Harbor Freight Workbench
For the longest time my work area had consisted of whatever was available to me at the time. This could include everything from a small desk that I had made to my bed or futon. None of these provided a good enough work surface to get anything done. The bed and futon were, quite possibly, the worst pieces of furniture that I could use.
Being budgeted on how much I could spend, it was difficult to buy materials to make my dream leather working station. So I started looking for a small workbench that suited my needs. I found the workbench on sale while at Harbor Freight while looking for other supplies to fix my air compressor. It fit the budget and looked sturdy enough. A major plus was that it was the right size for the area I had in mind. I have a limited area so saving space is a big concern.
It took about 2 hrs to put together by myself and came out much sturdier than the display at the store. The drawers are not extremely heavy duty, but fit all the tools I could pack in them well enough. I don't believe I will ever have enough weight in them to worry about it so it's only a minor concern. The felt lining is a perk and the bottom is designed in a way that won't allow an individual sewing needle to find its way to the floor. The vise isn't meant for much more than an extra set of hands. I wouldn't use it anything more than a stitching pony on small projects. I tried it out just clamping a scrap piece of wood. Just before I got it tight enough that I couldn't move the wood I heard a crack. I stopped at that point because I'd rather have a usable vice than torture test it.
The top has several holes for wooden pegs and small "anvils" that came with the bench. I don't mind the holes since most of them are normally covered up with granite or a cutting surface. I haven't needed the pegs or anvils yet but I'm sure they will come in handy sometime. The top is thick and absorbs sound well so I don't worry about waking the wife up during an afternoon nap or some late night inspiration.
The bottom shelf holds quite a bit but I wouldn't recommend loading it down with power tools. I store larger bottles of liquids and thread there. Basically anything that won't fit in a drawer. If it wasn't required for the extra sturdiness I would remove it and use storage totes. (I do not recommend removing bottom shelf and supports)
I would recommend this to anyone who has limited space or a tight budget. It would work great for a hobbyist looking to move off of the kitchen table.
Click here for the Harbor Freight Workbench.