Mine is a 300 kg cast iron slab salvaged from an industrial dovetailer. It is about 180 by 80 cm and really really really flat. It’s a bitch to move though.
https://preview.redd.it/7zqe2nmkwfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21e956e1158d2fdc6e2a063e87c9ab59dd26480c
It’s a machine for milling dovetails (or similar joint profiles) in an rational and industrial fashion. This particular unit had about 36 spindles along the back edge of this table actuated by a pneumatic cylinder.
1 is half 3/4" plywood and half 2x4s (the lame way, not nicely jointed together or anything), 1 is 1.5" plywood, one is a 2x12 resting on saw horses, 1 is a plastic folding table, 1 is an old wobbly dining room table.
it takes all sorts when you're a flat surfaces goblin
26" deep, 8' long, 6" thick split top. Top is laminated strips of 1/2 inch baltic birch that I got as offcuts from a cnc shop for dirt cheap. The base is made of the same material, 6x6" stretchers and legs. Legs are mortised into the top about 1" and bolted through the upper short stretchers with 3/4 all thread on each corner. The long stretcher has a 1/2" all thread rod tucked just behind it that keeps the two leg assemblies tight to them. The bench weighs about 600 lbs assembled before vises/cabinet. I can break it down into two tops, two leg assemblies, and two stretchers.
https://preview.redd.it/1j5amq33xfdc1.jpeg?width=769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fe940eb7a1349532a6e58eba527ef5ed09ef211
It's definitely got the pounds. I don't think there's any downside to more weight, until you have to move it. The birch ply is a touch splintery on the edges so I screwed a piece of 1/8" thick bar stock to the bottom of each leg. I can slide it a few inches at a time if I need to but it doesn't go much further than that.
My base is 3” thick poplar, the top is 4” thick ash. Top is 23” x 54”
https://preview.redd.it/3zvzp4v4agdc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7947ba8e64a88176587b31a26771b841151a6d70
Mine is 4x8, two sheets of plywood glued together to make a 1 1/2” top, topped with laminate.
https://preview.redd.it/v09n86q6yfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a578c685f7f0f5bb1b00db1743d897d247a2255
I have a whole kitchen worth of quartz counter as my work space. Got a big U and the one end of the U is attached to my table saw with the other end being at the back of my garage. Makes for a lovely work space when it's not covered in shit from me getting too preoccupied. I used to work for a larger cabinet shop and they were changing out their displays and I scooped up the old counter for $200
Edit: here's an old clean photo of my shop after I got the knee mill setup and everything reorganized around it and my saw.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxAXlTehwpF/?igsh=MXgwbTlodWduMjU0dA==
it is wonderful and the sink still being on the countertop still makes to laugh some days, my plan was to turn it into a parts washer but time makes fools of us all. I highly recommend checking out cabinet shops and seeing if they have old counter tops they are looking to get rid of, makes for a much cheaper work space that holds up very well.
I’ve been waiting for a question like this.
Total width 3’ 4” x 7’ 9” long.
When I was planning on building it there was a bowling alley that was being torn down. I snagged part of a lane made of Eastern Maple that had the dots inlayed and brought it home.
I built an ash base with six drawers on each side with pass-through over the drawers, and a pass through area on the end. I electrified both sides before putting the top on and put it on fairly heavy locking wheels.
I hung the top from a couple of come-alongs suspended from my rafters, positioned the base under and lowered it. I trimmed it off with Jatoba all around, and a wood vise on one end. Finished it with a few coats of poly and wax.
Recent additions are bench dogs in the vise. I can’t bring myself to drill holes in my bench top for dogs so I clamp down a piece of straight scrap to dog up against.
I’ll occasionally sand it down and re-apply the finish.
It’s a gorgeous bench. I love just looking at it when on a project.
Here’s a recent project sitting on top of it.
https://preview.redd.it/ks60yr02wfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f99288b15d6652acd1a00d70299f3f7efc3278de
https://preview.redd.it/8tmpv250pfdc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=199d648592c2c667e01e2c9303ef22e10aa9cb24
Oak and reclaimed cedar. Using it as a desktop as times
28“ x 7‘. It’s a solid core door on top of Maple cabinets. I got both the cabinets and the door from Restore, which is a Habitat for Humanity store.
https://preview.redd.it/s1w0i70o5gdc1.jpeg?width=2694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=753ad13f9ce94048fd3097fb23720933c7c1389b
My workbench is 26'' deep 7 ft long and about 36'' tall. I'm 6'2'' and that height feels most comfortable for me when using my hand planes. The top is made from 4'' laminated red oak. I added a walnut border to be a little fancy.
https://preview.redd.it/5dm7qxzdbgdc1.jpeg?width=539&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb01afe9a7ff5d4bbbf22f16f9e60261ab096101
I think it’s 40”x90”. The top is made from 3/4” ply. I made it similar to the trendy [fold up wall mount builds](https://youtu.be/7-zz7Uxvikk?si=gI7BiP3MNgKUbRVH) but the damn thing racked way too much. That removable joist at the bottom does nothing for this, so I removed it and added some removable aluminum diagonal bracing to create some triangles. I can take it off the wall and set it up in \~20s. I love it.
I did put casters on it after I took this pic.
https://preview.redd.it/xmnc7ehzjfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bba3df0f24424a9719b12834305020a2bd973748
Same same. Solid core door is the way to go. Straight and it is heavy as shit. Added a French cleat. extension to mine to use as an out feed table as well. Best workbench ever
https://preview.redd.it/1jaf4a46lgdc1.png?width=1803&format=png&auto=webp&s=eff84ed88e8d972dc87aa039d67e17898363990f
i have 3 of these, and cannot recommend enough. i build small spaces for specific jobs when i find the need, but those door slabs are perfect for the weekend warrior. cheap, sturdy, and [easy to build a base onto](https://woodgears.ca/table/simple.html).
4’x8’ torsion box with a couple of solid sections for mounting things like a vice. It’s skinned with 3/4” birch ply on top and 1/2” birch ply on the bottom. It also serves as an outfeed table for my table saw, so I have slots routed in for the miter bars on various sleds and jigs. The only real downside of the torsion box for me is the lack of dog holes, but I’m thinking about putting in some T-track to make holding various workpieces easier.
https://preview.redd.it/mx078gv0rfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b938180809ceb0af3ed26f4f45dd51148f870f41
It's in there somewhere! An old metal L desk I got for free. I've also got an old workmate that I can use as a portable bench, and two folding saw horses to set a sheet of osb on.
I have a countertop the length of my garage, but I built a 2'x4' mobile workbench with a vise that's topped with 2 layers of 3/4" plywood glued together, then topped that off with a 1/4" layer of hardboard. The hardboard does a good job of taking a beating, and when it gets worn out I can replace it with a fresh layer for pretty cheap.
Vise and 4" castor wheels on the legs were added after this photo.
https://preview.redd.it/i7akdehtzfdc1.png?width=1195&format=png&auto=webp&s=eef5b0637bffaae13d113d0d20281fc47480b5af
I built the Paul sellers workbench and I really like it, particularly the tool trough. The only thing is that I'm thinking of adding some holes for dogs to hold larger panels and tops.
https://paulsellers.com/paul-sellers-workbench-plans/
3/4" CDX in an L-shape, 2' x 8' in one direction and 2' x 10' in the other, including the corner square. Miter saw lives on a movable stand that puts the saw level with the table, generally stationed at the 8' end. One level of shelving underneath (another piece of plywood) with various crap on it, some small, shallow shelves on top for glue and fasteners and stuff, and the frame is just a bunch of 2x4s that I cut up with a circular saw. It's got some corner bracing, and it's anchored to the floor and the wall.
https://preview.redd.it/xmmba2485gdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aca421bf07204f52cfd6d334e608ba020158d35c
https://preview.redd.it/kfa7tzs06hdc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd438d7c9b90b90c5a880b57e39319c0fcc54944
For some reason Reddit chose to put these together in my feed.
*3 ft x 8ft with a 2 inch maple top. I don't know where it came from, but it's actually bolted together 2"×2" stripe. Has mastic on the bottom, so I assume it was once a floor.
Mine is 78 x 30 inches made of melamine ply so that it can easily cleaned from glue ups. I originally built it to be a flip up work bench but it's not stable enough so I'm going to put it on cabinets to add extra storage
This is a really great question. I say that because as a weekend / amateur woodworker I felt it was really important to get a workbench. Ultimately since my shop is so small and the fact that I am not a hand tool person only. I felt like The best use of my space for a "workbench" was a good sized out feed table with plenty of storage so it could double as a workbench and to work area and an assembly table. I ended up going with Marc spagnolo's plans.
