
Designing an Overkill workbench for home office - gcds
https://www.techprowd.com/home-office-project-overkill-workbench-series/
======
sokoloff
Glad to learn about cutlistoptimizer as I looked casually for something like
that in the past. I’ll have to figure out how to feed it from Fusion360.

Also interesting to learn that Japanese “2x4”s are in that ratio exactly. In
the US, they’re 1/2” under nominal size (so 1.5” by 3.5”). Makes it awkward to
stack pieces together at times. (2 2x2s next to each other in the US are
smaller than a 2x4.)

~~~
Cro_on
I knew about the smaller 2x4s, but now I have a sudden irrational anger that
the 2x2s are not also smaller...

How 2x4s depreciate according to Twin Peaks: [0].

It appears in the US they start out at 2x4 and are trimmed down to make them
look more finished.

[0][https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=txPcLOtbG3s](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=txPcLOtbG3s)

EDIT to ask if OP means 'bigger' rather than 'smaller'?

~~~
sokoloff
I meant smaller. A US nominal 2x2 piece of framing lumber is 1.5” x 1.5” (for
the same reason a 2x4 is 1.5” x 3.5”)

If you still want to have anger, you can take solace that 2 1x2s do stack up
to be (very close to) a 2x2, but 2 2x2s do not make a 2x4.

[https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/wood-
plastic-c...](https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/wood-plastic-
composites/dimensional-lumber-sizes-nominal-vs-actual.html)

~~~
frosted-flakes
Actually, 2x2s are often or usually 1⅜" x 1⅜", which is rather annoying at
times. I'm not sure if that has always been the case, but these days they're
mostly only available in finger-joint spruce/fir/pine (presumably from offcuts
of larger sizes), which might have something to do with it.

(Unlike solid 2x2s, which tend to twist and warp so much as to be completely
useless, finger-joint 2x2s are super stable, and always come dead straight.)

~~~
TeMPOraL
Is there a sane explanation for why 2 = 1.375?

~~~
formerly_proven
Lumber mills used to separate sawing and milling, so the roughsawn 2"x4" might
have been about that (+-5 mm or so), but if you mill that square and
(relatively) flat you're loosing a bunch of material. The milled lumber
probably still got called 2"x4" since it was made from that. And then things
shifted to milled lumber only, and the dimension change stuck.

------
sgdesign
I’m also in Japan and finding the right materials can be really tough when
you’re mainly learning from US-based makers and woodworkers. The fact that
space is also very limited here (no garages or lawns...) also doesn’t help
with DIY stuff!

------
linsomniac
I've been working on a workshop workbench, also using 20 series aluminum
extrusion. Here's a picture of 2 of the 4 pieces:
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/AMaBwa5pRBQfqDPQ7](https://photos.app.goo.gl/AMaBwa5pRBQfqDPQ7)

Aluminum extrusion is pretty nice to work with, though in retrospect I
probably wouldn't do it again for the workbench. I was able to source it from
China via Alibaba, and even with $200 shipping the pricing is way less than
you can get it in the US. It was so inexpensive that I ordered a bunch extra
in case I want to build a custom 3D printer or CNC or something. The extra was
nearly free.

You can cut aluminum on woodworking tools. I went slow, and the cuts I got
looked nearly as good as the factory cuts. They are quite sturdy.

My idea was that I could use the extrusion channels for mounting accessories
or clamping. For example, mounting rollers when using it as an in/out feed
table. A jig for flattening some raw wood using a router. Channels to lock the
4 into a 4x8 assembly table, but split it apart to store along the back and
sides of the garage.

~~~
pimlottc
Looks good! What’s the reason you say you wouldn’t use aluminum next time?

~~~
linsomniac
I meant to go into a little more detail about that, got sidetracked. Part of
it was cost/ease of obtaining. Part of it was COVID delays, but it took months
to get the extrusion. Part of it is that it's an extra step; I had to build
the extrusion frame and then build the panels and tongue them to fit the
extrusion. As opposed to just putting together a simple cabinet and top. And
if I damage it, it may involve significant disassembly to replace.

I kind of wanted to use it for stiffness and straightness, but in retrospect
adding T track to wooden carcasses probably would have been a better option.
Especially as 20 profile isn't the same size as typical T-track and associated
tooling. It is stiff and strong and straight though.

------
freeqaz
Something that bothers me a lot with desks: The legs sticking out and cutting
into your foot space. Especially when you have an "L" desk and the legs stick
out to block the entire "inner corner" bit.

I have a custom designed desk for my office that I had somebody help me
fabricate. During that time I realized that, if you use a thick piece of
hardwood, you can completely skip the inner legs. In my case it is 1.5" cherry
wood.

Knowing that now, I've realized there are other benefits like my monitors
shaking less because the desk is so rigid. I'd definitely recommend a solid,
hardwood surface to anybody looking to get a custom work desk setup!

~~~
Wistar
One of the best home-brewed desks I have used was fabricated from a large, and
thick solid-core hardwood-veneer door. It rested on a two-drawer file cabinet
at each end and was rock-solid. I used the pre-cut hole for the doorknob to
pass the cabling from the workstation to the monitors, etc. I used it for a
video-editing setup.

~~~
slobiwan
I've got that setup right now, but I find that the door on top of two-drawer
HON file cabinets is just a bit (about 1.5 inches) too high for a normal
office chair, and isn't doing my wrists any favors either. What I really need
is a very thin desktop that's just as solid.

~~~
freeqaz
Pardon the delay. Check out something like this and it might fix your problem!

