Garage Workbench Ideas/Plans

theycallmeebryan
Edited Date/Time 4/13/2021 8:31am
Looking for some ideas for a workbench to build in my garage. The space i'm going to build the workbench in is 8' x 6'. I want it to be set up for suspension work in mind, so drain pans or trays built into the benchtop would be nice to have. Def will have a vice bolted to it. What other things should I consider for a workbench for suspension work in mind? I'm going to be doing a lot of revalving on my bikes and want to build the best setup to do it. TIA
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Zaugg
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Zaugg 1/23/2020 7:07pm
1/23/2020 7:07pm
Search Youtube. I'm sure you can find some videos of shop set-up of guys doing suspension work and general maintenance.

This set up looked pretty good:



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theycallmeebryan 1/23/2020 9:11pm
1/23/2020 9:11pm
I can definitely snag some ideas from that setup.

Should i be looking for a ceramic or stone countertop that's fluidproof? wood might saturate with oil over time. Anyone have recommendations for that?
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lostboy819
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lostboy819 1/23/2020 9:25pm
1/23/2020 9:25pm Edited Date/Time 1/23/2020 9:28pm
theycallmeebryan wrote:
I can definitely snag some ideas from that setup. Should i be looking for a ceramic or stone countertop that's fluidproof? wood might saturate with oil...
I can definitely snag some ideas from that setup.

Should i be looking for a ceramic or stone countertop that's fluidproof? wood might saturate with oil over time. Anyone have recommendations for that?
Stainless steel is the way to go. Stone or ceramic is great for a kitchen but will break and chip and scratch up your parts, smooth stainless steel is easy to clean and you wont damage it. also get a thick rubber pad to use on top of the bench top.
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smoothwakey
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smoothwakey 1/24/2020 2:37am
1/24/2020 2:37am
theycallmeebryan wrote:
Looking for some ideas for a workbench to build in my garage. The space i'm going to build the workbench in is 8' x 6'. I...
Looking for some ideas for a workbench to build in my garage. The space i'm going to build the workbench in is 8' x 6'. I want it to be set up for suspension work in mind, so drain pans or trays built into the benchtop would be nice to have. Def will have a vice bolted to it. What other things should I consider for a workbench for suspension work in mind? I'm going to be doing a lot of revalving on my bikes and want to build the best setup to do it. TIA
What are your fabrication and CAD skills like? If you have a welder or a mate with one you could build an awesome custom bench. The base can just be made from SHS or RHS and then you could have the top cut from some stainless (laser cutting is very cheap nowadays). Having the top laser cut would make it easy to have drop in oil drain trays or any other features. Here are some of my benches, obviously they are way different to what you are after but maybe it will give you some ideas. The modular holes would be handy on any bench, you could have a removable vice if space is an issue.
View this post on Instagram

Got the wings welded up and put them on, Link approves (probably because he knows most of the shit I build is for the cats lol @monkeyandlink). I keep the door shut when I'm welding if the cats are outside because I'm worried they might jump onto the hot bench and burn their paws 😿. #tabandslot design and laser cut parts are awesome. I reckon it took about 15mins total to put together the last wing and most of that time is filing and wire brushing the the edges. Then I lightly clamp it up so there aren't any gaps and weld it. First I do very small fusion tacks at each tab, then I come back and lay a small bead. They end up really nice and square (basically they are square to the tolerance of the CNC laser they were cut by). With the wings setup in this configuration the foot print of the table is 1500x1450mm (the wings are 350x250). If I put them length ways I would have a 2200x750mm work space. An unintended design feature is that it nests with my @paul.a.j.sellers workbench so it saves space in my workshop. It's also 6mm lower than my wood working bench so I could cover it with a sheet of 6mm ply for a massive assembly space. #fixturetable #tabandslot #weldingtable #welding #cnclaser #cnc #woodworkingbench #paulsellersworkbench #workshop #cats #catsofinstagram

A post shared by Ben Wake (@smoothwakey) on Jan 1, 2020 at 2:30am PST

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Zaugg
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Zaugg 1/24/2020 6:52am
1/24/2020 6:52am
Seriously...who down votes a workbench? haha

Nice set-up. You guys want to see some cool mobile tool storage stuff check out @toolboxwars on instagram.

Some cool ideas there as well.

