Getting (More) Started

[CaleyAnn]

Hi Everyone,  I am not new to making thinbgs out of wood, but I am new to any kind of Forum or help thread.  I learned how to make a box cabinet back when I was about 12 from a neighbor across the street.  Of course, he did about 95% of the building, but that got me started.

Now, in my old age, I find myself a volunteer with a non-profit educational organisation, and am desperately learning many types of things in order to do whatever is needed to accomplish tasks.  One is making things out of wood.  I've been building most things with my basic hand tools and some hand power tools, but am starting to run into difficulties accomplishing more complex tasks.

  The first problem I have is that I live in a very small house, which has become to look like a warehouse with all my tools and wood stored inside.  I have a small 10x12 metal shed behind the house to store my work site rolling table saw and a few bench type electric tools.  But I don't have anything but a patio to work on.  And I presently do not have a workbench on with to work.  So there is my problem, no place to work or clamp my work to.

  I am guessing that my first project is to build a simple rolling workbench.  I have six heavy duty wheels for this purpose, but would like help on how to go about making a workbench that can stay outside, and survive in my climate.  I live in the high desert of southern California, Twentynine Palms.  It can get very hot, and does get down into the high teens during some winters.  It is mostly a dry climate, but we do get monsoonal flow up from Baja, California, that can cause severe flooding.  I have finally gotten my property pretty much flood proofed, except for what some call the 1000 year flood.  We had one back in 2003 and I almost lost my house.  We also get some terrible winds, sometimes nearing 100 mph gusts.

  Anyway, I probably do not need a fancy workbench, but I need something that is functional, something that will stand up to my weather, and hold my few bench power tools: band saw, drill press, router table.  I probably need to find a way to recess the router table so that it can work with the workbench table top.  So, what kind of lumber do I need?  I have about 8 2x4 by 8 feet.  I also have about a sheet and a half of 13/16 plywood sheet on hand.  Hopefully these won't just sit around like they are now, and will come into some use for this project.


  Once this behemoth is built, I plan on putting a tarp over it to cover it, in an attempt to help preserve things.

  If anyone can let me know what I need to purchase at Home Depot that will help a lot.  Remember that I still have nothing to use to clamp things down, or anyplace to do so.  So this build will be free hand with the tools I have presently.  And the last thing is there a basic plan that is free, and found online, without having to give up my personal information.  I'm not big into commercial intrusion.

  I guess that since I am asking for basic help, I should let you know I have a fixed Porter Cable hand router, which I am going to purchase an attachment to make it so I can use it as a plunge type.  I need to know what type of bits are used for creating "Mortises", so I can purchase a set of different diameters.  I don't even know what they are called, so the reason I am asking.  I've been watching a lot of videos on "YouTube", and am slowly learning I need jigs for just about everything.  One of those is a mortising jig, which I plan on building after I build this workbench.

Thanks for making it through this long intro and help thread.  I appreciate whatever help you can give this old fossil.  CaleyAnn

[MarkSingleton]

Welcome to WoodNet!!

    By sheer coincidence to you needing a rolling and simple workbench, there is 
a youTuber who has two "temporary" videos up right now.

    They are about building a "Basic Mobile Workbench."  Check out his channel
which is "woodworking for mere mortals."  Steve Ramsey is his name and 
he seems to be a sort of middle of the road kinda woodworker, not much 
fancy stuff, more along the lines of simple utilitarian wood furniture and other
needed items.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7mVXPkXIQE


   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTVz6LrI0Kc


   He is also trying to get folks to sign up for his course, but don't let that deter you.
There is no hard sell.

Again, welcome to woodnet!!


   edited to add:   I just re read your post. Appears you already have what you would need to build 
                          the project that guy is showing. 

                          Keep us posted, we love build threads!!

[CaleyAnn]

Mark, Thanks so very much. I watched both videos. Looks like the basic plan I had drawn up is pretty much like the one in the video.

One nice thing about watching the videos is that I learned what the four holes were in my crosscut saw fence. I think that back stop plate is called a fence. Now I know how to create the jig for making repeat cuts. I always have had difficulty getting things the same length.

