Every club needs a clubhouse, every race team needs a shop, and every project car needs a home.
So far, our 2003 Ford SVT Focus has completely eschewed the company shop in favor of something far more, well, average. Most kids in college don't have unlimited access to a full-fledged restoration shop, so what use is it building this project …
That's a cool bench, but for $2K? We build race cars for less than that.. 
That bench only has a wood top, the rest is metal. Forget carpentry, you should have broken out the welder! I'm very dissapointed in you
Looks like the setup that Costco sells occasionally. Decent solution if you're looking to kill it with money (which is not a bad thing, really).
Not sure its much better than the bench I built out of a couple of Gorilla racks and some chunks of 3/4" melamine backed fiberboard. With the exception of the drawers, which honestly is why God created toolboxes and parts bins, I'm not sure I'd find it a worthwhile expenditure.
Had HomeDepot rip the wood for me and I screwed and glued it together and bolted it to the racks.
Bolted a cheap HarborFreight vice to one corner.
Added shelves and a keyboard drawer to control the garage PC.
Wall-mounted the monitor so I can stream races and/or look up information about what I'm working on while in the garage.
Bought a cheap little rolling cabinet and built a rotating tool stand for the grinder, sander and table top drill press.
Slotted the cheap toolboxes next to the tool stand and I've got an ok corner to work out of. Used it to rebuild my 924 (that was IHROTM not long ago) and maintain my 951S and now my 740iL.
Probably took a couple of weekends with some time spent during the week noodling things to figure out where to put things and how.
FWIW while I sell insanely expensive tools and boxes for a living my garage work bench is made from the oiliest real 2X4s I've ever seen. Pretty sure it was built when the garage was new in 1959 and it'll probably still be there in 2059. I'll get a picture this weekend when I clean all the crap off it.
My bench is made from 2x4s, double layer plywood, 20 ga sheetmetal and deck screws. It is strong enough to hold a lathe fly cutting tool steel w/o shaking. It cost probably right around $250 to make because it's 24' long and 4x8 sheets of 20 ga steel were $34 each at the time. It exactly fits the space because I built it to fit.
Maybe you should buy a circular saw and save the fancy pants furniture for when you need a showroom?
For that amount of money you could buy a better combo of chests, carts, tables from Costco or HF and pegboard and cabinets from Home Depot or Lowes...or do what most of us do...build it better...cheaper...to truly maximize space and versatility...
But you didn't really spend that kind of money, did you? You got it for free. I'd take it for free, as well, but I'm not interested in paying $2k for it. For less than that, I built a huge workbench out of 2x4s and plywood with a melamine floating top that can be replaced. I've had several engines and transmissions on it with no problem. And for the remaining $1700 in that number I also got 12 cabinets, including four large floor cabinets, four wall cabinets and four base cabinets. Yes, they are made out of coated particle board and not steel, but damned if I can tell that they are any less useful for it. I'd post some pictures, but it is late, and I'm tired, and I can't face going through that host then post procedure.
turboswede wrote: Bought a cheap little rolling cabinet and built a rotating tool stand for the grinder, sander and table top drill press.
I DEMAND a build thread on that rotating tool setup. Your like a wizard.
You guys built your benches with store bought wood and welders? Ametuers. When I wanted a workbench, I planted a tree and waited 7 years. Built a forge and a 1000 ton press.
Mitchell wrote: You guys built your benches with store bought wood and welders? Ametuers. When I wanted a workbench, I planted a tree and waited 7 years. Built a forge and a 1000 ton press.
You forgot to mention mining the ore, and smelting the metal ...
nocones wrote:turboswede wrote: Bought a cheap little rolling cabinet and built a rotating tool stand for the grinder, sander and table top drill press.I DEMAND a build thread on that rotating tool setup. Your like a wizard.
I can't +1 this comment more than once. But I would... Awesome idea!!!
Also, is that turbo up on the top shelf almost as big as one of the cooling fans near it??
rcutclif wrote: Also, is that turbo up on the top shelf almost as big as one of the cooling fans near it??
Turbocharger looks like a Holset, so yes... it's big.
