So, as I mentioned, I received quite a few power tools for Christmas. And my first order of business was to put them to use in building something where I could work on stuff – a workbench. For one, there wasn’t nearly enough tool storage and work areas in the basement, and two.. well, I needed a project. And a place to complete future projects. So I built one. Not as difficult as I’d thought – but then again, the last time I built anything with wood, was a spice rack; and I couldn’t tell you when the last time was I built anything significant (I’m not sure I ever really did). So I was quite pleased with the end result. Details below, if you care to read them.
I started by putting up the shelves, so I had a place to put all the stuff that had collected on the cinderblock shelves that were there. Once that was done, the cinderblocks and boards went away, and it was time to start on the bench itself. A base of 4x4s (pressure treated) went down, and the legs and base shelf on top of it. Then the cross braces, second shelf, a few more blocks and the surface went on. The top is 3/16″ hardboard – same basic material the pegboard is made from. It makes a nice smooth surface that is still somewhat forgiving, though it’s essentially heavy duty cardboard. The benefit is that I can always remove the top and replace it with something else later on. Bench is bolted to the wall as well, so it’s not going anywhere while I work on projects (since a vise will eventually go on the front right corner).
Project took less than a week, with a few days in there where I didn’t do anything with it. Picked up all the supplies from Lowes, and even rented one of their trucks to bring it home (didn’t want to try to fit three 4’x8′ sheets of plywood in the Sport Trac). And I think the total cost was around $220, though some of that can be offset by the fact that I had a couple boxes of screws of various sizes left over, and a boat load of angle brackets that I decided not to use at the last minute (the latter will probably be returned soon, and the money used for electrical supplies). Next step is to electrify the bench, with a few outlets on the front and some on the back wall as well for plugging in power tools/chargers/whatever while I’m working.