Do-it-yourself workbench for garage and home - this task is within our reach! How to make a carpentry workbench - diagrams and instructions Homemade workbenches for carpentry work.

Landscaping 26.06.2020
Landscaping

A locksmith's workbench is a work table with a wide range of purposes. It allows you to carry out locksmith, repair, electrical work, processing of various materials. A workbench should be in any home workshop. Craftsmen prefer to design it with their own hands in order to make it as convenient as possible for themselves.

  • nuts and screws;
  • file and hammer;
  • paint with a brush.

The device of a locksmith's workbench is a rigid metal base (made of corners or a square pipe). To decorate the countertop, it is better to use a 50mm beam. A steel plate up to 6 mm thick is stuffed on top of it. Use welding to hold all metal parts together, but bolts can also be screwed in.

Installation of the workbench frame and tabletop base

Before proceeding directly to the assembly, carefully look at the prepared drawing. Once again, make sure that the dimensions of the future workbench fit into the dimensions of the room where your locksmith tool will stand (garage, shed or workshop). The installation of the table begins with the creation of the frame:

  1. Cut 4 legs of the same size from the corner.
  2. Connect them at the top with horizontal bars of the same material. Use welding. The result should be a rectangle (top view) of the specified size.
  3. Additionally, make a line of stiffness, once again fastening the legs in the same way with horizontal jumpers about 15 cm from the floor.
  4. If you have a cabinet with drawers on the side under the workbench lid, then weld a couple of additional supports for it.

After that, you can start assembling the countertop:

  • make holes along the perimeter of the horizontal metal crossbars for bolted connections;
  • cut the boards to the length of the table;
  • lay them to each other without gaps and gaps, fix in this position;
  • make holes in the wood to line up with the holes in the corner.

Advice. On the upper side of the boards, the holes should be widened. The heads of the bolts will deepen into them so that the wooden surface of the tabletop remains flat.

The final stage of assembling the workbench

The table top will be ready after metal sheathing. To do this, simply cut a fragment of the required size from the prepared sheet and fix it on the wood base using self-tapping screws. Please note that after screwing them in, burrs may remain on the metal. They should simply be filed with a file.

If you have provided boxes or shelves in the design of the workbench, use the simple technology for their manufacture. Regular 15mm plywood is suitable as a material. The boxes are assembled with screws. One accounts for about 15-20 pieces. It is easier to attach the shelves to the corner, but for the boxes you will have to additionally buy guide strips - a slide. They are welded to the frame.

The same plywood can sheathe the sides of the table and make a screen on its back. For greater stability, craftsmen recommend attaching rectangles or pieces of a corner to the bottom of the supports. The welding machine will help in this matter. If necessary, screw the vice to the workbench. Finally, paint all steel structures with metal paint to prevent rust.

It is not very easy to make a workbench for metalwork, but it is quite possible if you approach the matter responsibly. But you will be convinced that not a single purchased table can compare in quality with a hand-assembled product.

How to make a workbench: video

Every craftsman needs a comfortable workplace to work with wood or for finishing manipulations. In order to do all the work as efficiently as possible, you can quickly build a high-quality and inexpensive workbench with your own hands to fit your needs.

The device and purpose of the carpentry workbench

The workbench is a stable, massive work table designed for processing various products using hand or power tools. The larger the size of such a table, the heavier and larger the details can be processed on it.

Typical workbench layout:

Having conceived to make a workbench with your own hands, it is necessary to study all possible table designs, their drawings, and only then decide on the choice.

    Simple stationary workbench it is not difficult to make, but it will be "tied" to a specific place. It can be used for processing massive wooden blanks and heavy boards.

    Mobile desktop has small dimensions (about 80x70 cm), weight about 30 kg and one vice. It is intended for working with medium-sized products and for minor repairs.

    Composite workbench connected with bolts, so it can be easily disassembled. However, making it with your own hands is quite difficult.

We draw up a workbench project

The workbench should be sized so that it is comfortable to work on.

Height the table directly depends on the growth of the owner, who should be comfortable standing to perform any operations. For an average person, the workbench can be from 70-90 cm high.

Lenght and width workbench depends on the area of ​​the room in which it will be installed. A table with a width of 80-100 cm and a length of at least two meters is very convenient.

Required mountings and table configuration should depend on which hand the master will work with, and what operations on the workbench he will perform.

Install workbench best by the window, but you will need additional lighting anyway. In addition, sockets must be provided near the workplace.

Collapsible table design can be reduced due to the small thickness of the material. In such a workbench, you can make folding legs or a twist-off table top.

DIY workbench. Blueprints. Video instruction

A stationary workbench can be installed not only indoors, but also in the yard of your own house or summer cottage.

