Work benches?

[Winston001]

I'm also planning getting some old kitchen cabinets to go underneath for extra tool storage. .

Yeah? I like space under the bench especially for awkward shapes which have to fit in the vice at odd angles. I keep sawhorses and the chainsaw underneath which are easy to move.

[F5 Dave]

. . .and the compressor of course

[clint640]

Yeah? I like space under the bench especially for awkward shapes which have to fit in the vice at odd angles. I keep sawhorses and the chainsaw underneath which are easy to move.

I find that the stuff I have stored under the main work area on the bench always gets covered in dust & crap so I reckon cupboards & drawers are the go there. Good point on leaving some clearance under the vice though.

Another good idea if you have the space is to have one solid built in section of bench with the vice on it, then another section at the same width & height that is a table on casters or skids that can be pulled out for jobs you need to get right around, sawing panels etc.

Yet another point to consider if building in a bench is to make sure you have hotpoints in the right places, & pipe some compressed air in to convenient locations.

Cheers
Clint

[Winston001]

An old vacuum cleaner is the bees knees for cleaning up dust, swarf, and those small screws you'll never be able to find anyway.

[clint640]

An old vacuum cleaner is the bees knees

Totally! Especially when you are using the same area for different stuff. Store the vac plugged in & within it's hose length of your vice & main work area. I actually got a cheap wet/dry shop vac that I occasionally use in the shack as well, but it lives in the shed.

Cheers
Clint

[spanner spinner]

I have set up a few workshops for myself and friends, a plywood top (7 ply or greater at least 15mm thick)is the best option I have come across BUT I allways paint them with concrete floor paint as it's hard wearing and it's easy to clean up liquid spills. If you can weld go talk to your local bike shop as some bikes come supplied in sturdy metal crates which are easly cut down into a frame that can be bolted to the floor. Don't forget to put in some decent lighting above the bench as working in your own shadow loses it's charm real fast.

[geoffm]

I have several benches. One is a woodwork bench on lockable castors. The main work bench is a welded steel one with a painted 30mm MDF top and cupboards underneath. It must weigh a couple of hundred kg but never moves
The welding bench in the forge is welded steel with a steel top, and I have a portable on as well at home.
Mount the compressor out of the way (outside under cover, or in the rafters) and have a pull out air hose. Very handy, and getting the compressor out of the way reduces noise, and saves space.

Make racking (or look for cheap pallet racking) to make the most of your storage space.

A useful thing is a piece of box section bolted or set into the floor as a socket. You can use it for freestanding tools like tyre changes, vices and pipe benders that need to be fixed down, have access on all sides but you don't want their permanently.

Get a belt sander and horizontal bandsaw - very handy. Buy several cheap angle grinders - one for each wheel type (flap sander disk, grinder, cutting wheel)
If you want to use a welder, come and see me.

Geoff

[F5 Dave]

horizontal bandsaw, hmm, had to look it up, look great, but out of reach for most people I'm sure. I've coveted a couple of friends old style hacksaw machines, but they are huge & take forever.

[Pumba]

Right thought it was about time I got back to this thread.

Cheers for all the advice, since moving a month or so ago things have been coming together rather slowly, but I have got one bench up and in place (drill press is just temporary mounted)

Still a bit to do as far as the organisation goes but as you can see I have plenty of space to play in, I also have a very wide single garage which the room in the pics come off, as well as more space under the house which I have plans for.

Also good news, the house next door is under construction, which has meant an awesome supply of timber off cuts including large amounts of plywood: so I should have enough solid materials to build some more benches.

Also thrown in a photo of my bike work bench, just so you can see it,

[Pumba]

Photos under the house (like you a haven't seen something similar before)