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I have just completed making and installing shelves and duct cover for a range hood cupboard for my nephews new place, I new he had no work benches to work on, so I decided to to make a small portable work bench, made out of mdf top and hardwood (Tas oak) all materials are from Bunnings. The finish has been waxed,(I hate painting) I made it so I can take it apart to fit in the car. It was very useful on site. I routered 20mm equally spaced to allow for clamping the timber to be routered.
Great idea.
I had to look at my cheap hand vices to understand what you've done. So like these, the Irwin Quick Grip end can be disassembled and reassembled?
Fascinating setup and project @JoeAzza. I really like how you've incorporated the Irwin Quick-grips and would love to do something similar myself. Do those legs fold up for storage? If so, that would be amazing!
Many thanks for sharing.
Mitchell
Hi Mitchell
Unfortunately the legs aren't foldable, I couldn't find anything suitable from Bunnings, so I just had to improvise and come up with this idea, I needed to have it finished and ready to use for the weekend, maybe I might have a look at making foldable legs for the table, I'll post it if I do go ahead.
In the mean time here are some photo's of how I did my table legs. Please excuse the quality of the photo's, I need to get used to getting them uploaded to this site.
I tried a similar process with an old Clint's Warehouse workhorse. From memory the holes were for pegs - where work pieces would butt up against them. The process never really worked.
But my Craftright clamps have no clamping power whatsoever in this scenario.
Hi Mitchell,
Thank you for the inspiration, re folding legs, I decided to modify my portable small work table, I have altered the legs to be foldable, pleases see photo's below. I need to see if I can get some stays for the legs to stay opened, in the meantime I just fitted a piece of timber to hold the legs apart.
Amazing results @JoeAzza!
I must admit my suggestion was partly self-motivated, as you've now created my ideal workbench. I might have to borrow your design!
Many thanks for sharing the updated version. Well done.
Mitchell
I must admit it is a well designed bench. I have done somthing similar myself but used the Irwin Quick Grip Hold down jigs. They can be ordered in by from the. special orders desk.
There are a couple of other adapters as well and my favourite is an extention bracket that lets you join two quick grips together to clamp large jobs.
The Irwin site is well worth a visit.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @cwtears. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for contributing to the conversation.
That's a fantastic suggestion on the hold-down jigs. I actually searched for something similar but didn't realise it was available through our special orders. I really like the deck tool kit as well. It would be perfect when trying to straighten warped boards.
I've been using a bunch of more budget-friendly quick clamps for a while now. They've got the job done but don't have the same clamping force as the Irwin branded ones. They're also at the end of their life as they now slip. I've convinced myself I should invest in four of the medium-sized clamps and the additional wide pads.
We look forward to hearing all about your projects around the house and garden and would encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or would like to share them. I trust you'll find the community a fantastic place to share your knowledge and find great inspiration for your own projects at the same time.
Mitchell
