Any advise on workbench build?

[Hairic]

Ok so you may have seen some of my other post that I am wanting to build a small leather workshop, I'm going into it as I did my woodshop and that is the workbench should be the center and focal point, of the shop, so that's what I am currently designing, I would love to hear input from anyone that has more experience, I don't want to regret building something that just wont flow, So I have attached some pics of what I think could be a basic layout, it is all correct dimensions lol , like I said its not a very large space, So I want to be able to store as much as possible in my center bench, Im just wondering with this design what would you put in it and where, I purposely did not add the drawers yet as that's my question what would you do with this empty shell, The center of the one side I want to be able to sit and do things so its going to be empty for my legs like a desk with a small drawer above the thighs for a random things I suppose but I will add holes for adjustable shelves in the event I never sit, either side of that I want drawers, I think, I was thinking to the left have all my sewing equipment as directly behind that will be the area I keep my sewing machine.  On the far end I think I want to install a paper roll to quickly pull and layout over the worktop for staining and gluing, speaking of top the entire top 4x8 and will be topped with a cutting mat. all the red is just ideas for layout and nothing is permanent I only include it so you can get a feel to what My plans are as the bench is priority to me also it does not show it but that room is totally boxed in just didn't include the wall next to sewing area, Any ways I would love to hear thoughts for what you would do. 

[fredk]

Forget drawers. The woodwork of the drawer takes up valuable space. Shelves with a bar across them. Hinge the bar at the bottom so it can drop down like a flap, but only to horizontal so it can act as extension to the shelf whilst you get things off the shelf. Bar hinges up after use and small catches hold it in place

Use that wall space; open plan shelves up there, long lengths which can be partitioned to your needs as you progress

Use the ceiling; in very old time houses they used to have a clothes drying rack attached to the ceiling. It could be dropped down for putting clothes on then via pulleys it was hoisted up out of the way. Use a similar idea to hang light weight leathers

Don't forget power points; you can never have too many. But not at floor level. Bring them up to desk/worktop height. And build an open front box over them; to protect the plugs and stop too much stuff getting left in front of them and preventing you access to them

Is that big square on the end wall a window? if it is shift your sewing area over to there. Make use of any daylight available

[LatigoAmigo]

36 minutes ago, Hairic said:

what you would do. 

Here are some pics of what I did as I had limited space. I needed a bigger bench for laying out my materials, so I made the bench U-shaped with a sort of convertible table insert, and hung my tools on the walls. 

Please excuse the clutter.

[Hairic]

8 minutes ago, fredk said:

Forget drawers. The woodwork of the drawer takes up valuable space. Shelves with a bar across them. Hinge the bar at the bottom so it can drop down like a flap, but only to horizontal so it can act as extension to the shelf whilst you get things off the shelf. Bar hinges up after use and small catches hold it in place

Use that wall space; open plan shelves up there, long lengths which can be partitioned to your needs as you progress

Use the ceiling; in very old time houses they used to have a clothes drying rack attached to the ceiling. It could be dropped down for putting clothes on then via pulleys it was hoisted up out of the way. Use a similar idea to hang light weight leathers

Don't forget power points; you can never have too many. But not at floor level. Bring them up to desk/worktop height. And build an open front box over them; to protect the plugs and stop too much stuff getting left in front of them and preventing you access to them

Is that big square on the end wall a window? if it is shift your sewing area over to there. Make use of any daylight available

No sir that big box is a garage door, right now, during remodel it will become bay windows.  I like your idea of shelfs, however I have found they clutter things in the back, So sliding shelves are also a thought, this is a frameless design so it does not take up much more room doing it that way.  

[Hairic]

6 minutes ago, LatigoAmigo said:

Here are some pics of what I did as I had limited space. I needed a bigger bench for laying out my materials, so I made the bench U-shaped with a sort of convertible table insert, and hung my tools on the walls. 

Please excuse the clutter.

that's a really good idea! I was going for the hopes on not having to do that with the large bench lol, and may come to that if I cant make this large table work... I have been thinking of making it a bit smaller, however I have a 1300 sqft area I can use if I find leather more than just a hobby, So that again is why I kind of want to make a larger bench as it wont need to be rebuilt/ upgraded later.  Plus I build cabinets for a living and I know it well lol.  Just don't know what I want on this one.  Normally people tell me what they want and I build it.  I also want to make it crazy fancy with the trim and work that is not shown on the design as that's just the frosting when the main structure is done lol.

