One Bench to Rule Them All
July 23, 2020 1:44 PM Subscribe
I enjoy and want to expand my experience in both DIY electronics and woodworking. Is it feasible to create a single bench (limited available basement area probably precludes two) that would be usable for both activities? If so, what might it look like?
Best answer: I think yes, that's how many home workshops work. Due to their disparate natures, though, I think you'd be doing one type of project at a time, as woodworking tends to be messy and electronics stuff requires some modicum of cleanliness.
If you're thinking the bench would be along the wall, a 2' deep bench with a woodworker's vise on the front should allow a fairly decent range of woodworking projects to be built, with the understanding that for bigger assemblies you'll pull out a couple of sawhorses and lay a sheet of something on top to provide glue-up/large staging areas. Higher benches are often more comfortable and definitely lend themselves to sitting at them.
For electronics, I'd want to be able to sit at the bench on a stool and have a well-lit area in the middle. For both, lots of outlets help, maybe a power strip mounted underneath?
On a narrow shared bench, consider having a work surface which is sacrificial or maybe can be turned over, so your inevitable glue drips, accidental chips, etc that woodworking can put in the surface can be removed when it's time for electronics.
If you have the room for a free-standing bench, you could lean towards dedicating built-ins on one side to woodworking (vise, bench dogs, etc) and the other towards electronics built-ins (room underneath for legs while sitting, mount for a magnifying lamp, etc.). You'd still be able to clear the entire top for whichever project was the focus.
I think under-bench storage is overrated and often can make it difficult to actually work at the bench...there is no place to add clamps or put knees, etc. That said, a bank of drawers at one or both ends can help tuck away tools. Just leave yourself a couple or more inches at the outside edge so you can get clamps under the bench to hold things down.
Dust is a reality for woodworking, so I'd be thinking of how I'd be storing delicate electronic-work tools where they're safe from it. I'd also be thinking of "how do I temporarily store a halfway-done project from one realm when I want to do the other?"
posted by maxwelton at 2:11 PM on July 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
If you're thinking the bench would be along the wall, a 2' deep bench with a woodworker's vise on the front should allow a fairly decent range of woodworking projects to be built, with the understanding that for bigger assemblies you'll pull out a couple of sawhorses and lay a sheet of something on top to provide glue-up/large staging areas. Higher benches are often more comfortable and definitely lend themselves to sitting at them.
For electronics, I'd want to be able to sit at the bench on a stool and have a well-lit area in the middle. For both, lots of outlets help, maybe a power strip mounted underneath?
On a narrow shared bench, consider having a work surface which is sacrificial or maybe can be turned over, so your inevitable glue drips, accidental chips, etc that woodworking can put in the surface can be removed when it's time for electronics.
If you have the room for a free-standing bench, you could lean towards dedicating built-ins on one side to woodworking (vise, bench dogs, etc) and the other towards electronics built-ins (room underneath for legs while sitting, mount for a magnifying lamp, etc.). You'd still be able to clear the entire top for whichever project was the focus.
I think under-bench storage is overrated and often can make it difficult to actually work at the bench...there is no place to add clamps or put knees, etc. That said, a bank of drawers at one or both ends can help tuck away tools. Just leave yourself a couple or more inches at the outside edge so you can get clamps under the bench to hold things down.
Dust is a reality for woodworking, so I'd be thinking of how I'd be storing delicate electronic-work tools where they're safe from it. I'd also be thinking of "how do I temporarily store a halfway-done project from one realm when I want to do the other?"
posted by maxwelton at 2:11 PM on July 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: take a quick read through the Anarchist's Workbench
It is sitting on the table right next to me, as a matter of fact. I'm 60 pages in and enjoying it very much.
If you have the room for a free-standing bench
Yes, I should have been more specific. This will be a free standing bench in the middle of the room. What you're describing is what I am thinking in my head, and yes the requirement to do one or the other at a time will be a small annoyance, but not the end of the world.
My biggest question about that approach is whether sitting for long periods at something as high as the woodworking bench is going to get old?
posted by Inkoate at 2:43 PM on July 23, 2020
It is sitting on the table right next to me, as a matter of fact. I'm 60 pages in and enjoying it very much.
If you have the room for a free-standing bench
Yes, I should have been more specific. This will be a free standing bench in the middle of the room. What you're describing is what I am thinking in my head, and yes the requirement to do one or the other at a time will be a small annoyance, but not the end of the world.
My biggest question about that approach is whether sitting for long periods at something as high as the woodworking bench is going to get old?
posted by Inkoate at 2:43 PM on July 23, 2020
Response by poster: That's all great advice, thank you bondcliff!
posted by Inkoate at 2:50 PM on July 23, 2020
posted by Inkoate at 2:50 PM on July 23, 2020
Another option is a sitting-height general purpose bench for electronics and then a "bench on bench" for woodworking. Two popular styles are the Sjoberg's Smart Vise and the Milkman's Bench.
A very simple shop-made version of this is Yoav Liberman's "bench bull".
posted by jedicus at 3:03 PM on July 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
A very simple shop-made version of this is Yoav Liberman's "bench bull".
posted by jedicus at 3:03 PM on July 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by aramaic at 2:04 PM on July 23, 2020 [3 favorites]