The Best Workbench for Me

Soon after I retired I started spending a lot of time in my garage and shop.  I quickly found I needed better workbenches.  As a temporary fix I mounted plywood on saw horses.  I spent the next several months experimenting with workbench ideas and evaluating my work habits to determine what was important in a workbench.  What I found was interesting.  I learned that a lot of bench top space was far better than a little.  With more bench top I could work on several projects without storing everything before a project was completed.  I found that rigidity was a high priority as well.   I wanted a work surface that was solid and sturdy.   I learned that the ability to move my workbench out in the middle of the room was important especially if I had a project that required access from more than one side.  That required keeping the bench light by avoiding under-bench drawers and shelves.   From the start I knew I wanted a solid oak or maple top because they absorb impact well and look great.  If you have ever had a steel top workbench, you know exactly what I mean.  The most surprising thing I learned is that having the right working height made working at my bench far more comfortable.  My son, an industrial engineer, explained why this is true.  There is an ergonomically correct standing height at a workbench for every person and that height is the distance from the floor to your elbow with your arm bent 90 degrees.  This dimension depends on more factors than your height.  It depends on the length of your arms, legs, and torso.  Two people of the same height can easily have different ergonomically correct working heights.

Based on these requirements I tried to buy a bench that was right for me.  What I found was that almost all commonly available benches came at one height, 36”.  That is 7” too low for me.  Most also had either a drawer or a shelf.  If they had adjustable legs they were expensive.  A solid oak or maple top was prohibitively expensive.  When I added freight cost the total cost of the bench I wanted was crazy.  I also wanted more than one so my total cost was enormous.  That awakening forced me to find a more cost effective solution. 

I got on the web and looked for some kind of modular solution but I found nothing.  I knew dry-van decking was a low cost alternative for an oak top and I knew 4 x 4’s would make good legs because they could easily be cut to the right length.
 I did not like wood framing.  I had experience with all-wood workbenches and I was not impressed with their rigidity.  I wanted steel for support and a bolted construction for rigidity.  That meant I needed to design my own steel brackets to hold these 4 x 4’s together solidly.  After sketching several ideas I came up with one that looked good.  I had a metalworking shop make a prototype set of brackets and built a bench.  It worked well but I made improvements.   The next set worked very well indeed.  See photos below.

I am now offering these brackets as well as the details on my overall solution to anyone interested.  For a full description including video, photos, and assembly instructions go to diybench.com.  I realize this bench is not for everyone but it is perfect for the person who wants a cost effective, premium quality, work bench that is rigid and mobile and above all made to the right working height.
For more go to diybench.com

                                                                 36" x 70" bench

                                                         Three benches with painted legs.

diybench, Built-in vs Self-standing

When I embarked on the mission of developing my optimum workbench one of the early questions was whether to make my workbench built-in or self-standing.  I wanted benches in both my garage and shop each of which presented a different set of circumstances.  In the process of answering this question I found several considerations.  Here are those considerations presented in a pros & cons format followed by a comparison of tradeoffs and a conclusion.

                                                          Garage Bench 3' x 20', built-in.

Built-in

Pros

Usually cheaper.  Wall brackets are cheaper than spanning brackets.  In addition at each point you support with a wall bracket you save the cost of a leg.

The bigger the bench the bigger this cost advantage.

Cons

Built in means you can’t move it. 

Built in benches usually go with the house when you sell.  An exception can be made in the contract allowing you to keep the bench but the reality of house deals is that if the buyer takes a fancy to your bench his offer will include it going with the house.  You can avoid this also by removing the bench before showing the house, but then where do you store the bench?

A built in bench is usually made to a specific length to fit the space available.  It is therefore unique and not readily adaptable to a new location without alterations.

                                                       Three shop benches, self-standing.

Self-standing

Pros

Moves easily to a new location that suits the project at hand.

Allows flexibility of work shop layout to suit changing projects.

It is furniture.  When you move it goes with you.

Cons

Costs more.

Comparison of Tradeoffs

If you don’t intend to ever move the bench build-in and save on cost.

The bigger the bench the better the bargain for built-in.

If flexibility of your shop layout is important make your benches self-standing.

In my work shop flexibility is important so I can change my layout to suit my current project.   In my garage my work space is defined by the location of my cars.  There is clearly only one place that a work bench will fit so a built-in bench made sense.  Of course I could move the cars out in the driveway to make room for benches but that raises the question, for how long?  If the answer is a short time I find I am better off using saw horses and a piece of plywood for a temporary bench.

Conclusion

If the location of your bench is not optional a built-in bench is cheaper.

If flexibility of layout is important, make your benches self-standing.
For more go to diybench.com