How to make a workbench with your own hands?

Home craftsmen for different types of work simply need a workbench. It can be bought, but this option can be expensive, it is better to do it yourself. And now we will discuss in detail how to make a bench for a metalworker with his own hands. After all, if you fit its design to your needs, it will be much better and more convenient than the factory analog.

Workbench - what is it?

For convenient work with wood, metal or other materials, use a workbench. It is a table that is massive enough to withstand a huge mechanical load due to manual processing of the object. The workbench can be carpentry, locksmith and carpentry.

Materials for workbenches

Workbenches can be made of wood or metal. For the carpenter, the first option is ideal, and for the mechanic - the second one. Often, both metal and wooden workbenches are collapsible, this greatly simplifies their transportation.

What types of jobs are used for workbenches?

Locksmiths, assembled by their own hands, can be excellent assistants in installation, adjustment, straightening, debugging, as well as with any plumbing work. Such equipment is used everywhere: from garages and sub-carts, to maintenance services and industrial enterprises. The design of any workbench can be equipped with the necessary additional elements, such as vices and lighting units. In addition to these, masters often install other additional tools necessary for work.

Such equipment as bench workbenches, manufactured by themselves, can significantly increase the efficiency of work, while occupying very little space in the room. Often they are designed taking into account the individual works that will be carried out, and even takes into account the area of the room for production or repair. If there is not enough room, you can make a workbench of smaller dimensions, for example, with one pedestal.

Components of a bench bench

Workbencher, assembled with its own hands, for convenient processing of objects must have a fastening element. To store tools, there must be boxes in it, where you can put everything together. In addition, for convenient work of the master, the structure must be adjusted in height.

The frame of the workbench, which is called the pinnacle, and also the table top are the main elements of it. The first part is made of pine, and the second part uses hardwoods such as ash, oak and beech. The thickness of the table top should be in the range of 60-80 mm. The width can be up to 500 mm, it all depends on the work that will be performed on this workbench.

Before you make a bench work yourself, you need to decide whether it should be demountable or stationary. If a design is planned, for example, for a garage, then it can be made monolithic. In the case when it is necessary to create a workbench, which is planned to be taken to a summer cottage in the summer, and then brought back, it will be more convenient to make it collapsible here. In general, everything should be thought through.

Often, the workbench is made by the metalworker with his own hands on a metal frame, welding it from the pipes. Then, on this basis, fix the boards, which are the table top. For convenience of work they need to be covered with linoleum, sheet aluminum or ordinary plywood. This is done to ensure that small parts, such as screws or nuts, can not get between the boards, where they will be difficult to get. In addition, it is necessary to encase the cover with the sides so that the parts do not slip from it.

To store tools or other necessary items under the countertop, boxes are installed. Each master chooses their sizes individually, proceeding from the items that will be created or repaired on this workbench.

To put a mechanic on your workbench with your own hands, to install mechanical devices, you need to bring an electric line to it. If the room is large, it's worth making its skeleton on rollers, with which the whole structure can be moved where necessary.

Metalworking workbench with own hands

The design of such a workbench should have a rigid frame welded from metal corners or pipes. It is better to take them not round, but square. Also, it is worth choosing the material for the cover, it should be massive. After all, only good materials will give the necessary rigidity of the structure to withstand heavy loads during operation. For the countertop, wooden flooring, upholstered with sheet steel, textolite, or linoleum, is also suitable. If you need to work on a workbench with a hammer or a sledge hammer, the table top is made of sheet metal with a thickness of approximately 5 mm. On such a powerful design, you can install the same vise, which will reliably hold on this table top.

When designing a metalwork workbench, built with your own hands, it is worthwhile to strengthen the structure with numerous ribs of rigidity. They will allow to withstand the impacts of the table top and frame. In addition, the workbench will be heavier, which is also good for bending the metal, because it will be very difficult to move if it is not fixed. Naturally, this model is not collapsible, because it is too heavy for transportation. This method is often done by a bench worker with his own hands for a garage, because he is able to withstand any work.

Under the countertop make boxes for spare parts, as well as tools. In addition, three sides of it are often provided with a barrier made of metal mesh or ordinary sheet steel. It will not allow the pieces of metal to fly apart (when cutting).

We make a workbench

To begin with it is necessary to be defined, as the workbench will be used. If steel items are manufactured or repaired on it, you need to make a metal frame for it. When it is necessary to work only with wood, it is possible to make a joiner's workbench.

