Has anyone built The Rob Cosman workbench? What top material did you end up using? Did you follow it to the letter or make mods?

Hey all, I'm making a 93" x 26" workbench in my basement that's built into some existing framework and load-bearing 4x4 uprights and plan to use it for light-duty work. Things like 1:10 scale RC car repair, children's toy repair, small woodworking projects, nothing crazy. I have my garage for that stuff. I am currently looking at TotalBoat epoxy resin as a worktop surface and adding a plain white dye to get a bright, white surface. I am hoping to gain as much light on my bench as possible, along with making lost RC car screws much easier to find. How does epoxy resin hold up as a work surface to impacts and scratches? Are there better ways to finish a wood surface to be a bright white? The worktop is made out of just a 3/4" plywood surface with 2x6 and about 14 L-brackets as supports to the framework and 4x4 beams.

Hello!

I just moved into a house that finally has a small garage, which I'm excited for because I've never had proper "workshop space" before. To complete the space, though, I'll need a workbench and a proper storage solution(s) for tools, screws, wires, and other sundries.

I'd like to get up and running quickly, because I already have a few random projects in my queue, so I was contemplating just getting one of those "Husky" benches (or comparable) with compatible storage from Home Depot or whatever. This kinda thing: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-6-ft-Adjustable-Height-Solid-Wood-Top-Workbench

I'm also a lifelong apartment-dweller up to this point and a total noob when it comes to DIY'ing, so I don't think I need anything too specialized... just a good, solid surface and some drawers and/or cabinets should do the trick. Craziest tool I plan to use at this point is an arbor press for performing bearing swaps on electric hub motors.

But, on the other hand, I do want to be able to grow into it a little as I start to pick up more homeowner-type projects, and I want it to be sturdy (maybe something with adjustable feet... I'm not totally confident my garage's slab is perfectly level).

So, just wanted to check with the experts here to see if there were any brands/models/styles that worked particularly well for anyone, or any to avoid... tips and pitfalls... that sort of thing. Thanks in advance!!

Use will be a mix of mechanical, electrical, woodwork, ect. Just general tinkering with randomness.

For the past decade, I've grown used to a salvaged new(miscut) solid core fire door as my workbench top. Due to a roof leak, I'm currently rebuilding and expanding the shed it's in, and now need a suitable replacement workbench top for both that bench and another((1) 8'x27", and the other 8'x18" deep, although that may taper out to ~27", needs to clear toolbox drawers). My source of solid core doors has dried up, so that's not an option.

I'm thinking making up a couple slabs out of 2x3 pine, but as it's not really a climate controlled space, I doubt it will remain flat for long.

Update: due to cost and repairability; I've decided to go with 2x8 SYP construction lumber laid flat, over a 2x4 frame with crossbars every 12"OC. Got the first one put together today, and even over an 7'6" span, it was solid as I then used it, well piled with tools, to pound out nails from the shelving boards I'd demolished and tossed aside to make room for half of it.

Got these cabs from a homeowner that we did a remodel for. The top was a refrigerator panel that had some flaws. Made some plywood boxes to fill the empty space between studs. Added the peg board yesterday. Now I just need hangers and I'll be happy with it. I feel really good about it.

Hello all,

I'm in the planning stages of making a workbench for my dad. He's going to be starting into working on rocks (like cutting open and polishing geodes and stuff), and he's wanting a work surface that will hold up to sliding around rocks on it. He's not wanting a steel surface, as that could damage the rocks themselves. He's getting a fairly sizeable rock saw (capacity of 10-12in diameter rocks, iirc), so he could be dealing with some relatively heavy rocks on it.

Is there a laminate or something that could stand up to the use of sliding rocks around on it?

Thank you

Hi there!

In our late 80's house the owner was a wood worker and had quite a big workbench.

I finally took the time to clean it up and remove the treasure trash.

I'm in the process of tidying up and will do sealed wall storage (I'm tired of having dust everywhere) for cutters, pens and stuff like that.