Making the base

First of all, you should make the frame of their beams with your own hands and fasten it in such a way that the base is as rigid as possible.

Most often first, according to the drawing , grooves are made, and only then the whole structure is assembled. In this case, all joints are glued and fixed with clamps. If the workbench is collapsible, then all parts of the frame can be connected using metal corners.

To make the stationary structure even more reliable, several parts of the support frame can be fixed to the wall. You can increase the stability of the carpentry workbench with wedge-shaped inserts or diagonal lintels. They are screwed in between the top of the frame and the legs and are made of the same material as the base of the table.

We make a tabletop with various fixtures

Workbench cover size should be several centimeters larger than the base of the structure, then it will be convenient to work behind it.

  1. The boards are attached with metal corners to three bars, which are located on the back of the tabletop. In advance, grooves must be made for these bars.
  2. Then the boards are carefully adjusted to each other, sanded and covered with a protective solution. It is recommended to use drying oil or oil.

At the end of the countertop, a recess is made under vice... In this case, the vertical plate should form one plane with it. In addition, you will need a plywood gasket, which will need to be positioned at the bottom of the workbench.

The vice is applied to their location, and the place for the holes is marked. A vice is inserted into the finished recess and fastened with bolts and nuts to the table top so that their lips are flush with the surface of the table top.

Also, on the carpentry workbench, it is necessary to build stops that can be purchased or made by hand. It is not recommended to use round pins or bolts as stops, since the pins do not fix the parts well, and the bolt head can damage the workpiece.

Simple enough you can do tuning pegs or rectangular stops... With their help, it will be possible to securely fix parts of any size. Such stops are made of solid wood. They can be made simply rectangular, extended upwards or cut with a jigsaw and made with a "spring".

You can make holes under the pegs in the tabletop or build it up with bars of the required thickness, screw them to the edge of the table and close it on the other side with a bar. To fix any part, the sockets should be located at a distance of half from the vise stroke from each other.

The stationary workbench is ready, now you can work on it. However, if there is not enough space for installing the desktop, then a collapsible joiner's workbench can be made.

Do-it-yourself collapsible workbench - arrangement

The manufacturing procedure for such a table is similar to that described above. Its main difference is that it requires bolted connections.

The advantage of such a workbench is not only that during its operation it is easy to replace any parts... So, for example, each table looses over time, and it is much easier to simply tighten the mounting bolts on it than to strengthen it with new screws and nails.

Of course, building a workbench with your own hands is not an easy task. But with good work, you can end up with an excellent and comfortable workplace with various devices, for which work will bring joy.


Every self-respecting owner dreams of his workshop, so that there is a full set of tools or at least an arsenal of the simplest and most necessary, and most importantly, that there is an exemplary workplace. You can buy everything in the store. But you can also assemble a universal workbench with your own hands!

For a long time, the artisan people have sought to equip their workspace. The premises intended for one or another production, repair, craft, filled all kinds of drawers, shelves, shelves, and so on. Of course, wood initially served as the material for their manufacture, and could it be otherwise - it was both cheaper and more practical, and most importantly, there were no other options for a long time. That is why the first work tables, called over time workbenches, were also made of wood.

But as time went on, the very production of metal and products from it became simpler and cheaper. Therefore, the appearance of many tools and pieces of work furniture, which are subject to requirements for increased strength, reliability and durability, made of metal or with metal elements, was taken for granted.

Today it is already difficult to imagine a small workshop and large production not only without metal machines, all kinds of assembly and auxiliary units, but also without metal cabinets and shelves for tools, the same workbenches of various directions. Moreover, over time, metal furniture ceased to be only working, but rather confidently took its place in offices, hospitals, shopping centers, restaurants and even apartments. But this does not mean at all that the wooden predecessor has completely surrendered its positions, it just happened a clear distribution of responsibilities.

Over the years of its existence, work tables for artisans have been clearly divided into several types, depending on the type of activity of their owners, and have acquired their own specific features. For example, a carpenter's workbench, immediately informing the representative of what specialty it belongs to, pretends to be called one of the longest work tables. Its dimensions: length - 6 meters, width - 1 meter. Mostly this is a wooden workbench, and at the end it is equipped with a special stop with a triangular cutout for fixing the processed boards or blanks of any parts.

The workplace of another wood specialist, called a carpenter, is also made from wood. At a carpentry workbench, it is customary to distinguish between two parts: a pedestal and a lid - the so-called workbench. It is the latter that will create the workbench dimensions: length - not less than 1.2 m, but not more than 2 meters, width - up to 1 m, 70-80 cm is called optimal.The height of the workbench is about 80-90 cm, although this indicator, certainly individual, because the joinery versions with the possibility of adjusting the level of the table top are extremely convenient.

