Top products from r/Workbenches

Gorilla Racks (or equivalent) can be assembled into a workbench; if you purchase a couple of them, you can even get some extra flexibility with assembly and layout. Be sure to the kind with multiple holes, so you can vary the shelving height. Also buy some nuts and bolts to attach units side-by-side. One other thing you'll want to buy is something better for the top surface; use the shelving wood pieces that come with the shelves for the "base" (to align it with the shelving edges), but drill some holes in it and drill/glue a slightly larger piece of 3/4" plywood or something on top. Then polyurethane it to finish it up (alternatively, put a piece of thin steel or aluminum over the top and bend the edges down and screw or glue in place).

Another option if space is tight, and your needs are fairly "light duty" - get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/WM125-Workmate-350-Pound-Capacity-Portable/dp/B000077CQ0/

Then get a piece of 4' x 4' 3/4" plywood. Open the jaws of the bench up to their widest point and measure it; subtract a 1/2" or so. Cut a piece of plywood out to this width, then center and attach it to the remainder of the plywood with screws and glue. Once that is dry, clamp it into the workbench, then on each "jaw" draw a couple of the "circles" on each plywood side. Then find the center of those circles, and drill thru with a 1/4" drill to the other side. Then on the top side, use a spade bit (say 1" or slightly more) to "widen" up the hole, but only go thru about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way into the wood. Do this for all four holes. Polyurethane the top to finish it.

Get some bolts - flat hex head, or pan-head with phillips or similar - long enough to go thru the top you made, and thru the hole in the bench, plus a bit extra (about an inch); they should be about 1 3/4 to 2" long - 1/4 x 20 - get four of those, four washer to fit into the countersunk holes, four larger fender washers, and four 1/4 x 20 wingnuts.

Chuck the top into the workbench; tighten it up. Drop thru the holes a bolt with a washer, then on the other side, back each up with a fender washer and snug it down with a wingnut. And there you go.

This kind of bench is light duty (or you can get one of the "heavier duty" Workmates if your budget allows for it), but very versatile. For instance, you could make a variety of "tops" to mount tools on that can be chucked into place (or make a "universal" top for several smaller tools) - things like a miter saw, router table, small table saw, scroll saw, grinder, small drill press, etc. You could even potentially make an aluminum top for welding on (welding steel won't stick to the aluminum - or make a steel top if you want). Again, this is only light-duty stuff, but it's portable, lightweight, folds up, etc.

Be sure to pick up additional clamp dogs for the Workmate, and a "repair parts" assortment; these will be handy to keep the main workbench in shape. Also one other tip (kinda OT): If you ever needed to split a piece of transmission hose lengthwise, the Workmate bench has the answer! The jaws have a v-groove, so you can chuck a length of the hose in the groove, then use a box-cutter razor, guided along the edge of the jaw, to cut the tubing down the side in a very straight line. You can probably do this up to about 1" diameter tubing; anything larger would flex too much. I had to do this to custom make some u-bolt "padding" for use on a vehicle roof-rack to protect the cross bars.

If you needed something a bit more heavy duty than the Workmate, Harbor Freight sells a low-cost welding table, that you could make your own custom wood tops to bolt down onto the table (when you weren't welding on it, of course). The table folds up, but it doesn't have any vice-like jaw system, so keep that in mind. It's also much heavier than a Workmate, being made of heavier gauge steel.

Thanks very much. I'm pretty stoked to be able to put this together in the apartment. I realized early on, that despite being summer in Houston, I wasn't (totally) drenched in sweat while I worked. Pretty awesome being inside.

 

The drill guide is this one from Rockler. I ran into the same scattered reviews as you so was hesitant to pull the trigger. I've been mostly happy with this though. It took a little finagling to set it the right way, and to get used to the depth stop, but it's actually been pretty good for what it does. I haven't used it at any other angle than 90*, so I can't really speak to that.

I was disappointed to realize that I couldn't fit the 1" bit I used to drill the holes for the holdfasts. This guide has a 3/4" chuck, and the huge bit I was using needs a 1/2", but that's my fault for not checking.

The build quality is a little wobbly, but you can tighten most things up pretty easily. I will point out: Every bolt and nut on there has a purpose; if something seems wonkey, it is. Play with the tool without a drill attached, and see what everything does and how it works. You'll hopefully find that there's an adjustment that will do what you want.

 

Edit: Typo

Nice! I need this in my life... my shop isn't much more than a glorified walk in closet, so this would definitely save serious space.

Previously, I was considering buying this, but I like your project better.

