19 replies to this topic

[mike.]

We've just got a nice new shed at home which im in the process of sorting out. 

 

Its pretty big, 14' x 8' and i've got some steel racking off ebay for storage. 

 

So now i'm just building a workbench for it. I'm on a budget which is whats killing me really. I'm also a complete novice with wood, this is the first woodwork i've ever attempted. 

 

I've built most of the frame with about £30 worth of 3" x 2" scant timber, i've used 3" screws throughout, small L brackets to help keep it all square and got it screwed into the floor and uprights of the shed. I'm pretty happy with the frame, it can take my weight ok and theres no movement or creaking anywhere on it when you try and shake it. 

 

What i'm struggling with is what to use as a worktop. 

 

I've found kitchen laminate mate a pretty good work top and its great that its wipe clean when you cleaning up greasy old parts or get some oil on it. However, the bench is going to be an 'L' shape bench with around 3.5 metres of worksurface on it. Kitchen worktops generally come in 3m lengths and its around £40. 

 

Is there anything else I can use? I was thinking some 3/4" plywood, but by the time i've bought enough wood, sanded it and varnished it it will probably cost more than a kitchen top. 

 

I've tried looking for worktop offcuts at Wickes and B&Q but they're generally not more than 1 metre long and I don't fancy having a workbench made of strapped together bits

 

I may sound like a cheapskate here, but this shed has had about £1400 put into it so far, so money is tight now! 

 

 

[danie garry]

what i did was use scaffold planks, they've taken plenty of abuse!

[Stu1961]

Just done the same job myself but not on your scale. Mine is 1220mm x 640mm. I can get most parts/assembly's on it with the exception of sub frames, the top is made from two pieces of 19mm ply screwed and glued together, I plan on overlaying this with a piece of 4mm steel of the same size or very slightly bigger only by a couple of mm I think this may help to protect the edges. Said top is extremely strong and would certainly take the weight of the whole engine/box with ease, if not the whole car. I also have a Record No3 vice on it which is very solid. 

 

Your idea of using kitchen worktop is ok but eventually you will go through it and once that happens the material inside which is basically chipboard will start to be affected especially by any damp which may be prevalent in your shed or from liquids used by you. The other problem with the worktop surface is getting chemicals on it especially any type of solvent. Just remember the only thing that is usually used on these surfaces are kitchen type cleaners. If you do use ply don't bother with the varnish you will destroy it within hours of first use simply by placing sharp metal objects on it, just cover it with steel of any thickness really I'm using 4mm so I can use it for hammering things on, yes I have a BFH the same as everyone else. The ply will probably be 50 times as strong as the worktop laminate.  

 

I was lucky with the wood used for the legs I got it from work they were chucking it in the skip its 150mm x 50mm all screwed and glued using 3 1/2" screws over 100 of them in all. I then painted the whole lot in garden furniture paint from Wilkinson's.  

Edited by Stu1961, 29 July 2013 - 12:07 AM.

[Merryck]

You can sometimes get offcuts of work surface from B&Q, you could buy some and glue it together?

 

Might be more work than it's worth though!

[Tamworthbay]

Mine is made out of roof joists, only needed one from our local timber yard, it cost about £12 (but that was a few years back) and they even cut it into lengths and planed it for me.

[mike.]

I'll look into it, 

 

I found this video which is pretty interesting:

 

 

 

Could be a cheap way of making a bloody strong worktop!

[Tamworthbay]

How strong do you need it to be? I have had two engines on mine with no problems. That video does look good but you could be spending extra money, time and effort for no benefit. A 3/4 ply top with battons underneath would be strong enough for almost any job you could end up doing.

[Artful Dodger]

I built my engine on two trestles and two scaffolding board that are faairly old... Strong:D

[minisilverbullet]

I would (did) buy a an old table form a second hand /car boot and use the top

[Ethel]

Pretty much anything (knocked down pallets) will do if you surface it with something flat & hard - laminate flooring for example. There's permanently a skip outside a builder's lock up near me that he pays to have emptied - more than happy if someone creates some space in it. One of our local schools seems to be on a never ending cycle of building & refits too.

[mike.]

I have no doubt that a 3/4" piece of ply would be strong enough for my needs. The most punishment the bench will get is probably knocking knocking bearings in and out in the vice.

 

The only issue I have with ply is how the edges may easily get chipped and how much of a state it'll be in after a few greasy/oiley parts have been on it.

 

My last bench was a kitchen worktop and it took the abuse and was easily wiped clean too. Its just expensive to buy, especially when it comes in 3m lengths and I need 3.5m. 

 

I need a 2 metre length and a 1.5 metre length - I've found a 1.5 metre offcut at my local timber merchants, so now just need to find a 2m length as well... May result is looking for an old used worktop from a skip or similar!

[alex-95]

Our workbench is ply (don't know how thick) But edged with timber, then varnished.

 

Could you not ask around for people that are redoing their kitchen and are getting rid of there old worktop?

[jmmini]

We used a wooden frame out of old decking laid 4mm mild steel over it, hammered the edges over so the steel couldn't move around then drilled though the steel and frame then used bolts a ny-lock nuts to keep it in place. It is all made from scrap but does its job

[acrowot]

theres a b and q near magnum panels that do  kitchen worktops for £10 end of line stock

[minimaxie]

The only issue I have with ply is how the edges may easily get chipped and how much of a state it'll be in after a few greasy/oiley parts have been on it.

Could you not get some thin (like 2-3mm thick) off-cuts of Alluminium? You could bend the Allu to the shape of the edge of the ply. Then either attach the Allu with some strong glue (like Araldite) or Rivet the Allu to it. Would effectively act as a kickplate for the edge then, problem solved