For the manufacture of joinery and lids, wood of different quality is used.: for the base, soft breeds, for example, pine, will come off, but for the working part - the countertop, which, to a certain extent, will have to bear full responsibility for the quality of the work, exceptionally hard breeds are needed: beech, oak, hornbeam. As you can probably guess, this is due to how different wood reacts to external influences, also with the use of force, and, accordingly, how durable the parts made from it will be.

Put your own desk and locksmith. As you might guess, it is called a locksmith's workbench and is mainly made of metal, or the upper plane of a wooden tabletop is upholstered with one and a half millimeter sheet iron. The more powerful the work is planned, the more powerful the countertop is needed. True, in some cases, plywood, sheet textolite or even linoleum becomes the top covering of the working area - this is for delicate or curved tasks. The dimensions of the locksmith desktop are almost the same as their predecessor.

Both carpentry and locksmith workbenches are equipped from the front and from the sides with a vice of the appropriate direction: for working with wood or metal. The first of them still has holes located in the front of the tabletop every 15 cm for attaching additional tools. Along the entire back there is a rectangular cavity for storing small tools. The second, locksmith's table has no such holes and depressions, but there are special sides on three sides: back and side. Also, the arrangement of pedestals and shelves for storing material and tools was adopted.

Modern work tables for workshops and industries, as well as for domestic use, are still made of wood and metal, depending on the direction of work. However, there are also universal versions that combine common features. In addition, today the choice of various modifications, differing in size, is extremely large, we are mainly talking about the length of the table top. Everyone can find the option they need.

Now, different models of workbenches differ in the ability to conveniently store small materials and tools immediately at the place of work, i.e. on shelves and in cabinets under, next to or above the worktop.

In this regard, there is a single-column workbench, a two- or even a non-column version. Many experts agree that at least one cabinet is needed, but what still does not hurt is a convenient stand for tools with shelves above the working part or on the side of it at arm's length. A freestanding cabinet for less frequently used tools can be farther away. If earlier the drawers could hardly move along the guides, had restrictions on loading and strove to tip over, now there is an anti-tipping system, bearings of 30 kg easily roll bearings along special runners.

An innovation of recent years is a mobile workbench. Its design is strong enough to withstand the forces when processing parts, however, it is lighter than that of a stationary brother, and powerful small-sized wheels with stoppers installed on each of the legs help to move. Paired with such a workbench, it is convenient to use the same mobile tool cabinet. Usually they are produced in the same height as the work tables, therefore, if necessary, they can be used as an extension of the table top.

As much as it is convenient to use purchased standard workbenches for large workshops and industries, it is often almost impossible to use them in outbuildings of summer cottages and household farms, houses and garages. The reason is trivial - lack of free space. This means that there is only one way out - a home-made workbench, which will be made according to its own dimensions. There are many descriptions and diagrams of how to build. This is not the easiest task, and therefore is suitable for use for its intended purpose in the workshop.

But a workbench for a house or for a garage must initially be made universal, so that you can not only do locksmithing behind it, but also post-solar if something happens. First of all, we need to weld a metal frame, which will serve as a powerful base for the future desktop. For this we use a metal corner, 50th or 52nd. Before cutting with a grinder, do not forget to carefully measure out the necessary parts using a construction tape or, which will be useful to us in order to set the ideal horizontal level of the tabletop.

By the way, about the working surface - it can be type-setting made of 5x5 cm wooden bars, or it can be adapted from a solid wooden door that has served its time. We will fasten it with bolts and nuts to the holes drilled in the frame. Let's repeat again: the main thing is not to miscalculate with the size.

Depending on the severity of the work that you have to face, you will decide whether to reinforce the countertop with a sheet of metal or not. You use the same approach in the matter of equipping the workbench with a vice: either large stationary ones, or small removable ones. Ideally, there should be two of them: from the front and from the side. At home, this will be more difficult to ensure, but if you place the garage workbench right at the entrance to the wall to the right or left, then it is quite possible.

You will also need to decide if you just use the shelf in the toolbox or equip the closing doors as well. But what you will definitely need is several sockets for connecting powerful modern power tools. Don't forget about your convenience - you need quality lighting for your workplace. Well, and for the success of any undertaking, be sure to stock up on a good mood, and go!

  1. Three mistakes
  2. About universal workbenches
  3. Work bench
  4. Workbench composition
  5. Bed: metal or wood?
  6. For carpentry
  7. Vise and joinery for locksmith
  8. Garage workbench
  9. Home station wagon
  10. Growing shift
  11. Workbenches at the dacha

The general principle of the development of material processing technology from prehistoric times to the present day is how to make parts on inaccurate equipment for more accurate parts. And it all began with a workbench, its prototypes are found during excavations of settlements of the Stone Age. It is quite possible to make a workbench with your own hands, and this will not only save a significant amount, but also simplify, facilitate the work and improve its result.

