As an enthusiastic DIY’er and maker, I spend a lot of time in my shop. When I moved into this home, this was the opportunity to get things dialed in. I have a lot more space too, with 900 sq ft to work with. It was time to mothball my 20 year old wood frame workbenches and weld up some steel frame ones.
One of the major requirements for this first bench is to house a couple of drawer cabinets. Having them under the bench allows immediate access to the most common tools, and the loaded weight makes the bench solid and stable. I’ve been quite happy with the HF US General series, and at 175 lbs each, unloaded, they provide the weight needed. This bench will have a butcher block top and can serve as a “beater” bench when pounding is needed.
In order to keep the worktop surface height reasonable, I used 1.5″ angle iron to support the cabinets.
The cabinets slide in on the rails. The rails are high enough above the floor so that one can vacuum underneath.
Another requirement is I wanted a way to solidly mount my various vises, with the ability to remove and switch them out. I decided on an approach that uses 1.5″ square tubing to serve as a receiver mount, mounted under the bench. Attachments would be mounted to 1.25″ square tubing and telescope in, and can be secured with a 1/4″ pin or any of the four bolts.
Now I can remove the standard vise and quickly swap in a barrel vise. Plans for other attachments include a peninsula table top for extra workspace, and a bicycle vise.
The design includes a tool hanger on the side to hang longer items nearby, such as clamps.
And with a steel frame, various magnetic mounted can be used for holding tape, paper towels, etc. For tape, I just removed the hook from standard magnetic hook mounts, and inserted a 3 mm bolt.
Having electrical outlets available is a must. This bench has a plug strip mounted on the end.
I’ll cover the construction in a separate post.