I’m finally getting my garage sorted out (it’s only been 18 months) and because I want to try and do a lot more DIY, bike fettling and the like in there (as well as having a nice place to hide from my wife when she’s in a bad mood with me, I need to have some sort of solid bench in there.

My original plan was to get a section of kitchen worktop in there, right angle bracket it to the wall and get some legs to support the front of it, leaving me space below for storage and space above for a large section of plywood to screw to the wall and use as a base or shelves/organisers, etc.

This is still looking like a good option, but I’m worried about the stability of something like that when the wall I will be screwing things to is plasterboard (damn these modern houses!). There may be brick behind it, but I’m not sure I can check without drilling holes or taking a crowbar to things. Anyway, that got me thinking about freestanding desks (would cost about the same as a section of worktop), but I’d like opinions on what other people have used.

It really does need to be sturdy though, I’m planning on mounting a vice on it and also using it for reloading, so a press will be going on one end.

None of these things sound suitable to me. I’m in the same boat and have been perusing ebay for some time now. Good, solid workbenches keep coming up and can be had for a bargain price if you are prepared to go and collect (and have a van). I missed one a few miles away on Saturday that went for 35 quid. A big solid lump of wood with a vice attached. Quite annoyed about that but it was the wife’s fault.

your plan for worktop, brackets and legs will give you some desk height work space and some storage space underneath.

but you said you wanted a workbench.

depends on what you’re doing with the vice etc(*what does reloading mean – how much force)

imho – for bicycle stuff only you’ll very rarely need ‘real force’ (*ie 3 ft bar for leverage type scenario)- I used a 4ft kitchen top (braced (4×2 frame), 4 legs (4×2), bolted to a brick wall for 13 years (motorbikes and bikes) and no issue (vice was near one end – ie one of the legs)

*fair point about ebay/collect though

Yes, a workbench… Somewhere to work in the garage. To do soldering, saw things, hit things with hammer, put small things together on, take things apart on.

I’d considered a large proper-solid carpenter’s work bench, but I just don’t think I could fit one in there and still have space for bikes and other stuff in boxes. As it is, I’m going to have to come up with a novel way of storing the bikes so that I can get them out of the way.

I made mine using old fence posts for legs, 2×4 for cross members and topped with 18mm Ply. Have stripped bikes, cut wood, nailed things etc on them:

Bench #1 with base, sides and back by brf, on Flickr

Cats also approve:

Jeff and George test the new workbench by brf, on Flickr

Willard if your chester or wirral i can build you one.

That looks pretty much exactly what I want/need! Did you save the plans for it? How much were the bits?

Project, thanks for the offer. Sadly I’m down saaaath.

make a proper frame for your kitchen work top out of 50mm box and make sure you make a bit so the vice can bolt directly into metal and not just the workstop. you can bolt this to the wall and the floor then and abuse it as much as you like and it won’t fall over.

every man needs a proper vice mounted to a bulletproof bench.

Did you save the plans for it? How much were the bits?

Just made it up.

Load of photos in here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/sets/72157631470184020/

My starting point was some old 4″ fence posts. I bought the 2×4 regularised timber and 18mm Ply sheets from the local builder’s merchant. I used 9mm Ply for the sides and shelf. Other than that I just made them to fit the workshop.

Old fence posts to use as legs for benches by brf, on Flickr

Workbench with legs by brf, on Flickr

Workbench top by brf, on Flickr

Base for the Ply shelf by brf, on Flickr

Bench #2 by brf, on Flickr

Mine is similar to your first description. A length of work bench, batons on the wall, legs at the front. It works well. The worktop was £10 from ikea (its yellow and had a chip in it, has a few more now). I wouldn’t worry about fitting to plasterboard, it’s pretty strong and the baton spreads the load. If you really don’t want to then it would be simple to make a freestanding one from 4×2 with a worktop surface

If I was good enough at making things I’d make one like that, it’s ace.

Look around your area on ebay,Gumtree,Freecycle .

I picked up a lovely Emir beach work bench,it came apart for transport and was very solid when bolted back together.

some of these look good

Yep, I’ve seen benches like this one
http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_leaf.php?id=8935

For between 30 and 70 quid on ebay. You have to be patient though.

It doesn’t have to be bolted to the wall. You can use an old desk or something at each end with the kitchen worktop across the top. Added benefit of the drawers for tool storage underneath.

I made one similar to footflaps, got the plans too somewhere, let me see if I can find them and I’ll email them over. Cost about £20 if I recall.

yes found them, emailed.

Awesome! Thanks for those.

By the way, I found some photos of you starting and finishing that 110km ultramarathon in June. I’ll get them mailed over to you today.

Interested in building one of these as moving house in a couple of weeks.

wonkey donkey/willard, is there any chance you could email your plans to me (andrew_t_perryATtiscaliDOTco.uk). Would be much appreciated!

Done. Shoudl be with you in a jiffy.

bish

bosh

I just made mine up as i went along. Vice came from ebay for £7.50, just down the road.

Being a “mancave” defines that it must be massively overbuilt and any leftover timber is burnt in the caves woodburner (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frontier-Portable-Wood-Burning-Stove-Cooker-Heater-Camping-BBQ-Barbeque-/271110921046?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Camping_CookingSupplies_ET&hash=item3f1f785b56).

Not really a workbench, and you couldn’t bolt a vice to the top, but I’d love a couple of these in a large shed:

Sorry about the low-res pics, but they’re the best I could find. We have two of these at work, they’re type composing tables, oak frame, with a cast and machined iron top. Really, really chuffing heavy, but as a very solid surface for accurately marking up stuff on, as an engineers table, or for just belting the bejesus out of stuff on, very hard to beat.
Difficult things to find, now; most went for scrap, that top weighs lots!