Three mistakes

Amateurs, at times, judging by their designs, are very experienced, knowledgeable and diligent, sometimes make themselves workbenches, on which, figuratively speaking, you can smash a tank with a sledgehammer. They take a lot of time and labor, and hardly less money than a good branded amateur workbench. Repetition in the design for own use of industrial prototypes, intended for intensive work in 3 shifts and a static load of more than a ton, with a service life of 20 years or more, is one of the typical mistakes in the development of workbenches of our own design.

The second is vibration neglect. Not a clearly felt "game" or "feedback", but a small tremor that significantly complicates the work and reduces its quality. Vibrations are especially strong in workbenches on a metal bed.

The third - repeat the carpentry or locksmith's workbenches; perhaps with some modifications to suit your hand. Meanwhile, there are many designs of workbenches for home / amateur work of a different nature. There are more or less specialized workbenches or, conversely, universal, temporary made of scrap materials, etc.

In this article, we will figure out how to make a workbench taking into account these errors, firstly, it is simpler and cheaper in accordance with the range of needs and / or hobbies of the craftsman. Secondly, how to make a general-purpose or universal workbench for special conditions of use - in a cramped garage, for carpentry at a construction site from improvised trash, home for fine precision work, for children.

About universal workbenches

Among the branded products, sometimes very expensive, you can find "universal" workbenches in the form of a carpentry with a lid without a tray, complete locksmith's vice on a wooden pillow, and a clamp for their installation, like the one in the photo:

Factory-made "universal" workbench

This is not just the wrong decision because the wood worktop deteriorates from joinery work. The main thing that is bad here is the technological liquids used in metal processing - oil, kerosene, etc. The wood impregnated with them becomes much more flammable. Self-ignition is also possible; remember, it is strictly forbidden to accumulate oily rags in production. The approach to designing a tabletop (board, lid) of a universal workbench needs a different one based on what kind of work it is mainly used for - fine or rough, see below.

Work bench

In the West, amateur / home workbenches with a type-setting tabletop framed by a rim are widespread. Drawings of such a "work bench" are shown in Fig. Under the locksmith, the lid is covered with a sheet of steel 1.5-2 mm thick and a vice is placed on the pillow.

The workbench-bench dampens vibrations well; you can make it from pine or spruce. But the design is complicated, with long materials and furniture it is inconvenient to work on such a workbench. Therefore, we will first see how to make the most common joinery workbench, then garage and locksmith's. Next, we will try to combine them into a universal workbench and see what on this basis we can come up with for special needs.

Workbench composition

A workbench of "our" type (conditionally, since it is impossible to establish its origin precisely) consists of:

  • Understand (in carpentry workbenches), or a bed (in locksmiths), which ensures the stability of the entire unit and the ergonomics of the workplace.
  • Covers, box-shaped or in the form of a tray, giving the work area the necessary rigidity.
  • Shelves; possibly with a tray, sockets, and stops on which working operations are performed.
  • The apron on which the tool is hung. The apron is not an obligatory accessory of the workbench, it can hang on the wall or be replaced by a cabinet, a rack, etc.

Note: workbench dimensions in height approx. 900 mm. The length and width are selected according to the place of installation and the type of work in the range of 1200-2500 and 350-1000 mm, respectively.

A lid with a shelf is most often performed at the same time, one-piece, and is simply called a lid, a workbench or a tabletop. To damp vibrations, the shelf is always made on the basis (bed, substrate) of wood. In a locksmith's workbench, the bed is covered with a steel sheet from 2 mm thick and can be made of softwood. Its overall strength is sufficient, and the steel tire protects the tree from local damage and the ingress of technical fluids. In a carpentry workbench, a bed made of high-quality (without knots, twists, and other defects) solid fine-grained wood (oak, beech, hornbeam, elm, walnut) serves simultaneously as a shelf; -layer construction, see below.

The traditional construction of the pedestal, on the contrary, is collapsible from the same wood as the carpenter's shelf. This comes from the master shabashniks of the past, who transported their equipment from customer to customer on a cart. It is from the bed / pedestal that you should start developing your workbench, no worse, but simpler than traditional ones.

Bed: metal or wood?

A stationary wooden workbench has advantages over that on a steel bed, not only in lower cost and labor intensity. First of all, wood is not plastic. A workbench on a wooden base can be broken, but if the wood is seasoned and impregnated, it will never bend. Secondly, the tree perfectly dampens vibrations. The foundations of your buildings are not reinforced, vibration-absorbing, like the shops at a factory? And the general strength and stability of the bed of a home workbench will be fully provided by coniferous commercial wood of ordinary quality.