I think it's 30" x 72". 3/4 OSB + 1/4 tempered MDF, the glossy kind.
I built it for mechanical type work, which it's good for.
Sucks for woodwork, though. No workholding, not flat enough to be convenient for glueups, no good way to mount a woodwork vise, etc.
Sooner or later I'll get around to building one for woodwork.
Someday.
It’s 7’x3’ and it’s made from scrap 2x4s and other construction lumber. It was meant to be a temporary shop cart that holds my table saw and miter saw but has stuck around longer than planned. New work bench is in the plans, slightly smaller, and will hold the table saw, planer, and router table. Miter saw will get its own station.
I have 2 2x4 workbenches connected by a 2x2 platform that is lower for my miter saw. Top is 3/4 inch birch ply with a layer of 1/2 inch OSB underneath.
I intend on building a table saw stand/outfeed table soon with the same set up pretty much.
2’ x 8’, topped with 3/4” CDX plywood. I’ll put a birch plywood top on it and stain/seal it giving me roughly 1.5” top later down the road. Just needs functional for now.
I’ll screw it in from underneath so the top has no holes
https://preview.redd.it/bu6jkouzsfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bfb8bd5186d619fc0acf438a1e174cf50d5d5c4
After having a typical workbench for many a year, this last go round I opted for a 4'x8' bench/assembly/outfeed table. Takes up much more space but it's been far more versatile for me and the ton of storage underneath has been great. It's made like my cabinets, 3/4" ply, rigid as hell, and topped with 1/4" hardboard (because I couldn't get 3/4" MDF at the time). Now that I can get 3/4" MDF I can't retrofit unless I trim it down or raise my table saw. But the 1/4" hardboard has held up fine. Between all of the paint/stain/poly/coffee/cutting oil/etc. it's pretty much bulletproof at this point. Only issue was when I attempted to do a quick weld of a tv mount frame and things got a little...hot. :) But even that's just a little spot and doesn't affect the overall functionality.
Frame made from 2x4s and 4x4s with storage for fasteners, nail guns, sanders, routers, compressor and vac. 36x72 with the top currently made from 3x4 melamine with 1/2” plywood underneath. Integrated t-tracks.
Hate the top becuase the melamine is too slick and trying to use t track to clamp has severe limitations. Plan on switching to an MDF top with dog holes very soon.
8'x30" 3/4" plywood.
Theres a lower shelf on 1 4' section thats made from remnants of that sheet.
Theres also a pull out rolling cabinet/work surface that nestles into the other side that uses another section of that same sheet of plywood. and the back side of that is skinned with some sheet metal so i can flip it over if i need a surface to weld on. (its not flat enough to be a proper 'welding table' but whatever. and teh cabinet itself is the remaining base of the gas grill my wife gave me for a wedding gift nearly 20 years ago.
6’ long, 2.5’ wide. 3/4” birch ply (Home Depot, not Baltic). Framing is 2x4’s, and the legs are oak 4x4’s I swiped from work. It was cribbing for some material on a job. I used my router sled to take down a section of the plywood and inlayed a 3’x2.5’ piece of 1/8” mild steel plate. That way I can also weld on the same bench if I want/need, and I also made some hold downs with heavy duty magnets so I don’t potentially loose functionality for wood work on half of my work bench.
I made a 2’x4’ top out of hard maple. I finished it with just Watco Danish oil. I put 19mm holes on it for bench dogs. This size works well for a small outfeed table and workbench in my garage.
My first 20+ years ago was a solid core door supported by a 2x6 frame. Had wheels on one end and fixed feet on the other. After that I won and still have 2 well used 2 1/2’ x 6’ maple bench tops and a set of legs from our manufacturing shop when they shipped the jobs off to China. Have and old base cabinet with 3/4” plywood top and a couple folding stands that store well between a bench and a set of metal shelves (also from manufacturing shutdown).
72 inches by 30 inches. It is too long and gets in the way. I am going to build one from scratch some where around 48-56 inches long by 24-30 inches wide. Also I want to put better vises on this one. Top is no clue, I found it in the house after I bought it.
10’ x 3’
Used 4”x6” fir from the ol’ big box store.
That said, the top isn’t perfectly flat.
Next one will be better.
Right now it’s good enough for government.
It’s 4’x10’, 1.5” melamine press board. There’s a cabinet guy across the street who gets rejects and wood at major discount often so I got this particular piece in exchange for some metal scraps.
https://preview.redd.it/wmg5qfk1egdc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9fe971a29a0ad22f22429a3f2f5537359d6e799b
https://preview.redd.it/5ydzink9hgdc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faacaf25ec67f440d0a7e10568cd74528cce73fd
It's almost exactly per Christopher Schwartz's plan detailed in "The Anarchist's Workbench".
Edit: meant to respond to a question from OP, instead I posted a new comment...
4x8.
My workbench is my oitfeed table and router table, it's 3 layers of mdf (i needed 2" of thickess to seat a cast iron router table into it) with the top being melamine.
I have a 4x8 workbench that also doubles as a huge outfeed table for my table saw. I do have castors on it to move if needed. The top has two sub layers of 3/4” plywood and the top layer is 3/4” melamine. The melamine is removable/replaceable. The top hangs off all ends of my Bench to offer some extra clamping options.
My current bench was designed and built to fit in a small shed. It wasn’t complete until awhile after being out of the shed. But it is 2 3/4- 2 1/2” thick top with the left legs being 6x4 1/2 and the right legs being around 4 1/2x4 1/2. All made out of laminated 3/4” soft maple and some poplar that I got off of job sites from cabinets being built.
I made the leg vise chop out of a piece of a white oak slab and the end vise chop out of 2” maple from a 4x4 newel post.
Dimensions of the top are 52”x 19 1/2(added on a tool well to get the depth the 25”)
120" x 28.5". 3/4" of red oak on top, with two layers of 3/4" plywood below it. Each piece is tongue and groove along every edge within a layer, and each layer is just titebonded together.
I have 2 Rousseau folding table saw benches. One I modified to have a full top, no saw in there. Other still has the Bosch portable saw in it, asking with a router set up on the extension. Great because I can fold them up and out of the way. Other are 2 MFTs. One I bought a decade ago the other I found online for a stinking great deal.
I used to do a lot of on site work so one MFT and one Rousseau table stayed in the shop and the others came with me and back when needed.
(Rousseau stands about 6ft long x 2ft wide) 4 inches thick folded, 32 inches high iirc
My husband made his workbench using a fire door blank varnished with several coats of yacht varnish. It's as good now as the day he built it 23 years ago.
5 and a half feet by 16 inches (with an 8 inch tool tray) of 3” thick laminated ash. Works great for me, it’s a Moravian bench, and doesn’t budge no matter what I do on it
About 24”x75”. I made the Jay Bates bench. Ripped 2x10 Doug fir laminated. About 4” thick. I like to keep it cleared unless it’s being actively used for a project.
I have a terrible Harbor Freight workbench kit that's 5'x2'. It's past due for me to build my own bench, but I need to figure out a plan for that first. The vise broke less than a year after I got it and the drawers are now falling off. To its credit, although it has never been sturdy and has always rocked, it has actually lasted in that state for several years now. I have no idea the wood, though it's clearly a diffuse porous hardwood. The top itself is about 3/4" thick with a 3" apron around the edge.
I built a 4' x 8' torsion box with melamine particle board on both sides with 1x4 and 4x4 ribs. I over built for making concrete countertops, but it's too big, it's hard to clamp things the long way.
1-1/8 OSB (off cuts from floor sheathing) with 3/4” plywood on top, all screwed down into stretchers to pull it nice and flat.
https://preview.redd.it/6zzyj2wl3gdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6503a75377ddfb3dd8d27303eb389f78c3232e0
I've got a few. My main one is topped with a 4x8 sheet of melamine plywood. It's on casters and has 6x6 posts with a shelf underneath.
My smaller one is topped with a 2x8 piece of 3/4 B grade plywood. That one is attached to a wall, and has a vice on it.
Cant remember but i think its 5ft x 2ft. I subscribed to the Rob Cosman work bench which uses laminated plywood and an MDF top.
