Building your own vs getting something like a Husky?

[u/TaylorHu]

Curious as to what you all think are the pros and cons of each?

There's a semi recent trend on YouTube of people putting large Husky workbenches in their home offices. While this does look cool, and I'll admit I've thought about doing it, the more I think about it the more it doesn't make sense to me.

• All things considered they are pretty expensive.
• They're big, heavy, and come in one piece, so not exactly the easiest thing to get up a few flights of stairs, down a hallway, and into a spare bedroom that's been converted to a home office.

In other words, if you need something with a lot of drawers and storage, you're much better off building something yourself (assuming you have the skills to do so). It's cheaper, lighter and can be customized to your space.

But all of those pros also still apply even if you need something in your garage. The only advantage I can think of that the metal ones might have is the strength to size ratio. Since the metal is relatively thin, you can fit more drawers in a smaller space. To even get close to the amount of drawers in the same space using wood, you'd probably have to use 1/4" plywood, and that probably wouldn't hold up well when you start loading them with heavy tools.

Any other pros or cons I'm missing?

EDIT: When I say workbench I mean like the husky rolling mobile workbench, they always come in one piece, I should have been more specific.

[u/TaylorHu → u/[deleted]]

When I say workbench I mean like the husky rolling mobile workbench, they ways come in one piece, I should have been more specific.

[u/bcurrant15]

I got one of the last round Husky toolboxes to upgrade my stack in the shop on significant discount. Harbor Freight boxes have some good value.

So far as it being a workbench, it depends on what that means. Is it a woodworking bench? No. Is it a surface? Sure. And a workbench is really any surface for the purpose.

Now, as a woodworker, I agree with the other poster that:

1. Plywood is not cheap. (edit: triply so for good quality baltic birch plywood, even "cabinet grade" is just a grade of the face, not of the quality)
2. Quality drawer hardware is not cheap
3. The skills and tools to properly and accurately build and attach any number of custom built drawers to a custom built carcass can come dear as well.
   

Assuming you have the skills to do so, as your post states, then there's not really arguing. Do whatever you want within your budget to meet your needs.

Should some guy who builds RC cars figure out where he's gonna be breaking down sheet goods to build a plywood cabinet carcass?

He's already got a hobby and likely a job to worry about. Go to the store and buy something.

[u/KokoTheTalkingApe]

I built a drawer unit out of MDF trim and masonite. Ten drawers, each only 1-1/2" deep, so it's very efficient. Cost me about $25 in materials, including the UHMWPE tape.

I would post a pic but apparently the phone app doesn't allow it, and I can't use a shortened URL from Google Photos to link to it. Oh well.

[u/Sugar_alcohol_shits → u/KokoTheTalkingApe]

Where’d you get the materials for so cheap? A piece of 24x48” MDF is $29.99 at Home Depot. I just bought two without realizing they were half my lumber cost for my bench build. Likely to return them and go to a lumber yard.

[u/KokoTheTalkingApe → u/Sugar_alcohol_shits]

Like I said, MDF trim, not sheets. 1/4" x 1-1/2" and 1" x 2" trim and 1/8" masonite.

Also, at Home Depot, the smaller sheet goods are about 4x the price per square foot of the full sheets.

EDIT: Didn't finish the thought. So you'll be better off buying the full sheets even if you need to have them cut it so you can transport it.

[u/bobbywaz]

Building your own is usually still cheaper if you are building one yourself and want drawers. Soft close, full extend drawer slides are expensive. Building the drawer boxes takes a lot of time and plywood isn't cheap these days, 1/4 inch ply is useless....

[u/browner87]

I have one and I'm making the other this spring. I have this husky workbench and it's been great. The drawers work well, it's a good size, really handy to just quickly do something on.

Why am I building a standalone bench?

• integrated tools, I want to build my table saw and router table and miter saw and planer etc right into it for combination storage and outfeed support.
• happier to be hit - all the stuff in my drawers bounce around if I'm really hammering hard on the husky.
• edges on the workbench - so I can attach clamps, a vice, etc
• dog holes - for clamps not on the edge of the bench.
• size - it's nice and wide, but the husky isn't very deep, less than 2ft which means a lot of medium sized projects really don't work well on it.

If I could only pick one, I think the chain made wooden bench would win for me if nothing else just because the storage is a lot easier to customize. Drawers are really shallow and I find a lot of things I want to store in the husky just don't fit nicely. Even a socket set in a tray that stands them upright needed one of the tall drawers to fit in.

[u/Both_String_5233]

If you want a heavy sturdy hand tool woodworking bench, I'd always recommend building one. It's great fun, a brilliant learning experience and you can build it exactly to your needs.

In all other cases it depends. If you want a project, build it. If you want it so you can work on projects, buying is likely the better option.

[u/LordGeni]

What do you plan on using it for?

If you plan on doing any woodworking etc. the heavier and more solid the better. In which case you're better off building one.

If it's just for assembly, craft, electronics etc. then buying one should be fine.

[u/kimchiMushrromBurger]

I have two Huskey workbenches. The hand crank adjustable height ones. They disassemle and are easily moved. They're narrow enough to move through doors if you don't want to take it apart.

I have one as a home office desk. It's fantastic. The only complaint is it doesn't quite go high enough when I'm standing.

The other one I have in my garage as an assemble table/secondary bench. My primary bench is an Anarchist's Workbench build. I would not want to do any meaningfulwork on the Huskey bench as it moves a lot. But the wheels and height adjustment are great for outfeed and for putting a big thing on for glue-up.

[u/TaylorHu → u/kimchiMushrromBurger]

When I say workbench I mean like the husky rolling mobile workbench, they ways come in one piece, I should have been more specific.

[u/Red-Beaulieu]

I have a bar-height stool with a footrest that I really wanted to fit under a workbench. It came down making my own.

[u/intjonmiller]

You've hit it on the head. It's very hard to make your own drawers that will hold the same weight AND take up the same minimal space. Strong wooden drawers are thick, which means less storage space for the same overall envelope. And it's a lot of work. I'm a big fan of building my own stuff, but when it comes to having lots of efficient storage it's hard to beat the value (space and time savings) of buying something already assembled.

Drawers do come out to make them easier to move.

Do not underestimate the value of a heavy workbench. Inertial mass is your friend, once you go to use it. Moving it is the cost to get there.

[u/MetaPlayer01]

If you enjoy woodworking, absolutely build your own. If you don't like woodworking, buy one.

[u/rspydir]

Watch a few projects from this guy and get inspired https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kNEfs8aFJOo

[u/Easy_beaver]

Facebook Marketplace sometimes have some really good deals on nice woodworking benches. People seldom want to move those things when going to a new house.

[u/Allroy_66]

I know I see them built in the store, but I'm sure they still have some in the boxes. Not everyone owns a truck so it'd be silly to only sell fully built workbenchs. That being said, I have one and love it. The height adjustment is great(even more if you put a hex bit on your drill to raise/ lower it). Makes a perfect outfeed for my tablesaw.

[u/TaylorHu → u/Allroy_66]

When I say workbench I mean like the husky rolling mobile workbench, they always come in one piece, I should have been more specific.

[u/Allroy_66 → u/TaylorHu]

You mean the ones that are like a rolling tool chest with drawers and the wood top?

[u/TaylorHu → u/Allroy_66]

Yeah exactly

[u/jeffeb3]

I used ikea kitchen cabinets and a butcher block counter top as the workbench in my office. It looks really clean and has a ton of storage. I work on a lot of 3D prints and printers there. I have printed a ton of bins to go in the drawers and keep everything organized. 

[u/TotalRuler1]

Paul Sellers has a sick bench, check him out!