Why you have to have a proper bench!!!!

[Andrew Ovalles]

So the other day I received my kmg grinder (Awesome) and felt that i could skimp on the bench and just buy a little dinky bench that i could just slap this fine piece of equipment on and that was a big big mistake

Warping to the max. This thing was leaning pretty bad due to the cheap thin steel and craftsman great quality (chinese made :jerkit Just taking the platen out would cause the entire table to warp forward which left me believing that within a couple of weeks this thing was definitely going to collapse.

This basically taught me that you can never take the cheap way out when it comes to buying and creating quality equipment. A little elbow grease has to be applied. So i spent 8 hours making my first bench today and I'm extremely pleased with its stability and strength, even more pleased that I created it.

 

[Will52100]

Good deal, can't buy that kind of quality anymore, at least without paying through the nose. You should also check out Lowes and Home Depot, they used to sell kits, basically stamped sheet metal corners and such with holes in it. You supply the 2x4's and screw it together. Makes for a very sturdy bench. That said it's not hard to just use deck screws and make a heck of a bench.

 

[Salem Straub]

Nice bench, sweet grinder too. Congrats.

 

[Andrew Ovalles]

Thanks salem, your review of the KMG was definitely a motivator for me to purchase one.

Will - I did just that, i figured you know what... I'm just gonna buy plywood and 2x4 (dont know why they call em 2x4 when they are missing half and inch each side) and just build one. Saw some vids on youtube and the ideas kicked in. Wasn't difficult at all and was fun to do

 

[AVigil]

Thanks salem, your review of the KMG was definitely a motivator for me to purchase one.

(dont know why they call em 2x4 when they are missing half and inch each side)

Because thats what you pay for not what you get

Nice bench and grinder.

 

[wolffbite]

2x4 cut from the mill. And they lose 1/2" for the finishing

Very nice set up, kmg's look like sweet machines.

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

(dont know why they call em 2x4 when they are missing half and inch each side)

hey, hand me one of those 1 1/2" X 3 1/2" would ya?? doesn't really roll of the tongue

back in the day you actually could get a 2x4"rough cut, there was also a time when they milled them to 1 5/8" x 3 5/8" but made it to complicated in the field. Originally it was said they roughed and milled then kiln dried had caused this measurement, but the truth is you get more would from a plank

nice bench, and you're 100% about the importance of a great workstation, I know mine needs some tweaking..

 

[Phil Dwyer]

Well done! When you're grinding hot and heavy, just keep an eye on the sparks on that nice dry fir/pine/spruce framing lumber.

 

[Will52100]

That's what the bucket of water you use to cool your blades is for! I've got plenty of smolder spots on my benches. Eventually enough crap builds up so it's pretty fire resistant!

 

[jonnymac44]

Nice! I make my own benches most of the time as well. Very gratifying and definitely more solid than cheap stands from the hardware store, though I must admit that I have one like the craftsman one in your pic that my benchtop drill press sits on, works well for that.

Nice work!

 

[Tait]

Looks great and very solid!

I'm a 2x4 workbench kind of guy myself. Tips for others thinking about going this route:

- If you don't need to move it, you can greatly increase stability by screwing it into the wall.
- If the top is big enough to make it worthwhile, solid core doors make sturdy benchtops
- The 2x4s from big box home improvement stores are cheap, but frequently green and sometimes pretty curved. If you're building a big bench, it's worth looking into local lumber suppliers to see if kiln-dried is available. If it is, it's well worth the trip.