workbench buying advice - 3 options...

[rafezetter]

I did have a search but didn't easily find what I was looking for, so..

I'm starting to do a bit more work on a mobile basis and have been wondering which mobile workbench to buy:

Basic workmates are obviously cheap and cheerful and at the price not much of a big deal if it gets broken, but it doesn't offer much bench area.

This workbench offers a lot more scope and gets extremely good reviews - has anyone used one of these?
http://www.screwfix.com/p/folding-work-station/2320p

Lastly someone suggested something like this - which I'd probably buy rather than make :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Festool-Makit ... SwdvpWDpji

I know a couple of forum members whom have been considering making / buying something like this, but has anyone actually used this portable version in the field?

I've obviously thought about saw horses and an old door, but the above options seem very reasonable cost wise if they are as good as people say, and volume of space taken up is also a consideration as I don't have a van.

TIA

 

[Mark A]

I've been using the Screwfix workbench you link to for a few years, though mine cost £60. It's ideal for powertools and assembling stuff, but not solid enough for enthusiastic hand planing or hammering.

Saying that, I made do for a few years with a pair of cheap plastic sawhorses and a sheet of ply.

Mark

 

[Woodchips2]

I still use an aluminium twin height Workmate with a piece of kitchen worktop about 4'0"x 2'0" with a clamping batten if I need a bigger area or do a bit of heavy chiselwork.

Regards Keith

 

[Simou1]

I have the Screwfix workbench. Its made by Keter and is surprisingly robust but is not, as Mark says, for heavy duty work. It is perfect for holding wood, pipes etc if you are using power tools and is an excellent tool and paint tin platform.

It is an ingenious design which opens, and closes, instantly and it provides a very stable work surface. The included clamps work really well but are fairly light duty but, once slotted into the table, are very useful. Mine has been well used over the last two years without any problems and I find it indispensable, and reasonably light to cart around the house and the yard. There are a number of videos on You Tube and I think mine was the Forge Steel version.

Its a bargain at £40, is made of plastic and metal and mine has been out (and left out) in all weathers.

The MFT one you have linked to is an excellent bench and I have seen the Birch plywood (more expensive) one over at Rick's workshop in Wrexham. It is rock solid, remarkably easy to assemble/dis-assemble and is perfect if you have Festool type clamps. I have his MFT worktops on a workbench and a Festool MFT as well as the alloy dogs, and the quality is top notch. It is built like the proverbial outhouse and the CNC machined slots are superb. It will not break unlike the Screwfix one! I am sure that if you spoke to him you could buy some of the dogs which are made next door and are very useful as per his EBay listing.

Both options would suit your intended purpose, the Screwfix one is perfect for me as a DIYer. Were I needing a bench for work, I would not hesitate to buy the MFT one.

Pat

 

[rafezetter]

Thanks all, that's just the sort of input I was after, especially about the screwfix bench not being sturdy enough for hand work which is obviously going to happen a lot.

My only question about the mft top is clamping inboard of the edges - most clamp heads won't go through, so how would you do it without using holdfasts as I'm given to believe the top isn't thick enough for them to work correctly?

 

[Simou1]

The MFT top uses Festool clamps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKXb2eJgKI

each hole on the MFT top can be used as a 'holdfast' with one of the clamps.

http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk/fes ... 0wodhigIkw

But search around for the best price.

For planing and sawing the dogs are perfect.

Pat

 

[Eric The Viking]

I intend to get the "MFT" table you show from eBay (but I'll buy direct from the makers, CNC Designs in Wrexham). I intend to get the plywood version in the hope it will last longer (it'll be a one-time purchase, unless I win the lottery!):

The thing is that it's really a cutting and assembly table, and that's what I need. I already have a number of clamps that will fit (Axminster, Festool and a range of other brands will fit - anything that can fit the 20mm hole pattern will probably do), and the dogs for use with rails. It won't allow me to clamp stuff vertically, square to the edge, which the Axminster and Festool ones will do, but I've decided that isn't very important.

It wouldn't be suitable, either, for clamping stuff for hand planing (nor probably power planing either), as it's not intended to resist horizontal forces acting on the top. But I have a couple of trestles with two-screw clamps on top (which you've seen), which are pretty reasonable for that purpose, and could be better braced if you intend doing a lot of that sort of thing. Mine are old, but basically like this design:

.
You can use them in pairs for dealing with long stock or sheet materials (NOT a full 8x4 sheet though!), and although cheap, they have lasted well for me. They fold well for storage, and you can replace the tops when they get worn (I have turned mine over, and will make new from ply in due course). You can also use clamps to hold work down, in exactly the same way as with the "MFT" type - again Festool, Axminster and the rest will fit and work (although space underneath is more restricted and the holes aren't always helpfully located).

But beware that there are cheap, tiny-sized versions out there. I bought one by mistake, which now lives with the wood stored in the loft, in case I have to cut stuff up there - otherwise useless.

I have several issues with the "vice" arrangement of two screws and a sliding top. It can be a bit awkward for several reasons:

• The "jaws" can move out of parallel (tilt over), as you apply force, because the moving jaw can pivot on the sliding part. I serviced one and managed to re-tighten the slider, which has helped, but it is a weakness.
• The support for the workpiece in the jaws is the two slider bars. I keep some shaped foam strips that clip on (travel protectors from square-steel-tube office furniture), to protect the edge of anything finished or fragile.
• Similarly, if you want to hold a door on edge for lock fitting or planing, etc. you have to clamp using one of the overhanging bits at the ends. The jaws are really too thin to avoid marking the door if you're not very careful.

I'll glue a hardwood batten under the two clamping edges of the jaws when I re-make them, which should help with the last issue, and make it easier generally to clamp boards on edge.
Given how simple and robust they are (they'll take my weight too, even though they're not supposed to), they have been excellent value. I know recent versons have been cost-reduced, so may not be as strong nowadays.

I don't think you'll find one portable bench that suits all tasks perfectly, but those trestle-style things are pretty dashed good for the price. I'd eschew plastic stuff, as you can't easily mend it if something snaps. And get a pair, not one.

The other issue is that compared to me you're tall and well-built: the working height needs to be right for you, to avoid back pain when you need to use it/them for longer periods, such as when sanding or routing things. Which is another good point: it's pretty easy to swap over the top to make an on-site router table should you need one. Mine is just a heavy MFC shelf salvaged from Ikea!

As you know, I'm not a tradesman, just a DIYer. You need something that's right for you personally - right height and that fits your working style. I wouldn't rush into getting one thing (unless it's very cheap!), but try a few to see which you get on with.

E.

 

[rafezetter]

Thanks Erik - the sound voice of reason as always; I'd not thought about the height issue which can be a real problem over long periods for me, not sure how I'd fix that with the trestle style ones without adding thick spacers - I won't have issues with doors as I made a door jack for that. I could alter the MFT version to make it more sturdy for planing, but then the trestle style ones aren't so much cop for that either apparently.... Maybe I should pop round and have a try before that dinner you keep promising me

by the by, I can help with the new jaws you've been considering, I've got some sections of bamboo flooring that might be just the job.