Help required please. Anyone know where I can pick a good one one up (or get one made).I don't want to pay a fortune but if it gives some local guy or guyess some work then great. I am in Cottingham/Hull area. I am about to start out making wooden stuff (as a hobby) and need a good bench. I could make one but my skills are very basic and at this stage the bench would be ****. Cheers fellas
The only ones I have ever bought have been second hand. They often used to turn up when schools refurbished and were very good quality and price. Sometimes with a vice too. Old engineering benches are good. You only need to clad the top in some thick boards for a very strong bench. There are some ready made new ones that look remarkably cheap to me. You couldn't even buy the wood and build it yourself for these prices. http://www.craigmoreonline.co.uk/wo...vpiVE81usElXJCj-SmLQhq4QUKvcujfW1saAuMV8P8HAQ I haven't used or even seen these so don't take this as a recommendation as I do have reservations. They say "solid" oak but I think they are probably made from laminated oak. I am sure they could be stiffened and/or strengthened cheaply and easily if needed. Made from proper sawn oak boards or even the good quality softwood ones would be many more times expensive,. It makes a great difference if you want the bench free standing or built against a wall. Free standing means all the required rigidity needs to be built into the bench. If against and attached to a wall, or even better into a corner, you gain the rigidity from the building. This makes far less demands on the joints of the bench and the skill of the maker. If you can saw a decent halving joint you could make one. Loads of good info on all types of benches here:- http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/the-best-workbenches.aspx
Try recycling unlimited/the yard on newland ave. I volunteer for them and we recently had a couple of nice benches in. All comes from donations or house/school clearances.
I thought Hull college were moving, relocating or closing some provision. They would be my first point of call. Second would be a local training provider/school, third would be markets/auctions and lastly Google.
Loads of choices on Amazon ... good selection at the bottom of the page. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-AP1...461205260&sr=8-1&keywords=woodwork benches uk
You may need to be a bit more specific there. They go from table top ones up to the size of a room and could be anywhere from £1.000 to infinity in price. Not CNC but I have a surplus Elu MOF31, £75 + p&p. An old one but Swiss made and very well built compared with newer models since bought out by Black & Decker/DeWalt. Hardly used since a full Elu service with new brushes.
2' x 2' about the minimum in case anyones reading in. It's for precision cutting ally, steel and polycarbonate sheets so your stone age tool isn't really suitable, thanks for the offer though