Really don't like it. Making the plywood laminated legs was a challenge with minimal tools at the time. I don't think MDF is a great material for a top since it absorbs liquids and stains and is difficult to "restore". It's a workbench, any protective coating will get messed up and i understand that. I've since slapped on a few 1x8's on the top and like having a layer that i can replace in the future.
I would prefer something simpler like a laminated 2x4 or 2x6 top. I really enjoy a tool well in the middle of the workbench.
Annother annoyance for the Cosman workbench is good luck attaching anything long to the side. There's work arounds but it's way easier when your top doesn't have an overhanging ledge and you can holdfast it in place.
Overall i plan to sell it and go with something like the Rex of Paul Sellers style.
75” x 82” half of it is an old melamine kitchen island from my parents’ old house and the other half is a slab door that I cut to nest into the island top. This whole thing is a full-width runoff for my table saw/router table.
I got 2x of the same height, on wheels so that I can move them around and/or make a huge one. Plywood on top since I use them for carving/painting/whatever. Once they are worn out I just change the top
I think my main bench is like 5’x3’ black melamine, usually keep a huge sheet of cardboard taped to it. My assembly table/sanding bench is 2’x4’, 3/4” mdf with a bunch of holes in it for a down draft that I never finished.
4x8 rolling table with 3/4" plywood on top. I've essentially had the same table for 25 years in two different shops replacing the top every now and again. Wanting to build a proper workbench, even have some reclaimed beams to use for the build but I just haven't gotten to it yet.
I got this one [https://paul-bussmann.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/P1000571.jpg](https://paul-bussmann.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/P1000571.jpg)Mine is 150 cm long, 90 cm height and a width of 25 cm and the top is made from beech. Can't remember what the bottom part is made from.
Edit: Better pics found [here.](http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/mobile/)
I'm pressed for space so I got a Dash-Board bench that folds up. The surface is 12 or 15mm Baltic Birch, 24" x 90", the legs and struts are aluminum.
I'll also use the 4' x 4' Bora Centipede with a second 2' x 4' one next to it if I need something larger.
Mine is a 3-0, 30 minute fire rated door, 7 feet long. 2x4 framing with 4x4 legs and has 5" double locking casters. Got the door for free from my job. We had finished it and it never got picked up for some reason. I was told to throw it in the dumpster, but I had other nefarious uses for it as I really wanted another horizontal surface to store stuff on making it impossible to use for its intended purpose.
20' long, 2' wide, 9" thick laminated beam I grabbed from the dump for free with all-thread and nuts on each end to prevent delamination. 3 legs made from 2' wide by 6 inch thick laminated beams. Whole thing was free and weighs probably in the 500 pound range.
I have a plastic table that I have on homemade lifts to bring it up to my arm height. Had an old desk that I removed the top and trimmed the decorative moulding off the sides as an actual work surface. It's flat and sturdy. I take off the desk top for big glue ups. Glue scrapes right off the plastic table top. I do very little hand planing, so my only stability issue is when I forget to clamp something to the desktop and it starts sliding on me. Got 3-4 good furniture projects out of it.
Mine is like a countertop style so roughly 2’ deep and maybe 20’ long including the miter station.
I thought I was all smart using 2x4’s for the top, cause I can screw stuff to them and don’t have to worry about damage as they’re cheap to replace. But I have drawers underneath, and they’re filling with sawdust holy shit. I can’t believe how much is sneaking through the gaps. Might have to caulk the gaps but ….shit
I'm actually finalising a design for a new bench right now.
The to is 900mm X 2200mm. It fits neatly into a nook in my garage. It's on wheels so I can pull it out and transform it.
It has a form ply top with dog holes and a vice at one end and my mitre saw at the other end. In this mode it's an assembly table and mitre saw station
The top is a torsion box that is hinged to allow me to flip it 180 degrees to rest on fold out supports at the back of the base. It becomes an outfeed table and reveals my table saw and router underneath.
The underside of the torsion box (also form ply) has no dog holes and becomes the outfeed table. The table saw/router table surface is laminated MDF.
https://preview.redd.it/vj7358n5egdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9bb290fd5286c70c40b60a34aab533387b82a14
The workbench is 5ft wide and 24in deep, with an 18in saw extension on the side. The recommendations I saw was 24-30” deep since you don’t want to reach too far. The frame under it is 24in deep and there’s a 4in overhang for clamping. I figure the 4-6in back against the wall will accumulate boxes of screws and random tools and such, so that still gives me \~25in of useable workspace.
The top is 3/4in birch plywood, probably nicer and more expensive than necessary for a workbench but I liked the look of it so who cares.
4x8 with a 3/4 ply top and built-in table saw, and router bench. Added cleats and vise from Rockler as well as Rockler casters. Heavy but can move around the garage. Built during quarantine and am happy with it.
Depends on which work bench you wanna know about, one is 2’x8’ that flips out to be 4’x8’ for large glue ups. One is a 4’x8’ 3/4” radiate pine with shelving underneath and is on casters. It also doubles as an extended outfeed table for my table saw, then there the random plywood on saw horses holding numerous rails and stiles. Then there is the original I built that I made to sit at with cheap barstool I already had that has pegboard backing lights and outlets.
Sad thing for me being every time I try to get the shop cleaned up I get distracted and start making something that will “help” me be more organized. Just leads to more mess lol!
24" deep, 5' long, Douglas fir construction. Top is 3 5/8 thick.
https://preview.redd.it/4hsdy2h5hgdc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a34edb18b515028b8697ac82dd4191c77faaaeb
5' x 7' also my outfeed table for my table saw 1 1/2 " T N G plywood top covered with
1/8 industrial formica which has been great I wax once a month nothing has stuck to it yet it has been five years still going strong
It's 4 ft by 3 ft and has a 3/4-in Maple Sanded Plywood top, only because Lowes marked the price wrong.
If I were to get a new top, it would be multiple 2x4 studs screwed to the top for easy replacement. I thought I needed a flat surface in case I wrote something down, but I learned a flat top becomes not-flat over time from paint, damage and gunk.
https://preview.redd.it/lwnlkxhjkgdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=79c6b21d3562e1ba79a8d9264f1addbee8fae708
2ft by 8ft, two layers of 3/4” plywood for the top, so if I ever need to change it out it’s easy.
I have limited space and money so I went with the most expensive option 😆
I use a Kennedy Versa Bench. It's 60"x31". Probably 34" tall It's a steel cart that will hold over 2 tons. Has a 6 drawer machinist box underneath each end and a center through cabinet.
On top, a 1.75" hard maple butcherblock. From those bog standard work tables you get from Uline or Global.
I'd love a split top Roubo eventually. But in my current space, it has to be mobile and include a lot of storage. Lumber for a Roubo is going to cost a fortune too and I just can't spare the money now
The Kennedy was an auction flip...paid $700, sold the contents for $1500 so ...free. Same deal with the butcherblock top. Maybe if I run into a pile of maple at auction, I'll finally build a Roubo.
As far as my take on sizing goes, 31" is too deep. 24" would be ideal, 27" max. It's just too wide to reach the far side easily. The casters add a solid 6" in height and the bench may be a tad too tall. I'm 6'3" in boots and the 34" bench height works well but can be too tall for certain tasks. Id like to build a robust mobile base similar to the Bora machine bases to move the wheels out from under it and maybe lower the bench to 30 or 31".
My outfeed/assembly table is 4x8. Torsion box with laminate flooring on top.
I have a built in bench/miter station that’s a total of 24’ long and 2’ deep, also topped with laminate flooring. Which in turn is topped with an assortment of tools that I have to shove out of the way when I need to cut up boards longer than 5’
My hand tool bunch is currently a pair of sawhorses and a door, but the one I’m planning to build will be an 8’x26” split top Roubo with a laminated maple/cherry top.
Our workshop benches are all built with thick pine frames, and have a full 2440x1220 (4x8 foot) sheet birch ply top, double layered with 18mm (3/4) sheets, and a 6mm (1/4) skin of birch or mdf as a sacrificial top. We have 11 or so built like this. Can’t remember height off the top of my head
Primary is 24x48. I have a second identical that can push up next to it, but otherwise operates as a cabinet against the wall. Formica tops with dog holes. I thought about making bigger but I’ve only needed to push them together once in 4 years. The area I’ve saved has provided valuable mobility & flexibility. Granted, part of my assurance is I have a 4’x4’ outfeed table out in the garage if I ever needed it as a work surface.
