Custom Desktop Bench

[Don]

I got a bug in my **BLEEP** to improve my work space situation. I don't have room for my own dedicated bench so I'm always having to take out and put away tools and deal with a desk that is too short and covered with the kids' school books, mail and junk. I looked into the small desktop benches at around $100 but read that the quality is iffy. So I decided to design and build my own.

Here are some sketches I made.

Instead of all drawers, my design has a row of three drawers on the bottom and two cabinets on the top row. The cabinets will hold some of my larger tools.

The bench will measure 22" wide by 11" high by 16" deep. I decided on 1/2" birch plywood for the main material. I bought a half sheet Friday night and cut the top, bottom and sides today. That's probably it until next weekend.

[ro63rto]

By the look of your sketches I suspect you could be in for some serious back ache. There's nowhere for your legs to tuck under so as to get your upper body close to the work area.

Only pointing out as I suffer from severe lumber pains due to hardened L5-S1 disc and it ain't a nice type of pain.

[nad]

Ro63rto.

Think its designed to sit on a desk or table, its only 11" high.

Keep us updated Don, been thinking of something similar myself.

[ro63rto]

Ah. Tapatalk failed to load all his post. Now I see it on a browser it shows the last pic and dimensions.

I like the idea of an add on part. I'm in the same situation. No space to call my own so would solve my problem too. Might actually finish one of my projects.

[Gotwatch]

Ofrei has something similar I bought a year ago. I couldn't make it for the cost. Esslinger has similar:

 

http://www.ofrei.com/page416.html

[Don]

I probably couldn't make it for the cost either. But there's nothing like spending lots of time making something it would be cheaper to buy.

Plus I got to get some new power tools. [emoji12]

[seang]

Looks good Don, will you be lifting it off and on the main desk? I'm just thinking of the worth of adding side handles and latches on the doors/drawers to stop them opening when you don't want them too.

 

What new power tools did you have to get :-) table saw? router? disc sander? biscuit jointer?

 

How are you jointing the carcass?

 

:cool:

 

 

Happy sawdusting

 

Sean

[Don]

Thanks, Sean. Yes, I'm planning on adding handles as it will have to be moved. I'm also planning on something to keep the drawers and doors shut, but I haven't given much thought as to how yet.

 

No room for a table saw. I lucked out and got a barely used Ryobi router used for $25 and a 10" Hitachi miter saw for $60. I bought a new corded drill, just because I wanted one. I bought a new circular saw and immediately changed the stock blade to a 60 tooth Freud. The last time I saw my old circular saw my brother had used it to cut its own power cord in half.

 

I got a pocket hole jig a couple of weeks ago and I'm planning on using that for the majority of the joinery. For the interior dividers that form the drawers and cabinets I'll probably pocket screw them into one piece and cut grooves in the carcase with the router for them. I'm still in the "I have no idea what I'm doing" stage.

 

The 1/2" ply I bought is terrible. The veneer is about the thickness of an atom. I may have to think about my material choices...

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Don

[Gotwatch]

Hi Don,

 

I think in my profile says I'm a carpenter and cabinetmaker so I can speak with some experience.

 

You are embarking on a big project with a limited skill and tooling.

 

That said, you should look into Finnish/Baltic birch plywood for your carcass and for your drawer/door fronts and 1/4" tempered Masonite for your drawer sides and bottoms.

 

It will take a lot of pre-layout to rabbit the corner, back, and top joints. Then you have to dado the joints separating the separation between the sections all before you put the box together.

 

As far as the drawers go together, you can do a simple rabbit joint and dado for the drawer, Masonite being used here.

 

To hardware. You can use a SOSS hinge which I use a lot and are great, http://www.soss.com/invisible-hinge/soss-invisible-hinge.html?invisible_hinge_mat_thickness=30

 

or a simple miniature butt hinge like you see on your front door.

 

To keep the doors and drawers closed you could use a bullet or ball latch.

 

A router is fine, using a guide to cut the dados and rabbits but a hand held circular saw will be tough to get a straight cut for all your parts. Better to buy one of those small table top table saws you can find cheap on Craigslist. You can do all your rabbit cuts with it as well.

 

This is a great project and I wish you luck. I just found that to buy the cheap unit from the supply houses suits my needs and didn't have to put in lots of hours and money away from my business.

 

If I was to need a full sized watchmakers bench, then I would be looking to design and make it myself.

 

If you need any help or advice, please feel free to PM me here or PM me with you phone and I'd be glad to talk.

 

Stu

 

edit to add, your pocket screw jig is good for kitchen cabinets but almost useless on something this small. Think large jewelery cabinet. :)

Edited May 22, 2015 by Gotwatch

[Don]

Thank you very much, Stu. I'm thinking I should do some easier projects first, but we'll see if impatience chooses for me.

I have looked at getting some decent (not big box store) birch plywood. Do you suggest 3/4"?

