Official Luthiers Forum!

A week or so ago I saw on another forum a post regarding a good deal on a workbench, and I thought I would pass it on here. It is a solid 3/4" thick, 60 X 20" maple topped bench w/ 4 drawers and a so-so quality end vice from Harbor Freight. I know, I know . . . I don't generally buy from HF either, but I needed some additional work surface and liked the reviews the bench had received, so I pulled the trigger. Here is a link: http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-solid-oak-workbench-93454.html#

The regular price is $199.99, but it is now on sale for $179.99 and there is a $50.00 AAA coupon code (78865870) you can use until February to bring the price to $130.00. The box weighs about 145 lbs, but shipping for me was about $13.00.

FedEx left mine on my doorstep yesterday, and I put it together last night. Initial impressions, very solid design; good hardware included (the included vice is not great, but it would be nice if you don't currently have something better available); attractive appearance; and the drawers function properly and come felt-lined (though since the top has dog holes drilled in it, I expect the top draws might get messy quickly; I will probably plug them when not in use). Took a while to assemble, but nothing difficult. It is certainly no battleship, euro, super-duty bench, but if you are in the market for a very cheap, solid bench for moderate duty work, it seems like a good deal.

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Aaron Craig

Just bought one two minutes ago !!
Thanks for the tip !!
$150 with shipping & tax.
How did you know about the coupon ??
I loved that extra $50 off !!
I think its gonna be my new binding bench.

Gregg

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Gregg

Gregg, I don't think you will be disappointed. I will also be using this as a binding table, among other things. I found out about the coupon from the post in the other forum I mentioned. Makes the deal just too sweet to pass up.

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Aaron Craig

I have two of these and I've been very pleased. You are right about the dog holes. Sawdust does get in the drawers. I haven't gotten around to plugging the holes. I would think tape on the inside would work okay. This bench is hard to be for the money... You can usually find them on sale for for around $150. I recently saw a coupon for $139 - then I saw another coupon for $129...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Thanks for posting the link and coupon code. I finally have the space to create a small indoor workshop and I think this bench will work nicely. Ordered it today!

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George :-)

Hmm... that's not good. However, it appears that quite a few things about your bench differ from the one in question here. For $130 I'm not expecting perfection, but I do hope the amount of wobble is less than what you have in yours. Once it arrives and I get it assembled I'll report back.

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George :-)

I have one and love it!!!...got it on sale for 139...I have a harbor freight a couple of miles from my house..love the place, like anything else you have to know what you are buying and what it is going to be used for, keeping that in mind its a great place to shop!!!

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MK5acoustics.com

You could take piece of plywood and attach it to the lower stretcher, the legs and somewhere up at the top. You may need to add a small nailer under the bench top or do some furring I can't say for sure without seeing the bench but it shouldn't be too hard. It would also help to keep things from spilling out of the lower tray.
L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Where exactly can I find this coupon? My floor isn't level anyway.

Hugh,
The code you need for the discount is in the original post.

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George :-)

Chris, maybe I got lucky and got one form a decent batch 'cause it is pretty solid (or maybe my shop floor is uneven just the right amount) and the top is plenty flat for what I'll be doing with it (although I did just win an ebay auction for nice old Stanley Sweetheart No. 7 that might need a workout after its inevitable tune up ). I can imagine quality control for these things could be an issue. I will be using the bench primarily for set up work and bindings. I've planed a couple of straight grained pieces on it just to see how it worked. Not as solid as my bigger bench, but no problem with a sharp blade. If I anchored it the wall, it would be extremely solid. Anywho, for the money and its intended purpose in my shop, I am very pleased. Have a good one, and good luck to any out there that roll the dice.

Aaron

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Aaron Craig

Anybody know where these benches are made? At the low price, I assume it's China.

is it possible to switch the top around so the vice is on the LEFT side of the bench?

I normally try to stay away from stuff made in China, but I couldn't pass this up...I got one on the way! I will try to switch the top around so the vice is on the other side. it will fit better with my shop layout that way.

Maybe Bangladesh!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

There are no good deals at HF
pvg

Hi all--

First time post on this forum. I'm currently prepping my shop to begin my first batch of guitars. Up until now it's been mandos and ukes.

In any case, this was a timely post. My current bench is a horrible, wobbly piece of junk with a particle board top. I'm overdue for a replacement.

I've been intrigued by these over at grizzly:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Bench-60-with-Drawers-Birch/H7724
http://www.grizzly.com/products/60-x-30-Heavy-Duty-Birch-Workbench/H8361

I realize they're more expensive than the harbor freight benches, but they really do look nice. At ~150 and ~250(!) lbs, I think they're likely to be extremely sturdy which is one of the key features I'm looking for.

Any thoughts on these?

The melamine idea is great. One of my benches is built with 4" X 4" spruce legs, 2" x 8" SPF stretchers and 3 layers of plywood for the top. The top edge is trimmed with maple with a recess to allow 1/4" melamine coated hardboard to be double stick taped down. When it starts to get too beat up, off it comes, a new layer of hardboard goes down and it's like new again.

I built my first bench using a solid composite door blank that was given to me. it was about 2 1/2" thick and super heavy. I built the frame with scrap 4x4's, 2x4's, and 1/2" ply for the bottom shelf. I had more money in screws than the wood! It's a great utility bench for my belt/disc sander and drill press. So, there's more than one way to "skin a cat".

I've considered building a bench, and looking at the inputs here, I'm very much going to reconsider it. For what it's worth, I went to Harbor Freight and saw the bench in question. It's really not bad-- certainly great for the price, but i agree with the comments that it would certainly benefit from some effort to improve the rigidity.

Todd-- that mount for the SM vice looks really good, but it's hard for me to make out exactly how it's built. Do you have any other pics or even better, a link to the refernced archive material? I can't seem to find it...

As noted in an earlier post, I am currently setting up an interior workspace in a small bedroom. This bench looked like a good candidate, so I decided to give it a try. The bench showed up Friday and I put it together yesterday. All the parts were present and aside from a tiny chip along the edge of one of the drawers, everything was in good shape. Assembly was a simple process that took me about an hour. It's not rock solid, but certainly doesn't feel flimsy. So far my only complaint is that the vise does not work very smoothly. I have other work surfaces in my garage which I can use for heavier and/or dirtier work, so this seems like it's going to be a nice addition for me... and my wife thinks it looks okay, so that's a bonus.

George :-)

My new Binding Bench,
Thanks for the tip guys !!

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Gregg