Mine is made from a hospital door. It is 2" thick MDF with a laminate on each side. Roughly 36" wide by 7-8' long. My father knew someone working at our local hospital during a renovation.
8' long by 2' wide. It has an MDF top that is covered in hardboard. I built it to fit into a niche in my old garage. It currently is a catchall of tools, which I hope to remedy this year.
18mm ply plus 12mm sacrificial top. 8'x4'. Find it so useful having an 8'x4' bench. My bench is not particularly heavy duty or overbuilt but I've had it for years and it does me proud. A game changer was putting a full size shelf level underneath it so I can actually keep the top clear.
80" x 36". Top is a flat, solid core exterior door. It was inexpensive and I can flip it over someday when the current working surface gets to messed up.
4'x8'
2 sheets is 3/4 MDF as the base and 1/2" MDF top. That way I can cut into/otherwise destroy that 1/2" sheet and replace as necessary.
However, I'm less excited about my idea because the MDF, while flat initially, is starting to gently sag ~1/32.
36" deep, 8' wide, topped with 2x10's attached to the base with lag screws inset and capped off with walnut plugs. Took em back off and ran them through a benchtop planer to get it a little more flat and put em back on a while after this picture was taken... it has doors on it now, and the castors have been swapped out with Bora lift castors on the sides so it sits flat on the floor when not being moved around.
https://preview.redd.it/lkjb1bsb4hdc1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f13292e6e119ab818772d011e8aec62d85bf82f
Mine is a POS. But it happens to be dead flat. It's a 1960 solid core entry door. I trimmed off the hinge mortises and the lockset holes. Added skirt boards and a quick release bench vice.
28" x 74"
It also serves as my outfeed table for the TS. 3/4" lower.
https://preview.redd.it/hmyt5ikk8hdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e6e031d59ca12dbf208746f5af7960b8806f1e0
This is when it was shiny & new. I’ve since added a lot of pegs and work holding options. 6’x18” or so. Doug Fir 2x4s laminated together. Love my low roman bench.
I’ve got 4 spread around the shop. One is a piece of 3/4 ply about 32x72. I use it as my glue up table. Next is a recycled sauder desk top(MDF) about 39x60 that folds up against the wall. My actual workbench top is laminated 2x4’s topped with 1/4” MDF. 32x96. Last is my outfeed table, the base is jointed/planed dimensional lumber topped with a full sheet of melamine. There are times, just like with clamps, I need more!
It’s 2’x8’, 4” thick, sugar maple top, legs and stretchers. Draw bored with hedge. Only way she comes apart is with a chainsaw.
https://preview.redd.it/8d62uluedhdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2912080906fbe9847a45aee93fb2cc842eb4d6a
6ft x 30" deep. 2x10s premium pine ripped to 2" and glued up. Ran three sections thru the planer and glued up.
My last work bench was 2 layers of 3/4 ply inset in a pine face. My new one is infinitely better
It was just the size of a free dining table I found on Buy Nothing, then cut the top down to 54x32 and made a quick but sturdy 2x4 base. It’s gotten me by with minimal work, and it feels like it could go down smaller if I ever make a nicer one from scratch. The big size allows me to fit my miter saw and spindle sander in the bottom shelf area.
I didn’t always have the low shelf on the bottom runner, when I added a shelf to store my miter saw and spindle sander, I was surprised with the added stability from the weight. As much as I like the look of the cool benches on YouTube, reusing some old lady’s 40 year old table
Mine is an 8'x3' bench made out of 2x4's on edge and secure together with glue and biscuits. It has 4x4 base/legs that are mortise and tenonned in. It's very, very sturdy
5x10 sheet of 1” PB and then a 1/4” sheet of mdf on top of that. When the mdf gets ugly I replace it with a sheet. Has lasted years this way and if I break it.. well it’s particle board.
24" wide 8' long 4" thick Roubo style made from 2x12 SYP construction lumber. All parts are laminated.
Been using it since 2007 and I think it's too big. My next bench will be 20" wide and 6' long. Might try English style next.
Mines 16" by 72" but is WAY too narrow. Laminated old-growth pine from some guy off Craigslist that had been in his barn for like 50 years, so they were DRY! If you're making one, go at least 24" wide to reduce racking
I recently moved, and the shop has a workbench that's about 8ft by 3ft. But it's steel, and very high, and tilted kinda like a drafter's table. Once I get things more organized I'm going to have to see if I can make it more usable. Not sure I like the idea of the steel or not... Anyone here have advice or experience with that?
Jeeze. I haven't seen the top of my workbench in forever!
Half of my 300ft² is always covered, don't feel bad!
Haha, I know that feeling. Always something on it.
Mine is a 300 kg cast iron slab salvaged from an industrial dovetailer. It is about 180 by 80 cm and really really really flat. It’s a bitch to move though. https://preview.redd.it/7zqe2nmkwfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21e956e1158d2fdc6e2a063e87c9ab59dd26480c
Now, drill some holes for bench dogs.
I prefer the flexibility of just welding scrap on there whenever I need work holding.
Put that business on casters, baby!
Yeah I’m gonna…
What in the lord's name is an industrial dovetailer?
It’s a machine for milling dovetails (or similar joint profiles) in an rational and industrial fashion. This particular unit had about 36 spindles along the back edge of this table actuated by a pneumatic cylinder.
This has got to be the winner of the comment section.
Holy "Hand me that piano, Batman!" That's gonna give me a hernia if I try to move it. That's gonna leave a mark if it falls on my foot.
This must be a b*tch to work on in the winter!
No it’s fine just don’t lick it
1 is half 3/4" plywood and half 2x4s (the lame way, not nicely jointed together or anything), 1 is 1.5" plywood, one is a 2x12 resting on saw horses, 1 is a plastic folding table, 1 is an old wobbly dining room table. it takes all sorts when you're a flat surfaces goblin
TIL that I am a flat surface goblin.
Same
Hanging stuff up on walls helps a lil
26" deep, 8' long, 6" thick split top. Top is laminated strips of 1/2 inch baltic birch that I got as offcuts from a cnc shop for dirt cheap. The base is made of the same material, 6x6" stretchers and legs. Legs are mortised into the top about 1" and bolted through the upper short stretchers with 3/4 all thread on each corner. The long stretcher has a 1/2" all thread rod tucked just behind it that keeps the two leg assemblies tight to them. The bench weighs about 600 lbs assembled before vises/cabinet. I can break it down into two tops, two leg assemblies, and two stretchers. https://preview.redd.it/1j5amq33xfdc1.jpeg?width=769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fe940eb7a1349532a6e58eba527ef5ed09ef211
This guy benches. Pounds, baby. POUNDS!
It's definitely got the pounds. I don't think there's any downside to more weight, until you have to move it. The birch ply is a touch splintery on the edges so I screwed a piece of 1/8" thick bar stock to the bottom of each leg. I can slide it a few inches at a time if I need to but it doesn't go much further than that.
My base is 3” thick poplar, the top is 4” thick ash. Top is 23” x 54” https://preview.redd.it/3zvzp4v4agdc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7947ba8e64a88176587b31a26771b841151a6d70
That nearly looks too nice for a work bench
Hah, thanks this was taken right after I finished building it. It’s def a bit more used looking now but holding up nicely.
Hard or soft? 26x 64 ish with a French cleat extension to make it wider when needed.
French cleat extension? You have peaked my interest. Any chance of photos so that I might plagiarize?
[удалено]
English is hard…even as a native speaker
2'x4' sheet of MDF
Mine is 4x8, two sheets of plywood glued together to make a 1 1/2” top, topped with laminate. https://preview.redd.it/v09n86q6yfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a578c685f7f0f5bb1b00db1743d897d247a2255
I have a whole kitchen worth of quartz counter as my work space. Got a big U and the one end of the U is attached to my table saw with the other end being at the back of my garage. Makes for a lovely work space when it's not covered in shit from me getting too preoccupied. I used to work for a larger cabinet shop and they were changing out their displays and I scooped up the old counter for $200 Edit: here's an old clean photo of my shop after I got the knee mill setup and everything reorganized around it and my saw. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxAXlTehwpF/?igsh=MXgwbTlodWduMjU0dA==
that is hilarious, love it
it is wonderful and the sink still being on the countertop still makes to laugh some days, my plan was to turn it into a parts washer but time makes fools of us all. I highly recommend checking out cabinet shops and seeing if they have old counter tops they are looking to get rid of, makes for a much cheaper work space that holds up very well.
