2x4basics 14429 Workbench and Shelving Storage System with Hooks and Clamps
by Finley Products Inc.
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of 2x4basics 14429 Workbench and Shelving Storage System with Hooks and Clamps
Customer Review: Well designed
Summary: 5 Stars
After I ordered the workbench legs, I went to their web site and downloaed the assembly instructions. I bought and pre-cut the lumber. The workbench was completed less than an hour after UPS delivered the legs, even when I had to take the top back off because I had forgotten the diagonal piece.
I made the workbench 80"x24" to fit the available space. The top is 23/32" plywood and the shelves are 5/8" particle board. I had the plywood and particle board cut at the home center, I can't get full sheets in my car. I think that the workbench is sturdy enough for most purposes. The main assembly difficulty is trying to hold both the long 2x4s and the leg while you screw them together. (I didn't have a workbench yet.) A second person or clamps can make assembly easier.
Some reviewers have questioned whether the screws are long enough. I doubt if there will be any problem since the design puts very little pull stress on the screws.
I plan to buy a second set of legs to build a workbench for my garage. I'm still mulling over the layout but I will probably make it 96"x24" to use 4'x8' sheets of plywood more efficiently. I'll put it a little ways away from the wall to allow clearance for the arm of my sliding miter saw.
I haven't used the ShelfLinks yet, I plan to build some shelves for my garage with the ones from this set and the other workbench legs that I plan to buy. The major limitation of the ShelfLinks is that the shelves are somewhat narrow (16") for the heftiness of the design. I could put 2x6s on the front and back instead of 2x4s but the ShelfLinks clearly aren't designed to have the shelf hang over. Thin plywood fastened to the shelves would probably correct that problem. I'll probably just build them as designed, put them a couple of inches from the wall, and let large objects hang over. I'll also brace them to the wall.
August 12 2009
I bought another set of workbench legs. This time I made a 32"x96" bench with a couple of modifications. For easier handling, I had the home center cut the top and bottom shelf into 32"x48" pieces. I omitted the middle shelf although I could have made all three from 2 sheets of 48"x96" plywood that way. I put additional cross 2x4s under where the pieces of the top and bottom joined and omitted the diagonal under the top. Still very satisfied although I wish the screws had deeper Phillips slots. I think the included workpiece clamps are nice but I haven't used them yet. I added a woodworkers' vise IRWIN 226361 6-1/2-Inch Woodworkers Vise.
I used the ShelfLinks that came with both workbenches to build shelving 96" wide and 86" high with 5 shelves. Good system although it takes more planning and time to assemble than the workbench. If you build one, make sure that you have enough room to get to all of the screw holes. The bottom shelf requires screws from underneath so I put it far enough off the floor for access rather than having to tip the entire unit. The force fit on the shorter boards on the lower shelves stiffens the shelves so don't cut them shorter to ease assembly. The shelves are stable but heavy and I strongly suggest bracing them to the wall for safety. I used inexpensive "L" brackets. Because of the rather shallow Phillips slots in the screws, I drilled pilot holes for them. I assembled the shelves myself but a second person would have made it easier. I had expected to spend a lot of time leveling the shelves but soon realized that the irregularities of 2x4s made that futile. I did make sure the shelves were as square as possible. These shelves are most appropriate for garages and basements. Standard shelving systems would probably be easier to assemble but at least 2-3 times as expensive. Building shelves completely out of lumber would have been more difficult with little, if any, cost savings over using Shelflinks.
Customer Review: Perfect workbench for just about any garage
Summary: 5 Stars
I looked at several workbenches of varying sizes and capabilities for about 3 months before deciding on this one. I looked at ones from Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, and even Craftsman workbenches. I even looked at building my own from scratch. When I came across this workbench I liked the idea of being able to build it any size I wanted. I read nearly every review on this workbench. The price on Amazon was by far the best; the free shipping was just the icing on the cake. I saved probably about $30 including tax by buying it through Amazon, not including the free shipping.
