This album shows photos of things I've made for my workshop. What better way to equip a workshop
than to make everything in it?
The cabinet in the drill press stand was fun to make with its sloping sides. The drawers are
long, and full-extension slides rule.
The workbench frame is made from 2x4 and 2x8 lumber; top and lower shelf are solid-core
commercial doors. The frame is held together with aluminum dowel nuts I made because nobody makes
them for a 1/2" bolt. The cabinet on the shelf is custom, made from plywood and biscuits. The
drawers are held together with biscuits - nothing fancy here. The face frame is maple.
There
are two "accessory holes" on the front frame rail. The two things they're used for presently are a
support for long boards and my router table.
The horizontal router table is based on a design in Fine Woodworking No.147. My improvements are
making it twice as long, a stiffener on the fence, a better height screw, and better dust
collection. The height screw threads in a t-nut under the piece of wood for fine adjustment. The
baffle inside and all the holes in the end opposite the vacuum port keep the air moving, otherwise
the dust and chips will just fill in the box. It's made from MDF and plywood, with oak edging around
the bottom for durability. The knobs are made from applying a hole saw to scraps of red elm.
The router table is custom and fits into slots in the top front rail of the workbench. It folds
flat for storage. Construction is two layers of plywood, maple edging, and a formica top; the legs
are poplar. The top is about 2x3 feet. There's a dust bucket for the router I made from a trash
can. It clips underneath with two wood clips and wingnuts. To make sure there's enough air flow for
good dust collection by the shop vac, I drilled extra holes near the top. They can be covered with
tape to adjust the air flow. It's a little tedious to adjust the router because I have to take off
the dust bucket, but it works well and was cheap.