I need a new workbench. Recommendations?

uranium_jones

Well-known member
So, I have been using an Ikea IVAR monstrous combination desk and bookshelf. I would really like a dedicated workbench so I can have my desk separate and work on my laptop stuff there, including (hopefully) music production. You know what I'm looking for: a nice open area to solder, storage galore (meaning space for little component storage cabinets) and maybe some built in lighting. Oh, and maybe even a spot for a DC power supply and a oscilloscope (drool)!

So, what are some good recommendations for a workbench? Inexpensive would be preferred because, well, we have been dropping money like flies with house repairs. But I feel like anything would be better than my cheap cramped fire hazard.

Edit: forgot to say I'm in the US.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fig
My vote:

Build it. Get a butcher block countertop, some 3/4" black iron pipe, and a bunch of fittings.

Thread the pipe together to form the legs, use floor flanges on top and bottom, screw the floor flanges on top into the countertop.

That's how I did my computer workstation at home...super sturdy, modular in that you can always add attachments if you want to, looks great and doesn't break the bank.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fig
Draughting table, but of course set level.
2417178b55eea58a7b45fbd3e4e340bd--antique-drafting-table-drafting-tables.jpg

Should be able to find one cheap, since most draughting is done on computer nowadays.
 
Tabletop:


Pipe for legs:


Easy. Heavy duty. Lasts a lifetime. Get your fittings on amazon, and you can build it for around two bills. Rub on a couple of coats of hardwax oil, and it's damned purty too.

Or, if you're absolutely insane like me, buy the full legnths of pipe, cut and thread them by hand. Total comes out about the same for the first project, but then you start building light fixtures and curtain rods with the leftovers...

Of course, local high quality used furniture is another good option. But...furniture is a PITA to shop for. Dimensions, condition, quality,
aesthetics, price...trying to hit all those points at once is what drove me into woodworking.

The pipe and butcher block idea, though? Anybody can do it. It's like putting together something from Ikea.
 
Back
Top