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Workbench?

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 1:53 pm
by Shirley Bishop
My husband wants to build me a workbench. He would like some suggestions or better yet pictures of what works for you. I used a great one in a class that was about 34" deep (work surface) and about 6 foot long. But we don't know how high it was. It was also on wheels. It had metal legs and wood top with coating of some sort. And it had a couple open shelves below. Any ideas? Pictures would be great.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 5:01 pm
by Laurie Spray
I would use a whole sheet of wood for the top which would be 4 ' by 8' if you have the room. (don't they always say bigger is better :lol: ) The height would depend somewhat on how tall you are......

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 5:21 pm
by Jeanne
Counter height is good. You would just need a higher stool for projects that require sitting. It also provides enough room to have shelving underneath for storage.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 7:19 pm
by desjo
I have made 3 workbenches of various size out of this kit. It is very easy to construct if you're not a carpenter and very sturdy. When buying the wood I had the lumber yard rip the needed plywood to size. The 2x4's only require a crosscut to cut to lenght. Kit includes hardware for assembly. You can vary the size up to 48" x 96". I made one at 42" x 96" and glued tempered hardboad to the top plywood as the working surface. On the other 2 I made them smaller and bought remainder (returns) countertop at the local countertop shop for a few bucks.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200466790

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200466790

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:33 am
by David Jenkins
I made a work table that's working well for me. Dimensions of the top are 38' x 86'. The work surface is 38" off the floor, which is about 6" below my elbow height. I had previously been told that the optimum height would be 3" below elbow height, but that didn't let me lean over the work surface as easily as the 6" did. YMMV.

The top is made from a sheet of melamine board that was left over from previous previous work in the house. I put the whole thing on locking casters, but in retrospect that was probably unnecessary - so far, I've never had to move it. (Weighs a ton, though, so the casters may yet come in handy.)

Underneath Support
Underneath Support
Leg Attachment Detail
Leg Attachment Detail
Leg Detail
Leg Detail

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:36 am
by David Jenkins
Couple of more pictures:
Work surface corner detail
Work surface corner detail
[Messy] Work Table
[Messy] Work Table
HTH

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:42 am
by Susanbuckler
David
Great looking table...and your studio looks like a bright and pleasant place to work.
I see you have a wood floor. How do you protect it? My studio is a small room in my house with a wood floor. No water. Kiln is in the garage. I am concerned I will eventually damage the floor due to glass chards.
Susan

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 9:24 am
by Judd
One of the first workbenches I got was an antique maple desk I got at an estate sale. My current one is two drawer components and a hollow-core metal door I've placed on top. It works.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 10:45 am
by Jeanne
@David Jenkins. I can top that "messy" work table.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 10:50 am
by David Jenkins
@Susan: Floor is Armstrong vinvl. I didn't want something with seams in it that would catch glass shards.
@Jeanne: Pics?

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:08 pm
by Susanbuckler
Does anyone have a suggestion how to protect the wood floor in my small glass studio?

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:24 pm
by Marty
Don't drop anything?

Get a rug remnant.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:32 pm
by Jeanne
You could always try the floor mats for wood floors that go under desk chairs.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 9:46 pm
by Marty
There have been a rash of posts recently on setting up one's studio. It's possible to get too hung up on the perfect workspace and to forget why we wanted that space in the first place.
My advice is to get to work on the cheap- on a piece of scrap plywood or an old door on milk crates. Lean your glass against the wall. Throw a painter's dropcloth on the floor. When something starts to bug you, you'll find or build a better bench or glass rack or whatever. Let the shop evolve with your needs- if you invest heavily in the ONE and ONLY perfect glass rack/ saw stand combo, I guarantee that you'll need to change it if you keep working. Your work will change, your environment will too.
Lighten up.

(end of rant)


[for now]

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 10:56 pm
by JestersBaubles
Marty wrote:There have been a rash of posts recently on setting up one's studio. It's possible to get too hung up on the perfect workspace and to forget why we wanted that space in the first place.
My advice is to get to work on the cheap- on a piece of scrap plywood or an old door on milk crates. Lean your glass against the wall. Throw a painter's dropcloth on the floor. When something starts to bug you, you'll find or build a better bench or glass rack or whatever. Let the shop evolve with your needs- if you invest heavily in the ONE and ONLY perfect glass rack/ saw stand combo, I guarantee that you'll need to change it if you keep working. Your work will change, your environment will too.
Lighten up.

(end of rant)


[for now]
Marty -- You would approve of my "studio". It's a mess with no decent storage for anything :mrgreen: . I may invest in some cabinets soon... maybe. But I really do need a better setup for storing molds, glass, and equipment when it's not in use.

Dana

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 2:43 pm
by The Hobbyist
Whenever possible put casters on the legs of your bench, stands, tables, etc. Also make shelves and even drawers adjustable. This makes it much easier to "tweak" your studio arrangement.

Over the last ten years I must have spent an average of a couple days per month "adjusting" my studio. That is in addition to the weeks I've spent making tools, stands, benches, etc.

Jim

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 11:27 pm
by Buttercup
Depending on what you mainly do you may find it better to have two narrow tables that clamp together to form one large surface. I like the narrow (30"x 72") tables that allow easy access from both sides but appreciate being able to clamp two together for a 60" wide layout space. Both are on castors for easy repositioning. Jen

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 11:26 am
by Bert Weiss
The #1 rule for a surface on which you cut glass is that it must not be concave. This will cause the glass to break wrong every time. Convex is not a problem. Of course I learned this the "hard way"...

My take on bench construction has always been to use framing standards. Dave's is a beauty.

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 9:26 am
by tgotch
Here is a plan I used to build a couple "cheap" (~$30 I believe) workbenches.

You can go to the big box home improvement stores, and have them do all the cuts for you.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/work ... w20xl.html

Re: Workbench?

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 10:04 am
by Mark Hall
Assuming you have a main bench, here's a tip used in studio's in Germany (and mine). For lay-outs of patterns cutting glass - use wood trays set on saw horses instead of dedicated tables. We use 4' x 8' sheets of 1/4" plywood beefed up with raised edges (1" x 2" strips top and bottom) along with center supports (backside) for larger jobs. These can be stacked against the wall when not in use, laid out to incompass the entire job (when cutting the glass) then stacked on top of each other (right behind you at the leading bench). Large jobs can be done with one bench, for leading and glass cutting.