making a proper workbench

[youngbowyer]

For a long time now i have been working on old table that used to be a outdoor dining table. with every small movement i make this thing shakes and i mean it when i say it SHAKES! its very frustrating. Now i was wondering if there is any way to covert this into a somewhat proper bench. I know the first step will be to reinforce the legs but what else. And if this is not workbench material, then how can i construct a relatively cheap work bench. Don't ask about the spray paint on the door

[Weylin]

Get one of Keenan's stave masters... seriously, you wont regret it. I gave up all birthday/christmas presents for a year and have to turn over any said money gifts but it was totally worth it.

[bow101]

Keenan's stave masters are indestructible, last a life time indeed.!  Buit if you are strapped for cash you can build a bench for less than $15.00. Either rip the top of the old table and build a strudy frame under  it and attach it to the wall if possible. Buy 3-4 2x4 and 3 inch wood screws.
Or you can build a shaving horse from 2x10 cost about $12.00 @ depot.
Check out the build here........
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,37969.0.html

[hunterbob]

  I built a nice work bench with a vice that sticks out from the middle but I never can see the bench and all the chips on the floor my head is getting close to the ceiling.

[osage outlaw]

If you want to make that one work you could put some angle supports on each leg in each direction.  Maybe run a stringer board around the legs halfway down and put some plywood on it to make storage room and add support.  Adding a piece of plywood on the top of it wouldn't hurt either.  Add a sturdy vise if you have one.  Use screws with what ever you put on it.  Nails have a way of working loose some time.

My main workbench is around 3'x4' and made out of nothing but scrap lumber.  Some is treated, some stained, some plain.  I just took what I had and made it work.  I added locking swivel casters so I can move it.  When the weather is nice I roll it out into the garage where I get more airflow.

[dwardo]

Benches are best when they are fixed to the wall rather than free standing.
Mine is an old kitchen worktop which can be picked up new but with a slight scratch for next to nawt.
I secured mine with bolts through the floor, walls made brackets and used epoxy and anything else I could find.

[The Gopher]

I'm coming to prefer a regular bench vise over anything else, especially for chasing rings. Mount a vice on a simple bench out a reinforced table. Like others said attach to wall if possible, or put a lower shelf near the bottom and load it up with bags of sand, salt, or some other cheap heavy thing to get the weight up.

[Pat B]

Like Dwardo said I also mounted my work bench to the cinder block wall with lag bolts and toggles. I had to redo it once when I pulled a lag out of the wall removing the sapwood from an osage stave    but it has had lots of abuse over the years and is still going strong.
 I noticed you have support columns in your basement. There was an article in an old PA about a work bench a guy made between two support columns  by attaching 2, 2x8(or so) to the columns and attached the bow he was working on to the top of those cross beams. 

[youngbowyer]

How can i attach the workbench to my concrete wall?

[RyanY]

My main work bench is a short long bench I nailed together with two pieces for legs and a cross bar between them for stability. It's cheap and super easy to make. I use a clamp on vice and sit on the bench while working on my bows which keeps it from moving. I'm posting from my phone but if you want more info on it I can post later with dimensions and pics.

[osage outlaw]

How can i attach the workbench to my concrete wall?

Angle brackets and concrete anchors. 

[Pat B]

The concrete blocks have voids in them. They are only about 1" thick around these voids. What I did was drill a hole in the back of my bench and marked that location on the block wall and drilled a hole through it big enough for the toggle to slip through.  Then just slipped the bolt and toggle through the bench and into the hole in the block. When you tighten the bolt the toggle pulld hard against the inside of the block securing the work bench to the wall. I used 2 bolts and toggles for my table. .