Spent $40 on a premade workbench kit and it wobbled so bad I rebuilt it from scratch

I bought one of those plastic resin workbench kits from a big box store thinking it would save me time. Got it home, bolted it together in about 45 minutes, and the thing wobbled every time I tried to sand a piece of plywood on it. Ended up taking it apart, measuring the metal frame, and building my own top out of 3/4 inch birch with a 2x4 leg frame underneath. Total cost for just the wood and screws was about $35. Has anyone else had better luck reinforcing those store bought benches or am I better off just building from now on?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_jones2124d ago

Honestly, I had almost the exact same problem with one of those kits! I got a "heavy duty" one from a hardware store and it wobbled so bad I nearly tipped my drill press off it. Ngl, I ended up bolting a sheet of 3/4 inch MDF to the top and adding cross braces to the legs with some spare 2x4s I had lying around. Tbh, it's still not perfect so I'm just gonna build my next one from scratch too, way less headache for the same money.

piper_green24d ago

I mean, is it really that serious though? Bolting MDF and adding cross braces sounds like a lot for just a little wobble.