I need to build a custom metal workbench. Please provide hints and suggestions!

I like square tube frame on this. I can leave spaces at the ends for tall storage items. Looks easy enough to weld up in the garage.

 

You could have built one outta wood by now.....

 

General rule of thumb for height of benches that you're going to be pounding on is to stand up straight, arms hanging down with clenched fists and measure from the floor to your knuckles. Works out to be about 3' high for the average guy.

I would recommend investing in a steel top for metalwork b/c of all the grease, like some have said, you can top it with sheetmetal. The best metalworking benches i've seen are 1/4" thk steel plate. Then you can weld directly on it, even tack weld in place and just grind out the welds after you've removed your piece. Just clamp your welder ground to the table. You can use chalk to lay out. As a subframe use tube steel or maybe even use a pre-made heavy duty shelf unit and cut it off at 36".

The rolling cart idea is a good one.

 

Yep!!! Great ideas! All of them.That is why I asked here.

Definitely need at least 1/4" steel plate on top, and the roll-away chunk is a great idea.

I had 1/4" plate on my last one, and it worked out great for everything I did. Welding, pounding, and just all-around abusing it.

 

If you're going to have a portion of the top be wood, maybe consider looking in to using a T-track kit, embedded into the table. I have really used mine a lot. It allows you to clamp stuff down in the center of your table.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21967

Looks like this:

 

I have used stainless steel restaurant tables. I use in my warehouse, they are strong and clean up really easy.... I've had a trans, block and a bunch of other heavy stuff on it with no worries... I paid $50 dollars each and there 6 foot long....

 

Best idea I've seen yet! I've seen those at restaurant supply houses used, always thought they would make a good workbench.....

 

I will have to check out the local restaurant supply house. Sounds promising!

 

Get one with a sink for parts washing

 

I do woodworking and automotive stuff on my bench. An all-wood bench is pretty durable.

Mine has a 3/4 inch plywood top that gets treated badly. I use it as a cutting board frequently. Whenever I end up with some polyurethane that is too old to use on a furniture project, I use wood filler on the bigger flaws, sand the whole thing down, and pour the poly right out of the can on to it. Spead the poly out with a brush and let it dry. this fills some holes and dents, too. It is probably on it's 6th coat by now. It has 10 years of use on it at this point and still looks OK. With all the poly on it, it cleans up really well. If too abused over time, I can pop d the top back off the bench and flip it over. It is just screwed onto the frame.

The bench is 6 x 3 feet, has a lower storage shelf, an legs made out of two 2x4s each. Empty, it is somewhere in the the 250-300 lb range ... very sturdy. You want a heavy rock-solid bench if you are hammering on things or really torquing on something that you have in the bench vise. I do not want the bench to move or flex. If you use metal for legs, it might end up lighter than a wood bench due to using much smaller material.

I had a too-light bench at one point, and you could only knock pins out of shafts or drive finishing nails into hardwood if you were working right over a bench leg. In the middle of the bench there was some "bounce" to it if you were working there.

I also made the top overhang the skirting by a couple inches so that I can clamp things horizontally. This helps a ton with a lot of automotive projects, and it has been OK for most wood-working, even though most wood-only benches tend to use focus a lot on vertical clamping.

If you are tall, you might want the bench a bit higher than countertop. I am 6'1", and mine comes in at about two inches below my beltline, which is two inches higher than my kitchen counters.

 

I am also 6', and as Paul said above, make it as tall as my kitchen counter. That is right at 2" below my belt, so that seems to be a nice comfy height.

I had plumbing put into the garage when I had the house built, and immediately put in a deep sink, and have already used the crap out of it (closed on house 12/2/10). I have my antique Borax dispenser above it, my wall-mounted go-jo dispenser next to that, centerpull paper towel dispenser beside that, and a small "bench" to hold sponges, brushes, etc that need to be at the sink. So sink is taken care of.

BUT!!! A second sink, stainless, with a drain that goes into a removable bucket, would be nice for harsh chemicals that I don't want draining into the sewer...

Getting lots of good ideas. Thanks for all of the suggestions!

 

And an off my rocker thought.. It would be low but.. throw a piece of clear plexiglass on top of the opening with two holes for your arms and you got a sand blaster cabinet .. Now back to the origional work bench ideas

 

Good idea! That could probably be accomplished with a deep sink.

 

here's a pic of my table i just built.
purchased the table for $25
purchased 25 bins for $12
2x2 steel, free from neighbor
4x8 3/4 plywood for back $14
casters $40
i cut the top in half, and then integrated my parts washer into the design.
i still have to figure out a top light. probably going to run something cool. we will see.
also have to fab up a drain and a front switch for the parts washer.

 

I just got a decent workbench. It's a 1/4" steel top, 3'x8' long, has 3/16" thk 2x2 square tubing legs,and braced with angle iron. It took me and my brother to turn it over to load it in the truck and 4 of us to pick it up. It weighs at least 350lbs and doesn't budge when I hammer on it. If you build a frame out of metal tubing, you could always use a butcher block type top over part of it, or used old solid core wood doors make great workbenches too. Dad made some of those growing up and he was still using them last year. 30+years in the cabinet making trade.