Workbench and Tool Chest

[markfitz]

I needed some extra storage space in the shop. My workbench had seen better days, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make a large tool chest integrated into a new bench. I had a couple old Craftsman roll-away tool chests laying around that I used for the workbench pedestals after removing their wheels. Particle board pieces were cut to fit the top and bottome of each cabinet. These were screwed onto a platform made of 2x4s and 3/4" particle board. Then I built a 6-drawer box The same height as the pedestals to fill the center space. I made the depth of this center section about 2 inches less than pedestals to let me recess the drawer fronts and handles. A 2x4 mounted on the shop wall gave support for a sheet of 3/4" particle board the same dimensions as the bottom platform. This gave me a 9 1/2" x 26" x 68" space behind the pedestals for storage of larger items. Next came three 20" x 20" x 2" drawers between supports for the 3/4" particle board work top. The work surface is a sheet of melamine-coated hardboard cut to the size of the 30" x 72" top. I had this arrangement on my old bench and it lasted over six years before I had to change the hardboard sheet. The work top overlaps the drawers and the sides by a couple inches. On the back I screwed a 3 1/2" board. At 12-inch intervals the board has a pair of 1/4" T-nuts to give me something to bolt-on jigs, fences, or whatever. With the four drawers in the old Craftsman chests, I now have 13 drawers, two large storage bins, and a long storage space in the back. The bench is rock solid. I got Home Depot to mix up some paint to match the Craftsman chests and it came out looking pretty good.