- 3 x 1800mm (longitudinal brace x 3)
- 8x 800mm (lateral braces x 3, legs x 5)
- 9x 300mm (leg braces x 8, vice crossbar x 1)
Speaking of measurements what should be the measurements for the bench? Many people just choose a height arbitrarily. Don't do it! Make sure the bench will be a custom fit for you. So, how do you do that?
Well, I will probably be using the vice on the bench the most, so I need to have the top of the vice at the height of my elbow. This will ensure comfortable working conditions and accurate work.
This would be the case for whatever tool you will be using the most. I made a mock setup using a table and blocks and pieces of wood to lift the table to the correct height to see what was the perfect height for me and I recommend this method as it has worked well and it guarantees that you will be happy with the eventual height of your workbench. I recommend the use of an adjustable strut chair so sit down height can easily be adjusted.
So, I ended up with a table that was 840mm high. As for the length and width; this is the beauty of custom building you can build for your perfect fit! In my case the area I will work in is not so large and I need to have the grinder vice and drill press located on the table. So for my circumstances a table that was1800mm long by 800mm would do the job.
Now that all the materials and dimensions had been been worked out for the workbench it was down to the nitty gritty of building the workbench. This will be covered in depth in the next installment of the series. If you are good with your hands try this, third installment