# outdoor workbench



## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

so now i can make a outdoor workbench and trying to find what type of top is going to hold up the best. ideas ? has to be wood because ill be drilling through it form time to time when drilling on top o it.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

I use outdoor workbenches daily which are simply 1/2 a sheet (2x8) of plywood screwed to a 2x4 frame on saw horses. Quick, simple and portable.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Is this going to be left outside or only going to be outside when your working on it?


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

left outside in arizona. not much rain here but 120 + temps in the summer.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I would probably build it from treated 2X stock, maybe just 5/4 for the top and give it some semi-solid deck stain for UV protection. I actually have a propane tank storage container built this way that has been on the deck for 15 years.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

tried to find a sheet of marine grade plywood but home depot or lowes doesnt stock it.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

No, that's a specialty item. Probably need a marine supply.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

hotrod351 said:


> tried to find a sheet of marine grade plywood but home depot or lowes doesnt stock it.


Not sure why you'd think that you need marine plywood in AZ. Back when I was in the wet Coastal NW I'd probably get a year out of 3/4" CDX and that's abusing it hard daily.

In AZ with light to moderate use you'd get years out of a sheet of 3/4" CDX outside. Even PT is overkill where you're at imo.

All you say is "outdoor workbench", if this is suppose to be more than that such as it needs to look pretty for years and/or blend in to match the house or something then let us know.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Look at picnic table kits at the home centers for a cost-effective bundle of materials that you can assemble a little differently.

If you build it out of 2x's, leave one of the boards towards the center unfastened, so you can remove it for clearance for drilling or sawing.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

yeah i was leaning towards 2" X 6" s pressure treated. made the base out of 2" X 2" square tubing i had around. just figured out its going to be heavy.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

or dried 2" X 6" with a couple coats of marine varnish.


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

This dude has an idea..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=9&v=VsOSsS3ijPk


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

the things i do n a bench id destroy that top. naw im going with the good old 2" X 6" and plenty of varnish. i could beat on it, grind on it and pretty much do anything.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

just found one where they took 2" X 4", ripped down to 2" X 3", stood on end, glued and screwed hem all together, pretty thick and heavy duty. kind of a butcher block effect. so far thats seems the best ive found. figure i need 16 2" X 4" s, glue and a bunch of screws.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

well did the 2" X 4" with the 1/2" ripped off one side, glued and screwed. ran the belt sander over it. now waiting for some Marine Varnish to come. sure is solid.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Okay, that's nicer than my indoor workbench.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

all it is is 2" X 4" 's. when i saw the article i thought that was a great idea, ripping 1/2" off one side and gluing and screwing them together. i was able to just stack one on top of the other to do it., really pretty simple, but heavy duty.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

one thing that got me is that home depot and lowes dont sell marine varnish n there store, online only, which i ordered.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

now for the varnish. ive often seen where after sanding you need to wet the surface to raise the grain before applying varnish. true ?


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

nice! I was planning the same thing for my indoor counter top. I was going to hit one edge on the jointer and rip down on the other. And groove out a section for 1/4" steel plate in the middle. 

Looks awesome! Why don't you use an oil based poly w/ UV protection? should be a little harder and not as big of a PITA to apply. 

I've never applied varnish directly to wood, but my seal coat almost always raises the grain and I knock it down whenever it comes up. Take this with a grain of salt because I am horrible at finishing, but varnish, light sanding, varnish, light sanding, varnish, light sanding, varnish, scrap, varnish, steel wool....you get the idea.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

thanks. well im old school marine varnish. learned about it 40 years ago. figure if its good enough for a boat then it should be good enough for a work bench. as for making a counter top id get a planer and plan both sides so the fit tighter together. i ended up with a few small gaps, and i mean small, but for a counter top you wouldnt want any gaps. now i did glue and screw them together but i should of also clamped them after, that might of given me a tighter fit.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

stain, had to somewhat match my fence. monday i get my varnish. well it will look good for a couple months. but then using it is what im making it for.


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## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

Sorry, it's been a long week. But what is the purpose of ripping the 2x4? To give you a flat, non filleted, edge? 

In any event, beautiful bench. I like this a lot!


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I'd skip the marine varnish. It is not as tough as many people think, and it is more work than paint.
I would just primer and paint it (exterior grade), and add a coat when it starts looking rough.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

the purpose is to have a flat surface. the other side looks good but indentations where every board meets. have always liked the look of wood so im sticking with the marine varnish. when i need to i can always touch it up, after all its a work bench, will have machines sat on it, thrown on it and hammered on. i did a lot of looking around on what to use, first figured marine grade plywood, but even it could separate after time and also needed a protective coating. when i came across this article i was impressed. didnt realize how simple it was to do, and know how strong it turned out, figure its 3" thick solid wood. ofcourse using oak would of been stronger, if you can even but 2" X 4" oak planks 8' long, bet that would be costly.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

well its done, should outlast me. have to wait a few days for the varnish to harden up completely.


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

Looks great. I just started mine last night and elected to go the easy/lazy way of gluing and clamping with no mill work.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

i like the using 3" deck screws also, diffidently doesnt hurt. as for ripping 1/2" off one side, well like the wife said = no groves for anything to get into. but yeah its a fairly cheap and indestructible bench which will last forever.


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

My problem with deck screws is...it is just one more thing to do when a good glue up job is more than sufficient. I was going to cut a groove in each board and then put in a "tongue" but I just couldn't justify the work. It's flat enough and I'll get it mounted on my cabinets and then hit with the belt sander...maybe not in that order...

Either way, your's looks awesome.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

You may as well get a umbrella hole bored in it now because someone is going to wanna use it for a picnic table.:biggrin2:And you may need to build an ugly one for a work bench.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

nice job, looks like a work horse!


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

it will get ugly soon enough. varnish said to let sit fro at least three days. im glad i found the site that showed this way of building one because of its sturdiness.


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