On to the construction of the workbench. I decided my workbench was going to be 8 feet long by 30 inches deep. I have a sliding compund miter saw that was going on this bench and depth was going to be important. May of the other rebuilt benches were either too shallow, or too expensive when they weren't too shallow. I spent about $70 in lumber buying several 2x4's and 3 sheets of 8'x4' 5/8" thick particle board for the table and two lower shelves. I had Home Depot cut the particle board pieces to 30" wide for me. The particle board just going to be dropped in. I used my circular saw to cut all other pieces. The hardware that came with this kit worked beautifully. The screws were, I believe, 2.5" wood screws. They held everything in place, just fine.
It took me about 2.5 hours to construct the whole bench. I put one shelf above the table top using the shelf links. I used one of the 2x4s to create a backstop on the top shelf to prevent things from falling behind the bench. I had almost no problems building this workbench. The only problem I ran into was the measurement of the cross members. I measured them to be 30", but failed to realize the cross members were in between widths of the table length 2x4s. That means they should have been 27". I had to cut 3" off on each of the cross members to make sure they fit properly. That type of mesurement was not clearly stated in the instructions, but it was shown in the picture drawings. it just wasn't easy to pick out. It was not a big problem to fix, though. A quick run a of circulr saw fixed that problem.
Overall, I am very happy with this workbench. It allows for quite a bit of customization in the building of it, but not everything. You get to specify the size, but not the height difference in the lower shelves. You could simply not put in the middle shelf, but that could decrease the stability of the work bench. This work bench is very sturdy and stable with the 2x4 frame. The shelf links are perfect for adding an upper shelf or just creating a side shelf. The included clamps are ok. I have one installed. I'm debating on the other one. My miter saw fits perfectly, and I have plenty of room to work and add other table top power tools later on. I am adding a shop light to the bottom of the upper shelf so I can have better light on the table. The cost of this work bench for me was about $120. The closest thing I found to this price was a bench that was not quite 5' wide and only 23" deep. It was wobly and could not hold my miter saw. I would have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 to $800 for the same thing if it was bought in a store. This bench is well worth it.
If you are looking for a workbench and need some cusomtization, this is a bench I highly recommend.
Customer Review: Great buy, but it's not *completely* idiot-proof!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this kit after having read most of the reviews. The general consensus was that it takes "about an hour" to put this thing together...but I screwed up and it wound up taking me about 4 hours and a lot of aggravation due to my inexperience.
Other reviewers don't lie when they say the directions are useless. And if you're a buffoon like me with little woodworking experience, beware when you cut the wood...
I wanted a 5' x 3' workbench, so I figured I could simply cut the 2x4's at the 5' mark, thinking the 3' left over on each would be used as the side pieces. I completely forgot to take into account the widths of the front/back pieces. I realized this *after* I had already bought the cut plywood from HD, so I had to take the workbench almost completely apart, cut some more inches off of each of the shorter 2x4 pieces, then reassemble. A big pain.
Also, if you are new to woodworking or construction like me, that the big-box hardware stores don't all carry the same plywood choices. In my case, I went to the closest HD looking to buy 3/4" "AC" plywood. I get there and look around and then ask and they didn't even have any AC plywood. The guy told me to use "Sandaply" which was a whopping $45 a sheet. I wound up going with 1 sheet of that for the top, and 2 sheets of 3/4" "BC" plywood for the two shelves. I wound up paying $138 for 9 2x4's and the 3 sheets of 4x8 plywood. I had the plywood cut at HD. That turned out to be a mistake since, unless you have perfectly straight 2x4s AND are an excellent measurer and cutter, then the workbench will not be perfectly square. Had I not had the plywood pre-cut at HD and just did it myself, I might have avoided a couple of hours of extra work.
The next night, after needing to go get some additional lumber for the shelf, I decided to drive the extra 2 minutes to a different HD near me. And sure enough, right in the front of the lumber aisle was the 3/4" AC plywood for $25 a sheet!! And it looks a lot nicer, to my eye, than the sandaply I wound up using. Lesson learned. I could have had all the wood for ~$95 versus the $138 I wound up paying.
I coated the workbench 'sandaply' top with 2 thin coats of shellac. That helped it look a little better but let's be honest - this workbench is made out of knotty 2x4's and plastic legs so it's not gonna look like a master-crafted wood workbench :)
Obviously the above whining is not a knock against the kit-maker (although it is a knock against the bad/lack of instructions). The kit itself is of good quality. One other thing - I received 8 Shelf-Links pieces, not the 6 that everyone else reports receiving. Guess I got lucky!