[Hairic]

Think I'm going to go with this design, I will have both empty spots able to have adjustable shelves just did not picture them in, what you all think? Will I regret it? 

[HaloJones]

As long as it suits your working ways should be fine.

I am in a similar position, the space I have is 3x4m I plan on a long workbench along one length with storage behind me, under the bench will be a tool box on wheels to pull out as I need, and some form of leather storage 

what I am still trying to nail is the height of the bench, what did you opt for?

[Klara]

Where are you planning on storing your leather?

I have it under my improvised cutting table, easily accessible and out of direct light. For tool storage I am a huge fan of magnetic rails on the wall within easy reach. 

Have you checked out the YouTube videos on leather workshops? There are quite a few where people show off their new space.

 

[Frodo]

My opinion of a bench  is a 4' [1.21m]  x 8' [2.43m]  in size with  Lift/lock casters

this allows the bench to be moved about the room on wheels then it sets down in position 

You need 4 separate work stations

Cutting

gluing  with overhead exhaust hood

stain

sewing /machine/hand 

 

DIY FOLDING WALL MOUNTED WORKBENCH - YouTube

[toxo]

I think you just like playing with Sketch Up.

[Spyros]

a) Drawers is where tools go to die.  In 3 days you will forget what's in them and probably never use it again.  Hang as much as you can on the walls and yes even from the ceiling as Fred wisely said.

b) More important than the shape of the bench is the position of the bench.  Ideal is: One of the short sides against the wall with the other 3 sides free so you can walk around the bench instead of having to rotate long pieces to cut them.  The 4th side should be bolted on the wall, and the feet bolted on the floor, for stability so you can bang and cut things on the bench without it moving and rocking under you.

c) Even more important than the position of the bench is the surface of the bench.  Ideally you want one bench with a surface that nothing sticks on it so you can use it for gluing and dying and then you can actually clean it and keep it spotlessly clean, and the best surface for that is formply (the black stuff they sell at the hardware store for concrete pours, not even epoxy sticks on it).  And then another bench with a soft surface for punching and cutting without damaging your tools, the ideal material is 15mm or thicker high density polyethylene (HDPE).  Whatever surface you decide to use keep the mounting really really simple: 4 to 6 screws is enough, so you can flip it over when it's worn out.  If you don't have room for 2 benches you can divide the surface half and half, or simply use formply and throw a cutting mat on when cutting and punching.  I'm a big fan of formply.

d) Bench accessories are important to plan for, make sure you can actually mount them in a way that is convenient to your workflow.   A tabletop stitching pony will not mount on a bench if the edge of the bench is too thick.  A woodworking vice with wide jaws dressed with leather is actually very useful for pressing glued items uniformly instead of hammering them, or just holding them up for painted edges to dry.    A pair of long sticks are useful for holding a belt up for edge dying, ideally you want those sticks easy to mount on the edge of your bench.  A shallow hole on the bench is great for popping in those concave metal bases for pressing hardware like snaps and rivets on big pieces of leather that don't fit under a hardware press.  A hook hanging over the bench is sometimes convenient for hanging big/floppy projects for stitching in awkward locations.  A few holes with threaded inserts *might* be useful for mounting and removing machines like tabletop skivers.  If I was making my bench again I would also make a porthole with a big rubbish bin underneath to quickly sweep offcuts.  

 

[Spyros]

If you buy HDPE dont buy black.  You put a black piece of leather on and you cant see jack ****

[Hairic]

5 hours ago, HaloJones said:

As long as it suits your working ways should be fine.

I am in a similar position, the space I have is 3x4m I plan on a long workbench along one length with storage behind me, under the bench will be a tool box on wheels to pull out as I need, and some form of leather storage 

what I am still trying to nail is the height of the bench, what did you opt for?

As it sits is 36.5 inches, with casters should be about 38 inches.

 

5 hours ago, Klara said:

Where are you planning on storing your leather?

I have it under my improvised cutting table, easily accessible and out of direct light. For tool storage I am a huge fan of magnetic rails on the wall within easy reach. 

Have you checked out the YouTube videos on leather workshops? There are quite a few where people show off their new space.

 

I have watched several videos and seen lots of great ideas that I will implement later on, Really I want this bench to be able to hold everything while I learn better methods, But want it to be able to hold bulk items like glues, snaps, buckles, rivets, hardware in general.  My leather, I plan to build a cabinet style shelf and will roll my leather up around a rod so to speak and hang the rods horizontally, sides and such that is, smaller leather I'm not sure about just yet lol

 

5 hours ago, toxo said:

I think you just like playing with Sketch Up.

