Can anyone help with search terms for a workbench?

[suicidal_orange]

I need a workbench, preferably with a couple of drawers to use for various projects (soldering, hot glue, jewelers wax, cap resin, possibly molten metal...) but ebay and gumtree are not being helpful.  I don't want "shabby chic" white paint, I'm too tall for an old school desk with attached chair, and I don't have room for one half the length of a classroom.   I don't want a nice leather topped writing desk or a multi-shelved computer desk, and a couple of movable planks with holes in that I can saw between is not going to cut it - I just want a fairly small yet solid table and I don't want to pay lots for a new one as it's going to be abused.

Can anyone help narrow my search to something relevant?  The best ones I've found so far are dressing tables but they have weedy looking legs, and mirrors )

[katushkin]

I just ended up searching for "metal workbenches"

http://www.workshopping.co.uk/category/metal-workbenches/854/

http://www.workbenches-direct2u.co.uk/

I dunno if that's what you were thinking.

[fohat.digs]

You should keep looking in 2nd-hand shops.

A good solid table/dresser/buffet/cabinet, made from real wood, that won't mind being hammered, for a cheap price, sounds like something that was common in the post-WW2 era.

[suicidal_orange]

I just ended up searching for "metal workbenches"

http://www.workshopping.co.uk/category/metal-workbenches/854/

http://www.workbenches-direct2u.co.uk/

I dunno if that's what you were thinking.

Metal - that is not what I was thinking at all.  £70+ seems like a lot but I guess there will be used ones about so thanks for the suggestion

You should keep looking in 2nd-hand shops.

A good solid table/dresser/buffet/cabinet, made from real wood, that won't mind being hammered, for a cheap price, sounds like something that was common in the post-WW2 era.

You'd think so, but there's a trend here at the moment for taking all such solid furniture and trying to nearly cover it thin/cheap looking white paint to ensure it still looks old, then slapping a big price tag on it because it's "shabby chic" - the market is ruined

Buffet is a new term though, so I'll give that a go.

[BlueNalgene]

What is stopping you from building your own custom one?

I don't think I've ever used a home workbench that was purchased from somewhere.  My dad's workbench was basically a plywood sheet on some 2x4's left over from putting a fence up.  He even had a yard stick on the front of the benchtop in a routered slot for a flush finish.

[suicidal_orange]

What is stopping you from building your own custom one?

I don't think I've ever used a home workbench that was purchased from somewhere.  My dad's workbench was basically a plywood sheet on some 2x4's left over from putting a fence up.  He even had a yard stick on the front of the benchtop in a routered slot for a flush finish.

I'd love to but have no 2x4s hanging around and no full sized saw to chop them up if I did, and I wouldn't know what a router looks like let alone how to use one

The only woodworking my dad did was cutting the bottom off a slat in the fence to free a hedgehog, and that is far from level...

[BlueNalgene]

What is stopping you from building your own custom one?

I don't think I've ever used a home workbench that was purchased from somewhere.  My dad's workbench was basically a plywood sheet on some 2x4's left over from putting a fence up.  He even had a yard stick on the front of the benchtop in a routered slot for a flush finish.

I'd love to but have no 2x4s hanging around and no full sized saw to chop them up if I did, and I wouldn't know what a router looks like let alone how to use one

The only woodworking my dad did was cutting the bottom off a slat in the fence to free a hedgehog, and that is far from level...

I never said my Dad was good at woodworking, he just had a badass bench. 

Oh wait, you are in England.  You might not have 2x4s.  What do they call them there? 5.08x10.16s? Are they actually 3.81x8.89 like they are here?

This is a router.  It is for edges and shallow cuts that would usually require a chisel.

[suicidal_orange]

What is stopping you from building your own custom one?

I don't think I've ever used a home workbench that was purchased from somewhere.  My dad's workbench was basically a plywood sheet on some 2x4's left over from putting a fence up.  He even had a yard stick on the front of the benchtop in a routered slot for a flush finish.

I'd love to but have no 2x4s hanging around and no full sized saw to chop them up if I did, and I wouldn't know what a router looks like let alone how to use one

The only woodworking my dad did was cutting the bottom off a slat in the fence to free a hedgehog, and that is far from level...

I never said my Dad was good at woodworking, he just had a badass bench. 

Oh wait, you are in England.  You might not have 2x4s.  What do they call them there? 5.08x10.16s? Are they actually 3.81x8.89 like they are here?

This is a router.  It is for edges and shallow cuts that would usually require a chisel.

Well that's a start )

Not sure if they're called 2x4s but I know what you're talking about - basically thick sticks of wood.  Whatever you call them and whatever size they may be, I don't have any.

I guess you make the bench first then use it to support the router that's finishing it?  A decent router is going to be expensive, add on some 2x4s and a top and I'm pretty sure I can buy one cheaper

[VoteForDavid]

You can build a bench including the cost of tools to make it, that will put any storebought bench of the same price to shame.

Lumber yards here will cut your wood to length, and slice sheets of flat stock for you.

Stand with your usual footwear (shoes on or off, however you usually work).  Arms down, just in front of your hips.  Hands flat, palms down.  The bottom of your palms is the bench height.  Lean forward and stretch your arms out a comfortable distance, probably about 60cm or so for most people.  Where your hands stop, that's the depth of the bench top.  Make the length to suit your space or desire.

Get some 100x100mm square posts cut to height-minus-top-thickness.  These are your legs.  Put in one more pair of legs than you think, for strength. Get some REALLY thick plywood, like 25mm+ thick, for the top, cut to size.  Screw the top to the legs with some 75 or 100mm screws.  Put a little file cabinet or other shelving unit under or on top, as you like.

Done.

Discussion on metric/imperial hilarity at global lumber yards: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=555120