Workbench

As I continued to expand my woodworking knowledge, and take on more elaborate projects, I decided to build a larger, more capable working space.

Pine 4.75' x 8' x 8' A continuing theme is the need for storage and since I knew I was going to have materials needing a home, I decided to build the bench with an upper storage bay. The frame is made from 2 x 3's, 2 x 4's, and 4 x 4's.

Pine 4.75' x 8' x 8' The plan was to build a sturdy working surface that would include bench vices and a row of holes for bench dogs. The work surface also has storage underneath for tools and smaller materials unsuitable for overhead storage. The middle walkway can be a little to navigate, but most of the time a person working in the workbench would be facing sideways.

Pine, Birch 4.5' x 8' x 8' To help reduce the amount of dust from woodworking, I decided to sheath most of the sides with 1/4' plywood to keep much of the dust contained in the bench itself and aid cleanup. This also provides more space to use for storage and other things.

Pine, Birch, MDF 4.5' x 8' x 8' I used 3/4" MDF as the base of the benches as it would be sturdy and durable. I also hung a couple pieces of pegboard for wall storage and added a shelf above for even more places to put things.

Pine, Birch, MDF, Hardboard 4.5' x 8' x 8' I added hardboard to the top of the MDF to add some protection from work and stains which also gives a quickly replaceable top for when it gets worn out (thanks Norm Abram). I also added another overhead shelf on the other side and some LED work lights above the main work space. The wooden bench is another recycled piece of Ikea furniture that I modified to use as a place to glue and stain pieces.

Once the workbench was close to being complete, it was time to install the dust collection. Since the dust didn't have far to go, I decided to use a 2" pipe (plus it fit nicely with the vacuum). I had to heat up the connectors to fit over the blast gates since they weren't designed to work with PVC pipes. I also dry-fit the connections to allow for easy maintenance later on.

From the start, I wanted to use a cyclone in the dust collection system in order to reduce the amount of debris entering the vacuum and also to try and prevent the accumulation of dust in the vacuum's exhaust. I put a HEPA filter in the vacuum along with a bag. With a little over a year of use, there is little to no debris in the vacuum's bag.

The biggest contributor of dust in the workbench is the chop saw. I didn't have a connector to step down to the 1.25" port on the back of the saw, so I used a combination of an adapter from the shop vac and a PVC coupling. It makes quite a difference having dust collection on this tool.

I put a couple of drawers under the bench top to hold smaller tools.

Here's a view of the finished workbench. The larger tools are currently in the 'storage' position but move around when needed. I designed the dust collection (the white pipes) to have zones controlled by blast gates to help keep sufficient airflow to the appropriate tools (since only one is used at a time).

Here is another angle of the finished workbench. You get a good sense of how bright the LED work lamps are which is tremendously helpful. The closest dust collection hookup in this picture is typically reserved for a hose that I use to clean off the bench and floor.