Slow but Steady Progress...

2008-05-10

I've been sidetracked with a lot of little projects lately, and progress on my larger projects have slowed down as a result.  Finally, after several weeks of delays, I've been able to resume work on the water heater cabinet.  In doing this, I essentially constructed the entire frame horizontally as shown here.

The cabinet is 8' tall, but the longest metal brace sold at the local Home Depot was just 6' in length.  To work around this, I cut four 4' braces into 2' sections and braced the pieces together using ¼" hex bolts.  This arrangement lengthened the 6' sections by 2' and joined each section together with a 2' section of brace reinforcement secured by six ¼" hex bolts.

Once the 8' sections were completed, the corners were reinforced with diagonal braces.

Right angle brace reinforcements were used for the adjacent corners.

Then I partially disassembled the frame so I could fit it around the water and gas pipes that lead into and away from the water heater.  Then I anchored the frame to the wall using 2" wood screws.  Everything is rock solid and ready for the fire-rated gypsum drywall.

Once I mounted the water heater cabinet frame to the wall, I spent some time applying a few coats of water sealer on the boards around the sink area of the work bench.  After a few hours, the wood was reasonably protected against moisture in the working area.  It isn't anything that I'd submerge on a regular basis, but it'll certainly hold up to everyday sink usage for the next several years.

Functional Additions to the Work Bench

2008-03-28

Got the pre-treated moulding for the sink this week, whipped out the mitre box, and cut out the framing for the sink edge. The edges were sealed with bathtub/shower caulk and everything set up just fine.

It's a rare treat when things come together so quickly, so I marched on and installed my new vise on my work bench. This vise has a 270° rotating base, so I bolted it in using 2" 5/16" hex bolts with 1/2" washers on top and 1" washers on the under side. The vise is set so it can pivot 135° either way.

Some folks prefer peg boards to hang their hand tools. I personally prefer using solid board and hand drawing the hand tool silhouettes on the board. This just works better for me since I like knowing what tools are missing without having to stop to think which ones I've used lately. So I spent the rest of the morning painting in the tool outlines.

Once I was reasonably happy with the hand tool board, I hammered in the nails by which the tools will hang. Then I affixed the board to the in-wall studs with four wood screws. I have the board elevated 3" above the work surface.

Then I loaded up the board with almost all of my hand tools. Works well for me!

Almost done with the Work Bench

2008-03-25

Almost done! The work bench surface is now covered in ½" MDF board which is similarly priced as plywood and more durable than particle board.

I've secured each of the MDF sections to the pine frame using wood screws and washers. This will allow for easy replacement of any MDF section in the event that it gets worn out or damaged.

The area around the sink is looking good. I'll be getting a piece of treated moulding for the area around the sink edges so that any water splashes will drain back into the sink. I'll also be installing a backsplash and treating the surrounding area with water sealer to assure longevity of that section of the workbench.

As an aside, the circular saw blade seen in this photo is actually not an intended tool, but an inexpensive ($4.⁰⁰) face for a clock I'm going to make for my work space. Most circular saw clocks I've seen were going for $20 or more. That's kind of steep when one can be readily made for less than $10.

And there's the work bench! Ready to receive hand tools and power tools alike and have items stored beneath it.

Building My Work Bench

2008-03-24

First things first. In order to build the stuff I'd like, I first had to build the means by which I could build stuff. Since I plan on doing big things, I set my sights on a big work bench: a 14' long, 30" deep and 34" tall work bench to be precise.

The work bench was constructed of 2x4 pine boards built as two separate boxes: one 8' and one 6', each reinfored with right angle braces at each corner.

As can be seen on the wall in the photo below, I mounted two lengths of 2x4 pine to directly to the wall using 4" lag bolts to secure it to the studs within the wall. This helps make the bench installation easier since I won't have to worry about the bench components not lining up with the in-wall studs.

These boxes were mated together with two 5/16" 4" hex bolts. The right angle braces can be seen toward the back.

For additional reinforcement, I added a 1½" metal L-brace to where the boxes joined. This may have been overkill, but I think it will help keep the boxes mated and prevent separation from heavy use. Also incorporated are 45° diagonal supports to hold up the workbench frame. These diagonal supports are joined to the work bench frame with 5/16" 4" hex bolts.

These diagonal supports not only offer more storage space under the work bench, but are structurally stronger than using straight leg supports since they utilize the geometry of the triangle, which is the strongest architectural element since one side cannot be altered without altering all sides.

The length of the diagonal board is determined by using the Pythagorean Theorem. In this case, sides a & b are 24", so a² + b² results in the value of c² being 1152". The square root of 1152 is rounded to 33.94 or 33 & 15/16".

I opted to incorporate a sink into the bench for ease of clean-up of paint brushes and so on. I've sealed in the sink area with water-resistant bathtub/shower caulking and added a backsplash. I also put an exterior outlet plate on the wall outlet to prevent accidental water exposure to the electrical component. I will be coating the wood around the area with polyurethane sealer as well.

The 45° diagonal supports terminate into a joist support which is mounted to a 2x6 pine board. The connecting point is not fastened, however. I chose to have gravity alone hold the diagonal supports in place. An added benefit of this approach is that the bench will rise up, instead of buckling, if anyone overshoots parking in the garage and taps it with the nose of the car.

Here's the completed bench framing. Not bad for a day's work. Tomorrow I'll put the bench top on. Now it's time for some pizza!

Work Bench Design

2008-03-17

Like Dirty Harry says, "A man's gotta know his limitations." And a draftsman and architect I ain't. The design documents on display here are drawn up only so I can keep clear the basic elements of what I intend to build. I usually stick with the top view, front view and side view to give a good idea of how the objects should be crafted and bolted on. Other than that, everything I do during construction is largely improvisational and governed primarily by my tools, materials and the skills I bring to the table that day.

With that in mind, here's the design for my garage work bench. It may not be pretty, but it's going to be my work space for the next 15 years, or until I come up with a superior design. Whichever comes first.