Author Topic: Wokbench power upgrade  (Read 441 times)

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Wokbench power upgrade
« on: January 17, 2025, 01:36:31 AM »
My basement has a duplex outlet in the middle of all 4 walls, and nothing closer than those to my workbench. For years and years I've been using a 50' extension cord with a triple tap adaptor like the one in the first pic on it. I used cable ties to help keep it attached even if it snags on something when I drag it across my driveway. Thursday I pulled the nails out of the end of my workbench where I had 4 handsaws and a bench brush hanging. I put 2 screws in and put this extra power strip I had in their place. I drove the screws in until it was a snug fit, then pounded 3 roofing nails in the top edge of the bench. The heads stick out just far enough over the edge of the power strip to keep it from lifting up. I wish I would have thought of this 30+ years ago.

Now I have 7 outlets waist high next to my vise on the right front corner of the bench (left side of picture). And I don't have to keep picking the cord off the ground to plug my tools in and unplug them. There are sliding doors over each outlet to keep dirt and grime out when they aren't in use. I pulled the cord to the back of the bench and wound it around the diagonal brace, and secured it with 2 cable ties. Now I can use the other 50' extension cord with the triple tap for other things, and keep this extension cord plugged in all the time if I don't need it for anything else. And I don't use all 100' of cord very often. It doesn't matter how wet the basement gets because both ends of the cord are high and dry. And the power strip has a button to turn it off when I'm not using it. I have a Cable Cuff on the excess cord that's rolled up next to the outlet.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2025, 06:55:21 PM »
The top of my workbench is a hollow-core closet door from the mobile home I lived in before I bought my house. The frame is 2x4 boards that were the frame of one of the couches I had back then. I was trying to bend 2 pieces of steel plate in the vise last year and when my 2# ball peen hammer wouldn't do the job, I tried smacking it around with a 12# sledge hammer. The top of the bench broke and caved in and the vise broke in half. Inside the base was a part the 2 screws go into, to lock and unlock it so you can swivel it around. That's what broke. My vise is somewhat similar to the one in this picture. It has 2 pairs of jaws, one flat and one for holding pipes, plus more jaws on the very bottom, and the whole thing spins 360 degrees on its horizontal axis. I'm going to bolt it directly to the bench without the swivel part of the base. I thought about making a piece to go inside the base to thread the 2 screws in, maybe from those pieces of steel plate, so I could still have it facing the front, side, or corner of the bench, or any other direction. But It's just going to be facing the front.

I already had a 12"x12" piece of 3/4" thick plywood attached to the underside of the bench top in that corner. Today I looked around for scraps of wood to reinforce the top. I had 1 2x4 about 25 1/2" long, so I cut it into thirds. I squirted Goop into the biggest dents and holes in the bench top, then brushed all the Elmer's glue I had to cover an 8+" square in the corner. I brushed glue on the edges of the 2x4s where they butted against one another and screwed them down with 3" drywall screws. I brushed glue that seeped out the sides on top of the 2x4s and screwed a 3/16" scrap of plywood on top to level out the surface. I did that without cutting the plywood to fit or square it up. I had a triangle shaped piece of good 5/16" plywood big enough to cut a 6" square out of. I beveled the edges and corners with my sander, brushed some Goop on the back of it and screwed it down on the other scrap of plywood. The part of the vise I'm able to reuse is 5 1/2" in diameter, an inch less than the swivel base. That part, seen in the third pic is going in the recycle bin when I'm sure I won't be using it for anything.

I painted the whole mess and will drill 2 holes through the whole stack and bench top, including the 3/4" plywood on the bottom. I'll have to buy a couple of 1/2" bolts 6" long to bolt it all together through the holes where the T-handles to tighten the swivel base used to be (yellow arrow in picture). I'll have to buy hex nuts, flat washers, and lock washers to secure it. After that I need to sweep the floor and slide the bench back to where it was before I started hammering on those steel plates. And clean out my tool boxes, fill them with the tools that are piled on the bench or still lying on the floor where they fell, brush off the bench and slap a little more paint on it, before I can put my tool boxes and trays back on the bench. Then when I have everything back as close to normal as it's going to get, I'll finally be ready to start working on my guns again.

