# Work Bench Build



## tchara (Aug 1, 2015)

Ok...here it is, my work bench project. The drawers slide in and out from both sides of the bench. I got this idea from a video Thom Rider posted on You Tube. The bench will be in the middle of the floor and I can access the drawers from both sides.

I haven't decided what to do with the middle yet. I'm thinking a shelf in the middle to help support and fix the slight bowing of the drawer frame. I want to store my HF belt & Disk Sander, and my Delta small belt sander. May put doors in the middle too.

I bought a 12 plug power strip on sale at HF for 17.99, ands will mount it on the front of the bench.

The retractable casters is my idea. I watched several Videos online, and didn't find any other ideas I liked. I wanted it simple, without a bunch of levers or hinges to get in the way. The bottom part of the caster assembly slide up and down the legs in dado grooves, and the cam system is two 3/4 plywood circles glued and screwed together with a 1" square tubing to turn with a crescent wrench.

I wanted to utilize a bunch of old stuff I had laying around, so it isn't real spit and polished, but it's just a work bench and not real concerned with aesthetics.

Let me know what you think, and what I might do to improve the design. I haven't decided yet what to do about a top. I have to stay around a 2" thickness, to keep the height in line with the height of my TS, so it can be used as an out feed too.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

If I were you I would lose the idea that you need to slide the drawers both ways. It looks like your going to need a back side on them to keep it square. Because without it it won't be long before it starts to move. Also it seems a pain to have to close a drawer without a stop to shut it against. 

When you put a vise on it you'll find yourself working from one side anyway.

Al


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

Your retractable caster design is very innovative. Nice work.

As an alternative to Al B Thayer's full back idea, you could probably get away with gusseting the middle section or adding a back to it. 

I agree that manually aligning the drawers would be a pain, but there are ways to make a drawer "stop" while keeping it accessible from both sides. A small hump like on a euro slide may work just fine to keep them in alignment.


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## tchara (Aug 1, 2015)

NickDIY said:


> Your retractable caster design is very innovative. Nice work.
> 
> As an alternative to Al B Thayer's full back idea, you could probably get away with gusseting the middle section or adding a back to it.
> 
> ...


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I immediately see three options for the center space. 
1. Put a small air compressor or vacuum in the space. 
2. Put shelving in the space for bulky tools. 
3. My favorite. Build 5 more drawers for this space with the two top drawers being very shallow to hold small tools, pencils, measuring tapes, etc. And the 3 bottom drawers larger for hand planes and other tools.


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

I vote 3. I never liked the pans on benchtops that fill up with dust and wood chips and having storage close at hand for marking & measuring tools is so convenient.


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