In regard to the work bench shown, I could not image spending $2000 on a bench like the one shown.
I have a 2ftx6ft work bench on castors made of 1" thick plywood and 2x4's. The bench weighs realistically 150lbs and takes more abuse than any garage fixture deserves. total cost to build was about $150 and 4 hours of labor. The great part about the bench is if I destroy the top surface (incredibly unlikely) I can just unscrew the wood top, cut a new one to size and off I go...
$2000 can buy a lot of tools not easily replaced by a big chunk of wood
You guys realize how difficult it is to build a workshop table and cabinets with one arm right? However for years the internet has taught us that we can do things with just one arm, in this case shop for high end workshop tables and cabinets. Which can be used in a garage, basement, hauler or as props in a photo studio for photos to be placed onto the internet, leading to more functioning with a single free arm.
I dont understand spending any real amount of money on a bench topped by wood. Out of all the benches i ever worked on in any shop or school, the very few that were wood on top were the ones i hated working on.
Bad photo but that 6 foot all steel bench with storage, its 3 foot little brother (not shown in photo) and the tall steel cabinet next to it were $25 for all 3 on govdeals.com :) Old shop benches from schools are cheap and solid
NordicSaab wrote: $2000 can buy a lot of tools not easily replaced by a big chunk of wood
$2000 can buy you a Bridgeport with tooling.
$2000 can buy you a pristine '93 Nighthawk 750.
$2000 could get me to fly to a one armed man's house and build him a better bench than that and there would still be enough left over to get take-out.
But, ya know... if someone was giving it to me for free if I pimped it a little in my magazine and on my website I'd take it. Although... if people were giving me expensive E36 M3 for doing this sort of thing and I was in charge ... I would use a different name or make JG start the thread.
If you're building a workbench with a wood top, the answer is used bowling alley sections for that top.....its epicly awesome. 
I think to justify this level of expense for a work space you will have to wow us with details on the premium touches.
Are the drawers really that awesome?
Wheels roll that smooth? Over cracks?
Is the wood top some precise flatness?
Doors have soft edges that won't scratch or cut you, drawers too?
These things take it from GRM level stuff people are posting about that we love to IMSA level we would enjoy but know we would never spend the money on.
Basically what justifies $2k?
My workbenches are a combination of discarded industrial units from a old automaker factory that closed and two I built myself out of wood, one of which is 48" x 144". Hint I do recommend that you consider that width as, while it can become difficult to reach items against the wall, it does fit a whole hood, trunk, etc on it with ease. Legs are 4x4 and it has 6 of them.
It could support a car if needed.
One we built is a 36" squared table, about 24" high with larger pneumatic wheel on it, easy to roll around a diff, trans, etc, great tool caddy and it currently has an RX3 shell sitting on it.
Are these toolboxes made overseas or in America? If they are not made in America - shame on you. Plenty of American made boxes from the big 3 (Snap-On, Mac, Matco), and its something with an actual pedigree and resale value.
I think the one armed thing is more "why spend 8 hours of your time building a bench when, with only the use of one arm, a mouse, and $2k you can buy one instantly"
I earn good money. Not $2k garage bench money.
Is there a new $2015 challenge category for work benches?
All of you realize we have different wants and needs, right? I'd be very surprised if Tom didn't realize that he could knock together a bench with 2x4's. What he has now is certainly aesthetically nice. If part of your job involves taking pictures of stuff on a workench, that sort of thing might be pretty important. Tom is also young enough that moving is a certainty. It will take some friends and beer, but that very very nice workbench can move from house to house with him instead of having to rebuild something every time his address changes.
And lastly, there are more than a few people who want to purchase a solution to whom $2k isn't a big deal, and Tom just let them know about another option.
That's a nice bench, I admit it's nicer than the clearance unit bench I got from Sears when they cleared out the back room. Then again there is a $1925 difference. I would rock those benches if they appeared in my garage, and I understand needing a good place to work as much as the next guy or gal. I think the hang up many of us have is that we are bargain hunters and we like to tweak stuff to meet our needs and fit our spaces too much to buy off the rack so to speak. If I spend that kind of money I want it to be air conditioned or something.
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