Garage workbench layout (vices, grinder)

[carl0s]

I think the welding forum is a good place to ask. Probably get better feedback than I would on pistonheads anyway.


I'm trying to arrange my garage. It's a double garage. I've built a worktop/workbench across one half of it. DIY isn't my thing btw, so if it's crooked, well, so be it.

Anyway, I have a vice on the right-hand, as yet unfixed, and my bench grinder came today.

I want to add a timber vice on the left, pretty much where the grinder is. I found that when I stripped my T56 gearbox in my grandparent's cellar, the timber vice was awesome for holding and working on the gearbox, because it opens up very wide and it has non-damaging wood jaws. Obviously it's good for doing wood related stuff too.

I wonder if you guys have any feedback regarding how to lay things out. Any mistakes I'm going to make, or ideas?

I have had the forethought to leave what I hope is enough elbow-room to the right of the metal vice (right end of worktop).

I think I have now decided that the grinder can sit back against the wall, with the timber vice right in front of it, so that the two share horizontal space.

Some pics. Here the grinder is not pushed back against the wall. I thought of that idea later..

So i am thinking the timber vice will sit directly in front of the grinder above. Hopefully it won't obstruct access to the grinder. If I have the grinder on the edge of the workbench - perpendicular to everything else, then it will make the wall obstructive of large items, if you catch my drift.

So, with all that done, it would leave me about 45 inches of actual usable workbench space in-between the vices.

Am I doing anything obviously badly?

 

[Windy Miller]

Well, I'd have the vice immediatley over a leg of the bench, otherwise the bench top is likely to flex or break when you're hammerinmg stuff!

Kitchen worktop is not very strong without some supporting structure underneath - is there a frame that we cant see?

I'd keep the woodwork vice on another bench if I were doing it - debris from the grinder will soom dirty up any wood that you hold in the vice

 

[chunkolini]

I would say dont fix anything to your workbench if you can avoid it, especially vices.
It used to drive me mad, every time I belted the vice everything would jump off the bench. Or when sawing everything creeps about and falls off the bench. Separate vice stand everytime.
The grinder is no problem, but I was pleased to have a bench for working on not keeping stuff on, it is great to be able to have a long length of wood or steel on the bench or a stupid shaped thing like a bike frame.
I have attached a picture of my vice stand, as you can see it has grown over the years.

I also have a rule that nothing lives on the bench. It is a luxury to come into the workshop and be able to see the bench. When I worked at home I was stickler on this one. One screwdriver quickly becomes a tangled mess of stuff in no time.
It is worth taking over this stuff as you have a long time to live with it.

Hope that helps, Chunko'.

 

[carl0s]

Hmm... You've both given me quite a bit to think about! I don't know why hammering has never been a problem at my grandparent's. My granddad must've built a pretty strong frame.

I had a feeling that worktop looked too thin.. they all looked like that at the timber place I went to though. Hmmm. I think I'm going to have to try to reinforce it with a bit of a frame. I was intending to add another level - a shelf - below anyway.

I like the look of the vice stand but I'm a bit short of space. I'll keep my eyes out for one within driving distance on eBay though. Presumably it's extremely heavy ?

 

[Norm]

Hi Carl, A lot depends on the type of things you envisage doing? as to whether or not the 45 inches between machines would be suitable, if its mostly mechanical type tinkering you should be ok but for fabricating anything you may want some more free space. As for the grinder again its down to what you will use it for I have mine set at the end of the bench with one wheel overhanging so I can fit a polishing mop and have good access for polishing / grinding longer material.
Its hard to tell from the photos but how are the legs fitted to the bench? a stout cross rail at the front and rear would add some strength and support if you are hauling on anything using the vice.
Regards Norm

 

[Norm]

Vice stand heavy.......... come on your on a welding forum and have a double garage, order some box section, strike up the welder and make what you need
Norm

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Wow Chunko, that vice on its own stand is an awsome idea, It makes perfect sense, I am surprised I have never come across that setup before. Its one idea I think I will adopt. Cheers.

Carl, most guys here know what they are talking about, you will get some good advice from them. Good luck with the workshop mate.

 

[carl0s]

Hi Carl, A lot depends on the type of things you envisage doing? as to whether or not the 45 inches between machines would be suitable, if its mostly mechanical type tinkering you should be ok but for fabricating anything you may want some more free space. As for the grinder again its down to what you will use it for I have mine set at the end of the bench with one wheel overhanging so I can fit a polishing mop and have good access for polishing / grinding longer material.
Its hard to tell from the photos but how are the legs fitted to the bench? a stout cross rail at the front and rear would add some strength and support if you are hauling on anything using the vice.
Regards Norm

Overhanging the grinder sounds like an interesting idea although I don't think it'd make much difference to me.
The legs are fitted by heavy-ish duty L-brackets and woodscrews.
There are similar L brackets at the back of the bench which are straight into the concrete wall.