I've used the little plastic organizers (like for tackle) with small plastic bags for a portable solution, but would definitely prefer a small drawer set (with the bags) for a more permanent solution.

Note: links are only for examples, not recommendations of products.

I also throw part of the hardware packaging in with the bags for labeling and always have a marker near the boxes for custom labeling if needed.

I'd add the Landis workbench book, and workshop book. A bit out of date, but great if your library has them. They have one or two luthier benches/shops.

They provide enough light but aren't super bright, I do have the option of putting another strip across (I only used half) to make it brighter but 1 should be enough. You can't beat the price: LEDs and Power Source . I originally was going to hold them up by zip ties, but the backing is sticky enough to stay on the wire shelf. I'm not sure how well it will stand up in the future but for now it's great.

I knew this bench would be sort of "baby". That is, I knew it would be just a benchtop (so common holdfasts are out), it would be cheaply and quickly made, and someday when my shop is not in my kitchen I would build a "real" bench.

I wanted some kind of hold-down clamps, but lacking the space below the deck, they'd have to attach somehow to the deck itself. At the time I was enamored with aluminum extrusion, especially its use in a knockdown turntable stand I was building.

As for the brand, I think I simply stumbled upon it through Amazon.

When I'm ready to invest in and build a bigger, heavier, less-flat-packable bench I want it to have Jorgensen vises & dogs: Jorgensen 41012 vise, Jorgensen 40709 vise, Jorgensen bench dog

I did search generic hook kits like this or this, but I would have to order internationally. That stuff is pretty much unknown here.

I use the Stanley 10 bin and 25 bin trays. They're also great for my loose Lego collection so I have a few spares and pull one for whenever I need one in the garage or in the house.

This isn't a perfect solution though. I had to build a rack in order to store all of these containers. Also, it is a 2 step process to get anything out: 1) remove the tray from the rack and 2) open the container to get what I need. I'm fine with this though because it is ultra portable and the 2 step method isn't too much of a hinderance. Also, this way the storage density is pretty high and I can keep a lot of stuff in a small space.

I mounted these above my workbench, they're super brightL

http://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Lights-Daylight-Lumens-Non-waterproof/dp/B00JQV6Q4I

and then you just need a power adapter:

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Adapter-Transformers-Supply-Strip/dp/B00DKSI0S8

I mounted them facing down, behind a piece of wood so i see the lights directly.

I have a power strip like this mounted to the back of the table top which I find very useful, but our needs may vary.

Yeah, sorry, I bought mine at a local small hardware store so I don't remember the brand. It looks almost exactly like this Stanley model though.

Gotcha - I just meant [these guys](Kreg PRS3040 Precision Router Table Insert Plate Levelers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VRML54/). You can use any plate and just cut out part of the tabletop vs getting a full setup. Works amazingly well with bearing bits like round overs or radii.

> It won't be especially hard to build 4 legs instead of two instead of the ledger, maybe something like this

Love Woodgears, hate his bench as it applies to woodworking. His workbench is "a table where machines live," not a workbench. Where do you clamp stuff to it?

Highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Workbenches-Design-Construction-Popular-Woodworking/dp/1558708405/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382939311&sr=1-1&keywords=schwarz+workbench

I guess I used the wrong terminology, I got this [dampener/stiffener](
https://www.amazon.com/Forrest-STIF05-5-Inch-Dampener-Stiffener/dp/B0000223VT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=table+saw+stabilizer&qid=1572310168&sr=8-3). For the fence I bought the plans from John Heisz and built my own, it's been awesome:
https://youtu.be/B0IHnxhSZsg

Would you mind posting a few pictures of how you did the legs? I have my top section, but stalled out. I also have a couple gramercy holdfasts, this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012XCCA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and this https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-large-front-vise?gclid=CjwKCAjw2cTmBRAVEiwA8YMgzUrHg_vrJ8InPWmbNdVrg9n7lkZsTZ260sqDdXlSAcRanx2tvES_2hoCRg8QAvD_BwE but no good plan on how I'm going to configure them.

My local maker space has roll up keyboards in the woodshop and metalshop and I've never seen them replaced. http://www.amazon.com/Adesso-Flexible-Full-Sized-Keyboard-AKB-230/dp/B000BHB5YW

This is the one I use https://smile.amazon.com/Freud-Double-Flute-Straight-12-194/dp/B00004T7CZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542225656&sr=8-1&keywords=freud+straight+router+bit+1+3%2F4

I got this one: WiFi USB Microscope, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QX3Z78Q?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It is a bit rough around the edges, but works.

I strongly prefer these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QWYF/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They have the removable bins that Adam Savage goes crazy over.