Hmmm, don't have a bench to work off of? Taking too long to build that fancy one? Have you got a Sunday afternoon to just sit out on the patio? Maybe do a bit of Dumpster diving? That is what I did a long time ago...when I got tired of a 1 x 6 screwed down to a couple sawhorses.....
Local dumpster had an old waterbed frame...2 x 10s....there was parts from an old door....and a 2 x4 or two....I had already used one of the 2 x 10s to build a saw bench ( more on that, later) so the remains was used to make a bench for the shop....
( this may take a few episodes, hope nobody minds..)
Had a few pieces of scrap to go with the 2 x 10s...one 2x was cut right down the middle....used the saw bench for some of the work
Even used a plane to smooth off the saw marks..
(having to "resize" all of these pitures is a PITA)
Set up a Ladder Bench and a few tools..
Tool box? Ok, that Ladder bench..
6' step ladder. I can finger clamp a board at a height I can work with. One 2 x 10 for the top of the bench being built..I can work off both ends, and lay other parts on it, as needed..
(This build started at 11:00 in the morning, bench was down in the shop by 8:00 pm, BTW)
Well that is a start...stay tuned
Ok, Once all the parts were together, I took a plane to level the top...
It was sitting a tad low....added some foot pads. I used a 1 x 6 between the feet, and added a square cutoff from the from apron.
Another view. Finally the square showed the top was flat..
Put the tools away, Grandson and I flipped the bench onto it's top, slid it down to the shop...
Awaiting installations of a couple vises, and a crochet.
That was about 4-5 years ago...today?
It has an end vise, with dog holes, a leg vise that uses a pipe clamp to clamp a Sycamore chop, and that Oak "hook" at the far end, called a crochet. One of the few, rare times you will see such an empty bench...
Cost? Basic bench was just that over-priced box of screws ($7? ) the Leg vise was free, the end vise was $10 at a flea market stall. The crochet needed a couple lag screws, Oak was from the scrap bin
So..IF you have a spare sunny afternoon.....You could be doing bench work in the shop right after supper
Now, does anyone want to hear about the saw bench build, since it took place the weekend before this bench. It involved a "Saw Tub"
(10-19-2017, 07:40 PM)bandit571 Wrote: Now, does anyone want to hear about the saw bench build, since it took place the weekend before this bench. It involved a "Saw Tub"
About that saw bench build....
The 2 x 10s from the Dumpster dive. I needed a way to cut then down to length...so, a saw tub was used..
Just a big plastic tub. Cut a piece to length. , Needed a "bench" to be able to work on things...
This was left over from the cut. A 6' stepladder was used. I placed the cut-off at a decent height to work at, finger clamped it into place.
From there, I could clamp things to the slab...
I needed angled notches to house the legs in.
Once the notches were done, I could set up to cut a store bought 2 x 4 x8' down to legs...
I used that bevel gauge to mark out the angles. They were supposed to match the angled notches in the slab
Ok, legs were cut to length, and drilled for screws....
Added a brace on this end, this was the easy one. Brace on the other end was on the inside of the legs...needed a way to attach it
easy enough, just stand it up, and clamp it there. Set the completed bench on the patio, and used a plane of two..
Leveled the top, and flushed up the tops of the legs to the top. The reason for the brace being on the inside, on one end?
There is a notch on that end. I didn't want a saw to cut the brace.
Not enough room IN the shop to have the saw bench sitting down there. It has been sitting on the patio ever since it has been built.
Have had a recycle bin sitting on it, have broken down plywood sheets so I could get them to the shop, and even used it as a mitre saw stand
Hey, why stand, when you can sit down?
Cost was for a 2 x 4 x 8', and a few 3" screws. And..an afternoon on a sunny patio. Saw dust could then just blow out into the grass
Braces were just some 1 x 4 scraps. Not too bad a project?
Thanks for the post, an excellent way to show a build using what you've got - a build of scraps and re-purposed lumber mostly. There are a lot of us here that made quick'n dirty benches from scraps and a little bit of hardware. We just don't talk about'em much. Your post may encourage a few of us to go back and show what has become of our ugly benches so far.
Agree with Skip. A work bench is for working on. Treat it like a dining table, and it's a dining table, not a workbench. Your bench is one of those European pieces. They have little more than a foot width, if that, of work surface. I still have some decent 2x10s from a failed bench that your design (both) can fit into.
There are always trade offs. I really want solid, dead weight for a working surface. However, that means a fixed (permanent) working location, and I don't enjoy being stuck in one spot. Strange habit, but it fits my carpentry mentality.
Super concept, super efficient, and definitely useful. All that "good" means great design.
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) the Leg vise was free, the end vise was $10 at a flea market stall. The crochet needed a couple lag screws, Oak was from the scrap bin 
