Why Have One Workbench When You Can Have Two?

So the corner in the back of my garage is kind sad. I put up some pegboard and thought that meant I was organized. But the cruddy table I was using wasn't doing it and the new workbench I made (which I LOVE) was not the best place to build certain items because the garage itself is not level.*

I did not have plans, I decided to "wing it". An idea I do not recommend. I measured 20" from the floor so I could slide my shop vac under, but set the top of the bottom shelf at 20"... dumb. It wasn't until I was sweeping up tonight that I realized what I'd done. We really do learn from our mistakes!

It's been raining a lot lately and the wood was wet. I've had it drying in the garage for about four days, but it's still not dry. My circular saw did not like cutting through it. I made it work. The support posts were a bitch to cut, but I think they give it a very sturdy look. There are so many screws in that thing (I love overkill!).

My Kreg Jig worked flawlessly--I love that bad boy! And all my Ryobi tools were perfect!

The red carpeting is from my camping days.**  I used it to kneel on so I didn't destroy my knees any more than they already are.

It's level and that was my biggest concern. I did a little more work after these pictures, with the cross supports

The tops of the shelving go in tomorrow. The big problem will be cutting the wood around all the posts. Now that will involve some very careful planning...

*The structure is level, just the foundation sunk--I'm on a hill and the garage is at the bottom. When the house was remodeled, they also took care of the garage. I'd say it's about 70% new materials, with true walls and a level roof... it's the floor that's been a bother.

**More like glamping: The group I camped with had a full outdoor kitchen (with steam tables, and a butane powered oven), as well as a full bar! We used to feed over 100 guys breakfast and dinne! Since I needed power for my CPAP, I had an Aerobed and an electric blanket. I was also in a 10-man tent for just myself... I had a sitting area AND a dressing area near my sleeping area. We did camping right! 

Click HERE to see how it turned out!

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...