Lol it is fun! 

 

4 hours ago, Spyros said:

a) Drawers is where tools go to die.  In 3 days you will forget what's in them and probably never use it again.  Hang as much as you can on the walls and yes even from the ceiling as Fred wisely said.

b) More important than the shape of the bench is the position of the bench.  Ideal is: One of the short sides against the wall with the other 3 sides free so you can walk around the bench instead of having to rotate long pieces to cut them.  The 4th side should be bolted on the wall, and the feet bolted on the floor, for stability so you can bang and cut things on the bench without it moving and rocking under you.

c) Even more important than the position of the bench is the surface of the bench.  Ideally you want one bench with a surface that nothing sticks on it so you can use it for gluing and dying and then you can actually clean it and keep it spotlessly clean, and the best surface for that is formply (the black stuff they sell at the hardware store for concrete pours, not even epoxy sticks on it).  And then another bench with a soft surface for punching and cutting without damaging your tools, the ideal material is 15mm or thicker high density polyethylene (HDPE).  Whatever surface you decide to use keep the mounting really really simple: 4 to 6 screws is enough, so you can flip it over when it's worn out.  If you don't have room for 2 benches you can divide the surface half and half, or simply use formply and throw a cutting mat on when cutting and punching.  I'm a big fan of formply.

d) Bench accessories are important to plan for, make sure you can actually mount them in a way that is convenient to your workflow.   A tabletop stitching pony will not mount on a bench if the edge of the bench is too thick.  A woodworking vice with wide jaws dressed with leather is actually very useful for pressing glued items uniformly instead of hammering them, or just holding them up for painted edges to dry.    A pair of long sticks are useful for holding a belt up for edge dying, ideally you want those sticks easy to mount on the edge of your bench.  A shallow hole on the bench is great for popping in those concave metal bases for pressing hardware like snaps and rivets on big pieces of leather that don't fit under a hardware press.  A hook hanging over the bench is sometimes convenient for hanging big/floppy projects for stitching in awkward locations.  A few holes with threaded inserts *might* be useful for mounting and removing machines like tabletop skivers.  If I was making my bench again I would also make a porthole with a big rubbish bin underneath to quickly sweep offcuts.  

 

I was a mechanic for over 15 years and worked religiously out of drawers lol, that's probable why I am going towards this design actually, every thing has a place and I learn that place and it becomes fluid. However that does not mean I wont change it up someday.  I plan to have the bench just as you said, with one side towards wall and three open sides, I was originally going to place it in the middle and 4 open sides but who knows, it will be on casters so I might change it lol. The top I got for it is more like an HDPE at about 1/4 inch thick, I went back to check what it actually is and it does not say, I still have it rolled up, should probably open it and look at it lol.  Those are all good ideas for sure, I have two woodworking vises on one of my woodshop benches, they are extremely handy, not sure why I didn't think about incorporating one or so on this bench.  Probably cause I'm Kinda rushing it as my sewing machine will be here tomorrow and really want this bench done so I can figure things out by early next week. 

And the top is white! lol I really wanted a black mat but did not want to spend 500 bucks on one, so I opted for this one.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Hairic

[Thescandall]

I built mine to retract to the ceiling. It’s 4x8 with metal angles around the perimeter. Bought a hoist at northern tool and beefed up the ceiling and rafters. Now if I’m not using it I just push a button and up it goes. 

[Spyros]

15 hours ago, Hairic said:

I was a mechanic for over 15 years and worked religiously out of drawers lol

Ahh you're one of them LOL

Ok, it can be done I guess, your brain must be much more organised than mine... for me all tools have to be on magnetic strips on the wall,  anything that doesn't stick to the magnets I hang it from nails, and anything that doesn't hang I've made a couple of blocks on wood with holes in them and I stick it in there so I can see it.  Otherwise I literally do not remember what tools I own.

[Hairic]

20 minutes ago, Spyros said:

Ahh you're one of them LOL

Ok, it can be done I guess, your brain must be much more organised than mine... for me all tools have to be on magnetic strips on the wall,  anything that doesn't stick to the magnets I hang it from nails, and anything that doesn't hang I've made a couple of blocks on wood with holes in them and I stick it in there so I can see it.  Otherwise I literally do not remember what tools I own.

