A quick look at how I adapted the Harbor Freight Windsor Workbench.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
- In response to a viewers questions about a review I did of this product, here are my comments on the day-to-day usage of my bench, and how I altered the design slightly. This is not a sponsored video. There are a few of inexpensive 'starter' or 'utility' grade benches of this type I've seen, but have only used these from Harbor Freight. My original assembly and review video: • A hidden gem for your ...
I also modified my Harbor Freight Windsor workbench:
1. The out-of-the-box drawer location means any dust and debris on the bench top can drop through the dog holes directly into the top two drawers and their contents, so I switched the position of the full shelf and the 4 drawers; drawers at the bottom of the bench with the full shelf above them and directly below the bench top. I only needed to create two shelf support braces on the long side of the shelf.
2. The out-of-the-box bench top thickness is NOT what it appears, so I screwed/glued a cut-to-fit 1"thick sheet of plywood to the bottom of the table top, and extended the dog holes down through that. It needed only small modification to accommodate the vice mechanism.
3. The out-of-the-box drawer slides don't open the drawers fully. I swapped then for full extension slides.
4. I added locking casters to all four leg corners.
Sounds like great mods, John. On my bench that is along the wall, I just used some tape at the bottom of the holes, ha ha. No, this bench top is not thick. However, I rarely use the dog holes for anything. I mostly clamp things I'm working on, so actually if I removed the facia along the edges, the flat top would be easier for me to clamp to. With the price of lumber these days, this bench is an even better buy for the shop. Thanks for detailing your modifications!
Thank you for sharing. Great update Stan. A General 52" top/bottom toolbox and this Windsor bench are on my list. Thanks, always learning something new there in the shop. Gary
Thanks, Gary! A viewer had some questions about what I did from the other video, so this was easier to explain it this way rather than in a lengthy reply!
That's a great idea to go over your bench top with a scraper.
Yes, I do it often to make sure there are no metal bits stuck in the top.
Good practice, scraping after the project. I use a roll of paper, but the scraper approach seems very handy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Thomas! It's not a high class beauty bench for sure, but it works well for me. That scraper is the best. I have planed down hardwoods with it (like cutting boards, etc.), and I clean my benches and table saw tops with it, and it's also great for pulling glue squeeze-out from inside corners, and I use it all the time to remove those nasty sticky labels the stores put on wood! Have a great one!
I would love to see more details an exactly how you sured up the work bench. It looks great.
Handy little benches. I have two in my garage shop currently. Any sort of panel at the ends that creates a little triangulation will stiffen things effectively. Of course, piling junk on it below anchors the bench well, too! :)
Very cool, thanks for sharing. All in all, this bench is actually pretty stable.
Yes, for me it is, and very affordable as benches go. Thank you!
Excellent!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! A great value for my shop.
Put mine together a week ago. First time I went to use the clamp on the end POP! The seem split between end of table and screwed on trim. Didn't even have much torque on clamp. Made crack big enough to fit dime in. Overall descent table though.
Did you call HF? Although a it of a hassle to get a whole new one at this point. You can probably glue-clamp-screw it back to health. Mine has developed a bit of a crack between the edging at one end. I attribute that to how dry our desert climate is here. I've put a few dings in it but I've owned three of these and they are all still standing and getting the job done.
@@StanFerris yours developed a crack at edging on clamp end, or other end. Mine cracked at clamp end. I'd never call hf over this issue. I'm safisfied enough with table for price I paid. I'll definitely do some upgrades after while.
@@aubrey5939 Mine cracked on the long side, but I just glued and squeezed it back together. To be honest, that trim piece can get in the way when I'm clamping things to the bench anyway, so one of these days I'll probably put some plywood or something over the top and then rip down the trim flush with the top thickness.
It's plenty stable with your beefing it up and adding mass so gravity holds it down well. I think it's perfectly acceptable for the price. It's not like the coffee was sloshing out of the cup. I used to live in a house that had 2 X 6 floor joists on 24" centers. In that place the floor was like a trampoline & the coffee would've moved more than that if the cat trotted by.
I can see how that might bounce a bit! My shop is in the garage on concrete. But to be honest, I sometimes wish it had a wood floor that was easier to stand on for hours than the concrete. The HF bench is not a woodworking masterpiece, but, for me, like an old pair of jeans, it gets the job done and I don't worry about it getting dinged up. Great comment, thanks!
Bought this bench last weekend, took 3 hours to assemble. My thoughts:
1. For 200 bucks, it's a lot of workbench.
2. It needs cross bracing to prevent twisting when you're working with handtools on it at either end.
3. The newer models seem to have longer draw pulls, I saw it was a minus point in earlier versions, but mine roll all the way out.
4. The piece of wood the vise counter pressure is applied from is too thin and if wrenched down, will begin to crack fairly easily.
5. Retractable casters are a great addition. Just don't keep nice things on the top when you're using them.
Great thoughts, Sam! I've gotten so much value out of these HF benches over the years. I have two in my shop now, had one at a different location and none of them have ever failed. Yes, a few cracks here and there. I agree about the cross bracing. Just a scrap of plywood here and there and I've been able to hand plane and never spill my coffee!
Great vid! Could you place a 5.5 vice on this?
Not sure how big a 5.5 is, but if you mounted it at a corner right over one of the vertical legs it would transfer quite a load all the way to the floor. I have a chunk of large rr rail and a steel plate that I put in the corner when I want to bend or hammer metal.
Thanks guy
I still use mine almost every day, and I never worry about it.
Very nice 👌 👍
Thanks, Captain!
set your coffee on the other bench. Problem solved!
Exactly, Dennis! Cheers!