The construction of the wooden frame of the workbench made of 120x40 boards is shown on the left in Fig. Permissible static load - 150 kgf; dynamic vertical downward for 1 s - 600 kgf. Corner posts (legs) are assembled on self-tapping screws 6x70 in a zigzag (snake) with an indent from the edge of 30 mm and a pitch of 100-120 mm. Fastening two-sided; snakes on both sides of the package are mirrored. Intermediate support beams are fastened with steel corners on self-tapping screws; edge - in pairs of self-tapping screws at the studs of the racks and, outside, with corners.

If there is a 150x50 or (180 ... 200) x60 timber available, the structure can be simplified, as shown in the center in fig. The bearing capacity will increase to 200/750 kgf. And from a bar of 150x150, 150x75 and (180 ... 200) x60, you can build a bed that can carry 450 kgf in statics and 1200 in dynamics, on the right in Fig.

Note: any of these beds are suitable for both carpentry and locksmith workbenches. A box-shaped lid is placed on it under the joinery (see below), and under the locksmith, a tray from a 60x60x4 corner with welded 4-mm strips over the intermediate beams. A wooden pillow is placed in the tray and covered with steel, see also below.

If there is no welding

A solid wood workbench, without the need for welding work for its manufacture, can be made according to the scheme on the trail. rice. The "trick" is here in the countertop, assembled with glue from a 75x50 bar and fastened with ties. If the timber is oak, then the permissible load is 400/1300 kgf. Corner posts - timber 150x150; the rest is a bar 150x75.

Metal

It happens the other way around: metal is more accessible than wood, and there is welding. Then a workbench table for a load of 100/300 kgf can be assembled according to the drawing on the left in Fig. Materials - corner 35x35x3 and 20x20x2. The boxes are galvanized. The disadvantage is that it is impossible to make an opening at the bottom for the legs, the structure will lose its ability to carry a dynamic load.

A more convenient metal workbench is suitable for a load of 200/600 according to the scheme at the top right from a professional pipe 50x50 (corner posts), 30x30 (other vertical parts) and a corner 30x30x3. The board cushion of both workbenches is laid only across (bottom right) of grooved boards (120 ... 150) x40.

Shelf - steel 2 mm. The shelf is attached to the pillow with 4x self-tapping screws (30 ... 35) in pairs from each edge of each board, and along the outer boards - with a step of (60 ... 70) mm. Only in this version will the workbench show the given bearing capacity.

These workbenches are already universal: under the carpentry, the lid is turned over with the wooden side up or adjusted, as described below. The locksmith vise is installed on a wooden cushion, but is not fastened with a clamp. A collet anchor is driven into the vise cushion from below under the M10-M14 bolt, and a through hole is drilled under it in the cover. A washer from 60x2 is placed under the bolt head. Such a solution is convenient in that it is possible to use inexpensive non-rotating vices.

For carpentry

The lid of the joiner's workbench, in contrast to the locksmith's, is attached to the sub-stitch tightly and is box-shaped, for overall rigidity. The best mounting option for a non-separable workbench is steel corners and self-tapping screws. The pedestal can also be a steel bed from those described above.

How a traditional carpentry workbench works is shown in pos. And rice; belonging to it in pos. B. A bench board (in this case, it is a separate device) is used to work with a long length. The emphasis in its groove is made from a wedged trim board, see below. It is advisable to drill a longitudinal row of holes in the board and fix it in the slots with cone-headed bolts in a recessed position. The traditional construction of the joinery is shown in pos. D, but - see above.

The lid of the joiner's workbench can be reduced in price by performing a 2-layer, pos. Q. Then quality hardwood planks are needed only for the shelf. It is laid by laying the boards in "humps" of annual layers alternately up and down to avoid warping. The flooring of the shelf is first rallied with PVA glue or carpentry, squeezed tightly with a clamp or wrapped with a cord; put on a pillow with the same glue. The skirt of the cover is assembled separately on glue and through thorns (inset at pos. B) and is attached to the pillow-shelf package with self-tapping screws.

Vise for joinery

The all-wood joinery vice, front and chair vices, are now almost completely replaced by the vice with a metal screw clamp, pos. D; their device is shown in pos. E. Some comments are needed here.

First, 2-3 steel washers must be placed under the head of the clamping screw, otherwise it will quickly pass through the pillow (4x4x1 cm piece of wood). Second - if the nut is not custom-made and not a purchased shaped one, then get at least for a while a set of taps for the thread used. In this case, do not try to use a screw that is too thick for evenness and smoothness of the clamp; M12-M16 is enough.

