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Woodworkers always need storage. I am certainly no exception to the rule. I have lived in my present woodshop for nearly four years and, for one reason or another, it always takes a back seat. Isn’t it ironic that, just when we are planning a move, I finally get around to it.
For four years I have been moving a pile of ‘stuff’ from one surface to another every time I use the shop. It couldn’t be helped. I had no place to store it. I have also grown very tired of sharpening everything on a Black & Decker Work-Mate. My mortiser is tired of living in a sawdust pile behind it. But I didn’t have the time or money to build a proper set of cabinets and finding a discarded kitchen hasn’t worked.
Still, I had access to a couple sets of steel shelving that were packed up for the move, some two by four framing lumber, and a sheet of masonite. The steel shelving units are rated to hold several hundred pounds and can be made into half height units a bench top can be rested on. All I needed to do was run out to Home Depot for a little plywood.
At Home Depot I was able to obtain five hobby squares of plywood – nearly two feet square and three quarters of an inch thick. I didn’t buy a sheet as these were on sale and precut. Not having to cut a sheet of plywood was quite a timesaver. They were also handy as I used them to size the bench top.
I decided to space the two half height units a few feet apart and span them with a long counter, fastened to the wall for extra support. I had to use one complete shelving unit with parts cannibalized from a second to end up with two bases. The open space between them would be ideal for my Shop-Vac, or some other similar item that usually lives on the floor.
Two straight two by fours – ten feet in length – were used as the basis for a ladder structure that became the foundation of the top. I cut supports sized to make the ladder the depth of one of the hobby squares, then glued and screwed them in place with construction adhesive and drywall screws. They were spaced apart enough to provide support at the edge of each hobby square with a support positioned under the center of each square for added strength. I had to assemble it on the floor then lift it up on the base units with some help from SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed – it’s a long story).
I took a few minutes to move the bases and top around to ensure everything was exactly where I wanted it. Then I fastened the ladder to the wall, but I left it loose on top of the base units. This may prove to be a problem in the long run but as of writing the weight seems to keep every thing in place and stable.
When the foundation was in place I screwed the hobby squares to the ladder assembly. Then I ripped the quarter inch masonite to width and attached it to the top.
It was at this point I had hoped to wow you with a fancy schmancy way of cutting both pieces of masonite and at the same time leaving a decorative joint. I made the mistake of being lazy and using my old Craftsman router, leaving the Porter-Cable in the box. Well, the blade slipped in the chuck mid cut and all I made was a mess. I won’t be showing you a photo of that one. Oh, and I officially retired that router – I should have done it years ago.
I tried not to use very many screws on the masonite so the top would look better and they wouldn’t dull a slipping tool. Then I waxed the top. I find that a couple of coats of paste floor wax makes masonite almost impervious to moisture. It sure has worked for my workbench and that masonite is nearly fifteen years old.
That completes the quick and dirty bench top storage unit. The length of it required placing it along the wall my lathe was on. I packed up the stand that came with it and mounted the lathe to the top of the bench. I was also able to get rid of the Work-Mate I was sharpening on. I can’t tell you what a relief that was to my aching back. Although the bench top unit didn’t add a huge amount of storage it sure has enabled me to clean up some of the messes in the shop. The entire project took only a few hours to complete and has been worth every penny (although I didn’t spend much). It isn’t perfect but it made my life easier.
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