Lol yes sir, Takes a little time to remember things then it becomes natural, everything has to have its place haha.. I guarantee I have tools hanging in no time though.  Actually one of the things I still have to figure out is what to do with all my mechanic tools that I have that shop right now... running out of room fast lol

[Spyros]

19 minutes ago, Hairic said:

Lol yes sir, Takes a little time to remember things then it becomes natural, everything has to have its place haha.. I guarantee I have tools hanging in no time though.  Actually one of the things I still have to figure out is what to do with all my mechanic tools that I have that shop right now... running out of room fast lol

Sounds like you have to make a choice... some of those precious tools will need to go into those big plastic tubs in the attic or something

[toxo]

16 hours ago, Thescandall said:

I built mine to retract to the ceiling. It’s 4x8 with metal angles around the perimeter. Bought a hoist at northern tool and beefed up the ceiling and rafters. Now if I’m not using it I just push a button and up it goes. 

Great job. Wish I had a place to do that but it wouldn't work in the spare bedroom.

[Frodo]

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, toxo said:

Great job. Wish I had a place to do that but it wouldn't work in the spare bedroom.

https://inovabed.com/e-store-products/tablebed

[chuck123wapati]

8 hours ago, Hairic said:

 figure out is what to do with all my mechanic tools that I have that shop right now... running out of room fast lol

My little one room garage is a combo blacksmith, welding, woodworking and auto repair, and whatever else i need room for. Half my time is spent moving crap around.  let your son borrow them they will be gone in a month LOL. my son is now in his 30s and guess what he has to hide his tools from me lol. If i walk by and see one i take it especially anything 1/2" and 9/16" i'll bet i bought a dozen each of those two in his short time as a teen with a truck.

[Sheilajeanne]

Okay, here's a few things I've learned. 

As an older person who's having quite a bit of back and hip pain right now, don't forget your comfort. A comfortable chair, NOT a hard wooden stool will be very helpful with those long tooling and sewing sessions. On casters, of course, so you can zip between work stations!

Let's not forget good lighting. I have a very bright LED tube hanging from the shelf above my tooling/cutting area. Don't know what I'd do without it!

Table height is important too. My work area is made up of repurposed kitchen counters which came with the house. The previous owner had been into sewing in a big way. I soon found the counters were just a little too high for me to work comfortably, so I had my handyman saw a couple of inches off the bottom. 

I hear ya about electrical outlets!! Mine are all down near the baseboards, so I had to plug in a power bar to make the juice accessible. And yes, definitely have them covered - leather dust gets EVERYWHERE, and you don't want it getting in the outlets!

As for storage, I have a big problem with dust in my work area, because there's been a lot of work being done on my home. Fortunately, there's a large closet with sliding doors and shelves in the room, and this is where I store my leather. It protects it from the light, too.

Things I used most frequently are on the shelves over top of the work areas, or in a small plastic tool storage box (3 drawers, it's about 8" x 10") (swivel knives, honing oil and stones, box cutter) or in the topmost drawers of the counter, on either side of the knee hole (cork back rulers, shears, . I also have a plastic 6 drawer storage unit for less frequently used stuff. Yes, I have to hunt for stuff sometimes, but I have a pretty good memory as to what's stored where.

Messy stuff like dyes and other liquids are in plastic boxes inside the counter cupboards.  Stamps are at the back of the tooling area in racks. I am planning to add a pegboard at the back to store things like edgers and chisels.

 

[dans79]

On 3/15/2022 at 5:01 PM, Hairic said:

 Any ways I would love to hear thoughts for what you would do. 

No matter what, make sure the spot where you plan to do your chisel/pricking/punch work is heavily reinforced.  Ideally you want one or more legs in close proximity if possible.

It doesn't matter if its woodworking, metalworking, leatherworking etc, if the pounding area isn't rigid, it will be loud, and a lot of the power you put into strikes will be wasted as the top flexes under the load.    

For example a very popular style woodworking bench  is one that's fitted with a leg vise, and a wagon wheel vise. The benefit of both of these vises, is that when you are going to town with a mallet and chisel you are usually doing it right over, or right next to a leg.
 

[Spyros]

Best thing I did in my shop was the countless powerpoints, all above bench level.  I currently enjoy the ridiculous ratio of 1.5 powerpoints per square metre of workshop

The other thing I did recently was installing a main power switch by the door, I just kill all electricity on my way out.   Helps me sleep better at nights.

[Rocky143]

For the top of your stamping, punching area, ask a terrazzo contractor to quote you a price for making you a terrazzo counter top.

Also, there are plenty of videos about DIY concrete counter tops.

Be aware that stones like granite and basalt are denser than concrete, so if you opt for concrete, you may want it to be a little thicker.

Thickness of the top should be taken into account when calculating height of the table.