The nut of a homemade clamping pair is welded onto a base with a diameter of 60 mm or, square, from 70x70 mm. It is not necessary to sink it into the clamping pad, so it is less likely that the nut will break off when clamping. But the thread will be ugly away from welding, you cannot drive it away with a bolt. The thread of the welded nut will need to be cut with taps according to the complete scheme, as when cutting: the first tap - the second - the third (if included in the kit).

Note: the nut, welded onto the base, must be allowed to rest for 2 hours before passing the thread, so that the residual deformations “settle down”.

Vise and joinery for locksmith

A vise on a locksmith's workbench is installed in the corner (see the sidebar in the figure) so that as much of the dynamic loads as possible during metal processing falls vertically on the corner post. It is advisable to make the arrangement of the cross beams and intermediate vertical racks of the workbench with stationary vices a little asymmetrical, placing them with smaller gaps towards the corner with the vise. The vise is also installed starting from the corner:

  • A collet anchor is driven into a wooden corner post under the installation bolt, and a high nut or threaded bushing is welded into the metal one (attachment point 1 at the bottom left in the figure);
  • If the fastener is welded, they are threaded with taps, as in a homemade joiner's vise nut, see above;
  • They put a vice temporarily on 1 bolt and mark holes in place for fastening points 2, 3 and 4;
  • The vice is removed and drilled through holes 2, 3 and 4;
  • Place a vice on bolts 1, 2 and 3;
  • For fastening to a bolt 4, a jib U from a wooden bar from 60x60 or a professional pipe from 40x40 is placed under the cover (tabletop). It is not necessary to fasten the jib, but it should rest from underneath to the upper frame (strapping) of the bed, but not to the table top!
  • The vice is finally fastened to the bolt 4.

Note: a stationary power tool is also attached in the same way, for example. emery.

For carpentry

A locksmith's workbench can also be adapted for carpentry work, if you drill 2-4 pairs of holes in the tabletop for fixing the carpentry stop (on the right and in the center in the figure). In this case, round bosses are screwed to the lower surface of the stop with self-tapping screws; corks from plastic bottles work well, they withstand tight fit many times.

Garage workbench

It is impossible to make the workbench in the garage optimal in terms of the ergonomics of the workplace - the dimensions of a standard box of 4x7 m with a car standing in it do not allow. For a long time already, by trial and error, the width of the garage workbench was determined at 510 mm: it is quite convenient to turn between it and the hood, and it is more or less possible to work. A narrow workbench under a heavy load (for example, a motor taken out for bulkhead) turns out to be unstable, so it is made attached to the wall. Often - angular, this increases stability, but any wall-mounted workbench "calls back" stronger than a workbench-table of the same design

A diagram of the device of one section of a garage workbench is given in Fig. In this design, an ingenious method of additional damping of vibrations is used: the cells of the frames of the cover and the bottom shelf of the edge far from the corner of different sizes. Accuracy of installation of crossbars +/– 1 cm. For the same purpose, the cover and bottom shelf are made of laminated chipboard 32 mm thick and covered with linoleum instead of steel. For garage work, its durability is sufficient; can be easily replaced.

Fastening to walls - self-tapping screws from 8 mm or bolts from M8 with a pitch of 250-350 mm. Depth into a stone wall 70-80 mm; in wooden 120-130 mm. Propylene dowels are placed under the self-tapping screws in the stone wall; for bolts - collet anchors.

More for the garage

Another version of the garage workbench is already wall-mounted, and wall-mounted, on the left in Fig. It can only be mounted on stone walls. 2-layer folding workbench; each layer of plywood 10-12 mm. Opening for a machine with a stepped inner edge. In this case, a "milling cutter" means a mini-drilling machine with a movable rotary table and a clamp for the part. The design is convenient in that the chips are poured directly onto the floor.

If your car is something like Daewoo or Chery with a 3-cylinder engine, and the garage is very small, then you can put a folding mini workbench-cabinet with a lifting table in it, on the right in the figure; it is also suitable for fine work in the house (electronics, precision mechanics). The table top is suspended on a piano hinge, the legs are on cards. For folding, the legs are tucked under the table top (it would be useful to tie them with a prong), and the table top is lowered.

Note: for a cramped garage with an ordinary city car, a folding workbench-box may be optimal, see the video below.

Video: folding workbench drawer

Home station wagon

Houses are engaged in smaller, but painstaking technical creativity: soldering, modeling, watchmaking, artistic cutting from plywood, etc. A universal workbench is suitable for fine fine work, the drawings of which and accessories are given in Fig. The durability of the working surface and its vibration absorption in this case are not as important as evenness, smoothness and some adhesion ("stickiness" of parts), therefore the tabletop is covered with linoleum. Locksmith vices for this workbench need small ones, with screw clamping.

