Me too, had them forever. Craftsman drill press from the '20s and Sioux grinder same era. They don't make quality stuff like that anymore. Check out the sticker on the drill press ha hahttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680905702.jpg

I am experiencing stainless worktop envy. ;)

My old beater is over 25 years old. 3/4 particle board, 1/4" hard (tempered) masonite treated with Watco oil and edged with oak banding.

I whale on this thing, and it looks like it but it's been a stalwart, plus, it knocks down into 4 'panels' so I can move it as I move.

I'm jealous of you guys with the nice Wilton vices. This thing is kind of a turd.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680906549.jpg

A Wilton is a piece of machinery. I don't mistreat machinery and therefore do not own a Wilton other than the little Shop King I use every day. But my welding vise is HF and my cemented-in-a-bucket moveable vise is a Columbian and it wasn't the prom queen when I got it. Those last 2 live outside and I pour oil on them regularly and cover with a plastic bag.

The HF vise flips over, swivels, holds pipe and a couple extra features. Not bad for 10 bucks used.

I've got a big pig vise that flips for a pipe too. Bigger the better for vices. Mine is 90 lbs. and made in China. The only decent tool from China I own. Is a Shop King like a Shop Smith?

That is very true about the Wilton. I just wish this thing had a decently even clamp pressure across the face of the jaws. I believe the nut and the screw are somehow misaligned and it 'pulls' to one side.

I've been looking at those HF "Doyle" branded vises. They're getting damn good reviews for the 150 or whatever bucks they cost.

(If I'm honest, I'd be a poor workman with the best tools, so blaming my tools at this level is just kidding myself at the most amateurish level)

That makes sense. When I do furniture it's on a dolly or low cart. Adjustable carts would be great but now you're gettin' in deep.

Whoa! That wouldn't go anywhere. My single layer seems solid as a rock.

My man cave workbench is 16' long . I bought three metal framed workbenches at an industrial close out . They had 3/4" thick wood tops . I bolted the frames together end to end . Then took another layer of 3/4" and glued and screwed to the existing tops overlapping the seams .

Then had a local metal shop bend me up a metal top . It's galvanized steel and has a backsplash and front apron . I used silicone adhesive and some screws to install the top . It is super easy to clean , it looks good and it is stout !!!

Here's my workbench. It's 6 months old.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680912683.jpg

I have 3 that I use a lot.
One is a old kitchen cabinet with varnished particle board.
One is a framework of 2" x 4".s on casters with a brown Formica covered counter top.
The last is an old display with drawers and a set of sliding doors with viper green Formica covered counter top.
I like the Formica because it's cheap, quiet and when it is time to clean up, I spill some old paint thinner on it and wipe it off and give it a good buff.

My top is stainless steel on a hollow metal door with a unistruct frame. Steel casters. Strong like bull.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680917158.jpg

I generally make mine 8 foot wide and 2 foot deep, with a shelf below. One piece of 4 x 8 x 3/4 ripped in half. 2 x 4 for legs and shelf support. I screw mine to the wall and make it high enough that when I’m standing at the workbench, it’s comfortable to work on something.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680922288.jpg

I went with MDF. Home Depot cut the 4x8's the long way for me. I know I'll never keep it clean. That is one downside. Built this about a year ago. It's a relatively cheap solution that provides a lot of work space.


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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680961857.jpg

Lots of people downsizing. I've picked up butcher block benches on FB marketplace for under $100.

I like that.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1680967454.jpg

Hardwood flooring bonded to a piece of mdf counter top, with some angle iron welded up to make an edge. I think I used rocker guard on the angle iron. It's holding up quite well.

I use a piece of sacrificial polyethylene plastic (1/4"?) if I plan on beating on the top.

Everything (including the rockerguard) was free.

It's amazing what people give away on FB Marketplace/kijiji

I have a drill press on one corner, and a bench vise on the opposite.

It's mounted on some ikea base cabinets with extra feet, and it's also attached to the wall.

Yes, I've seen the flooring idea mentioned a few times. Good idea and repairable if needed. I haven't logged into Faceplant in years - I have to see if I can still remember how. A friend is checking with someone who is redoing a kitchen and might be getting rid of some butcherblock surface. Thanks.

Workbench
 

I have a WWII left over workbench that is about 3 feet by 10 feet in size. It is all hardwood (red oak?) and is heavy as it can be! The top was made by stacking 2x6 pieces together, bored holes thru front to rear and used threaded rod with a heavy spring (like a valve spring) to keep all the pieces together. This way, if the wood swells it can expand and then go back to normal when dry. No buckling! This thing is built so sturdily I think it may have been intended for the maintenance deck on an aircraft carrier! My grandfather bought it right after WWII, used it in his service station garage, gave it to my father when he sold the station. My dad used it in an appliance repair shop for many years and then he gave it to me to use in my shop. Now it has been in my family for a bit over 70 years and is still going strong! The only downside is that it take 6-8 people to move it!

