Bench Grinder Stand

Having recently bought a new house and being in the middle of a renovation, my tools are scattered among various boxes that aren't being opened until I need to use them. Once the basement has been cleaned, waterproofed, foundation regraded, etc. etc. and is suitable for a workshop, I plan to take my time and build a really great work bench- one that could compete with the likes of a Roubo Style Workbench which has many instructables already dedicated to it.

Also, my previous bench grinder was stationed on a OSB bench top and I often felt that it was in the way. So using scrap material from the renovation I decided to build a portable (relatively) bench grinder stand.

Firstly, You'll need some wood. The bulkier the better. I tore apart an old deck to make room for an addition and was able to salvage some treated pine lumber from that- big pieces that could support the grinder and any work being done on it. So the materials in total include:

-a 24" length of 2x8

-a 24" length of 2x6

-2, 24" long pieces of 2x4

-and 4, 33" long pieces of 2x6 (for the legs)

-used various lengths of wood screws recovered from a kitchen demolition, they should all be at least 2" in length, preferably longer.

-liquid nails,

Tools required are:

-circular saw

-screw driver/ drill

-measuring tape

-bench grinder (to attach to stand)

Firstly, I cut all the lumber to meet the specified dimensions. The 2 foot sections will eventually become the table on which the bench grinder rests.

The 4 legs of the stand will require equal lengths of 2x6 (you can use 2x4's but since I had the bigger lumber I used it). I decided that 33 inches would give me a good work height, and this can easily be changed based on the users bench grinder and personal height.

I've seen this similar method used to make stackable saw horses and the saw general principle applies here. Find the center line of the 2x8 and glue, then screw the two pieces of 2x4 along the length of it. Then attach the 2x6 to the bottom of the 2x4's using the same process. I've used liquid nails for this project because I don't really care how it looks (I tend to always go overboard with liquid nails and make a mess) and it's immediately sticky enough to hold the lumber in place while you screw the boards together.

So at this point you should have something that looks like a steel I-beam with the top surface being wider than the bottom. Now take your legs, either 2x4's or 2x6's or what have you and drill some pilot holes. You essentially need to butt the legs up into the top of the stand, and as they extend downward they will all follow the same angle as they pass the lower surface of our "I-beam". Add some more glue and screw the screws in place- two people may be better as one can hold the leg from falling while the other screws it in place- you can also hold it in place with your foot like I did.

Now at this point you've got your self a pretty heavy duty saw horse. If you use this method with only 2x4's then they will be nicely stackable and therefore easy to store if your workshop isn't crazy huge.

My bench grinder was an old beast from my grandfathers work shop (they don't make em like that any more), and when he gave it to me it came complete with rubber washers and lag bolts to secure it to a bench and minimize vibration. I just placed the grinder, marked the holes in the base, then drilled some pilot holes to accommodate the lag bolts.

In the side views you can see that I have also added some trapezoid shaped 2x6's that are screwed on to shore up the connection between the legs and the top of the stand. I was considering adding lower cross pieces on the sides and front and back, but their are only so many hours in the day.

Also, I was only using this to polish some hardware that came off of some old Miracle doors so I really wasn't planning on applying that much horizontal pressure towards the grinding wheel. During the test run, the stand held in place, none of the joints wobbled and I was able to safely polish some brass hardware. If I plan on using the grinding wheel at some point I will add cross pieces lower on the legs and maybe throw a sandbag on said joists to improve the base weight and stability.

Overall I think the design is simple and I look forward to having a portable stand that won't ever be in the way on workbench! Cheers and thanks for reading!