More about plywood

In general, it is undesirable to work with metal "roughly" on plywood, because she “calls back” well. If the pillow of the plank workbench is still made of plywood, then a frame (framing) must be glued to its underside, also made of plywood, on the PVA, see fig. Then it is advisable to first cover the upper (working side) with linoleum without lining, and then lay steel on it.

Growing shift

Another case when making a plywood workbench is justified is a student's workbench for a child. Here pedagogical considerations play a role: let him learn to feel the material and not beat in vain, but work carefully. For the same purpose, the masters of the past deliberately gave their students a bad instrument.

Workbenches at the dacha

When a country house or other light wooden structure is still under construction, there is no time for bench wisdom, you need at least something on which you can perform simple carpentry work. For such a case, you can whip up a carpenter's workbench for giving from scrap materials, on the left in Fig. The design is remarkable in that it clearly and fully embodies the principle: we do good things on bad equipment.

For subsequent work on the arrangement of the cottage, a mini-workbench will come in handy, on the right in Fig. With minimal material consumption and extremely simple design, it is stable in all respects for ordinary carpentry work. the middle of the workbench is supported by a pair of struts. If you put them on the bolts, the workbench will be foldable and stand in the closet from weekends to weekends. For disassembly, after releasing the struts, the spacer is removed with them, and the legs are tucked under the board. Finally, for a summer cottage, inhabited all the time or all summer, with an artisan owner, by the way, you will need a more complex, but fully functional folding workbench, see the video below.

Video: DIY folding workbench

Skilled craftsmen have long sought to equip the workplace as comfortable as possible and, to use modern language, ergonomically, which was considered the key to not only fast and efficient work, but also safety. In this regard, the premises intended for repair and manual production were filled with all kinds of tables, shelves and boxes, the original material for the manufacture of which was wood. Over time, falling metal gradually pushed wood out of the construction arena and began to be used for the manufacture of machine tools, metal furniture and various auxiliary equipment, especially relevant in a construction workshop. Since the goods offered by stores often do not meet the specified characteristics, and sometimes they are on a par with industrial equipment, in our article we will share simple tips and tell you how to make a wooden workbench with your own hands.

The main purpose and typical characteristics of the workbench

Regardless of its design features, the workbench is a work table, necessarily characterized by massive dimensions and stability, and designed for processing structures and products with a wide variety of dimensions. When designing a joiner's workbench, it is important to remember that the dimensions of the processed products directly depend on the dimensions of the workbench, while the processing of products is practiced both by hand and using power tools - a drill and an electric planer. A typical layout of a standard joinery workbench consists of the following elements:

  • A working surface for the manufacture of which a solid board is used, the thickness of which is at least 60 mm. For the manufacture of the cover, experts advise to give preference to hard wood, such as oak or beech, using which you do not have to periodically change the working surface of the workbench, due to the high wear resistance of the material.
  • A vice designed to secure workpieces. They are installed on the front surface of the cover. Massive workbenches provide for the installation of several vices, separately designed for fastening small and large parts. Large vices are made of wood, while when choosing a vise of small dimensions, it is better to give preference to metal structures.
  • Bench supports are designed to increase the stability of the overall structure, which are connected by longitudinal strips. For their manufacture, it is advisable to use softwood, linden or pine.
  • In the space under the workbench, on the supports, you can install drawers designed for tools and any other work accessories.

Joiner's workbench: types of design

When developing a workbench project, it is important to take into account its design features, whether it will be installed permanently in a workshop or will be represented by a mobile structure. If you have opted for a mobile design, the best solution would be to lighten it due to the material used, which should be of a lesser thickness. The mobile workbench can also be retrofitted with a collapsible tabletop and folding legs. Due to the listed features, there are three types of workbenches:

  • Mobile workbench designed for minor repair work and handling wood blanks;
  • A stationary workbench used for processing solid wood and heavy planks. It is easy to manufacture, but "tied" to one place;
  • A collapsible or "convertible workbench" is convenient for its collapsible design, which facilitates the process of replacing its individual parts, and also increases the mobility of the entire structure. You can find out how to make a retractable workbench in specialized guides.

Joiner's or locksmith's workbench: differences

In addition to the classification presented above, workbenches differ in their purpose. There are carpentry and metalwork workbenches. Since the creation of a locksmith's workbench is fraught with a number of difficulties, in this guide we will tell you how to make a carpentry workbench with your own hands.

