I made two of these work benches when I started building airplanes back in 1981 - the second one 10 years later. They use 4x4's & 2x4's for the frame, and each one has 21 drawers of different depths. There are also "umbilicals" for regulated air and electricity. They also ride on 5" swivel casters (w/brakes) for ease of movement & stability.
But the tops were always a problem until I decided to make them "modular". Most of the holes we drill are along the longways edges, so I decided to "harvest" those areas on the original tops and replace them with pre-made/finished MDF shelving from the big box stores. Since I did that I have not replaced the center section (just sand smooth & paint when changing shelving) and the tops look as good as new when the "reno" is completed ...
Sometimes when the MDF shelving is thinner than the main section I shim them up with thin wooden shim stock from Amazon to give the continuity across the joint line as appropriate.
Here are a few pics of the process ...
HFS
But the tops were always a problem until I decided to make them "modular". Most of the holes we drill are along the longways edges, so I decided to "harvest" those areas on the original tops and replace them with pre-made/finished MDF shelving from the big box stores. Since I did that I have not replaced the center section (just sand smooth & paint when changing shelving) and the tops look as good as new when the "reno" is completed ...
Sometimes when the MDF shelving is thinner than the main section I shim them up with thin wooden shim stock from Amazon to give the continuity across the joint line as appropriate.
Here are a few pics of the process ...
HFS