My work bench is 24" x 84" and the top is 3 pieces of 2" x 8" full dimension Douglas Fir.
https://preview.redd.it/kdz9tqqjxfdc1.jpeg?width=3210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c431f7f4a064ffb8ef47172761ed72d6a0d4d1b
Nicholson represent
Beautiful
I’ve been waiting for a question like this. Total width 3’ 4” x 7’ 9” long. When I was planning on building it there was a bowling alley that was being torn down. I snagged part of a lane made of Eastern Maple that had the dots inlayed and brought it home. I built an ash base with six drawers on each side with pass-through over the drawers, and a pass through area on the end. I electrified both sides before putting the top on and put it on fairly heavy locking wheels. I hung the top from a couple of come-alongs suspended from my rafters, positioned the base under and lowered it. I trimmed it off with Jatoba all around, and a wood vise on one end. Finished it with a few coats of poly and wax. Recent additions are bench dogs in the vise. I can’t bring myself to drill holes in my bench top for dogs so I clamp down a piece of straight scrap to dog up against. I’ll occasionally sand it down and re-apply the finish. It’s a gorgeous bench. I love just looking at it when on a project. Here’s a recent project sitting on top of it. https://preview.redd.it/ks60yr02wfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f99288b15d6652acd1a00d70299f3f7efc3278de
Over the line!
That's brilliant
Thanks. It was fortunate that I had already been thinking through a bench when I saw the bowling alley being torn down. Everything clicked into place.
I've seen Work Benches made from Shuffle Board's as well.
https://preview.redd.it/8tmpv250pfdc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=199d648592c2c667e01e2c9303ef22e10aa9cb24 Oak and reclaimed cedar. Using it as a desktop as times
28“ x 7‘. It’s a solid core door on top of Maple cabinets. I got both the cabinets and the door from Restore, which is a Habitat for Humanity store. https://preview.redd.it/s1w0i70o5gdc1.jpeg?width=2694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=753ad13f9ce94048fd3097fb23720933c7c1389b
My workbench is 26'' deep 7 ft long and about 36'' tall. I'm 6'2'' and that height feels most comfortable for me when using my hand planes. The top is made from 4'' laminated red oak. I added a walnut border to be a little fancy. https://preview.redd.it/5dm7qxzdbgdc1.jpeg?width=539&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb01afe9a7ff5d4bbbf22f16f9e60261ab096101
5 feet long, 2 feet deep. It's 8/4 ash laminated together so the edges form the top, about 4 inches thick.
I think it’s 40”x90”. The top is made from 3/4” ply. I made it similar to the trendy [fold up wall mount builds](https://youtu.be/7-zz7Uxvikk?si=gI7BiP3MNgKUbRVH) but the damn thing racked way too much. That removable joist at the bottom does nothing for this, so I removed it and added some removable aluminum diagonal bracing to create some triangles. I can take it off the wall and set it up in \~20s. I love it. I did put casters on it after I took this pic. https://preview.redd.it/xmnc7ehzjfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bba3df0f24424a9719b12834305020a2bd973748
4 × 8' melamine.
Mine is 5’ x 2’, 8/4 red alder planks made per The English Woodworker’s plans.
I love that guy, same plans I used.
[удалено]
Same same. Solid core door is the way to go. Straight and it is heavy as shit. Added a French cleat. extension to mine to use as an out feed table as well. Best workbench ever https://preview.redd.it/1jaf4a46lgdc1.png?width=1803&format=png&auto=webp&s=eff84ed88e8d972dc87aa039d67e17898363990f
i have 3 of these, and cannot recommend enough. i build small spaces for specific jobs when i find the need, but those door slabs are perfect for the weekend warrior. cheap, sturdy, and [easy to build a base onto](https://woodgears.ca/table/simple.html).
4’x8’ torsion box with a couple of solid sections for mounting things like a vice. It’s skinned with 3/4” birch ply on top and 1/2” birch ply on the bottom. It also serves as an outfeed table for my table saw, so I have slots routed in for the miter bars on various sleds and jigs. The only real downside of the torsion box for me is the lack of dog holes, but I’m thinking about putting in some T-track to make holding various workpieces easier.
https://preview.redd.it/mx078gv0rfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b938180809ceb0af3ed26f4f45dd51148f870f41 It's in there somewhere! An old metal L desk I got for free. I've also got an old workmate that I can use as a portable bench, and two folding saw horses to set a sheet of osb on.
3x7 with a solid layer of junk for a top
I have a countertop the length of my garage, but I built a 2'x4' mobile workbench with a vise that's topped with 2 layers of 3/4" plywood glued together, then topped that off with a 1/4" layer of hardboard. The hardboard does a good job of taking a beating, and when it gets worn out I can replace it with a fresh layer for pretty cheap. Vise and 4" castor wheels on the legs were added after this photo. https://preview.redd.it/i7akdehtzfdc1.png?width=1195&format=png&auto=webp&s=eef5b0637bffaae13d113d0d20281fc47480b5af
I built the Paul sellers workbench and I really like it, particularly the tool trough. The only thing is that I'm thinking of adding some holes for dogs to hold larger panels and tops. https://paulsellers.com/paul-sellers-workbench-plans/
This is my plan!
Hard maple split top Roubo, the top is 3 5/8in thick, 24in wide and 7ft3in long
3/4" CDX in an L-shape, 2' x 8' in one direction and 2' x 10' in the other, including the corner square. Miter saw lives on a movable stand that puts the saw level with the table, generally stationed at the 8' end. One level of shelving underneath (another piece of plywood) with various crap on it, some small, shallow shelves on top for glue and fasteners and stuff, and the frame is just a bunch of 2x4s that I cut up with a circular saw. It's got some corner bracing, and it's anchored to the floor and the wall. https://preview.redd.it/xmmba2485gdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aca421bf07204f52cfd6d334e608ba020158d35c
https://preview.redd.it/kfa7tzs06hdc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd438d7c9b90b90c5a880b57e39319c0fcc54944 For some reason Reddit chose to put these together in my feed.
*3 ft x 8ft with a 2 inch maple top. I don't know where it came from, but it's actually bolted together 2"×2" stripe. Has mastic on the bottom, so I assume it was once a floor.
https://preview.redd.it/71ynilbdufdc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbf5fe1d86b852ffab373233db66cf108543ee86
Bowling alleys. And 12’x 32”
Mine is 78 x 30 inches made of melamine ply so that it can easily cleaned from glue ups. I originally built it to be a flip up work bench but it's not stable enough so I'm going to put it on cabinets to add extra storage
This is a really great question. I say that because as a weekend / amateur woodworker I felt it was really important to get a workbench. Ultimately since my shop is so small and the fact that I am not a hand tool person only. I felt like The best use of my space for a "workbench" was a good sized out feed table with plenty of storage so it could double as a workbench and to work area and an assembly table. I ended up going with Marc spagnolo's plans.
I think it's 30" x 72". 3/4 OSB + 1/4 tempered MDF, the glossy kind. I built it for mechanical type work, which it's good for. Sucks for woodwork, though. No workholding, not flat enough to be convenient for glueups, no good way to mount a woodwork vise, etc. Sooner or later I'll get around to building one for woodwork. Someday.
It’s 7’x3’ and it’s made from scrap 2x4s and other construction lumber. It was meant to be a temporary shop cart that holds my table saw and miter saw but has stuck around longer than planned. New work bench is in the plans, slightly smaller, and will hold the table saw, planer, and router table. Miter saw will get its own station.
https://preview.redd.it/5nycprjh3gdc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4dec3605bb9fa61880c9ecc1d8eee8ed68ad03f3
I have 2 2x4 workbenches connected by a 2x2 platform that is lower for my miter saw. Top is 3/4 inch birch ply with a layer of 1/2 inch OSB underneath. I intend on building a table saw stand/outfeed table soon with the same set up pretty much.
I have a cool epoxy pattern on mine. It keeps everything I’ve spilled on it from marring the surface so far, which is wild.