Dimensions and location of the workbench

In the process of creating a workbench, it is important to choose the right location for it. It should be in close proximity to natural light sources, if any. Local light sources are also useful. We must not forget about electrical outlets, which should also be near the workbench. All wires located in the working area are preferably enclosed in a corrugated pipe or box.

Before proceeding with the construction of the workbench, experts recommend determining its final height. To do this, lower your hands down, then place your palms parallel to the floor. The distance between the floor and the palms is the very height of the desktop, which is most convenient for you. Since homemade workbenches are often designed for a single workstation, the table is 1.5 m long and 0.8 m wide.

How to make a workbench video

How to make a workbench in a garage: selection of materials

The selection of material for the manufacture of a workbench is an important stage in all work, which determines the final strength and stability of the structure being constructed. Before making a carpenter's workbench, let's talk about the rational choice of materials required for its manufacture. According to experts, for the construction of a workbench, the optimal material will be a planed beam, which is suitable for the manufacture of a frame frame and legs.

Ideal planed timber dimensions:

  • for legs - 100x70 mm;
  • for jumpers - 100x50 mm;

For the countertop, it is better to choose boards with a thickness of 5 cm, or a solid sheet, for example, an old wooden door or chipboard, characterized by a laminated surface. It is important to know that it is better to give preference to hard wood species such as oak, maple and beech.

How to make a workbench table? Sequencing

Making a workbench includes several stages, the fundamental of which are:

  • Assembly of the base;
  • Installation of a countertop;
  • Installation of equipment on a workbench.

Assembling the base

The base, as a structural element of the workbench, is a wooden frame, which is fastened in such a way that the structure meets all the requirements of rigidity and stability. For these purposes, it is necessary to provide for the installation of a horizontally located lintel between the legs of the workbench, and in the middle, along the entire length of the structure, it is important to install a drawer side. Both the lintels and the tsarga are fixed at a distance of 40-50 cm from the floor. Subsequently, they can be used not only to strengthen the structure, but also to install shelves and boxes for handy tools. When constructing the base, the beams are fixed by means of a thorn-groove connection, and in those places where this is not possible, self-tapping screws are used. It is preferable to first prepare the grooves and spikes, according to the existing drawing, and only then glue the joints of the beams with wood glue.

If you are building a stationary workbench, one or more pieces of the frame can be attached to the wall, which will further strengthen the final structure.

Tabletop manufacturing and installation

  • Thinking over the stages of making a countertop, one must not forget that it should be slightly larger than the base. From the previously prepared thick boards, a massive shield of the previously indicated dimensions is hammered, for fastening which, long nails are used, driven in from the inside of the boards. The boards used are pre-fitted to each other in order to prevent debris from getting into the existing cracks. For the installation of the countertop, the use of materials for the manufacture of which pressed chips was used is excluded, since they do not meet the requirements for its stability. Several transverse bars are nailed to the tabletop, for which it is necessary to provide grooves in the base. To these jumpers, using self-tapping screws, horizontally oriented slats are attached, which are needed to slide the drawers.

  • The table top is bolted to the base. To do this, a recess is made in the upper part of the base bars, using a chisel, and holes for bolts are drilled in the tabletop, the heads of which are recessed in the lid by drilling recesses of the corresponding diameter in the tabletop. In order to avoid injuries from falling chips in the process of subsequent work, the tabletop is sanded and covered with linseed oil several times.

Equipment installation

  • A vise is attached to the installed tabletop, for the installation of which recesses should be provided in the end of the tabletop. At the place where the vise is installed, plywood is attached from the underside of the tabletop. When installing a vice, they are first applied, the place of their attachment is marked, and then fixed with nuts and bolts. Remember that the vise should not be on the edge, which will shift gravity as you work.

  • In addition to the vice, the classic equipment for the workbench are wooden clamps, a stationary high-power drill, certain types of turning equipment, a milling element. In a summer cottage, it will also be useful to install a grinder and a circular. When installing equipment on a workbench, it is important to think over all the details of convenience and safety, as well as to check the strength of all fasteners. If the equipment is operated from the mains, it is important to correctly calculate the power of the simultaneously connected equipment, as well as to correctly conduct the connection itself.

How to design and build a versatile workbench?

In this article, the process of making a locksmith's workbench was not discussed in detail, and it also does not explain how to make an iron workbench in view of the complexity of this process, however, we consider it necessary to consider an option that provides for the combination of locksmith's and joinery's workbenches, which is especially important in the conditions of country houses and plots.

For this, the same workbench is made as described in the instructions, however, the area of ​​the working surface is slightly increased. Sometimes this may also require strengthening the base through the use of additional frame elements. When the table top is installed, one half is covered with a sheet of thin stainless steel, which is secured with self-tapping screws. Ideally, they cover not only the top of the tabletop, but also its end elements.

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