Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

Like a proud father, I feel the urge to show off my latest creation.

We recently moved to a new house which finally gave me the space to have an office/workshop. I have been working on a tiny little homemade bench the past few years and have been dreaming of a proper bench. Sadly the ready made ones I wanted are way out of my league.

My design goals were:

  1. Affordable
  2. versatile
  3. Free standing (i rent the house and cant drill bolts into the walls)
  4. Sturdy

I got the original inspiration from Dan Spitz. http://danspitz.com/for-sale/  

His concept is to make stunning workbench tops. You then supply the legs. However at £2,000 for the top, there was that budget thing again. I did however steal his idea (I don't actually know if he or someone else came up with it) of the routed groove along the edge. It has already proved to be a godsend in terms of catching small screws, and the odd tool. I decided to add a perspex screen on the back and down one side as I am notoriously rubbish at not flicking click springs etc across the room.

So, the basics.

Worktop: 40mm solid Beech kitchen work surface from Ebay 2000mm x 620mm - £85

Legs: Steel workbench legs from Machine Mart about £40 including shipping

Bench support: 2 L shaped steel struts from an old Victorian bed. £5.00 from a salvage yard, cleaned up with an angle grinder then polished.

Struts: 30mm square steel tubing from steel merchant £20.00

Danish oil for bare wood: £5.00 (four coats on either side)

£20 for bolts and screws.

So I made the whole thing for well under £200.

The top is extremely heavy and I haven't totally managed to eradicate minimal side movement and ideally I would bolt it to the wall but as I said I can't. Still it isn't going anywhere and I love it.

Of course you don't have to make it 2m long but I wanted somewhere for my lathe. I am building a perspex divider to protect the workbench from cuttings from the lathe.

Anyway, I hope it might give some of you some ideas.

IMG_8103.JPG

IMG_8109.JPG

IMG_8108.JPG

IMG_8106.JPG

IMG_8107.JPG

 

Edited by NickP
  • Like 9
Posted

Hi Nick

That looks really nice.... Natural light helps too. I see you have carpet...Hope youve got a big magnet....My daughter has left home (ah sad) but the upside is Ive moved my watchmaking gear in. Ive just finished my new bench too. it was an old pine desk purchased at auction for very little money. How can they justify £2000 for a top without legs? Here is a pic of mine.

Chris

 

IMG_20170213_203759_01.jpg

  • Like 1
Posted

Hi Chris,

That looks great. :)

I like the lighting you use. Yes carpet is a big issue. I do have a good magnet actually, but I was taught quite a clever technique of putting a stocking over a dyson hand held vacuum. Works pretty well too.

I need more drawer space too, which you seem to have plenty of.

  • Like 1
Posted

Hi Nick

You did mention side movement on your bench. When I built a workbench out of angle iron for my outside workshop I had the same problem. You need a couple of 'diagonals' perhaps at the back between the leg uprights and the top base. This would stop it trying to diamond out so to speak. 1/2 inch angle or box section would be ok and would eliminate the side movement you mention. Anyway you probably know all this.

Chris

 

Posted
8 minutes ago, chrisdt said:

Hi Nick

You did mention side movement on your bench. When I built a workbench out of angle iron for my outside workshop I had the same problem. You need a couple of 'diagonals' perhaps at the back between the leg uprights and the top base. This would stop it trying to diamond out so to speak. 1/2 inch angle or box section would be ok and would eliminate the side movement you mention. Anyway you probably know all this.

Chris

 

Thanks Chris,

So far it is very light, but need to see what happens when I start using the lathe. I shall certainly consider diagonals if I get a problem. Thanks again

Posted

That's a very nice bench indeed. You could stop any lateral movement with as @chrisdt says a full diagonal across the back but also a couple of knee braces would work one in either corner at the top about halfway down the leg at 45 degrees that should stop any movement.

 

  • Like 1
Posted

Great work, simplistic, yet very functional.  I've recently completed my workshop remodel, but won't post photos here as they are posted elsewhere in the forums.

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Very nice bench NickP AND room has a view! you could probably find some drawers that would fit between crossmembers and top. I especially like the clear Lucite wrap around parts catcher! :)

Dave

Posted
4 hours ago, WileyDave said:

Very nice bench NickP AND room has a view! you could probably find some drawers that would fit between crossmembers and top. I especially like the clear Lucite wrap around parts catcher! :)

Dave

Thanks for the kind words Dave. The parts catcher is essential for me. I have a bad habit of flicking things across the room :)

as for the drawers I am constantly on the lookout for how I can do that. I totally agree with you.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • it would be nice to have the exact model of the watch the or a picture so we can see exactly what you're talking about. this is because the definition of Swiss watch could be a variety of things and it be helpful if we could see exactly the watch your dealing with then in professional watch repair at least some professionals they do pre-cleaned watches. In other words the hands and dial come off and the entire movement assembled goes through a cleaning machine sometimes I think a shorter bath perhaps so everything is nice and clean for disassembly makes it easier to look for problems. Then other professionals don't like pre-cleaning because it basically obliterates the scene of the crime. Especially when dealing with vintage watches where you're looking for metal filings and problems that may visually go away with cleaning. Then usually super sticky lubrication isn't really a problem for disassembly and typically shouldn't be a problem on a pallet fork bridge because there shouldn't be any lubrication on the bridge at all as you typically do not oil the pallet fork pivots.  
    • A few things you should find out before you can mske a decision of what to do. As Richard said, what is the crown and all of the crown components made of . Then also the stem .  The crown looks to have a steel washer that retains a gasket. So be careful with what chemicals you use to dissolve any stem adhesives or the use of heat. You might swell or melt the gasket unless you are prepared to change that also . The steel washer maybe reactive to alum. Something I've just used to dissolve a broken screw from a plate. First drilled out the centre of the screw with a 0.5mm carbide . Dipped only the section that held the broken screw in Rustins rust remover. This is 40 % phosphoric acid. 3 days and the screw remains were completely dissolved, no trace of steel in the brass threads. A black puddle left in the solution.
    • I suppose this will add to the confusion I have a roller jewel assortment. It lists out American pocket watches for Elgin 18 size and even 16 size it's a 50. But not all the various companies used 50-50 does seem to be common one company had a 51 and the smallest is 43. American parts are always interesting? Francis Elgin for mainsprings will tell you the thickness of the spring other companies will not even though the spring for the same number could come in a variety of thicknesses. But if we actually had the model number of your watch we would find it probably makes a reference that the roller jewel came in different dimensions. So overlook the parts book we find that? So it appears to be 18 and 16 size would be the same sort of the arson different catalog numbers and as I said we don't have your Mongol know which Log number were supposed to be using. Variety of materials garnered her sapphire single or double but zero mention about diameters. Then in a section of rollers in this case rollers with jewels we do get this down in the notes section Roller specifications but of course zero reference to the jewel size. I was really hoping the roller jewel assortment would give us sizes it doesn't really. But it does show a picture of how one particular roller jewel gauge is used  
    • Seems to still do it through my mobile data, I use an android phone almost exclusively, but I'll double check it. Thanks mark Strange, I'll try my laptop that utilities edge. I've been on site half hour since I got home, it hasn't done it yet. Thanks John
    • At work, I'm on MS Edge, not through chose, on my phone, chrome, no issues with either. 
×
×
  • Create New...