: What town are you near? We may be able to find some 4xx8 sheets
: near you. The Lowes could probably order some for you if you
: ask. Ordering plastic-covered panels is much simpler than
: ordering natural wood. They are all uniform. Big sheets of
: plywood and particleboard can have the corners damages during
: shipping. The Menards store near me puts these damaged panel in
: a special bin and slashes the prices on them. If you are not
: using a full sheet and don't mind amking another cut, you can
: save a lot.

Schenectady, NY. I haven't seen any "scratch & dent" displays in the store, but I haven't gone through the entire lumber section, either. That'll give me an excuse to wander.

: Getting materials in a size that you can actually take home with
: you is something people tend to overlook. I bought a 4x8
: trailers many years ago (about $200 for the frame plus $60 for
: wood for floor and sides) and drag that behind my compact car
: when I go to buy lumber. It was a more-economical arrangement
: than buying a pickup truck. Some day I'll build a boat rack on
: that trailer frame. I don't need to carry that many boat right
: now, but i can see mor use for it.

I'm considering putting a hitch on my Outback and picking up a small trailer. I've got a bit of work on the engine that'll take precedence, though (leaking water pump, unknown mileage on the timing belt, leaking rear main oil seal). I'm expecting to replace it with a Baja in three years or so which should have a hitch. That trailer will still be handy then, so it's a good investment. Worst case scenario, I can rent a truck from Lowe's for a minimal cost (I live five minutes away... there are benefits to living so close to town).

: 36" is a good size for most workbenches because most
: workbenches cn be moved away from the wall so the builder can
: approach things from either side. If you haven't gotten much
: further than your pictures indicate, stop now and re-assess
: three elements of your design. One would be the overhang of the
: top, next would be the kickspace under the bottom shelf. Then
: consider whether you want the workbench permanently fastened to
: shelves.

Oh, I got rather gung-ho and completed most of the bench today, with the exception of the rear shelves and the workspace covering. I'll discuss the rear shelves in a bit, but the kickspace under the bottom shelf is due to the water I see in the channel around the basement. From the discussions I've had with the prior rentals, the basement hasn't flooded except for a small amount under the front stairs. I'd rather not find out they're wrong.

: Looking at that last point first: Vibrations from powertools, like
: routers, and orbital sanders shake the workbench. Een very
: sturdy workbenches will transmit those vibrations to the
: shelves, and you will have small boxes actually walk off the
: shelves and fall onto your work. the last thing you want is for
: a small box of screws to fall onto your powertool. It is bad for
: blades, and a table-mounted router will chew through the box and
: spit out screws like shrapnel. With a 36" wide top you say
: you can just reach the back of the table. How are you going to
: reach the back of a shelf 18" or more above the tabletop?
: Climb on the workbench? Set a ladder next to the workbench and
: then lean 3 feet out to get to the shelf? Nothing safe in any of
: these scenarios. I'd strong ly suggest you build a free-standing
: workbench you can push in fron of your shelves, or pull out if
: you need access to the shelves, or the back edge of the
: workbench. You'll need to add two more legs to your design, and
: remove the few boards you have attached to the wall uprights. At
: this point it won't be a lot of work or great cost. In fact, you
: can probably save money by making the frame 30 to 28 inches wide
: and getting a 3" to 4" overhang on each side. That
: also gives you better shelf and top support and a kickspace of
: over 4".

Good phrasing on the vibration issue. You make a great point. I'm thinking of putting a small basswood lip on the shelf, or a veneer face that sticks above the shelf just a little, would prevent most items from vibrating off the front or back.

I'm doubtful of how much I'll be using power tools on this work bench, however. In the short term, I've got that Yost SoF to build... I'll be using a jig saw to cut the formers out. I'm hoping to have my local yard cut the keel, gunwale, and stringers to width for me, alleviating the need for me to use a circular saw to rip them. Otherwise, I may look into a standalone table saw, if I can work out the dimensions using the full length of the basement. Long term... I have no idea. The wife's mentioned the possibility of a few benches for the dining room table, but I'll be utilizing hand tools whenever convenient.

Without an overhang on the main work surface, I can comfortably reach the rear of the workspace and the shelf. It's hard to see in the last pic I posted, since the glare from the window kinda washes it out, but I did put a shelf up today. It's not hard to get to, but it could be more convenient.

Right now, I need storage... that was my main concern. All my tools are scattered around the basement, on various shelves, in a dresser, in boxes, etc. Not very conducive to building anything.

: Take a look at the drawing below, and in the next posting. This is
: how I think you'll like the top, and the next one is how I think
: you can do the shelf under it. I made the top an inch wider
: (37") as that is what you get when using 4 2x10 boards. If
: you want to stick to 36", rip an inch off of one of the
: 2x10s in the middle. The frame is narrower and maybe a bit
: shorter than what you planned. This gives a nice overhang on all
: sides so you can clamp things to the edges of the workbench. You
: are working with 2x4s for the legs, and that should be fine, but
: there are a lot of benches with 4x4 legs. Feel free to upsize or
: to use doubled 2x4s for the legs. If you double up on 2x4s,
: place your second 2x4 directly under the crosspieces which
: supports the top. That gives them added strength.

: Make the length to fit the same space as you are planning now and
: the freestanding workbench will slide into place. I also think
: you should consider a 2x6 for the front rail of the workbench.
: This is the area where you will be doing most of your pounding,
: and it should be strong. If you want to, go with a 2x6 for the
: back rail, too. I'm not sure how long the bench is going to be,
: but anything over 5 or 6 feet and you might notice some sag if
: you just use a 2x4.

: Judicious use of 3/8" bolts will make it possible for you to
: disassemble the workbench should you ever move. I suggest making
: the bottom shelf frame and top as one unit, and bolting that to
: the legs. The workbench top is a second unit. Just unbolt the
: legs and the thing becomes manageable pieces.

: Lots of my opinions here. I hope some of them help.

: PGJ

I *like* these ideas. If you take a look in the pics, the current bench takes up the left half of my end of the basement. I've got an equal amount of area to the right that's taken up by one shelving unit and a dresser (cheap storage). If I rearrange the rest of the basement, I can move the shelves and the dresser against the right wall, then move the current workbench over to the free space, then build the walk-around bench you described above on the left. That'd give me enough storage on the existing bench, while allowing me to concentrate on building a solid bench for heavy work. I'd also be able to take the time on making the top flat, allowing me to build model aircraft on it, too.

What's even better, is that I discussed it with the wife, and she thinks it's a good idea. Probably helped that I mentioned I'd be able to reallocate a couple of shelves to her crafting station. It's amazing how she perked up with that little tidbit...