I have a small work space that I've managed to put together. I built a workbench out of a discarded bunkbed. It turned out MUCH better than I hoped it would. I was accidentally impressed with myself.
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Gun Builders Bench
- Thread starter TGJaeger
- Start date
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chawbeef
40 Cal.
Looks great and I like your chisel rack.............................Chawbeef
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2018
- Messages
- 585
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This is the bench I built last year when we moved into the new house. I left my old bench at the old house, no way I was going to try and move that beast.
As I noted in my earlier post the legs are 4x4 with 2x6 runners around the outside of the legs. They are glued and screwed with heavy duty SPAX framing screws.
The main top is a solid core exterior door I picked up from Home Depot for $10.00 or so, one side had a damaged veneer so that’s why so cheap. It was 36”x72” and I trimmed it to 32” and used the 4” drop as a back fence to keep things from rolling off of the back.
Topping that is 3/4” particle board with a melamine surface (think cheap countertop). Again it was a damaged 4’x8’ sheet that was $15.00, one edge had about a 6” chunk broken out so it worked out fine once cut down. I would have preferred plain particle board and polyurethaned it but with lumber prices last fall the damaged melamine piece won out. It will work fine for rifle building and ‘Smithing work.
I figure it tips the scales in the 200# range and it is a dead, no bounce top which to me is critical.
I will put 24” square carpet tiles down when I don’t want to chance scratches.
It is 42” high which is about elbow height for me, I have found that to be a good height so I am not hunched over. It also meant I only needed 3 4x4’s for the 6 legs.
I would guess even with the whack lumber prices last fall I’m not into for more than $125.00.
I have the pattern makers vise on it, I’ve not yet mounted the machinists vise to it.
Don’t yell about the carpet on the floor, it came with the house.
As I noted in my earlier post the legs are 4x4 with 2x6 runners around the outside of the legs. They are glued and screwed with heavy duty SPAX framing screws.
The main top is a solid core exterior door I picked up from Home Depot for $10.00 or so, one side had a damaged veneer so that’s why so cheap. It was 36”x72” and I trimmed it to 32” and used the 4” drop as a back fence to keep things from rolling off of the back.
Topping that is 3/4” particle board with a melamine surface (think cheap countertop). Again it was a damaged 4’x8’ sheet that was $15.00, one edge had about a 6” chunk broken out so it worked out fine once cut down. I would have preferred plain particle board and polyurethaned it but with lumber prices last fall the damaged melamine piece won out. It will work fine for rifle building and ‘Smithing work.
I figure it tips the scales in the 200# range and it is a dead, no bounce top which to me is critical.
I will put 24” square carpet tiles down when I don’t want to chance scratches.
It is 42” high which is about elbow height for me, I have found that to be a good height so I am not hunched over. It also meant I only needed 3 4x4’s for the 6 legs.
I would guess even with the whack lumber prices last fall I’m not into for more than $125.00.
I have the pattern makers vise on it, I’ve not yet mounted the machinists vise to it.
Don’t yell about the carpet on the floor, it came with the house.
I usually work in the garage on a store bought metal bench, I think it came from Sears? But I have an older version of this: 60 in., 4 Drawer Hardwood Workbench That has no drawers only a shelf underneath. It does have two vises though, one on the end and another on the left front. It is actually pretty handy. I don’t know where I got it decades ago.
Harbor Fright sell ones like that if you are looking
