I needed a new workbench for this project (had 2 other small ones, 2'x4'), and had just received my DRDT-2. So I made a trip to the aviation lumber section of my neighborhood Lowes, picked up a couple 2x6x8, one 2x6x10, one 2x4x8, a couple 4x4x8, a sheet of 1/2" ply and two sheets of 3/4" MDF. Total bill (not counting the beer) was $87. I got a nice 3'x9' hard-surface workbench with 6" overhangs for clamps, and had enough MDF left over to build the DRDT-2 table. Gotta love it when it works!
I framed the bench at 2'6" with the 2x6, with two crossmembers at 32" and 64". The 4x4's became corner legs at 36", with two 2x4" legs in the middle for sag support. I put the 1/2" ply on top for a good surface and screwed it down good to the frame, then cut the MDF (2 pieces 3' x 4'6") and screwed them onto the ply. The MDF will take a fair amount of abuse, is easy to clean, dead square and flat, and I can replace the entire top for less than $50. The left over scrap MDF was enough to build the DRDT-2 table, two 13" x 96" shelves on the opposite wall, and still have a few small pieces left over. I'm glad to report that the bench was less than 24 hours old before I spilled beer on it, so it's now been baptized.
I framed the bench at 2'6" with the 2x6, with two crossmembers at 32" and 64". The 4x4's became corner legs at 36", with two 2x4" legs in the middle for sag support. I put the 1/2" ply on top for a good surface and screwed it down good to the frame, then cut the MDF (2 pieces 3' x 4'6") and screwed them onto the ply. The MDF will take a fair amount of abuse, is easy to clean, dead square and flat, and I can replace the entire top for less than $50. The left over scrap MDF was enough to build the DRDT-2 table, two 13" x 96" shelves on the opposite wall, and still have a few small pieces left over. I'm glad to report that the bench was less than 24 hours old before I spilled beer on it, so it's now been baptized.