Though his mobile workbench is nice because it requires only one sheet of ply, I think mine needs to be half again that size to leave enough room for big projects. And that also makes room down below for more stuff. :-)

Thanks again. Caley Ann

[Gary G™]

Twentynine Palms--home to Marines!

I made a quick and easy work stand which I use for my router and cutting sheet goods.
It's 2 sets of legs joined using half-lap joints having an upper and middle rail. These are joined to each other using upper and middle rails which are connected using carriage bolts and wingnuts so it can be disassembled.

Mounting a router to quality plywood and clamping it to this stand makes a good tool.
Clamping a milled billet of quartersawn timber as a fence makes it very useful and useable.

[ed kerns]

Hi Caley Ann and welcome!
Just a passing thought that, while it doesn't address your long term workbench goal, may be a great interim step. I'm a fan of old Black and Decker Work Mate collapsible benches. In my area (Michigan) they are easily found used and for cheap. I bought one for $7.50 a couple of weeks ago and under $20 is the norm. The little benches are very sturdy, have lots of clamping capacity and could be easily stored outside under a tarp. The downside of course is they are small without much bench surface area, but they could certainly accommodate a makeshift router table, bench drill press, etc - and clamp them securely in place.
BTW, read up on "spiral cutting router bits" for your mortises. There are several different kinds. Good luck with your projects!

[TDKPE]

The downside of course is they are small without much bench surface area, but they could certainly accommodate a makeshift router table, bench drill press, etc - and clamp them securely in place.

But you could always use two at once.  

As to a router table, while it's very nice to have a very nice router table, I worked after school in a custom cabinet shop many moons ago that usually made face frame cabinets, and the mortise and tenon joints were all done on a single router table made from a piece of 3/4" veneer core ply with a ply skirt and ply legs.  Big old-school dome head router bolted underneath, and nobody was allowed to touch the adjustments.  Fence was 3/4" ply, also, screwed to the table.

Just cut the tenons (face down, of course, for depth uniformity to the veneer) and change the bit for the mortises.  The cheapest RT you could make, but was key to the making of hundreds of cabinets that I saw, and probably thousands over the time the guy ran that place.  Necessity being the mother of invention and all that.

Shapers were only used for heavy stuff, like raised panels made with a sharpened airplane propeller cutter.   

[Admiral]

Hi Caley Ann and welcome!
Just a passing thought that, while it doesn't address your long term workbench goal, may be a great interim step. I'm a fan of old Black and Decker Work Mate collapsible benches. In my area (Michigan) they are easily found used and for cheap. I bought one for $7.50 a couple of weeks ago and under $20 is the norm. The little benches are very sturdy, have lots of clamping capacity and could be easily stored outside under a tarp. The downside of course is they are small without much bench surface area, but they could certainly accommodate a makeshift router table, bench drill press, etc - and clamp them securely in place.
BTW, read up on "spiral cutting router bits" for your mortises. There are several different kinds. Good luck with your projects!

Caley Ann:  welcome to the forum.  +1 on the suggestion of a Workmate, it will help you build your target bench; and I've found many at yard sales and flea markets, I have perhaps 4 or 5 of them, endlessly useful and portable, but not a long term substitute for what you wish to build.  Even if you borrow one it would be helpful to you, so ask around....

[Bill Holt]

Welcome To WoodNet CayleAnn.  I have "a" fond memory of Twentynine Palms.  Good luck with your work bench.  I second the Workmate suggestion.

[CaleyAnn]

Gentlemen, Thanks so much for the kind welcome, and suggestions. I'll actually have to look at the Workmates to see if they make me want to adopt one or so. Right now the only thing that I find useless, and probably adding cost is all the graphics on the top. I need something that will actually hold my work firmly while I saw, rout or chisel, or whatever. The graphics will eventually get chewed up, so why have them with the extra cost. I also looked at the Keter and Worx tables. I like the Worx, as it is just a basic table without frills. It folds up very nicely. Not sure just how robust the clamping system is. The Keter table looks to be a little more difficult to work with, especially the setup and return to folded position. Not sure if there are any other good tables out there. But I will keep looking before making a decision. CaleyAnn

[Admiral]

If you are patient, Workmates can be found for not a lot of dough. Keep your eye out, and in the meantime continue with your plan for a larger bench.