Ugliest work benches ever. But FREE!

[Toothpick]

Snagged a bunch of pallets from work last week. Today I put them to use making a pair of workbenches. The ugliest pair you’ve ever seen. But they were completely free. And soon to be functional. I made a square tall one for the scroll saw. I made it extra beefy. 4x4 legs, 1x6 top, and a shelf from regular pallet planks. It’s HEAVY. I’m going to bolt the scroll saw to it and hopefully it dosn’t vibrate to much. Tall so I can stand at it. I’m more comfortable standing at the scroll saw than sitting.

The other one will be a general purpose workbench. They fit nicely in the “workshop” shed. I’m going to make a back wall for the general purpose bench so I can hang stuff from it. 

Where I’m scrolling now I have to move the lawnmower out of the way. It’s more of a garden shed/lawn shed. I’ve got a 14x28 shed that I’m going to use as my workshop now. It’s mostly storage but I can take the corner with the windows (light!) for my workshop area. Making a new workshop is fun! 

 

 

[Heli_av8tor]

Functional and FREE is always good.

Tom

[Toothpick]

Oh yeah, need to add a bottom shelf to the general purpose bench. 

[Toothpick]

Heck yeah. I paid $100 for the workbench in the garden shed. Got it from Home Depot. It’s a really nice one too. So the way I figure it, I saved at least $100 by making one (two!) myself. I could care less what it looks like as long as it’s functional. And since I’m making it, I can make it functional. 

[Scrappile]

You say ugly I say they have real character. 

[hotshot]

There is something to be said for making your own functional workshop around your needs instead of just buying everything.  I made a bench for my shop too, and though it won't be featured in wood magazine anytime soon, I have a sense of accomplishment from doing it myself.  Doing it from salvage, adds another interesting element to the benches.

Edited December 25, 2018 by hotshot

[Toothpick]

Breaking down the pallets was a real pain. Screwing it all together was the easy part.  

[Fab4]

Hi Jason:
Ugly??? - - - Maybe 
Functional and free - - - can't beat that
What I see is "Vintage"

Well done and thanks for showing us your ugly work benches
Fab4

[Toothpick]

My pleasure. Maybe ugly isn’t the best word. I’m all for repurposing anything I can. And looks don’t matter to me as long as an item is functional. But I know some folks will see things I have and wouldn’t think of making or owning them. 

 

[Rockytime]

I think rustic is way cool. All my workbenches are home built. Made to my needs. You have done very well and I like them.

[RabidAlien]

To royally hoark up a Patton quote:  "If its ugly, but it works, then it ain't ugly."  I'd much rather have a workbench like yours than the nice new Kobalt benches my wife insisted we put in our new garage (did I mention "new"?).  Every little scratch or stain the workbench gets, she acts like I broke a tile in the middle of the kitchen floor.  My opinion...ITS A WORKBENCH.  Its MADE to be used and abused.  One that looks like its been through the wringer has character and growls at you "that's all the stain you got?  Pansy." whenever you spill a drip or two.  You can drag a drill press across the top of that workbench, grinding off several layers of dirt and unmentionable pallet accumulation and it'll quietly chuckle "ooo...that feels good.... can ya get a bit to the left?"  Need a spot to hang something?  Throw a drill bit at it and torque down a hook-bolt and it'll just yawn at you.  That, my friend, is a WORKBENCH.

 

Just a tip, breaking down pallets is a lot easier with a sawzaw (reciprocating saw?).  Get a metal-cutting blade and slip it between the pallet slat and the side, and just shear off the nails.  You can flip the board upside-down, use a Phillips screwdriver on the cut shank of the nail (should be easy to find, very bright and shiny), tap it with a hammer, and that'll raise the nail head up enough to get a claw under it to remove the nail.  Its a lot easier and you don't have to worry about ripping the nail heads through the board using a prybar.  Only drawback is having to keep an eye out for the other half of the nail in the 2x4 sides/center piece.

[Toothpick]

3 hours ago, RabidAlien said:

To royally hoark up a Patton quote:  "If its ugly, but it works, then it ain't ugly."  I'd much rather have a workbench like yours than the nice new Kobalt benches my wife insisted we put in our new garage (did I mention "new"?).  Every little scratch or stain the workbench gets, she acts like I broke a tile in the middle of the kitchen floor.  My opinion...ITS A WORKBENCH.  Its MADE to be used and abused.  One that looks like its been through the wringer has character and growls at you "that's all the stain you got?  Pansy." whenever you spill a drip or two.  You can drag a drill press across the top of that workbench, grinding off several layers of dirt and unmentionable pallet accumulation and it'll quietly chuckle "ooo...that feels good.... can ya get a bit to the left?"  Need a spot to hang something?  Throw a drill bit at it and torque down a hook-bolt and it'll just yawn at you.  That, my friend, is a WORKBENCH.

 

Just a tip, breaking down pallets is a lot easier with a sawzaw (reciprocating saw?).  Get a metal-cutting blade and slip it between the pallet slat and the side, and just shear off the nails.  You can flip the board upside-down, use a Phillips screwdriver on the cut shank of the nail (should be easy to find, very bright and shiny), tap it with a hammer, and that'll raise the nail head up enough to get a claw under it to remove the nail.  Its a lot easier and you don't have to worry about ripping the nail heads through the board using a prybar.  Only drawback is having to keep an eye out for the other half of the nail in the 2x4 sides/center piece.

I was at Lowe’s today with my brother and we passed some nice new Craftsman workbenches. He goes “why would you want something that nice as a workbench?”. As much as I love to disagree with my brother, I couldn’t. The one I got from Home Depot was really basic. 2x4 and MDF(?). Unfinished. Now it looks like a proper workbench, drill holes, stained, stickers. I never went easy on it and it’s taken on a lot of character over the years. I treated it as a workbench. 

I used a sawzaw to break them down and it was still a pain. Didn’t help that they were wet and the planks were so tightly nailed to the 2x4’s that I could hardly saw them off without cutting wood too. I got a pry bar today so hopefully this helps raise the planks a bit so I can more easily get the blade between them to just cut the nails. 

I left the nail heads in the workbenches. I liked the look of them. 

[new2woodwrk]

This may help  you next time breaking down pallets - I use it and takes me about 10 minutes to break one down

You can buy them on amazon or at walmart (if they have one)

This one is called Duckbill Deck Wrecker

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by new2woodwrk

[Toothpick]

That must help with the wood splitting at the nails? So then you have to go back and pound the nails out? Not that I mind, the nails can be re-used. 

[flarud]

5 hours ago, Toothpick said:

That must help with the wood splitting at the nails? So then you have to go back and pound the nails out? Not that I mind, the nails can be re-used. 

Here is my version.  I had the maintenance guy at work make it for me.  Very little effort on my part to take a pallet apart.  You do have to hammer the nails out.  I am able to save most of the nails and re use them for projects when I need a rustic looking nail head.  

[amazingkevin]

Anything can be spruced up or hidden,lol. you have a good start toward your expectation's of how you what your shop to look.It already looks better than mine!!!! Keep going! send works in progress !!

[Doc58]

If it works, then it's not ugly.

If it's free, then it's beautiful.

Doc from Australia