to them. The workbench cover will be bolted in place.
Workbench base – wooden frame(it is recommended to use for their manufacture soft wood: linden or pine), the fastenings of which must meet all the requirements of rigidity and stability. That is why, between the legs of your desktop, a jumper should be placed horizontally, and a drawer should be installed along the entire length. They must be secured at a safe distance from the floor (50 cm). This extra space can be useful in the future, and you can easily place small shelves or drawers at the bottom of the workbench.
Then we move on to the stage tabletop constructions. This can be done using several boards, but in this case they must be carefully processed, cleared of debris and sawdust. Its dimensions must exceed the width and length of the base. This solution is necessary for your convenience. So work area can be easily cleaned. The tabletop is fixed to the boards located on the opposite side of the workbench being created. Installation of the bars is simply impossible without several grooves (slots, joints) located in the base.
Created by us work surface cover with a vice. To do this, we construct a plywood pad with wrong side, mark with a pencil or pen where the future holes will be. We drill them and attach the vice with nuts.
When creating the stops, adjust their height and place them at a sufficiently large distance from the vice. Such care will ensure guaranteed reliability, and you will be sure that the workpieces will remain on the surface without falling to the floor.
We also construct, they can be mounted on the support of the subsurface space.
Let's start creating drawer guides, which will subsequently serve as storage for all tools and large items. For them we take the back part of the workbench and make recesses.
We nail a couple of transverse bars to the base of the tabletop; grooves must be left for them prematurely. We attach slats horizontally to the jumpers; they will serve for the process of sliding the drawers.
We attach the tabletop to the base with bolts. Using a chisel, we make indentations, drill the indicated places, and then there will be bolts there. It is necessary that their heads do not cause injuries, so they are securely hidden in the countertop.
Assembly
A certain number of vices will need to be attached to the structure. Openings are prepared in advance for them, under which they are subsequently fixed. small size plywood gaskets.
Be careful, place the vice at the same level to prevent destruction of the workbench.
We place the attachment points, after which we can start attaching the tools. Hardware is perfect for this.
Important: It is under no circumstances recommended to place the vice close to the corners of your table, otherwise there is a risk of the tool falling off.
It is easy to make supporting elements with your own hands. To do this, simply fix ready-made stops, or drill small openings of a certain size.
Attention: It is not advisable to use bolts as stops; they can damage parts, and dowels are unreliable. Create rectangles, they will serve as ideal and reliable fasteners. Secure the block to the end of the workbench.
Take into account the fact that quite heavy and massive things will subsequently be placed on the countertop, such as:
- wooden clamps;
- turning equipment;
- milling element;
- drill (stationary).
Therefore, it is so important to make sure that the fastenings are reliable and to think through all the options for convenience, so that you do not have to regret the location of certain devices in the future.
Finishing
The finished product can be tidied up using a grinder. After that, cover the entire surface of the desktop with drying oil as a protective and primer layer for paint. This way you will protect yourself from getting splinters and reduce the risk of injury.
Finally, you screw the corners (with bolts) at the base.
It would be more correct to install such a structure in an area of natural light, that is, near a window. Take care of additional lighting of the workplace, also do not forget that there should be sockets next to the workbench; in such a situation, an extension cord can “save” you. The most comfortable time spent at a workbench will be if the table is not too high and the light falls from the left or from above.
Photo
Creating furniture is an individual process. You may well end up with something beautiful and convenient:
Useful video
The step-by-step manufacturing process is described in detail in the following video:
Conclusion
Having appeared on the farm, he will become an indispensable assistant and over time, you will see this for yourself. Firstly, a do-it-yourself workbench is a significant savings Money. Secondly, you, as a specialist, acquire practical skills. Thirdly, you will always have a convenient table “at hand” on which you can create interesting and useful household items.
In contact with
Reading time ≈ 3 minutes
In any private home, workshop or garage, a carpentry workbench is very the right item. With its help it is convenient to make or repair any things, and it also combines the functions of a table and a shelf for tools at the same time. It can be equipped with a bench vice, and a sharpening machine can be installed on it various instruments. If you buy a metal workbench in a store, it will cost a considerable amount of money, but it is quite possible to make a workbench from wood with your own hands.
Required tools and materials
So for self-made For a workbench in the garage you will need the following tools:
- Hacksaw or electric jigsaw;
- Roulette;
- Square;
- Building level;
- Spanners;
- Drill;
- Screwdriver.
Materials:
- bars for supports;
- 2 sheets of plywood or OSB (one of the sheets is cut to fit a shelf of the required size);
- boards for the frame;
- self-tapping screws;
- bolts;
- washers;
- nuts
Before work, you need to make a drawing of the workbench with dimensions for ease of assembly.
Step-by-step instructions for making a workbench
To make the upper frame, it is necessary to saw off the boards based on the required size of the workbench (see photo).
Using self-tapping screws, secure 2 long and 2 short boards to form a rectangular frame. Using a tape measure, mark the distance to the middle of the frame, and perpendicularly, between two long boards, secure the remaining short board, attaching it with self-tapping screws at both ends.
To make the legs of the workbench, you will need to saw off 6 equal bars. From the inside of the resulting base, secure one leg to each corner of the frame using bolts, washers and nuts (see diagram of the workbench).
To make the structure rigid, it is necessary to install additional boards, which will also serve as the basis for the lower shelf. To do this you need to saw off 4 boards.
Using a tape measure, you need to measure an equal distance from each leg of 30 cm, at the resulting level, fasten the board to the back of the structure to 3 legs, and from the front, fasten the board between the outer and middle legs, in the place where the future shelf is planned.
The remaining two boards must be secured to the legs, at the same level as the boards for the shelves.
From one or more sheets of plywood or OSB using a hacksaw or electric jigsaw cut out the required sections. We fix them flush to the top of the workbench using self-tapping screws. Additionally, you can fasten a sheet of hardboard on top, because it can be easily replaced with a new one if the old one is very worn out. The bottom shelf is made using the same scheme. Using a tape measure, measure the distance between the outer and middle legs of the workbench; a sheet of material is cut to this size and installed on the resulting base.
When attaching legs or crossbars, it is necessary to use a square to obtain an equal distance between parts of the structure. Using a level at the installation site, you need to check whether the workbench you made yourself is level. If there is a slope, it must be leveled by placing wooden chips under the legs of the workbench.
