Outside Work Bench

[Parm]

I planning to build a small outside work bench for outside the home workshop. It’s gonna live in the garden.

I have 4” square pressure treated timber for legs and an assortment of other wood for stretchers n rails etc.

I’m gonna splay the legs on all corners to make it stable

what can I make the top from to make it reasonable resilient to live in the garden?

 

[Memmeddu]

I planning to build a small outside work bench for outside the home workshop. It’s gonna live in the garden.

I have 4” square pressure treated timber for legs and an assortment of other wood for stretchers n rails etc.

I’m gonna splay the legs on all corners to make it stable

what can I make the top from to make it reasonable resilient to live in the garden?

I'd suggest one of those long portable vises we usually see on YouTube
I think they're called super jaws or something like that

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I planning to build a small outside work bench for outside the home workshop. It’s gonna live in the garden.

I have 4” square pressure treated timber for legs and an assortment of other wood for stretchers n rails etc.

I’m gonna splay the legs on all corners to make it stable

what can I make the top from to make it reasonable resilient to live in the garden?

Make sure it has a fall to drain water

9x2 c16 would work and weather well.

 

[Barking Mat]

Ply? Metal?

You can buy reconstituted plastic, we use that in boats...

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Marine ply.
Seal the edges and then add wooden edges to give a tidy look.
Seal well with marine varnish.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Oh, on the legs.
Don't have end grain in contact with the ground. Add off cut of wood.
Stops moisture being drawn up the timber.

 

[Barking Mat]

Marine ply. Overated....

 

[James1979]

Stainless?



Depends what you’re going to do with it. If it’s a welding bench then steel is easier than moving an earth all the while. Take the scale off with brick acid then oil it. Wire brush in grinder then oil now and again and it’ll last a good while. Thicker the better.

if it’s not a welding bench then more pressure treated timber I suppose. But like @The_Yellow_Ardvark says keep the feet off the floor if you don’t want them to rot

 

[James1979]

Make sure it has a fall to drain water

9x2 c16 would work and weather well.

That’s what I built raised beds from and it’s as solid as when I put it in

 

[waddycall]

If I had a bench with splayed legs I’d walk into them all the time and it would drive me mad.

 

[Maker]

Can you get your hands on creosote?

 

[Barking Mat]

Cast concrete?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Marine ply. Overated....

No Laminated.

 

[MattF]

This is probably the point where parm's thinking: why did I ask.

 

[Parm]

Some more detail.

it’s an outside work table for grinding etc. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just somewhere I can do the odd messy job outside.

Ply is ok but it will delaminate over time. 2x8 type timber will be good as will some heavy metal plate

I want the splayed legs as it will be sitting on gravel and I need it to be stable

 

[Parm]

Can you get your hands on creosote?

yeah I think so.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Some more detail.

it’s an outside work table for grinding etc. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just somewhere I can do the odd messy job outside.

Ply is ok but it will delaminate over time. 2x8 type timber will be good as will some heavy metal plate

I want the splayed legs as it will be sitting on gravel and I need it to be stable

About to order a load for a flat roof. Will get a decent price on it as I'm buying a lot. Want me to Chuck some extra on for you?
If so what size bench are you looking at

 

[Parm]

About to order a load for a flat roof. Will get a decent price on it as I'm buying a lot. Want me to Chuck some extra on for you?
If so what size bench are you looking at

Thanks. But not yet. I’m gonna see my mate in the village and see if I can blag some road plate or similar.

He has a big yard full of lots of goodies

He said have a rummage around, he might regret that

Table wont be big. 1m ish square?

 

[TechnicAl]

mine is made from Scaff Boards......its been out there 5 years now......its covered with any drops of paint before the tins go in the bin

 

[MattF]

mine is made from Scaff Boards......its been out there 5 years now......its covered with any drops of paint before the tins go in the bin

A true Yorkshireman approach.