 

[carl0s]

Vice stand heavy.......... come on your on a welding forum and have a double garage, order some box section, strike up the welder and make what you need
Norm

LOL. I'd still have to find the base from somewhere! It'd have to be milling-machine heavy to support big heavy things...

 

[carl0s]

Carl, most guys here know what they are talking about, you will get some good advice from them. Good luck with the workshop mate.

I know, and thanks

 

[GrahamGKD]

I've got an engineer’s vice near the right hand end of my bench and a carpenters vice the other end - as you suggested. In my old workshop my bench was in the corner and it restricted the length of material I could have sticking out of the right-hand end of my engineer's vice. I've now got the bench out a bit from the corner to overcome this problem. If I'm working on long stuff I stick a short length of plank vertically in the carpenters vice to support the overhang which is quite handy.

My bench is made from old angle iron from electrical pylons - I don't need to worry about anything jumping about when I hit something!!

 

[chunkolini]

The vice stand thing?
Originally I had a smaller vice on a small stand made of 25mm box section. Bolted to the floor
I got a bigger vice and extended the stand, then bolted it to a piece of 1" marine ply so I could move it until I found the optimum spot. Then realiused a mobile vice (mobile if you feel strong) is a great thing.
Then it grew file holders and now has hammer holders and angle grinder hooks. Also has lots of useful holes to put bars through for bending purposes.
I will try and get an updated photo.

 

[rocketron]

Am with Chunko all the way on this. Had my vice on one end of the bench, it never really worked satisfactorily. One day I got cheesed off with it when hammering summat and lifted all the dropped stuff back onto bench.
Got a piece of 1in plate, about 16"x14", fixed the vice onto it, then welded said plate onto a12"dia thick wall steel pipe about 37"long, my Dad filled the pipe with heavy sand(?) from the local foundry (apparently to "deaden" it!!), then welded another 1in plate onto the other end and bolted the lot to the concrete floor.
I like the idea of racks and hangers beneath, so will do similar somehow.

Did this some 36 years ago, is very heavy and, admittedly, has come loose a few times. But it has been to several workshops since. With modern thunderbolts, takes no time to refix. Reckon this was a good mod

 

[500e]

Get the out, good strong frame if possible not against wall then you can work both sides of it, bracket on wall for grinder make a plate that fits grinder with a upside down T welded on so you can fit in the vice when required

 

[mike 109444]

carlOs If your grinder is only going to get the add bit of use then you could try what I did (as I got fedup screwing it to my small work area then having to unscrew to use space) If you have holes in it's base to screw it down to bench then screw it to a piece of 1/2" chipboard aprox 2" bigger all round than the base then screw a piece of 2" by 2" the width of the chip board on the under side. This can then be held in the metal or wood vice, used then removed and tucked under bench till next time (which could be weeks) and it then won't be in the way in the meantime. If the above makes no sense then let me know and I take a pic. Ref your work top, now you have a work top of fair thickness you could get a sheet of 1/4" thick steel or ally and thatwould lay/screw on top to give a much firmer and harder wearing surface.

 

[mike 109444]

Grinder quick release

A quick sketch of what I mean

 

[Coo]

First thing I would do is to knock up a decent frame with shelving.
or try and get hold of old kitchen units to make a much more useable base.

Enjoy doing it !

 

[cumbriasteve]

Hi Carl
I have attached some pics of my garage layout which may or may not give you some ideas, the size is a bit less than a double garage, think it's about 7 metres x 5 metres, I had to plan it carefully because I still wanted full car access and room to work on the car if needed.

The back wall bench is my 'clean area', the raised part of the bench above the tool drawers is great for fiddling with small stuff and not getting a bad back.

I then have a 'dirty' bench with my welding vice and small steel plate bench, on the opposite wall is a fold down layout bench just over a metre square, I have made many a gate on it no problems.

Photo of my steel rack too, holds a lot and out of the way.

The large bench is made of box section frame and chipboard top.

In fairness it is a light use hobby workshop and I dont batter heavy steel, although I do intend to put an anvil outside, any long or heavy work either goes on my folding trestles or the floor

Of course I would like a large heavy layout table and extra strong vice mount etc etc but I have to make use of what I have and since I did it 18 months ago it's proved to work for me and my requirements...so all in all very happy

Once I fit in my future lathe I think I have got it about right, a fair amount of stuff taking up minimum space and leaving plenty of room to work.

 

[Norm]

Nice well sorted workshop that Steve, I likey a lot
Norm

 

[carl0s]

So many ideas there. Brilliant. Thanks guys.
That grinder shelf is super cool, and the fold-out bench...

I'm only using the right-hand side of the double garage for the workbench area. I'm trying to keep as much garage length free as possible on the left, but I can certainly add lots of shelving.