I made a extremely stable workbench through the use of a metal device chest as the muse. This was a lot simpler than constructing a standard base with a shopmade cupboard. The device chest is the Husky model from Residence Depot, however there are many related fashions available on the market. Mine got here with casters, a wooden prime, and a multiple-plug outlet on one facet, which could be very helpful.
To make the workbench stable and secure, I eliminated the wheels on the device chest and screwed on a wooden base, constructed from framing lumber. Eradicating the wheels additionally let me add open shelving on one facet, which is accessible from the back and front of the bench.
I made the benchtop by gluing collectively two sheets of 1-in.-thick MDF, with panels of 1⁄2-in. MDF screwed onto the highest as a sacrificial prime layer, separated by helpful T-tracks. However you possibly can add any kind of prime you want, and no matter vises you want additionally. To connect the highest securely, I screwed a wooden body onto the surface fringe of the device cupboard, after which drove screws up by means of that.
Regulate the size of the wooden components to fit your metal device cupboard and your required benchtop peak. You too can paint the wooden components of the bottom to match the device cupboard.
The completed workbench is stable, secure, and useful, with greater than sufficient storage for hand instruments, bench equipment, and extra. It was very straightforward to make, and price me $750 whole, together with the metal cupboard, vises, and wooden components.
—THOM LIPICZKY, West Stockbridge, Mass.
Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Nice Woodworking difficulty #309
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