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eric513anderson 1/24/2020 8:39am
1/24/2020 8:39am
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


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lumpy790
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lumpy790 1/24/2020 10:58am
1/24/2020 10:58am
I made a similar 3 foot by 5 foot frame with 2-2x4 boxes and 2x4 legs and a short 45 deg support to sturdy it at the back by the wall but made the top and a rear backsplash with 2x12 x 8ft that extended 18 inches past the end of the box and put the vise as far out as I could to the end so the fork tube and shock could drain down fluids down to a large square kitty litter bucket sitting on the floor.
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lumpy790
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lumpy790 1/24/2020 11:02am
1/24/2020 11:02am
I never worried about it but a large sheet metal cookie sheet under the vise might help catch any escaped fluids.

I have used this bench for 20 years
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Sheriff245 1/24/2020 11:40am
1/24/2020 11:40am
eric513anderson wrote:
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400123/s1200_22E854E9_9C04_4405_9A32_59597C55517D.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400122/s1200_076ADC52_0891_4A6E_BB4C_4A9FD806C451.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400124/s1200_BB04B247_CECC_4506_87DA_347E51603BA9.jpg[/img]
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


That looks great! Good job!

For a cheaper alternative to this beauty, the bottom frame could be mounted inside the legs, so a single sheet of 3/4 plywood can be used for both surfaces.
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Agent717
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Agent717 1/24/2020 3:08pm
1/24/2020 3:08pm
eric513anderson wrote:
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400123/s1200_22E854E9_9C04_4405_9A32_59597C55517D.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400122/s1200_076ADC52_0891_4A6E_BB4C_4A9FD806C451.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400124/s1200_BB04B247_CECC_4506_87DA_347E51603BA9.jpg[/img]
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


Is that a MKIV under the cover??
JeremyK
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JeremyK 1/24/2020 4:30pm
1/24/2020 4:30pm
A stainless steel sink that drains into a catch container underneath, build a cover for the sink when not in use.
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borg
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borg 1/24/2020 4:55pm
1/24/2020 4:55pm
eric513anderson wrote:
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400123/s1200_22E854E9_9C04_4405_9A32_59597C55517D.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400122/s1200_076ADC52_0891_4A6E_BB4C_4A9FD806C451.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400124/s1200_BB04B247_CECC_4506_87DA_347E51603BA9.jpg[/img]
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


My 2 cents is that it's going to rack in the long direction. If you are going up against a wall that you can screw to, it will solve that. Otherwise you will need some triangulation somewhere.
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borg
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borg 1/24/2020 4:58pm
1/24/2020 4:58pm
It will rack in the short direction too btw, but I am assuming it will go against a wall.
byke
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byke 1/24/2020 4:59pm
1/24/2020 4:59pm
It gets cold in the winter, so I converted my office into a light duty work area. I found some workbench instructions online, which I can't find now, but I highly recommend sacrificing a little bit of the lower support/storage area so you can roll a chair in there. I went with 3/4" plywood on top, but I'd probably go with 3/4" plywood and 1/2" HDPE sheet on top for suspension work. It's fairly inexpensive at ~$200 for a 4x8 sheet.

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eric513anderson 1/25/2020 5:37am
1/25/2020 5:37am
eric513anderson wrote:
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400123/s1200_22E854E9_9C04_4405_9A32_59597C55517D.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400122/s1200_076ADC52_0891_4A6E_BB4C_4A9FD806C451.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400124/s1200_BB04B247_CECC_4506_87DA_347E51603BA9.jpg[/img]
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


borg wrote:
My 2 cents is that it's going to rack in the long direction. If you are going up against a wall that you can screw to...
My 2 cents is that it's going to rack in the long direction. If you are going up against a wall that you can screw to, it will solve that. Otherwise you will need some triangulation somewhere.
Not sure what you mean but I do have it butted up against a wall. Just don’t have a updated picture at the moment
eric513anderson 1/25/2020 5:37am
1/25/2020 5:37am
eric513anderson wrote:
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400123/s1200_22E854E9_9C04_4405_9A32_59597C55517D.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400122/s1200_076ADC52_0891_4A6E_BB4C_4A9FD806C451.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/24/400124/s1200_BB04B247_CECC_4506_87DA_347E51603BA9.jpg[/img]
I built a nice work bench last spring. Might not be exactly what you’re looking for but it may help.


