Building a workbench - cross-stack plastic tubs for drawers

[Sodo]

I got a new shop. It's a 14x24foot bay of a 3-car garage. It's covered with pegboard. I'm not too thrilled about that. maybe i can learn to live with it. or maybe I'll cover it over. I blew in AttiCat insulation behind the pegboard. AttiCat doesn't seem to come out of the holes, but if it does I'll cover it over.
There will be other projects but this thread is the workbench. It uses removable heavy plastic tubs for drawers.

The idea being that I can pull a drawer out and head out for a job.

For example:

A drawer full of plumbing stuff, torch, solder, paste, elbows etc.
A drawer of all my drywall tools and supplies, tape, knife etc.
A drawer with electronics stuff, soldergun, solder, wire, crimp connectors, crimp tools
A drawer with house electrical stuff, j-boxes, clamps, wire nuts, short pieces of romex etc
A drawer under the vise with the cut-off metal ends, shapes, small sizes that I want to keep
A drawer of miscellaneous bolts, nuts, washers
A drawer of wood screws, wood fasteners

These tubs "cross-stack" so I can stack 3 or 4 of them in the back of my pickup, run a ratchetstrap over the top tub and cinch the stack down.

First of all, I hope this plan works, and if it does, hope y'all like it!

Here's what it started with. Tore this old workbench out. And that hairdresser sink. It wasn't hooked up. This house was a rental for 10 years who knows what went on in there. The drawers ALL worked, it coulda been painted and look nice, but I couldn't see moving my shop into those drawers. I had a new plan.

Built a steel structure from 2x2x.063 steel square tubing. Screwed it to the studs. I'm abandoning those outlets cuz they're centered at 40 inches, which is my benchtop height. I'll cover them over with a 'backsplash'.

Angle-iron drawer glides. Used a story-pole method to set all the drawer glides.

Closeup of the story pole.

Set some plastic tubs on the drawer glides. The tubs are 24 x 17 x 8" deep.
Can pull out the lower tubs, and the floor is clear, a broom can sweep under, to find lost sockets, nuts, and needle bearings etc.

Got one bay done. Each bay is 60 inches.
I will use smaller tubs for the next two bays, so each bay has 16 drawers.

 

[bcp]

Looks good.

I made storage arrangements a couple of times over the years for plastic tubs or boxes of a certain make and size, then later when a replacement was needed, found they were no longer made. There is probably a common size that is available from different sources for some commercial uses, but I haven't checked.

Where are your tubs from?

Bruce

 

[MossRoad]

Hey, that looks functional. :thumbsup:

Just be sure to buy some extra tubs, in case you break some or want to add on in the future. It seems that anytime we find good tubs at work (or at home even), and we decide to add on in a couple years, they don't make that size tub anymore! :mur:

 

[MossRoad]

Looks good.

I made storage arrangements a couple of times over the years for plastic tubs or boxes of a certain make and size, then later when a replacement was needed, found they were no longer made. There is probably a common size that is available from different sources for some commercial uses, but I haven't checked.

Where are your tubs from?

Bruce

HA! you beat me to it! Seems like a common problem.

 

[Sodo]

Where are your tubs from?

Yeah I hope they last. They are industrial units from Uline, called "cross-stack tubs". Not the ones you get in department stores, that are engineered to crack after 3 years. Size is 24x17x8 and they are thick. I'll get some of the 18x11x8 size too.

Ending up with 20 of the 24x17x8 ($13) and 24 of the 18x11x8($7) so 44 drawers. Good call on buying extras.

We've been buying these for business and have been unchanged for something like 5 years. Also they've lasted 5 years too, and haven't cracked, so I hope it works out. Maybe they're engineered 7 year tubs.:shocked:

 

[Big Barn]

Looking good, SODO. . I really LIKE IT!

Terry

 

[BLSXJ]

looks good

If you plan on doing a metal top to your bench I recommend using 4" c-channel rather then plate.

I'd also recommend adding a few 2" receiver tubes to the bench to accept stuff like vices, benders etc.

 

[Sodo]

Plan is to use 1-1/8" plywood with 18ga steel cover. Maybe 3/16 near the vise. I'm not going to pound on it. Good idea on the receivers!

 

[Big Barn]

Plan is to use 1-1/8" plywood with 18ga steel cover. Maybe 3/16 near the vise. I'm not going to pound on it. Good idea on the receivers!

SODO here's a pic of the bench I built in 1983. I doubled up 3/4" plywood to get a 1 1/2" top then wrapped it in 18 gauge galvanized with a 5" splash.



Oh and regarding receivers, maybe BukitCase will chime in. I used his suggestions on the last bench I built.

Terry

 

[Big Barn]

I have a dozen of these Akro bins scattered around the shop.



I like them because their contents are easily visible when the bins are stacked.



Terry