I wound up with a 5x3 workbench, with one high shelf on it. Attached to the shelf's 2x4's is pegboard. I then attached one of those cheap hanging 4' flourescent lights to the underside of the shelf and the workbench looks AWESOME.
Customer Review: A Great Kit for Reloaders!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for a sturdy and large workbench to house my reloading supplies (Dillon 650 with goodies). Most of the commercially available benches did not fit the bill or were overly expensive. The Finley kit allows for great flexibility along with good savings. Obviously, you have to supply your own lumber given the price of this kit. I built a 6'x3' bench with a one-tier shelf.
As noted by others, the large home improvement stores (Home Depot and Lowes) will cut panels/sheets for you. However, both the Home Depot and Lowes by me would NOT cut 2x4s. So I had to invest in a circular saw and do the cutting myself. This added a bit to the cost, but I have the saw available for other projects. Another good tidbit is to pick up some 2-1/4" screws (1# box) to use in lieu of those provided by Finley. This makes for a more secure attachment of the legs. I also found a 1# box each of 2" and 1-1/4" screws handy for tightening down the large panels/sheets (didn't use a lot of the 1-1/4" screws, but I did use a few).
I used 2 sheets of MDF (6'x3'x1/2") and one sheet of plywood (6'x3'x5/8") to make my bench. In retrospect I might have gone with a full 1" thickness for the plywood, but what I have now is certainly stout enough. I used 15 2x4s overall to cut the various pieces I needed with some scrap left over. I added some cross-beams on the bottom two shelves to help support the MDF. I screwed down the sheets along with some glue. The plywood was used for the top as I wanted something to support the press. The shelves are sturdy and give excellent support. I went with a one-tier shelf using the six included supports.
One tool I found essential was a good pair of clamps. When working solo, these helped out a ton!
Given the weight of the completed bench, it was surprisingly easy to maneuver across my garage. The robust legs slide easily across the solid concrete.
The instructions are simple and if studied you can figure out what to do. I departed a little from the instructions and had no problems. However, some careful planning and dry runs can avert disaster.
I'm no craftsman (I'm a lawyer), but I am pleased by how my bench turned out. The Finley kit is great, even for us reluctant do-it-yourselfers! Check out Finley's website as it has the cutting guide to determine what sizes of lumber you need depending on the size of the table you want. This is what I followed and it turned out without any problems.
Customer Review: A forgiving and well-thought-out kit--great bootstrap project
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a carpenter, but needed to organize our home maintenance space. I tore out a crude and cruddy collection of scrap-lumber shelves left by the previous homeowner, and wanted to replace it with a large and organized space.
This kit gave me what I needed: sturdy legs, enough guidance to design and build a custom-sized workbench, and enough "give" in the design to accommodate minor variations in my cuts.
It's tiresome to recite, but this is a set of four poly-resin legs, six poly-resin shelf links, a package of coarse-thread drywall screws (perfect for fastening to the 2x4s that are the main ingredient of this product), a package of round-head wood screws for the shelving, and miscellaneous plastics parts for equipment hooks and a vise. NO LUMBER INCLUDED.
The shelf links are a "bundled" version of a standalone product:
Finley 07419 Basics 2-by-4 Shelf Links, 6-Pack, Black
I think this adds some value when you consider that the links purchased separately sell on Amazon for about $29 as of the date of this review.
I assembled a 7 foot by 32 inch bench, using a maple-face 3/4" plywood sheet for the work surface, and 3/4" MDF for the two bottom shelves. I built a custom overhead shelf, with the top shelf going across 7 feet and the mid-level shelf at the left, covering 24 inches in length. This is possible because the "shelf link" hardware is very flexible in configuration.
Unlike a few reviewers, I encountered no difficulties with the fastening hardware, which I found to be of high quality and generous quantity. It helped to have an electronic dimension calculator to sort out the custom measurements, but anyone who remembers their fractional math and is willing to think before they cut will have no trouble with the simple calculations required by this kit.
I love the new space, whose bottom shelves can now store my miter saw stand and workmate bench without problem; I recommend the kit highly. It's a great "bootstrap" project if you're just beginning to outfit a workshop.