Location of workbench

To work in comfortable conditions, you need to carefully choose a place in the room. It is desirable that the socket is close, and the lighting can be installed from several sides. All these nuances should be carefully thought out, if the bench is made by a metal worker with his own hands in the garage, or any other small room.

We make a bench workbench

To implement the planned, we will need:

• Corners;
• Metal profile;
• Dried and impregnated boards;
• Apparatus for welding.

In addition, you need to get sheets of stainless steel or galvanized. Of these, protective beads will be created if necessary, so that when cutting or cutting the metal, its pieces do not scatter. In addition, such sheets can be coated with a countertop so that its surface is perfectly smooth.

It is necessary to cut the metal parts of the frame to the size, then weld them, strictly withstanding all the corners. It is necessary that the fitter's own workbench, whose drawings are presented here, was stable. That is, by creating a frame, as shown above, you can then add, how many boxes, boards and everything that a specific master needs for his specific work. After all, it would be impossible to imagine a design that would be universal, but a single base would easily add various individual constructive delights to any professional or amateur.

If additional shelves are not needed, then you can strengthen the frame with the ribs of rigidity. The most advantageous place is ten centimeters from the floor, and just below the table top or bench cover. It, too, should be strengthened so that it is not deformed under heavy loads from the impacts of a sledgehammer or hammer. In order to be able to attach the workbench to the floor, for a secure attachment, you need to weld special plates to the ends of the legs. They are part of a square pipe measuring 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 cm, depending on the material found and the thickness of the legs themselves. They make holes in the part that will be in contact with the floor. Then they are welded to the legs of the finished product and a workbench is fixed through them. So it will firmly hold and will not move when working.

When the main frame is ready, the construction of the countertop is made. To produce it you need corners, from which you need to assemble a cover, whose length will be 10-15 cm more (on each side) of the main frame. This is necessary in order to fix the vise at any necessary point of the workbench. Here you can easily weld screens to prevent the release of pieces of metal in the process of cutting it.

If you create a workbench with your own hands, the dimensions indicated on the drawing will fit most of the craftsmen. However, depending on the room where the design is planned to be installed, they can vary. Therefore, it is only necessary to repeat the image exactly if there is sufficient space for installing such a workbench.

In the fixed table top, holes are drilled to fix the boards. They should be covered first with a composition from decay or paint. After that, the boards are lined with sheet metal, which will give an even surface without cracks. It is fastened with self-tapping screws.

To the workbench lived a long time and did not rust, it is dyed. For this, it is better to use persistent paint, which is used in the automotive industry. After all, this coating must withstand enormous loads.

Vice for workbenches

To make it convenient to work on a part or object, they need to be well fixed on a workbench. To do this, use the vise, which is installed on the manufactured benchwork with their own hands (photo is presented in the article). There are several types: manual, stool or those that have parallel sponges. When developing a project, you should immediately decide on the type of vice under which you plan to prepare a place on the surface.

Vice chairs

So they are called because the surface to which they are attached resembles a chair. Over time, they began to install on the workbenches. Such a vice is used for heavy work during felling or riveting of metal.

Vice with parallel jaws

There are three types, in which the front sponge can move freely, as well as those that can turn and not. To ensure that they last longer, additional pads with a corrugated surface are placed on the clamping points. Fasten them with screws, and the size of such false sponges can be from 80 to 140 mm.

The non-rotating vice has a monolithic sponge, as well as a base, in which there are bolt holes. Thanks to them, the entire structure can be firmly attached to the surface. Always choose models with removable jaws. After all, when they wear out, they will need to be replaced during operation. Sponges should be made of tool steel, and also have incisions due to which the part is securely fixed. If their surface is smooth, then the object can jump out, which can damage it, besides it is inconvenient.

Vice universal

Their function is to fix small objects. They are fixed on a workbench or other surface by bolts. Their advantage is that they can not only be turned, but also tilted in any plane. The disadvantage is that the structure is weak for impacts due to the multitude of moving parts. Therefore, it is undesirable to use them where dead fixation is required, because they will not be able to provide it fully. However, they are ideally suited wherever you need to rotate the workpiece at different angles. They are often used on carpentry workbenches.

The jaws for the vice are made of hard steel to ensure a reliable fixation of the object. However, in order to ensure that the surface of the workpiece does not get damaged, special pockets are installed. Their metal is more soft, which allows not to damage the part when exposed to it.