Workshop Organiser/workbench Extention.

For this instructable i wanted to show some of my skills in using old stuff or leftovers to make something really usefull for my (messy) workshop. (i like it messy, like Einstein said, if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind,, an empty desk is a sign of an empty mind).

So i always clean my workspace before i start something but after about 5 mins till one hour its always a mess, i can't reach the stuff i need or it's just plain missing in action :P.

So i made up a Workshop organiser/ workbench extention, wich fits right under my workbench, it's made up of wood leftovers i had after building a waterfront deck in my garden, plus some other old wood i had lying around like an old desk and a set of fridge mover wheels (i have no clue how they are called).

Gathering of Materials:

For this project i used a lot of wood leftovers i had hanging around, but the things you need are:

Wood (board and planks)
Measuring tape
Pencil
Drill + screws
Saw
Wheels
Good eye

I started with a bottom plate/board from an old computer desk i had saved when i got a new one,
luckily for me the bottom plate i have used was exactly the right size for me to build my box, so for
the bottom plate i did not have to saw anything (wich is quite unique).

I then laid my standing pieces around the bottom board to see if it fits (sorry i did not really made photo's of these stages,
because at first i did not think it would be some worth of posting as a instructable).
I needed 2x 5 pieces for the long sides and 2x 3 pieces for the short sides of the box, wich also where leftovers so i did not have to saw any of these. The only thing i had to saw where the connecting pieces of wood on the bottom board, the rim on the inside of the box and 2 for the hood.

I used the pieces of standing wood to measure where i had to put the connecting pieces of wood on the inside to screw the standing pieces against (as you can see in the photo).

So after laying all pieces around the bottom to get the measures of where i had to bolt on the bottom connectors, i screwed them on the bottom board, after wich i could screw al standing pieces against the bottom connectors to get the first stage of the box.

After all the pieces of wood are screwed on the bottom board/connectors it's time to get some reinforcement,
for this i bolted 2 screws on each corner in a way that the long side overlaps the short side. (see image)

Now the corners are strengthened, the rest of the structure needs some reinforcement to.

For this i made a rim on the top at the inside of the box like i did on the bottom, this is to have some structural integrity.
When the corners are connected it's easier to measure the length of wood you need on the inside of the box, measure it up
and it's time to saw some ribs and get them bolted on the inside.

Now that most of the box is made, the only thing left is making a lid.

For this i used the same size and pieces of wood i used for the rest of the box but i turned them upside down to have a smoother surface to work with/on.

First i laid pieces on top of the box to see how many i would need, after that i measured the space on the long length inside of the box/rim to make to beams on wich the lid pieces will be bolted on.

As you can see i used one more piece for the lid then i used on the long side of the box, this i did so the lid would be bigger then the box for a better look and functionality. I laid the 3 middle pieces on top of the box and held the beam on wich they would be bolted on underneath the planks to get things in the right (centered) position and the beams of the lid will fit nicely inside the rim of the box, this i did for both sides of the lid (second side was easier because the planks already where somewhat in place and bolted on one side).

Now almost everything is done it's time to get some nice wheels underneath the box so it can be moved easy.

I bought these wheels in a second hand store for about 2euro's and this is the only thing i somewhat bought for this project (although i had them laying around for some time now i new once they would come in handy).

Just put the box on its side or upside down so you can reach the bottom, i laid the wheels on it to see what would look best an from there i bolted them on the bottom (with some measuring to have both sides on the same distance to the side).

While i had the box laying on it's side i thought it would be a bit better to screw the standing planks through the bottom for extra strength as you can see in the image.

I hope you enjoyed reading/building this as much as i enjoyed making this.

Now you can have some extra storage and a handy workbench extention (wich i really needed) for all your projects.