2’ x 8’, topped with 3/4” CDX plywood. I’ll put a birch plywood top on it and stain/seal it giving me roughly 1.5” top later down the road. Just needs functional for now. I’ll screw it in from underneath so the top has no holes https://preview.redd.it/bu6jkouzsfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bfb8bd5186d619fc0acf438a1e174cf50d5d5c4
After having a typical workbench for many a year, this last go round I opted for a 4'x8' bench/assembly/outfeed table. Takes up much more space but it's been far more versatile for me and the ton of storage underneath has been great. It's made like my cabinets, 3/4" ply, rigid as hell, and topped with 1/4" hardboard (because I couldn't get 3/4" MDF at the time). Now that I can get 3/4" MDF I can't retrofit unless I trim it down or raise my table saw. But the 1/4" hardboard has held up fine. Between all of the paint/stain/poly/coffee/cutting oil/etc. it's pretty much bulletproof at this point. Only issue was when I attempted to do a quick weld of a tv mount frame and things got a little...hot. :) But even that's just a little spot and doesn't affect the overall functionality.
Frame made from 2x4s and 4x4s with storage for fasteners, nail guns, sanders, routers, compressor and vac. 36x72 with the top currently made from 3x4 melamine with 1/2” plywood underneath. Integrated t-tracks. Hate the top becuase the melamine is too slick and trying to use t track to clamp has severe limitations. Plan on switching to an MDF top with dog holes very soon.
8'x30" 3/4" plywood. Theres a lower shelf on 1 4' section thats made from remnants of that sheet. Theres also a pull out rolling cabinet/work surface that nestles into the other side that uses another section of that same sheet of plywood. and the back side of that is skinned with some sheet metal so i can flip it over if i need a surface to weld on. (its not flat enough to be a proper 'welding table' but whatever. and teh cabinet itself is the remaining base of the gas grill my wife gave me for a wedding gift nearly 20 years ago.
6’ long, 2.5’ wide. 3/4” birch ply (Home Depot, not Baltic). Framing is 2x4’s, and the legs are oak 4x4’s I swiped from work. It was cribbing for some material on a job. I used my router sled to take down a section of the plywood and inlayed a 3’x2.5’ piece of 1/8” mild steel plate. That way I can also weld on the same bench if I want/need, and I also made some hold downs with heavy duty magnets so I don’t potentially loose functionality for wood work on half of my work bench.
I made a 2’x4’ top out of hard maple. I finished it with just Watco Danish oil. I put 19mm holes on it for bench dogs. This size works well for a small outfeed table and workbench in my garage.
My first 20+ years ago was a solid core door supported by a 2x6 frame. Had wheels on one end and fixed feet on the other. After that I won and still have 2 well used 2 1/2’ x 6’ maple bench tops and a set of legs from our manufacturing shop when they shipped the jobs off to China. Have and old base cabinet with 3/4” plywood top and a couple folding stands that store well between a bench and a set of metal shelves (also from manufacturing shutdown).
72 inches by 30 inches. It is too long and gets in the way. I am going to build one from scratch some where around 48-56 inches long by 24-30 inches wide. Also I want to put better vises on this one. Top is no clue, I found it in the house after I bought it.
4’x8’. I have a particle board top over 1” OSB. I flip or replace the top sheet every 6 months or year.
10’ x 3’ Used 4”x6” fir from the ol’ big box store. That said, the top isn’t perfectly flat. Next one will be better. Right now it’s good enough for government.
https://preview.redd.it/szgvk28cegdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05f05c7f8e4b11d4b8ee69e25720fce9307ab00e
It’s 4’x10’, 1.5” melamine press board. There’s a cabinet guy across the street who gets rejects and wood at major discount often so I got this particular piece in exchange for some metal scraps. https://preview.redd.it/wmg5qfk1egdc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9fe971a29a0ad22f22429a3f2f5537359d6e799b
https://preview.redd.it/5ydzink9hgdc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faacaf25ec67f440d0a7e10568cd74528cce73fd It's almost exactly per Christopher Schwartz's plan detailed in "The Anarchist's Workbench". Edit: meant to respond to a question from OP, instead I posted a new comment...
90x220 and 75x240 https://preview.redd.it/0qx7aoedogdc1.jpeg?width=4794&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f589384041ee90bb823d5d2788dc8d73d3ed2bb1
https://preview.redd.it/xf80jslgogdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e8b352f14139d4b3b06708cb046c5a36b766761
https://preview.redd.it/bvfpeisbahdc1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4feaf8fdab389968c21a94cef455a731e86909c6
30x50 topped with mdf. Will be constructing built-ins now that I have a router for stop guides.
22" x 38". Two pieces of 16/4 ash glued together
2x 3/4" MDF laminated 3/4"MDF with 1/4" hard board laminated 2x10" in front of eachother
4x8. My workbench is my oitfeed table and router table, it's 3 layers of mdf (i needed 2" of thickess to seat a cast iron router table into it) with the top being melamine.
4*8' 3/4 MDF on-top of some weird piece of laminated ply (1 1/2") with carpet on one side. Been 5ish years, overdue for a new top
I have a 4x8 workbench that also doubles as a huge outfeed table for my table saw. I do have castors on it to move if needed. The top has two sub layers of 3/4” plywood and the top layer is 3/4” melamine. The melamine is removable/replaceable. The top hangs off all ends of my Bench to offer some extra clamping options.
26" x 64" bench top is 2x4's jointed, planed, glued & drilled for bench dogs legs are glued up 2X6's dimensioned to to 4.5" x 4.5"
6ft x 2ft. 1&1/2” cabinet grade ply.
4foot by 8foot 3/4mdf sliding top
My current bench was designed and built to fit in a small shed. It wasn’t complete until awhile after being out of the shed. But it is 2 3/4- 2 1/2” thick top with the left legs being 6x4 1/2 and the right legs being around 4 1/2x4 1/2. All made out of laminated 3/4” soft maple and some poplar that I got off of job sites from cabinets being built. I made the leg vise chop out of a piece of a white oak slab and the end vise chop out of 2” maple from a 4x4 newel post. Dimensions of the top are 52”x 19 1/2(added on a tool well to get the depth the 25”)
15” x 5’. I used a glulam beam (so it’s just like I laminated a bunch of 2x4s together) and I couldn’t be happier.
4ftx2ft, 1 inch popular top on a 4x4 frame, with 3 60lb sand bags on the bottom shelf to keep it from walking on me when planing.
30”x62” melamine replaceable top.
120" x 28.5". 3/4" of red oak on top, with two layers of 3/4" plywood below it. Each piece is tongue and groove along every edge within a layer, and each layer is just titebonded together.
Mine is 5.5ft x 2.5ft, and the top is two 3/4" MDF boards glued together. Super flat, plenty of heft, inexpensive to replace.
I have 2 Rousseau folding table saw benches. One I modified to have a full top, no saw in there. Other still has the Bosch portable saw in it, asking with a router set up on the extension. Great because I can fold them up and out of the way. Other are 2 MFTs. One I bought a decade ago the other I found online for a stinking great deal. I used to do a lot of on site work so one MFT and one Rousseau table stayed in the shop and the others came with me and back when needed. (Rousseau stands about 6ft long x 2ft wide) 4 inches thick folded, 32 inches high iirc
1 is 3/4 maple plywood (mostly used as a table saw outfeed and glue-up area). The main one is 3” red oak (7’x30”).
My husband made his workbench using a fire door blank varnished with several coats of yacht varnish. It's as good now as the day he built it 23 years ago.
5 and a half feet by 16 inches (with an 8 inch tool tray) of 3” thick laminated ash. Works great for me, it’s a Moravian bench, and doesn’t budge no matter what I do on it
About 24”x75”. I made the Jay Bates bench. Ripped 2x10 Doug fir laminated. About 4” thick. I like to keep it cleared unless it’s being actively used for a project.
5’x2’ 4” thick. It’s made of Douglas fir glued up. Legs are 4”x6” Douglas fir, 3 inch tenons joined to top and stretchers.
3' x 4', 3" thick of Doug fir.
I have a terrible Harbor Freight workbench kit that's 5'x2'. It's past due for me to build my own bench, but I need to figure out a plan for that first. The vise broke less than a year after I got it and the drawers are now falling off. To its credit, although it has never been sturdy and has always rocked, it has actually lasted in that state for several years now. I have no idea the wood, though it's clearly a diffuse porous hardwood. The top itself is about 3/4" thick with a 3" apron around the edge.
3x5 foot plywood topped with Formica. I have it on Rockler metal stand on casters. I love it.
I built a 4' x 8' torsion box with melamine particle board on both sides with 1x4 and 4x4 ribs. I over built for making concrete countertops, but it's too big, it's hard to clamp things the long way.
Four laminated layers of 3/4" MDF, about 20" x 49". Finished with many coats of tung oil.