I have plans for a new workbench from Norm Abram of The New Yankee Workshop, but I might wait and see if I'll be moving or not. Hopefully my inheritance will be enough to get me out of this ghetto city. Williams Cheese Factory Outlet in Linwood is only 60 miles north of here. If I lived around there instead of here, I'd be a lot happier. And when I went up north to ride my ATV with my friends, I'd be already be halfway there. If I end up moving, I'd rather not have to haul a big, heavy workbench around.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Rastus

  • Mindlessness Fuels Tyranny
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7031
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 707
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2025, 09:16:06 AM »
Ghetto city...must be run by dims....
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
-William Pitt, British Prime-Minister (1759-1806)
                                                                                                                               Avoid subjugation, join the NRA!

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2025, 10:28:05 PM »
Ghetto city...must be run by dims....

Yep. And rust belt dims are among the worst.

I found two 1/2" lock washers in the tub o' washers, so I don't have to buy those to bolt down my vise. And there are four 3 5/8" washers with a 3/8" hole I need to drill out, so all need to buy is 2 bolts. Without the use of my vise I was able to dry fit most of my flattop AR parts tonight. The pics show how wide the old free float tube is compared to the 15" UTG PRO Super Slim Free Float M-LOK Handguard. The new lo-pro gas block will be inside it. The old Weaver, not Picatinny, Eagle Arms flattop upper is going bye-bye, and an Athlon cantilever mount is replacing the Nikon P-Series 2-Piece Scope Mount Picatinny-Style With integral Rings. The Vortex cantilever mount I bought puts the scope about 2" farther ahead, which wouldn't allow me to mount back up sights. The Vortex Vanquish scope with Dead-Hold BDC (MOA) Reticle is an upgrade from the old Nichols scope.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

alfsauve

  • Semper Vigilantes
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7442
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 521
Re: Workbench power upgrade
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2025, 01:34:43 PM »
Good Work.   I got a rolling 5.5' workbench w/ drawers.  Every year I move it out of the way and clean under/around it.   Since my basement room is unfinished I ran my own outlet to the wall about 5' high above the bench.  Then I attached strips to the back and to the both ends of the bench.  The one in the back is for things permanently powered up, like swing arm lamps.  I do real messy stuff in the garage, but do most of my gun and electronics stuff on this bench.

Got a high end vise and wow, what a difference!

Will work for ammo
USAF MAC 437th MAW 1968-1972

Sponsor

  • Guest
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #5 on: Today at 09:35:57 AM »

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2025, 04:56:30 PM »
Thanks, Alf. I went to Homeboy Depot and bought 7" long 1/2" bolts instead of 6" like I planned on. When I got home, I took a 4"x8" piece of steel plate that was bent like ___/---- a couple of inches from each end, and whanged away at it in my driveway with the sledgehammer. Every time I hit it, "WHANG!" and it flipped over and bounced around, until it was kind of straight when I quit. I drilled two 1/2" holes through it 4" apart, and made a blood sacrifice to the bench gods to bring me prosperity and good  fortune. :(  What really happened was the steel plate I was trying to hold one-handed caught on the drill bit and spun around several different times. It nicked the top of my middle finger once, but my fingernail kept it from going too deep. It took several minutes and different size bits to drill the holes. After I drilled the holes and wallowed them out a little bit I drilled holes through the bench. I used a 9/16" spade bit to allow for just a hair of error. It went through all the boards and everything in seconds. The center point is a screw that draws it into the wood, and It has a sharp cutting tooth on both corners. I have a whole set of these and they're easily 10 times better that the old kind of spade bits.

