Workshop : Workbench

Last major step in the process of renovating my garage : create a proper workbench.

The specifications were simple : sturdy enough so I can hammer on it, or put a couple of complete engines on it; higher than standard benches since I'm tall and the usual benches just kill my back; precisely adjusted to the space available in the garage (I ain't got much space, so I can't afford to lose any); and obviously... As cheap as possible.
So, this has to be DIY, tailor-made... Moreover, the floor isn't perfectly flat, so every single foot rest of my workbench has a different length... I've started with the two left and right end stands (made of of 62x75mm lumber), in order to have a proper level reference ; both are carefully aligned using this tool (basically a long piece of plastic tubing), works perfectly, and very accurate even with the long distance .
Once both of these stands are fixed into the walls, I could, using a long aluminium rule (actually, it was two 2 meter rules clamped together) in order to measure the exact length of each stand. Well, have a look at the pictures, you'll understand what I mean.
Stands are assembled using dowels and wood glue. I glue everything up clamping the whole assembly against a spare chipboard : pressing the assembly is done using a ratchet strap, while clamps make sure everything remains square and in the same plan. The drawers are just wood boxes I found at Castorama (our french version of Home Depot, see these boxes here). Once you've removed the small wooden strip on their bottom (used to line'em up when you stack'em up), they slide perfectly on the bottom board (melamine chipboard 19mm).
On top of it all, a 58mm thick (maximum I could find) melamine chipboard kitchen countertop, and here you go!
I'd prefer a proper counter top made of an assembly of lerge lumber pieces, planed all together... But I don't have the room, nor the time, to go into such a project. That'll wait till I have a real workshop! I've modified the lights above the workbench, compared to the original plan : the halogen lights tended to dazzle more than actually light up the bench. Plus, they would have been in the way if I want to store lrge stuff above (and since I have a project for that...).
The 4 bottom metal cases I found in the trash bin (seriously, there were 50 of them, brand new!), and luckily they just fit below the drawers. Below the vice, you can see the VW engine support, fixed on the side of the wooden stand. Phew, good thing it's done, I started to have enough with that renovation!
I know, my garage looks more like a lab now, it's quite far from what it looked like in the beginning (Click here the "workbench" before : ), but I like to work in a clean, well ordered environment. Yeah, probably some OCD as well, hmm.
And now finally I'll be able to work on some real projects...