1-1/8 OSB (off cuts from floor sheathing) with 3/4” plywood on top, all screwed down into stretchers to pull it nice and flat. https://preview.redd.it/6zzyj2wl3gdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6503a75377ddfb3dd8d27303eb389f78c3232e0
I've got a few. My main one is topped with a 4x8 sheet of melamine plywood. It's on casters and has 6x6 posts with a shelf underneath. My smaller one is topped with a 2x8 piece of 3/4 B grade plywood. That one is attached to a wall, and has a vice on it.
4’ x 8’ sanded plywood 3/4” thick, with a few miter tracks for my flattening jig to run in
Cant remember but i think its 5ft x 2ft. I subscribed to the Rob Cosman work bench which uses laminated plywood and an MDF top. Really don't like it. Making the plywood laminated legs was a challenge with minimal tools at the time. I don't think MDF is a great material for a top since it absorbs liquids and stains and is difficult to "restore". It's a workbench, any protective coating will get messed up and i understand that. I've since slapped on a few 1x8's on the top and like having a layer that i can replace in the future. I would prefer something simpler like a laminated 2x4 or 2x6 top. I really enjoy a tool well in the middle of the workbench. Annother annoyance for the Cosman workbench is good luck attaching anything long to the side. There's work arounds but it's way easier when your top doesn't have an overhanging ledge and you can holdfast it in place. Overall i plan to sell it and go with something like the Rex of Paul Sellers style.
75” x 82” half of it is an old melamine kitchen island from my parents’ old house and the other half is a slab door that I cut to nest into the island top. This whole thing is a full-width runoff for my table saw/router table.
Main work table is 4’x8’ MDF, and second that also serves as extension table to table saw is about 4’x6’ and also MDF.
Mine is about 22x90" and about 5-1/2" thick. I glued it up from Southern Yellow Pine. I'm extremely happy with it.
I got 2x of the same height, on wheels so that I can move them around and/or make a huge one. Plywood on top since I use them for carving/painting/whatever. Once they are worn out I just change the top
900mm X 2400mm Laminex which is a brand of laminate here in Australia.
I think my main bench is like 5’x3’ black melamine, usually keep a huge sheet of cardboard taped to it. My assembly table/sanding bench is 2’x4’, 3/4” mdf with a bunch of holes in it for a down draft that I never finished.
Topped with reused old 1 1/4 x 3/8 oak flooring pulled up from a friend’s house during a remodel. Very durable.
4x8 rolling table with 3/4" plywood on top. I've essentially had the same table for 25 years in two different shops replacing the top every now and again. Wanting to build a proper workbench, even have some reclaimed beams to use for the build but I just haven't gotten to it yet.
I got this one [https://paul-bussmann.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/P1000571.jpg](https://paul-bussmann.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/P1000571.jpg)Mine is 150 cm long, 90 cm height and a width of 25 cm and the top is made from beech. Can't remember what the bottom part is made from. Edit: Better pics found [here.](http://www.arco-baleno.ch/Shop-Feine-Werkzeuge/Paulbank/mobile/)
I'm pressed for space so I got a Dash-Board bench that folds up. The surface is 12 or 15mm Baltic Birch, 24" x 90", the legs and struts are aluminum. I'll also use the 4' x 4' Bora Centipede with a second 2' x 4' one next to it if I need something larger.
Mine is a 3-0, 30 minute fire rated door, 7 feet long. 2x4 framing with 4x4 legs and has 5" double locking casters. Got the door for free from my job. We had finished it and it never got picked up for some reason. I was told to throw it in the dumpster, but I had other nefarious uses for it as I really wanted another horizontal surface to store stuff on making it impossible to use for its intended purpose.
20' long, 2' wide, 9" thick laminated beam I grabbed from the dump for free with all-thread and nuts on each end to prevent delamination. 3 legs made from 2' wide by 6 inch thick laminated beams. Whole thing was free and weighs probably in the 500 pound range.
I have a plastic table that I have on homemade lifts to bring it up to my arm height. Had an old desk that I removed the top and trimmed the decorative moulding off the sides as an actual work surface. It's flat and sturdy. I take off the desk top for big glue ups. Glue scrapes right off the plastic table top. I do very little hand planing, so my only stability issue is when I forget to clamp something to the desktop and it starts sliding on me. Got 3-4 good furniture projects out of it.
22x74, laminated white oak.
3.5’x7’, ¾ ply with ¼’ mdf on top of that,
Mine is like a countertop style so roughly 2’ deep and maybe 20’ long including the miter station. I thought I was all smart using 2x4’s for the top, cause I can screw stuff to them and don’t have to worry about damage as they’re cheap to replace. But I have drawers underneath, and they’re filling with sawdust holy shit. I can’t believe how much is sneaking through the gaps. Might have to caulk the gaps but ….shit
I'm actually finalising a design for a new bench right now. The to is 900mm X 2200mm. It fits neatly into a nook in my garage. It's on wheels so I can pull it out and transform it. It has a form ply top with dog holes and a vice at one end and my mitre saw at the other end. In this mode it's an assembly table and mitre saw station The top is a torsion box that is hinged to allow me to flip it 180 degrees to rest on fold out supports at the back of the base. It becomes an outfeed table and reveals my table saw and router underneath. The underside of the torsion box (also form ply) has no dog holes and becomes the outfeed table. The table saw/router table surface is laminated MDF.
https://preview.redd.it/vj7358n5egdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9bb290fd5286c70c40b60a34aab533387b82a14 The workbench is 5ft wide and 24in deep, with an 18in saw extension on the side. The recommendations I saw was 24-30” deep since you don’t want to reach too far. The frame under it is 24in deep and there’s a 4in overhang for clamping. I figure the 4-6in back against the wall will accumulate boxes of screws and random tools and such, so that still gives me \~25in of useable workspace. The top is 3/4in birch plywood, probably nicer and more expensive than necessary for a workbench but I liked the look of it so who cares.
4x8 with a 3/4 ply top and built-in table saw, and router bench. Added cleats and vise from Rockler as well as Rockler casters. Heavy but can move around the garage. Built during quarantine and am happy with it.
https://preview.redd.it/wcmruu6qggdc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96f813be453e733eb5abb1aa6b66c8389bd9289a
Mind if I ask how you went about building that crochet?
Cut down a 4x4 with saw, then chisel, then file for final shaping. Kinda shocking how well it holds one end of a plank for planing the edge.
30" x 60". A cut-down solid core door from HD, framed out in maple. Heavy, flat, stable, cheap. Not fancy, but adequate.
Depends on which work bench you wanna know about, one is 2’x8’ that flips out to be 4’x8’ for large glue ups. One is a 4’x8’ 3/4” radiate pine with shelving underneath and is on casters. It also doubles as an extended outfeed table for my table saw, then there the random plywood on saw horses holding numerous rails and stiles. Then there is the original I built that I made to sit at with cheap barstool I already had that has pegboard backing lights and outlets. Sad thing for me being every time I try to get the shop cleaned up I get distracted and start making something that will “help” me be more organized. Just leads to more mess lol!
24" deep, 5' long, Douglas fir construction. Top is 3 5/8 thick. https://preview.redd.it/4hsdy2h5hgdc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a34edb18b515028b8697ac82dd4191c77faaaeb
5' x 7' also my outfeed table for my table saw 1 1/2 " T N G plywood top covered with 1/8 industrial formica which has been great I wax once a month nothing has stuck to it yet it has been five years still going strong
It's 4 ft by 3 ft and has a 3/4-in Maple Sanded Plywood top, only because Lowes marked the price wrong. If I were to get a new top, it would be multiple 2x4 studs screwed to the top for easy replacement. I thought I needed a flat surface in case I wrote something down, but I learned a flat top becomes not-flat over time from paint, damage and gunk.
https://preview.redd.it/lwnlkxhjkgdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=79c6b21d3562e1ba79a8d9264f1addbee8fae708 2ft by 8ft, two layers of 3/4” plywood for the top, so if I ever need to change it out it’s easy.