Fantastic bench (we need pics) and even better story and provenance!

Ask a simple question about a work bench and you get people with plans to built a submarine. Guys, its a work bench, it get banged on with hammers, holes drilled and heavy and dirty things sitting on it. Double up two pieces of cheap 3/4 sheet good type materials and a sheet of something cheap on top for easy changed out when worn within 15 min and get it dirty again. Its work bench not a piece o furniture.

This is the type of bench they use at our local Caterpillar dealer. They have about 12 of these in the in the service bays.


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;)
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https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/2b5...=w:1200,h:1200

https://i0.wp.com/blog.lostartpress....00%2C728&ssl=1

WWII workbench pic..........
 

This is the only picture I have of it at the moment.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681064399.jpg

That's great, thank you.

I remember that my grandfather had a workbench. It had a utility bench vise, not a wood working vise. He'd also added a belt driven grinder. And I think farther down but rarely used he had a router underneath. It was basic, but I don't remember details of construction or anything. I'm sure that he'd built it, and it was sturdy, but definitely not fancy. I'd love to have it now. I need to build my own. I had one from my dad, but it was just a cheap thing made of 2x6 that he'd bought from a Scotty's after he retired.

I've got a solid oak dining room table (craigslist $50.) covered with 3/4" good one side plywood. Next to it a steel welders table heavier than a dead preacher with a vise mounted.

I accidently found this.
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681080565.jpg

Brought some white oak home from work and plan on using it for my workbench top. I was going to have metal bent for the top. But, since I scored the white oak, that’s what I’ll be using. Will also be using the white oak to cover my toolboxes. That’s another one of my spring projects.

I like that the drill press is showing his little brother how things get done.

What do you use the media tumbler for? Brass?

Media tumbler........
 

It is mostly used to clean pistol brass such as 9mm, 45acp, 38/357 and 44 special/mag. A little support for another hobby! Just to the right and a little out of the picture is a steel stand with a 600 lb vertical milling machine. I tend to use it more than the little drill presses on the bench.

And also, a mat to stand on while working on the bench. Helps big time for someone with bad knees or plantar facitis.

Good find.

I'm liking this idea. MDF (3'x 6') and then cover with waterproof or solid wood flooring. Then I just need to figure out covering the edges. Thanks.

I used a solid core laminated doors that were being thrown away from a job we were on. I've been pounding etc for 20 years plus on them and the clean up great.

Iv got 5 different work benches in my garage but the best is a section of bowling alley I found at the curb. I think its like 7' long. Its cinched together with steel T bar on the bottom and i made legs that lock in to that. On the side that i mostly work on I have a 1/2" steel plate on top. Mostly because I had nowhere else to put it but the wood was getting a little more beat up than I liked. Its also a bit low so its good for working on bigger stuff. minibikes and engines and I can sit on a chair and work there. This is the best pic i could find.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681300933.JPG

I'm a fan of store bought kitchen countertop material. It has a built in short backsplash to keep little parts from falling behind the bench and it's easy to clean (not that I clean it much):

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681304180.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681305255.jpg

This is my workbench. It is made of 2 - 2x12 boards so just 24 inches wide but almost 10 feet long, and I built a continuation on the end for my drill press. The cabinets are full of my "stuff". This workbench was built into the very small single car garage at my first house by a previous owner. That vice is rather small, and I wish I had a bigger one, but it is the only tool my maternal grandfather had that was worth me keeping. I have lots of tools from my paternal grandfather, and father, but just that vice from him, so it will stay.

I bought that house in 1982, so I have owned this workbench for 40 years now. I need to get into the garage and clean up the mess from the last project.

It is very stout. Back at that original house the driveway was a t a 90 degree angle to the street, and pretty steep. In snowy or icy weather I could not get up the driveway in my 914. I bought a boat winch for pulling boats onto trailers, and mounted it to the workbench. I had an anchor point in the concrete floor to put a pulley, and I could winch my 914 up the driveway and into the garage have a thawed out car in the morning to go to work in. It was my only car so yea, it was a daily driver.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681305992.JPG

This shows some of the workspace in the garage. I was using my lift and a "lowerer" in this photo to work on some electrical issues in the trunk and make it more comfortable for my back.

10' bench that was a test bench for the military. 2 pcs. of 3/4" plyhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1681310872.jpg

Very nice!

I bought 2 of them from a surplus yard for $350 each. They were crated and the guy I bought them from said the military was charged that much for the crating and then paid the surplus guy to take them away. Tax dollars at work!