Don

[Gotwatch]

No, Don. 1/2" Finnish (like the country, Finland) birch should be fine. Finnish and/or Baltic birch ply has many many plys with no voids. It's a great base material. You can find it in smaller sheets at many supply houses. Try Pinecone Lumber over by you for a start. You won't find it at a big box like Hope Depot.

[seang]

Thanks, Sean. Yes,I'm still in the "I have no idea what I'm doing" stage.

 

:-) who isn't Don ;-)

 

Like Stu said, the pocket hole jig on its own will not be enough to hold your desk together, at the very least combine it with dowels, which you glue in. Once full of tools this is going to be heavy, you don't want to be stood in a puddle of splinters and tools with two side panels and handles in your hands!

 

When you come to route your dados a jig like this is fantastic dadojig if its new to you shout and I'll dig my similar one out and mock up some pics on the theory of it working.

 

You can do loads without a tablesaw, using a circular saw instead, but try and make it easier on yourself, when you get your ply, get as much of the cutting done on the big wall saw in the place you buy it, it should be cut to dimension and with nice straight square edges.

 

Also build yourself a couple of jigs, first a cutting deck, to put sheet material on when sawing and routing, mine is a lattice of strips of ply wood that slot together (I realise that doesn't mean much without a picture sorry) and a straight edge guide to run the saw along, that way you can have a setup similar to the track system (festool hmmmmmmmm) used by many of the newer plunge saws.

 

 

If you want ideas for jigs have a look at the dvd's available from Steve Maskery, he's a woodworking legend! and one of the UK woodwork magazines refers to him as The Jig, he covers all the ones I've mentioned and many many more besides.

 

Handles - the type that spring to mind are cargo luggage handles, they fold flat but only open to 90 degrees when lifting, saves the hands getting crushed.

 

 

Good luck and enjoy :-)

 

Sean

[Don]

Thanks Sean. I really appreciate your and Stu's help and suggestions.

[deanloveswatches]

Wow - I WANT ONE!!!!

 

Ive been looking to try and buy something very similar - so I can tinker with watches at chin height on a normal office desk) - but they seem to be only available in USA and Canada (no international shipping). 

Was going to stick a whiteboard on top of a couple of storage boxes with velcro (I saw a web page with someone doing that), but what you're building is a million times better.

 

Good luck, and ill be following your progress :)

 

Dean

[Don]

Thanks, Dean. I will update when I make some progress. So far I'm trying out some different stuff and borrowing a table saw. I'm trying to make it easier and cheaper for me to build. If my new design works, I'll post some info on how I built it. May be a while, though.

 

In the meantime, check out Geo's solution. I'd go this way if it weren't that I wanted storage.

 

http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/841-workbench-height-solution/?hl=workbench

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Don

[deanloveswatches]

Thanks for the link Don - I like Geos solution too - and I'm currently negotiating with my father in law to have a go for me (he's good with wood - whereas I haven't a clue)

Will let you all know how it goes [emoji3]

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[deanloveswatches]

I was chatting to my father in law about my bench needs, and he turned up today having made this! It's excellent - I'm so chuffed [emoji3]

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[Don]

That's great Dean! Wonderful to have family that can build stuff. What's the height?

[deanloveswatches]

The height is about 25cm. I (very unfortunately) have a problem with my corneas - so I need to get right up close and personal with what I'm working on. That movement holder is just below eye level when I sit up close - sooo comfortable [emoji3]

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[Don]

Pretty close to the height I am shooting for. I hope it serves you well.

[deanloveswatches]

Thanks Don - just spent most of the day on it taking apart a couple of Waltham movements - perfect working height - but didn't stop me pinging several critical pieces onto the floor never to be found. Just ordered a strong magnet and a proper pair of decent tweezers lol [emoji3]

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[Don]

Progress has been slow on this as I don't have much time and I've had to slowly acquire tools and materials. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The design has changed a lot from what originally sketched. I had to make it simpler for me to make.

 

Friday evening I cut all my drawer parts.

 

 

Today I assembled them. The one on the left looks wonky but that's just the perspective.

 

 

 

Here's the current incarnation of the bench, with drawers.

 

 

 

 

I've still got a fair amount of work. First I need to scrape and sand off a lot of excess glue. :startle:

Then I have to make the drawer fronts and the rails for the top. I'm thinking of making them out of a contrasting wood. I had some mahogany, but it looks like some bugs got into it. After that I've only got to sand, finish and install drawer pulls.

[Geo]

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article Don, it looks very substantial.

[SSTEEL]

Good progress, I actually feel like putting my woodwork skills to the test now :)  The only problem is, I don't have any woodworking skills.  What I was taught at school didn't extend to making drawers.

[Geo]

What I was taught at school didn't extend to making drawers.

Are you sure it wasn't the sewing class? :D