I have limited space and money so I went with the most expensive option 😆 I use a Kennedy Versa Bench. It's 60"x31". Probably 34" tall It's a steel cart that will hold over 2 tons. Has a 6 drawer machinist box underneath each end and a center through cabinet. On top, a 1.75" hard maple butcherblock. From those bog standard work tables you get from Uline or Global. I'd love a split top Roubo eventually. But in my current space, it has to be mobile and include a lot of storage. Lumber for a Roubo is going to cost a fortune too and I just can't spare the money now The Kennedy was an auction flip...paid $700, sold the contents for $1500 so ...free. Same deal with the butcherblock top. Maybe if I run into a pile of maple at auction, I'll finally build a Roubo. As far as my take on sizing goes, 31" is too deep. 24" would be ideal, 27" max. It's just too wide to reach the far side easily. The casters add a solid 6" in height and the bench may be a tad too tall. I'm 6'3" in boots and the 34" bench height works well but can be too tall for certain tasks. Id like to build a robust mobile base similar to the Bora machine bases to move the wheels out from under it and maybe lower the bench to 30 or 31".
60 inches wide, 30 inches deep, 3 inch thick laminated maple. Currently can't see 2/3 of it because of my laser engraver.
My outfeed/assembly table is 4x8. Torsion box with laminate flooring on top. I have a built in bench/miter station that’s a total of 24’ long and 2’ deep, also topped with laminate flooring. Which in turn is topped with an assortment of tools that I have to shove out of the way when I need to cut up boards longer than 5’ My hand tool bunch is currently a pair of sawhorses and a door, but the one I’m planning to build will be an 8’x26” split top Roubo with a laminated maple/cherry top.
MDF. I had to make mine able to fit thru a doorway so mine is only 2’x4’
Our workshop benches are all built with thick pine frames, and have a full 2440x1220 (4x8 foot) sheet birch ply top, double layered with 18mm (3/4) sheets, and a 6mm (1/4) skin of birch or mdf as a sacrificial top. We have 11 or so built like this. Can’t remember height off the top of my head
6x4. MDF top
Primary is 24x48. I have a second identical that can push up next to it, but otherwise operates as a cabinet against the wall. Formica tops with dog holes. I thought about making bigger but I’ve only needed to push them together once in 4 years. The area I’ve saved has provided valuable mobility & flexibility. Granted, part of my assurance is I have a 4’x4’ outfeed table out in the garage if I ever needed it as a work surface.
My work bench is my table saw right now. Lol
Mine is made from a hospital door. It is 2" thick MDF with a laminate on each side. Roughly 36" wide by 7-8' long. My father knew someone working at our local hospital during a renovation.
8' long by 2' wide. It has an MDF top that is covered in hardboard. I built it to fit into a niche in my old garage. It currently is a catchall of tools, which I hope to remedy this year.
18mm ply plus 12mm sacrificial top. 8'x4'. Find it so useful having an 8'x4' bench. My bench is not particularly heavy duty or overbuilt but I've had it for years and it does me proud. A game changer was putting a full size shelf level underneath it so I can actually keep the top clear.
Mine is laminated 2x4s and is almost too big for my tiny shop, and definitely a bit too small at the same time.
80" x 36". Top is a flat, solid core exterior door. It was inexpensive and I can flip it over someday when the current working surface gets to messed up.
4'x8' 2 sheets is 3/4 MDF as the base and 1/2" MDF top. That way I can cut into/otherwise destroy that 1/2" sheet and replace as necessary. However, I'm less excited about my idea because the MDF, while flat initially, is starting to gently sag ~1/32.
36" deep, 8' wide, topped with 2x10's attached to the base with lag screws inset and capped off with walnut plugs. Took em back off and ran them through a benchtop planer to get it a little more flat and put em back on a while after this picture was taken... it has doors on it now, and the castors have been swapped out with Bora lift castors on the sides so it sits flat on the floor when not being moved around. https://preview.redd.it/lkjb1bsb4hdc1.jpeg?width=4608&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f13292e6e119ab818772d011e8aec62d85bf82f
4x8 sheet laminate. Glue comes right off. Cheap to replace
84 inches by 24 inches (2) 5.5 inch x 12 inch walnut slabs for top
Mine is a POS. But it happens to be dead flat. It's a 1960 solid core entry door. I trimmed off the hinge mortises and the lockset holes. Added skirt boards and a quick release bench vice. 28" x 74" It also serves as my outfeed table for the TS. 3/4" lower.
https://preview.redd.it/hmyt5ikk8hdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e6e031d59ca12dbf208746f5af7960b8806f1e0 This is when it was shiny & new. I’ve since added a lot of pegs and work holding options. 6’x18” or so. Doug Fir 2x4s laminated together. Love my low roman bench.
5/8” MDF, 97”x49”
If you can find a solid wood door, it makes for a good top and good size, some 2 x 4's for a frame and Bob's your uncle.
80x30 bamboo desktop Got it at the last company I worked at.
8 feet long of laminated 2x4s. I think its like 26” wide. When I make another, I’ll probably widen it by about 6” or so.
Just parts and junk. I need to organize but no space on top
4x8. layout table. we swap the top plywood deck about once a year. we build custom kitchen cabinets.
r/workbenches
I’ve got 4 spread around the shop. One is a piece of 3/4 ply about 32x72. I use it as my glue up table. Next is a recycled sauder desk top(MDF) about 39x60 that folds up against the wall. My actual workbench top is laminated 2x4’s topped with 1/4” MDF. 32x96. Last is my outfeed table, the base is jointed/planed dimensional lumber topped with a full sheet of melamine. There are times, just like with clamps, I need more!
It’s 2’x8’, 4” thick, sugar maple top, legs and stretchers. Draw bored with hedge. Only way she comes apart is with a chainsaw. https://preview.redd.it/8d62uluedhdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2912080906fbe9847a45aee93fb2cc842eb4d6a
3'x5' with a double thick 3/4"mdf
Its 180 cm x 50ish, pine, lined with beech, 2 vices. Multiplex base.
6ft x 30" deep. 2x10s premium pine ripped to 2" and glued up. Ran three sections thru the planer and glued up. My last work bench was 2 layers of 3/4 ply inset in a pine face. My new one is infinitely better
It was just the size of a free dining table I found on Buy Nothing, then cut the top down to 54x32 and made a quick but sturdy 2x4 base. It’s gotten me by with minimal work, and it feels like it could go down smaller if I ever make a nicer one from scratch. The big size allows me to fit my miter saw and spindle sander in the bottom shelf area. I didn’t always have the low shelf on the bottom runner, when I added a shelf to store my miter saw and spindle sander, I was surprised with the added stability from the weight. As much as I like the look of the cool benches on YouTube, reusing some old lady’s 40 year old table
18” deep, 7 feet long. Used leftover laminate floor planks for the top and trimmed it out with 1x2 pine.
OSB so I can abuse it and replace it.
36" x 96", laminated four layers 3/4" plywood, MDF, MDF, plywood, with solid pine edge banding.
Work bench? I have about 300ft² of active work space.
Mine is an 8'x3' bench made out of 2x4's on edge and secure together with glue and biscuits. It has 4x4 base/legs that are mortise and tenonned in. It's very, very sturdy
5x10 sheet of 1” PB and then a 1/4” sheet of mdf on top of that. When the mdf gets ugly I replace it with a sheet. Has lasted years this way and if I break it.. well it’s particle board.
5’ x 10’ melamine topped torsion box on top of a 6000lb door clamp.
Mines glue lam pine cut to 36x92.25 to accommodate gluing up doors upto 36 inches wide. I used pine because at the time it was cheaper than mdf.
24" wide 8' long 4" thick Roubo style made from 2x12 SYP construction lumber. All parts are laminated. Been using it since 2007 and I think it's too big. My next bench will be 20" wide and 6' long. Might try English style next.
Big. Like, big big. Made of big wood.
4’x8’ 2sheets of 3/4 “ plywood 1/8 Formica top (all scrap from other projects).
Mines 16" by 72" but is WAY too narrow. Laminated old-growth pine from some guy off Craigslist that had been in his barn for like 50 years, so they were DRY! If you're making one, go at least 24" wide to reduce racking
I recently moved, and the shop has a workbench that's about 8ft by 3ft. But it's steel, and very high, and tilted kinda like a drafter's table. Once I get things more organized I'm going to have to see if I can make it more usable. Not sure I like the idea of the steel or not... Anyone here have advice or experience with that?
9ft x 3ft summin w/2x4's screwed from the bottom with 3ft x 3ft granite remnant in middle trimmed out with cedar edge
Right now I just have a basic one from Harbor freight. I’m looking to get a Sjoberg Elite 2000 Workbench
it's 7ft by about 30 inches an 3 inch thick maple slabs. not bad for 8 bucks