I put the bolts though a pair of flat washers and through the vise, then lowered it over the holes in the bench until the bolts were seated. When I went to put the steel plate on the bottom it wouldn't go on because one end was hitting the 2x4 leg in the corner. I cut off an inch or less with my angle grinder and a thin cutting wheel. Then I put it over the bolts, added a thick flat "washer" on one side and 2 regular flat washers on the other, followed by lock washers, and the nuts I bought today. I couldn't keep a socket on the nuts very long because the bolts were sticking out so far. So I held the nuts with my large adjustable wrench and turned the bolts with a 1/2" ratchet wrench with a 3/4" socket. After awhile I had to swap out the ratchet wrench for a 15" breaker bar and kept tightening it down. When I was done I put some pieces of cardboard around the bottom of the vise to mask it off, and spray painted it. Tomorrow after the paint is dry I'll get some pics.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

TAB

  • DRTV Rangers
  • Top Forum Member
  • *
  • Posts: 10092
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 96
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2025, 10:26:50 PM »
Here is mine

Ignore all the crap on the shelf.

https://ibb.co/0yN6nd6


https://ibb.co/DMvnPpb

https://ibb.co/F6NjT2p

https://ibb.co/Hg4s1JY


https://a.co/d/3nnbLtu




They have a few sizes for the wheels.   Just before warned  when you drop it it does crash pretty hard on the last one.   I also had to renforce the back side
   It's a 3x8 solid core fire door that is about 100# and 2 sheets of 5/8" ply.   ( I had left over.  If I was to do it again I would use 3/4)

Edit, yes it was sagging in that pic..  I have since fixed that with a plywood beam.   I also did have about 500# on that shelf lol.
I always break all the clay pigeons,  some times its even with lead.

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2025, 10:31:34 PM »
NIIICE!! Those are exactly the type of wheels I was thinking a workbench should have. Roll it around then drop it on the feet, solid, instead of having wheels trying to swivel around on you.

I was already sneezing really bad from a sinus infection or cold or something. But at 2 am I put on a mask, dragged my bench as far as I could toward the wall where there are lots of cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down. I swept the floor really well then dragged the bench over to within a fraction on an inch of the furnace. My eyes were so full of dirt I wish I could have soaked them in a glass of water while I slept. I used a LOT of artificial tears trying to clean them out. My bench only has one diagonal brace on it so I might add another one tonight. I have some boards from cherry furniture I brought in from the trash and took apart. I can slap one on with a few screws at each end after I cut some angles on the ends. The shelf in the middle is particle board, and I'm thinking about finally painting it to seal some of the dirt and oil out. But I need to get everything off the top and shelf and sweep them off. I've been thinking about throwing everything in boxes to get it out of the way. Then when I sweep out my toolboxes I can sort it all out again. I may as well wait to take some pics. without a fustecluck of tools and dirt on it. There's lots of crap from grinding mixed in with everything. With the longer bolts I bought, I can add one of those cherry boards to the bottom of the bench, along with the steel plate.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2025, 02:05:46 AM »
Here's my vise, bolted down without the swivel base that broke off. I normally use it with the jaws parallel to the front edge of the bench, and didn't even have to think about which way I wanted it facing. Here's a pic of the vise and the power strip, a closeup of the vise, top view, and bottom view of the steel plate and hardware. I don't normally paint the moving shaft or shank, whatever it's called, but I did the other day. Then I sprayed WD-40 on it and wiped most of the paint off. I thought having paint on it might cause it to bind, but it opens and closes super slick and easy. The jaws are normally sanded bare but I painted them too. I'll sand them down sometime, maybe after the paint gets scratched up.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10394
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1347
Re: Wokbench power upgrade
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2025, 02:14:58 AM »
And here's my workbench, warts and all, laid bare for everyone to see. First is the top, left to right, then the shelf, left to right. There was a big pile of glue and stuff under the vise and I chipped a piece off with a putty knife. I'll probably fill some of the holes on the top with plastic wood and sand it down. I may even do the same with the shelf. And I'll slap a quick coat of paint on the top, and most likely the shelf too. I still haven't put a second cross brace on it. It's a wonder the bench is still standing after 30+ years of hell I put it through.

P.S. There are several nails pounded into the left side, right at the top. A pair of bar clamps hang on the first 2 nails and some C-clamps hang on the others.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk