Building a workbench

[lethargytartare]

my garage workbench serves double-duty too -- every-duty, in fact. So it's caked and saturated with solvents, oil, glue, solder, etc. But I have a strip of old carpet I throw over the top when I work on my guitars. I could never keep a nice workbench clean and attractive...

Some other ideas along those same lines -- you can get cork underlayment for flooring -- you could bond that to some other more durable material, and have a cork roll-out to put down when you want to work on guitars. Or if you go to a flooring business, they will usually have scraps of roll-linoleum that could serve the same purpose.

OR, make another workbench for just "clean" projects

 

[roberthelpus]

OR, make another workbench for just "clean" projects

Yeah, I usually do something temporary, and if/when I make room I'll have to do that along with some kind of space for painting/finishing.

 

[Rickett Customs]

Starting to make a few tools.


6" Palm sander, made it out of pine, finished it with wipe on poly (I have a lot of 80 and 220 grit 6" "stick on" pads):

Mallet, using poplar for the handle and oak for the head. I think i'll make one side of the head abs and the other rubber. Bought the poplar and oak at lowes, 2x2x36":

Rounded the poplar off on the belt sander:

Time to chisel down the tip:

After a little sanding:

I'm tempted to carve the handle some more with a knife, taper it off a bit

 

[Rickett Customs]

Mallet finished, somewhat:

Still have to put tips on the heads though. Looks like the 3/4" lip on the benchtop is more useful for me than once thought.

 

[Rickett Customs]

Putting some of the last coats of finish on them:

 

[eleonn]

Although those tools look nice and a lot of fun to build Im not sure why you are actually building them.

 

[Rickett Customs]

Although those tools look nice and a lot of fun to build Im not sure why you are actually building them.

I currently do not have a palm sander (non powered). The mallet, at least once I put heads on it, will be my fret hammer. Spare material is the other reason. Just preparing for my 1st build, do not have any stock as of yet to do so. Gotta start somewhere.

 

[Rickett Customs]

A few additions,

My wife had asked me to go and see if there were any tools I wanted to get from my late father in law's shed.
Turns out there was a lot to choose from, hammers, mallets, hand planers, multiple drill bit sets, multiple socket sets, wrenches, screwdrivers, handsaws (scroll saws,hacksaws too) and many,many other things that may have only been used maybe a few times and some not used at all , still in the box.

These were still in the box, never touched.

I went out and purchased some more router bits.

 

[roberthelpus]

As soonas I saw those hand planes it made me think of this book. The Complete Guide to Sharpening No, brand new ones do not come ready to use. I had a heck of a time with hand planes, and chisels for that matter, until I got that book.

 

[Rickett Customs]

Even though this is a Zombie thread, I'll note that to this day, I still use that wooden mallet as a fret hammer

The workbench still stands as it did when it was built too....

 

[jebmd]

Glad you bumped it. I like your bench design and I think I'll use it to build a couple of tables for the wife's pottery studio. Props to a fellow Southern Marylander.

 

[Rickett Customs]

Props to a fellow Southern Marylander.

We had a gig probably right near you at one time

Coconut Joes.

We may get that gig back.

We play Some other Calvert co. places too.