Workbench Project... Done!

Finally, it's done! While it is far from perfect, it really helped me hone my skills with my Ryobi circular saw, the jig saw, and impact driver. Tools are fun! 

I think the top may need another sheet on top--something thin--to make it a smooth surface. There is a slight bow on the edges of the MDF pieces. If I were to do it again, I would get one sheet... but jeez, that one sheet would be HEAVY!

Initially, I wanted to include my miter and table saws into the design, but I feel I would have lost a lot of the table top space I need. However, I found a rather cool idea on the Family Handyman site: Heavy-Duty shelf brackets to add various attachments. They called it "the Swiss Army Knife" of workbenches. While the workbench is technically complete, it does give me some ideas for a few additions!

(c) Family Handyman

Workbench Update

Nope. Still not done. In my defense, it's been pouring and getting out to the garage is a battle to stay dry, plus work has been busy, but mostly because I didn't feel like it.

However, I started briefly yesterday but quickly noticed the screws I've been using would not work for the wheels. So another trip to Home Depot was in order. 

As you can see, I successfully mounted the wheels... and they work REALLY well! Nice smooth ride! The locking mechanism on each works well, too. 

I did have one minor (read: "Holy Crap! This is bad!") moment. For the bottom shelf, I measured from the bottom when I attached it to the legs. Neglecting to remember that the legs might not all be exactly the same length. Before I applied the wheels, I noticed the leg lengths were 29.5", 29", 29" and 28". OOPS! I was not as careful as I thought. So I used my circular saw on three of the legs, bringing them all to 28". However, when I measured the lower portion of the bottom shelf to the footing, the measurements were: 3", 3", 3", 5.5". Yeah... 

Needless, to say, it looked seriously caddywompus. I pulled out my screws (good thing I didn't glue anything) and moved everything into proper place. 

Then I added the top, which I will use my trusty circular saw to look pretty... probably next weekend. 

I threw the bottom shelf boards down just to see what I'm dealing with... I've got to figure out how I'm going to measure and cut those to fit around the legs. I'm sure there's an easy way, but I'll be sure to implement the most convoluted and time-consuming method. 

I'm sure there are many of you out there reading this (okay, one, maybe?) thinking that I really need to measure better. I do. I wasn't exact on this project for a number of reasons. Mostly because I don't have a proper workbench to build anything... and the garage floor is seriously (and I mean seriously) not level. The previous owners rebuilt the garage but left the foundation slanted. While the roof is level, the flooring is not, so it kind of throws everything off. My "thinking" (using the term loosely) was that if I made a decent, but not perfect, workbench, I could then build decent projects from that. Yeah... looking back, not one of my best ideas. Learning process... 

And it continues... 

New Year... New Project

I decided I needed to work on some built-in shelving for the house. I need something for my office and then a much larger project for the den/family room. I've been planning in my head for months and I finally have written it down. Now, I just need to confirm with the measurements. I'm used of winging it on things, and you can't just wing it with building cabinets. Thankfully, there are tons of items on Pinterest to help. 

However, before I can start building cabinets and shelving units, I need a solid workbench. I have a smaller bench and a decent old desk that I've used for projects in the past, but I need a good sturdy workbench to really make it all come together.

I figured the long MLK weekend would be perfect and it would mostly be completed by Saturday, with final touch ups on Sunday. I found a million great workbench ideas on Pinterest, and while I didn't have exact measurements, I knew what I wanted.

Home Depot was great in that they cut up a bunch of lumber for me. The guy there was not that precise in his measuring and cutting. I had twelve 96" 2x4s that I wanted in three 32" lengths. I figured after the cutting, I would get two 32" lengths and one 31.5" lengths. They were all over the place. I ended up with 34 close to, but not exactly 32" boards and six 64" boards. I brought them home and prepared to start work in the garage.

And then I tried to get into my garage...

Talk about a disaster! I spent Saturday cleaning out my mess in the garage. A summer and winter of shoving stuff in there without caring left the place a mess. Then the winter wind and rains added a ton of leaves and some extra moisture to the mess. It took almost all of Saturday to get it ready for my build.

By the end, I laid out a few pieces of lumber on the ground, just to get a feel for what I was getting myself into. (And to make it look like I did something!)

Looks like I did something other than just stacking lumber on the floor, right?

I got my new Kreg Jig out and started drilling. Let me just say, that thing is freakin' amazing. Easy to use, great cuts, made for solid construction. I thought it would be good, but it exceeded my expectations! 

Kreg Super Cool jig!
(No compensation for praising their awesome product)

I finally got to use my Craftsman Workbench, which worked out fine. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but it held up and made the process a little easier. Let's just say it's a little rickety.

I also got to use my Dewalt clamps... the really long ones! The lumber wasn't quite as straight as I thought, so the clamp helped when I needed to bring a few pieces together so I could drill, baby, drill! Those worked out great. Definitely worth the money.

Clamp and L'il Workbench working together...

This is as far as I got today. I'm trying to decide if I want to incorporate my table saw and miter saw into the table. Once that decision is made, then I can add the top and bottom boards for work and storage, respectively.  I also need to buy some wheels so I can move it about easier. 

My garage floor is not level, so I need to find a level spot in my backyard to make sure it is level before I put on wheels. I may do a built-in along one of the walls, which will also double as a bar for the back deck. That's all part of my future projects.

I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. It's solid--and will be even more so once I get the top mounted as well as the bottom shelf. 

I promise more pictures when it gets finished.