Werkbank
For those of us that do not have access to our own workshop or hobby room. “Werkbank” is the german word for workbench. This workbench is:
- Sturdy enough for wood- and metalwork.
- Compact: 2 workbenches fit in a small storage-space 152035” (405090 cm).
- Versatile: use 1 workbench for small projects, or combine the 2 workbenches to provide a workspace twice as big (40*70” max). Choose to have a high standing workspace, or a low and sturdy one. Place the 2 benches apart to support long workpieces.
- Portable: the heaviest bench weighs 14 pounds (7kg). The lighter one weighs 10 pounds (5kg). Plus any tools you keep in toolbox, of course.
The low workbench is very stable and sturdy with the biggest bench-plate cut from 1” thick oak.
It offers a 2034” surface (5088 cm) to do the heavy work on. It is 20” high (50cm).
Suitable for sitting down or putting your weight behind a saw, a drill, a sander…
The high worktable is quite sturdy and stable with a 0.7” thick pine plate.
It offers a 1620” surface (4050 cm) and a working height of 34” (88 cm) - close to ideal height for standing.
Suitable for montage or work that does not entail use of great force.
Notice how the door of the toolbox doubles as a support for the worktable.
The 2 benches fit into each other so that they occupy just slightly more storage space than 1 of them.
The bench on top is the lighter bench (using 0.7” pine as bench plate all over yields a bench that weighs in at 5kg).
Stay tuned - there is more to come
I am in the process of designing insets for the toolbox that will house and protect the tools used together with this workbench. The insets will be interchangeable and themed by the kind of work you do (wood, metal, paint, bike repair etc).
Name Selection
I wanted to choose a name for the workbench that evoked associations of a compact, flexible and sturdy workbench. I listed nouns and adjectives and other words. I tried the latin / italian translations, but that felt plain wrong, so I figured I should try german and norwegian translations and that felt just right for this kind of artifact. When I had a good list of names, I took the best ones and evaluated them in the spreadsheet included below. It was a close race with a tie - I could have chosen any of the top 4 contenders, but I ended up with “Werkbank” (german for workbench).
Background - Gap, Needs and Comments
I want a portable workshop that stow nicely in our crammed apartment store-room and is suitable for doing heavy-duty or messy wood- and metalwork such as sawing and painting. I identified that the key user needs are that the workshop is:
- sturdy
- space efficient (big in use, small in store, versatile)
- portable (light-weight and quick set up / tear down)
- suitable in or near living areas (easy to clean, kind on surroundings, good-looking)
- orderly (facilitates orderliness)
- protective (protects tools inside)
See User needs from week 2 for more details.
Since last week I adressed the wobbliness by using a thicker bench-plate and letting the door of the toolbox double as support when it is open. I figured that only 1 of the benches needed to be very sturdy, so I could make a light one (as in week 6 / alfa prototype) and a heavy and sturdier one to go together as a pair.