Watched lots of videos of how to build these on Youtube (why do Americans all seem to have 4 car garages, every power tool imaginable and 5 acres…) anyway my plan is to build a fixed one in my garage around 1.5m long and .8m deep, with large drawer storage underneath for power tools.
Peter Willard doesn’t seem to show a fixed version and many of the other options look great but seem over complicated and need quite a lot of tools to build which without a workbench would be tricky….
Any suggestions for a good build of medium complexity, cost and features that I can plagiarise and would allow me to use a track saw etc…

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I’ve been using an mft top with a rail saw and other tools for years. I make bedroom and home office furniture mainly. All I use is a pair of Stanley sawhorses that have slots in the top for a couple of pieces of CLS timber and I rest the top on them. It makes me fully mobile with no sacrifice in quality. An 800mm bench against a wall will reduce the cutting width to about 600mm.
I chatted to Peter Millard and Ralph from Benchdogs at Makers Central last weekend about their preferences for rail hinges and fixed benches. It works for some but I can take my setup on site or use it outside when the weather is good.

Thanks BigJohn. Interestingly enough whilst looking at videos I saw a similar setup to what you describe and it gave me an idea (obvs not a new idea as there where a number of vids already on Youtube…) I dont have saw horses but I do have a B&D workbench (one of the older larger ones) which I can use to clamp a piece of 18mm ply (say .9mx.6m) as a larger temporary work surface which will be large enough to begin the build of my fixed workbench 🙂

Yes if you glue and dowel a piece of timber to the underside of a piece of board you can clamp it with the workmate jaws. Don’t use screws as you’ll blunt your blade when you hit them.

For a fixed bench, there are a ton of options.

I built my main work bench based on the idea of the ‘Ron Paulk’ bench (YouTube it) which uses a ‘torsion box’ structure, creating a really nice solid and flat top with under-top tool storage.

Here’s mine.

I cannot over-emphasise the awesomeness of being able to sling your tools under the work surface as you work. So good for keeping it clear.
It also provides a really handy edge for clamping stuff down.

I built my whole bench out of shuttering ply and made big drawers underneath.
It’s fantastic to be able to get to stuff quickly and put it away quickly.
It’s 1x2m

Thanks @BigJohn 🙂

@Kayak23 that is am impressive setup. I had planned on large drawers but thats a great tip to just be able to put tools immediately below off the work-surface, cheers

Lots of places to lose your pencil there 😀

Lots of places to lose your pencil there 😀

Goes behind me ear obvs… 😂

Lots of places to lose your pencil there 😀

Its not the pencil, it’s the sharpeners i always lose. Pencils I buy a big box(18) of the yellow/black Staedtler ones and cast therm about the shop. Couple here, couple there. few on the floor, on the shelf, by the sawbench. at the bandsaw.

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The MFT work benches look very good, especially with the parf system, takes all the faffing about setting up cuts to be exactly straight or right angles if you happen to own something like a track saw.

With the parf, if you have a tracksaw, you can cut down a standard length rail to suit. Especially handy if many of the things you are cross cutting at about the 2′ width.(or whatever)

Im having a faff about in my own workshop. Bought a couple of these steel workbenches that have drawers and cupboards in them(like the mechanic tool chest kind of things) But im also going to make a workbench like MTF for the parf system along one wall, similar to *Peter Millards. So I’ll be interested to hear how you get on.

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*He has a workbench along one wall, and has hinged a length of track so it folds down and he used to accurately cross cut(seen in his YT vids) Seems like a very good set up, for sure one to copy.

I’ve watched a few of this guy’s tool reviews, but he also has quite a nice bench. Looks similar to kayak’s.

Scott Brown here…

Yeah, Scott’s is the same idea but he made it to be portable.
Mine definitely isn’t! 😂

In one of his newer videos he’s made an mft top with it too.

That second layer for putting tools in is a handy idea

I love my workbench. Properly heavy duty one with a stainless steel top but in the middle of a project it’s often laden with tools.

I also have a bora centipede with a bora mdf style top which gets used for certain projects. I varnished the mdf because I had a few slightly damp bits of wood and you could see it make the mdf damp overnight.

@kayak23 cracking bench, may have to measure up how much space I have, if I make one of these to replace my very old school (literally) carpentry workbench, as I can get where you’re coming from with storing the tools right underneath where you’re working.

I’m always moving the tools out of the way, I’m not even sure how it happens, either they are in the way, or I put them out of the way and can’t find them!

Got any pointers re the table, I see yours doesn’t have the obligatory dot matrix board on the top ?