In the cleaning process, I am wondering what to do with the workbench top: there is a particular spot in quite a bad shape. The rest is in good condition (and really is sturdy).

I was wondering what is the best option: is it possible to repair the hole or should I just replace the top alltogether.

I was thinking about wood filler+sanding+varnish.

Size is about 236cm*73cm

Thank you for the help!

In situ

The damage

Hi! I'm currently building up a soldering workbench for a makerspace and I'm converting a butcher block ULINE table.

I've been looking at this upright kit from Global Industrial: https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/60-w-riser-kit?referer=L2Mvd29yay1iZW5jaGVzL2JlbmNoX3RvcHNfYWNjZXNzb3JpZXMvd29ya2JlbmNoX3VwcmlnaHRz&prindex=3&pgkey=27255

Does anyone have any experience with this kit or have any other kit suggestions? I'm mostly worried about the weight this can handle because I'm hoping to put an oscilloscope and power supply on the shelves. Thanks!

Looking to install pop up dogholes in the bench im building. Benchtop is ~5" thick. Any brands ppl here have had satisfaction using. Or any style to steer clear of?

It’s absolutely nothing special, but I really needed a larger workbench, bought a bunch of 2x4s, 2x8s, and some screws and went to town. Dimensions are 48”x72”x37.5”. I was going to go 96” long, but decided to trim it at the last second. I wanted to be able to fit one more 3D printer in the future.

The subwoofer isn’t connected, and isn’t staying there. I just needed it off the floor and out of the way.

I think I’d like to add two drawers eventually, but the hard part is out of the way.

Like I said, it’s nothing special, and I probably made some weird choices and did a bunch of stuff wrong, but it’s sturdy, it serves its purpose, and I’m damn proud of it!

I understand that making a workbench with a removable top is not ideal and could impact the stability of the overall build. However, I know that I will be moving halfway across the country 1 year from now so it's important to me that I can remove the top, at least for now. After moving, I will find a more permanent solution.

This is my first time building a bench and what I've been working on for the last few months is an extremely flimsy wire shelving system with a 3/4 inch piece of reclaimed oak on top so my frame of reference is low and anything sturdier is sufficient for now. I'm not a professional woodworker, so it doesn't need to be perfect. I'm aware of wood movement and how it will impact this table over time; I selected pieces of wood and overall structure with this in mind. This table only needs to last a few years until I pull the trigger on building something larger out of hardwood.

In the meantime, I'm looking for advice on how I best secure the top of my bench to the frame so that it is sturdy enough to work on for the coming year but still can be separated "somewhat easily". I only plan on taking it apart once.

I have already purchased the wood I'll be be using; the top will be spruce 2x6s ripped lengthwise, and then glued on end to produce a roughly 2.75" thick top. The frame will be made from 2x4s doubled up with bottom and top cross posts, as well as, diagonal bracing for added rigidity. Most of the joints will be half laps.

For securing the top to the frame I've looked at a couple of different options, but would appreciate feedback. Here are three ideas I've explored.

I've considered threaded inserts in the bottom of the bench top holding large hex bolts through the upper cross beams. I would probably use 4 that are 1/2 inch. I'm not sure how well the threads themselves will stay in the wood over time. Does anyone here have experience with this or know if this would be strong enough?

I've also considered attaching a line of 2x4 to the underside of the bench top, exactly long the inner edge of the upper cross posts; this should prevent it from sliding side to side in any direction. I'm less concerned about upward pressure because the top should be heavy enough to hold it down. Alternatively, I could use a combination of this and the bolts to hold it more secure.

My final thought was to use unglued half laps from the posts through the outer edge of the bench top. My only concern is that wood movement might make it too tight to easily disassemble.

I'm open to other possibilities and ideas. I'm also open to a combination of the ideas above.

Thanks in advance.

Edit:

Thanks for the responses guys! I feel more confident about my initial plan now. I'm starting the build later tonight.

Hi all,

I'm looking to build a workbench top for my art studio, and I would really appreciate some suggestions on the type of wood and thickness you would recommend for this project. The top will measure 60"x100" and will fold in half with hinges for easy storage. The hinges will most likely be on the top side (not sunken), since they won’t interfere with my work.