Agent717 wrote:
Is that a MKIV under the cover??
No it’s a ‘05 GTO

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borg
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borg 1/25/2020 7:10am
1/25/2020 7:10am
eric513anderson wrote:
Not sure what you mean but I do have it butted up against a wall. Just don’t have a updated picture at the moment
Cross bracing keeps the structure from racking back and forth which it will eventually do if force is applied. Picture yourself standing at the end and you have a piece of wood clamped to the surface in the long direction and you try to plane it. When the plane grabs, the table will try to rack or flex in that direction. Pretty soon as the nails or screw start to loosen, the bench will start to move back and forth rather easily. If you attach it to the wall it will keep that from happening. To keep it free standing, you would need to put some diagonal bracing across the legs on one side. A thin piece of plywood across the back of the legs would work too. It would also keep stuff from falling off the back behind the shelf. I hate that.
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theycallmeebryan 1/25/2020 9:09am
1/25/2020 9:09am
lostboy819 wrote:
Stainless steel is the way to go. Stone or ceramic is great for a kitchen but will break and chip and scratch up your parts, smooth...
Stainless steel is the way to go. Stone or ceramic is great for a kitchen but will break and chip and scratch up your parts, smooth stainless steel is easy to clean and you wont damage it. also get a thick rubber pad to use on top of the bench top.
Would love to have a metal top. Does anyone have a good source for precut S.S. benchtops?
Dimblewambie
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Dimblewambie 1/25/2020 9:35am
1/25/2020 9:35am
lostboy819 wrote:
Stainless steel is the way to go. Stone or ceramic is great for a kitchen but will break and chip and scratch up your parts, smooth...
Stainless steel is the way to go. Stone or ceramic is great for a kitchen but will break and chip and scratch up your parts, smooth stainless steel is easy to clean and you wont damage it. also get a thick rubber pad to use on top of the bench top.
theycallmeebryan wrote:
Would love to have a metal top. Does anyone have a good source for precut S.S. benchtops?
I get all my metal at Schorr in Anaheim off Kramer. I’m actually working on building several work benches/desks for the house. Metal legs and wood tops for most of mine, may skin a couple in some stainless like you’re talking as well. Attached a photo of my desk legs, for garage benches I’m doing regular 2.5in square tube H frame, adjustable feet on the bottom as well.
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heatedcheese
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heatedcheese 1/25/2020 10:02am
1/25/2020 10:02am
Shameless garage post. Here’s my setup with my homemade bench off to one side. I think if you built something about the same size as I’ve got but covered the top in stainless and mounted a vice it would be perfect for the limited amount of space you have to work with.

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theycallmeebryan 1/25/2020 11:24am
1/25/2020 11:24am Edited Date/Time 1/25/2020 11:49am
Just starting to mock up some plans in SketchUp.

Here's the layout of my garage. Its a "3 car" but i'm dedicating the right third to the workspace. Workbench in green.



Here's initially what i'm thinking for the layout of the bench. Let me know what you think. Vice would go on the front left corner of the bench. Left the middle underneath open so i can pull a chair up to it with my legs underneath the top.




Here's the dimensions right now. 7'11" wide X 30" deep X 40" tall (I'm 6'1")


Thinking i might want to lay the 2x4's flat underneath the 3/4" plywood benchtop, so that the front edge of the bench is only roughly 2" tall. I'd like to be able to clamp stuff to the bench and that would allow me to do that.
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theycallmeebryan 1/25/2020 2:37pm
1/25/2020 2:37pm
Thinking i want to mount a drain pain underneath the vice that i can remove, and also have a grated hole through the benchtop so that i can drain components clamped in the vice AND/OR from the grated benchtop area. Lean a fork tube up against a wall and stick the bottom end in this dowel. Just kinda brainstorming and planning. I like to work out things like this first before actually building it.


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coastlinecascot 1/25/2020 2:53pm
1/25/2020 2:53pm
Check out some second hand commercial kitchen supply shops and look out for a stainless steel countertop. Commercial kitchen stainless is really good stuff. I got this one for free. It fit right on top of my 1 1/2 butcher block top

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Herb Eaversmells 1/25/2020 3:26pm
1/25/2020 3:26pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2020 3:27pm
Hot water heater not installed correctly, per California laws. LOL.
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eric513anderson 1/25/2020 3:43pm
1/25/2020 3:43pm
eric513anderson wrote:
Not sure what you mean but I do have it butted up against a wall. Just don’t have a updated picture at the moment
borg wrote:
Cross bracing keeps the structure from racking back and forth which it will eventually do if force is applied. Picture yourself standing at the end and...
Cross bracing keeps the structure from racking back and forth which it will eventually do if force is applied. Picture yourself standing at the end and you have a piece of wood clamped to the surface in the long direction and you try to plane it. When the plane grabs, the table will try to rack or flex in that direction. Pretty soon as the nails or screw start to loosen, the bench will start to move back and forth rather easily. If you attach it to the wall it will keep that from happening. To keep it free standing, you would need to put some diagonal bracing across the legs on one side. A thin piece of plywood across the back of the legs would work too. It would also keep stuff from falling off the back behind the shelf. I hate that.
Gotcha never thought about it before. I don’t really plan to put anything heavier then a bike or quad engine on it but still. Good thinking

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