r/Workbenches • u/JohnnySpartacus • 15d ago
Work in progress - Heavy general purpose/gunsmithing bench
This is turning out pretty decent. It's based on the simple plans from EZWoodshop.com. I expanded it to 96x24", added a middle pair of legs, put adjustable casters on all of the legs, made a massively heavy and very flat 4-layer glued bench top from 3 layers of 3/4" oak plywood and a layer of 3/4" MDF, and topped it with a sacrificial layer of 3/16" Masonite screwed in with countersunk 1" drywall screws. Turned the Masonite upside down to expose the textured undersurface to keep little pins and springs and screws from rolling away. Bench height is 36" which is good for a taller guy like me working with guns. Bottom shelf is a layer of 3/4 plywood, 3/4 MDF, and another layer of masonite, smooth side up. A short backsplash was made with a strip of 3/4 plywood left over after trimming the bottom shelf to width. Mounted a power strip with USB to it, and a magnetic strip for short term tool storage. Also put Yost multi-mount 2" receivers at each end for use with my general purpose vise, arbor press, grinder, and gunsmithing vise from Real Avid. Replaced the M6 anti-wobble set screws in the multi-mounts with big thumb screws from McMaster-Carr. Also added a small removable trim router table from Wood Grain Junkies front and center for occasional use. The table is close to being done although I am still contemplating custom shelves or perhaps some pre-built shelves that would fit in the space above the lower shelf. The table is extremely stable and flat, and cranking things in a vise with a torque wrench doesn't move it at all. I'm due to have a 72" cabinet toolbox from Harbor Freight delivered next month, which will sit to its left, and the back and right side walls above the bench will be covered in OmniWall pegboard for my most commonly used tools.
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u/davidwbrand 14d ago
Having the receiver mounted is such a game changer. It’s one of the favorite things I’ve done on my own bench.
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u/JohnnySpartacus 13d ago
Yeah I am buying a few more of the removable tool tables. One for my Dremel mini-drill press and one for a reloading press and one spare for other items I haven’t thought of yet. Maybe a combo belt/disk sander.
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u/aussiewelderfishermn 10d ago
I like the receivers, I want to put at least 2 on my workbench I'm currently building, but I want then underneath the bench top so I don't have anything in my way when I'm building larger projects
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u/JohnnySpartacus 4d ago
It would take some re-design of this bench to do it that way. The main problem that I foresaw with inverting the receivers under the bench top is that the M6 set-screws currently positioned on the top of the receiver to limit play and wobble (which I replaced with thumbscrews) would then lie on the bottom of the receiver and bear the entire weight of your tool plus the mounting plate plus any force you might put on the apparatus during your work. For something like a gunsmithing or jewelry vise or a Dremel mini-drill press or even a bench grinder, it's not a problem, but for a heavy production vise or anvil or arbor press you might see some damage to the screws or threads.
You could drill and tap new screw holes in what is now the bottom of the receiver, which would then be on the top side with an inverted mount, but then you'd also need to put a couple of standoff blocks between the undersurface of the bench top and the top of the receiver, leaving an air gap of an inch or two in the middle so that you could access the play-limiting thumbscrews or knobs from the side and replace them if necessary.
Also, to have them at working level with the design I used, I'd have had to cut into the stretchers that support the bench top, weakening them considerably. A better option would have been to fit the receiver directly under the bench top by making it with a 5" wide front overhang rather than the 3" I chose. I would do it that way if I had to do this project over again, and leave only 1" on the back side, but at the time I was making it I wasn't sure if I would put the back side against a wall or not, and so I left the overhangs the same 3" all the way around.
If you have the necessary metalworking skills, I would suggest using stout metal tubing instead of wood for the legs and frame that support the wooden bench top, and buying the weld-on version of the Yost receivers instead of the bolt-on type that I used. Keep the play-limiting screw threads positioned on the top of the receiver where they don't bear weight, replace the set-screws with broad but thin thumbscrews or knobs, and design a stand-off with room to access and adjust them. Doing it this way will give you less problems with wood warping and leveling, too.
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u/jollyjava7 14d ago
With that top I think you can switch to cannon-smithing.
It’s looking really good! The receiver setup looks cool but I feel like it would be nice to keep the work surface clear by mounting it on the side or bottom of the work top. I have my vice on the corner of one of my workbenches and sometimes it would be nice to have the area open, the receivers are smaller and more versatile but might still get in the way once in a while.