The wood will lay on top of my glass table and needs to extend 10" past the table's width on each side and 18" on each side of the length without flexing. It needs to be sturdy enough to hold up to about 100 lbs (with most of the weight over the glass table), but it’s not something I’ll be using often—just for occasional projects—so I’m not trying to make something that will last forever. 

Any suggestions on what kind of wood and thickness would be best for this? Thank you!

So I'm almost finished with my anarchists top. It is going to be 4 7/8 of an inch thick, I could not get it to be 5 inches thick because it needed a little bit of extra planing but it will be very flat. I want to put a tail vise across The entire tail and I am concerned about racking and I am wondering if the Sjoberg tail vise recommended by Rob Cosman is going to be the best option. It seems to mount underneath the table without having to carve anything out, and I would use the tail of the top as the inner jaw. But the outer jaw is going to have to be almost 5 inches tall. Is that gonna be a problem clamping something down if the clamping force is 5 inches away from the top of the vice? It seems almost every other tail vice requires holes to be drilled through the wooden jaw, which would make the problem even worse or require me to carve out a huge chunk of the under surface of the bench top.

https://preview.redd.it/54hhxpp0mawd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2fdc934846c073a3ae9512cba874000cb39bf4a

https://preview.redd.it/svg73qp0mawd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74110f7a35344891c8f330f5a9a9d88d0608a659

https://preview.redd.it/5qevvsp0mawd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bb65e0cae93e7c08254f699a47870416dcd63af

Hi everyone! I feel incredibly lucky to have inherited two of these beauties. They belonged to my great-grandfather, and I believe they are around 70-100 years old. I plan to use one for my regular woodworking, but I want the other to be the centerpiece of my new living room. That said, I'm honestly a bit nervous about tackling the restoration. I'm afraid of ruining the history it carries, but right now it's too rough to sit inside a house as is. Initially, I thought about just cleaning off the dust and placing a glass slab on top to make it easier to maintain, but the more I think about it, the less I like that approach. How would you go about restoring it?

I asked sometime ago for potential measurement for height and depth of a garage workbench. I think all of you. Now I got the Rigid 12" Dual Bevel Sliding Miter Saw, first time having one.

Now what size of the table top should be for this saw?

It is close to 48" depth for the entire slider to move front to back. But all the pictures and drawings I have seen, show the base of the table to stop right at the base of the saw and not include the full depth of the slider. Why?

Why would you want the entire saw within the table?

https://preview.redd.it/pj8ycxwuq4wd1.jpg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72223804ba9c28a5241cd17a1c2ef6b9a86ef78a

Just a start. At the far end near where the Miter saw is, is another 7'. I plan on positioning that saw into the table close to the end of this table, leaving about 4' from the saw to the wall. I will have 11' from this existing table to the saw.

The wall will have french cleats to hang anything and everything I can. My garage is so cluttered I need shelving and wall so arrange things so that is the long range plan.

It has served me well for 40 some years.

Hi all, building a workbench for myself, the majority of my work is woodworking. My bench top is 3’x4’, I am torn on if I should do just t-track or dog holes or both! I curious what you all think is best and where you would place them on the bench top?

Thanks!

I'm in the early stages of designing a workbench in my garage. The bench below is one of my current inspiration pics. I've decided that a corner workbench would work well in the space I have. Any further design suggestions from the collective would be appreciated. Either side of the bench will be 8' long, maybe 22" - 24" deep. I haven't decided on height yet. The bench will be used for random household projects, pinewood derby car builds with the kiddo...that sort of thing, gluing and sanding this or that. I occasionally work on vintage Japanese motorbikes, so small four cylinder engine work, carb rebuilds, etc. I like the idea of having the option to sit at the bench, so incorporating recessed shelving underneath, or building the bench out to reflect that option is something I'm considering.

https://preview.redd.it/16vrajqrubwd1.jpg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bdcd619ffbe5a1b9838143374b3d56e4f0f78455