Sjoberg or build my own work bench

[Jim Matthews]

If you plan to move, make the leg joints with a half lap or recess for the ends to fit into.

Fix them together with Hide Glue (which is reversible) and carriage bolts.

Bob Van Dyke's design is used by thousands of students every year.
It's a little spare on work holding, but durable.

Have a close look at the framework beneath the bench for an illustration
of how halflap joints are used to tie everything together.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/...bench/page/all

[Robert Engel]

Barrel bolts are ok but all you need is a long bolt you drill the hole and counterbore a 2" diameter hole partly through stretcher for nut and washer.

[Randy Hermann]

Ikea has some unfinished butcher-block type tops that work fine with a bit of elbow grease to improve the flatness. I mounted a piece on some old kitchen cabinets with a layer of 3/4" ply and 1/2" ply underneath to build it up some. A couple of screws holding the cabinet base to the wall and it is solid. Note that you have to inspect the Ikea tops for ugly/rough/bad pieces if you care about the final appearance. Aside from the cheap price, I had enough cutoff to build a mini-bench (from the Fine Woodworking: http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodw...s-wonders.aspx
Expect to spend some time/effort planning it to get it flat (or find a shop with a planer/sander to do it for you).
Properly supported, I don't think you are going to flex it even without the layers of plywood underneath, but someone else could better answer that than me!

[Gary Salisbury]

I purchased a 62" Sjoberg workbench with the drawer assembly below five years ago. My observations are that it is well build but too light and too small for serious woodworking. I used it to build a 9 foot Acorn Bench, which I love, and now use the Sjoberg for my reloading bench. Just my opinion.....

[Nicholas Lawrence]

A "guy I know" was in the position of wanting to build a workbench without access to power tools or a bench to build it on, and would tell you that you might look at the plywood torsion box design, which is cheap, rock solid, can be built with a saw and a screwdriver, and while you won't want to let your friends know that is what you are working on, it will allow you to do an awful lot, including building your first bench. Or you might find it works well enough (despite its many undeniable flaws) that you will find yourself still building stuff on it many years later while you continue to perfect your "real" bench design. Or so I have heard.

If you google "workbench design" you will get a website by the same name (I am not sure I understand the link policy and don't want to violate any rules) where the plans for the torsion box design are posted for free. Even if you don't want to go that route, there is a lot of other information there you might find useful.