I love this w/ my desk because I can adjust my height all day :)

Rise UP Electric Adjustable Height Width Standing Desk Legs Frame Base.
Ergonomic Motorized sit to Stand up Home Commercial Office Table. Dual 2
Motors. 4 Programmable Memory. Gray
[https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B072XCVYVX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_...](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B072XCVYVX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bDzyFbGANXB1Z)

------
yboris
My favorite design idea: move your computer out of the room. My PC is in the
next room / closet and the room is completely silent. In my case all I needed
was a small hole for an HDMI and a USB cable.

~~~
fabian2k
If you don't need a high-end GPU, it's pretty easy to make a PC essentially
silent. And even for a GPU it's possible if you're willing to sacrifice some
performance and lower the power target. My desktop is not specifically
designed to be silent, but the CPU and case fans are not audible from a
typical distance.

~~~
formerly_proven
Honestly I find people claiming something is "inaudible" or "not audible" on
the internet extremely dubious, because every time I buy some cooler that
people claim is "inaudible", I find it very audible. Either I have good ears,
or people have very bad ears or loud environments. I assume in many of these
cases people simply live in loud cities and have lost any feeling for what the
word quiet means and regard PC fans whirling around at 20-25 dBA as quiet.

And in any case, with air cooling and components that aren't bottom-of-the-
barrel, the quiet part ceases as soon as load is applied anyway. But that's
what I'm here for, so a PC that's only quiet as long as I don't use it -
pointless.

~~~
BrandoElFollito
I have a standard computer without an extra video card (only the one on the
MB) that I use as my main server running 30 services or so on docker.

It sits in the living room and I honestly do not hear it ever, except when it
starts to vibrate for some reason sometimes (I will hunt that down someday)

This includes the time I slept a few times on the couch that is just next to
it and I was annoyed by a small wall clock 5 meters away (I took the battery
off and it is 11:15-ish now for 2 or 3 years, nobody noticed I think)

So that really may happen.

EDIT : I just checked and the clock is still off :)

------
chiefalchemist
I recently purchased an adjustable height workbench from Home Depot. I'm in
the process of designing a subblememtal top so I can use it as an adjustable
height desk (standing desk / regular desk).

I opted for with drawers but that might have been a mistake. I'll know soon.

[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-46-in-Adjustable-Height-
Wo...](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-46-in-Adjustable-Height-Work-Table-
with-2-Drawers-in-Black-HOLT4602B12/312063230)

~~~
masonhensley
I have two without the drawers. They are wonderful.

I think they will have a much longer lifespan than the electronically
controlled sit/stand desks.

~~~
chiefalchemist
Yup. I have no interest in electric. Sooner or later they'll breakdown. On the
other hand, this thing is sturdy and well made. It will always be work bench
worthy. My only issue is that at full-height it's a bit short for my taste as
a standing desk. But I knew that would be the case. That's where the
supplemental top comes in.

If anyone is wondering, the hand crank is easy to turn. But if I had to I
could trick it out so it's longer to add leverage and make it easier to turn.

The issue with the drawers is one of leg room. I would love to be able to use
them but it might not workout that way. Give me a couple days for design. Then
a buildout on the weekend.

~~~
frosted-flakes
Could you take off the hand crank and fit a battery-powered drill in its
place? A drill is almost a necessity to own for me, but is not something I use
all that often, so if its storage place is chucked onto my desk, that would
work just fine.

~~~
chiefalchemist
Con - It would have to be a drill with a lot of torque. The handle on the
crank is approx 6". That's adequate for manual, but less would take
significant effort. A knob would be tough (and would take too long). Of the
drills I own, I'm not sure any of them could do it. But I also do not own
anything super-duper top of the line.

Pro - Yes, the hand crank is removable. The socket the crank sits in is maybe
a 3/8" hex (female). That is, getting the drill to interface w/ the socket
should be straight forward. The concern is the drill being powerful enough.

\-- What if the crank was larger? Say 12" or more, like a wheel? Would that
help you? Perhaps the drill could leverage that somehow? But my recommendation
would be - if you are physically able to use it - to extend the crank to 2
feet (or more). That should help.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

~~~
frosted-flakes
An impact driver could probably handle it fine, but I can't imagine the
hammering action would be good for the mechanism.

Physically I would be able to use a hand crank just fine, but if it's anything
like reclining the seat in my Volkswagen (a 3" knob on the seatback hinge,
rather than the typical lever), I'd hate to do it more than once a day. If
it's not convenient to use, I would likely just leave it in the down position
permanently out of laziness. I really like the idea of a motorized adjustable
desk with one-touch memory buttons, but the cost and usual implementation is
not to my liking.

~~~
chiefalchemist
It's not a knob. The crank helps. Worst case, just extend the crank if the
drill can't cut it.

Ideally, once I get used to standing, I don't intend to sit, sans the
weekends.

~~~
frosted-flakes
It's not the effort that would be a problem, it's the _time_. I like the crank
seat adjustment on my VW when it comes to fine adjustability, but if I want to
recline the seat back all the way it ... just ... takes ... way ... too ...
long.

A longer crank handle would just make it take longer. And I don't want to
stand full time. I tried that for a few weeks with a makeshift standing desk
(a bunch of boxes stacked on top of my filing cabinet to the correct height)
just to see if I would like it, and it was great for an hour or three, but I
did not want to stand all day. Ideally, I'd be able to switch modes 2-4 times
a day.

~~~
chiefalchemist
To clarify, I trying to mindful of the fact that you might have a disability
of some sort.

The longer handle would make it faster because the same amount of energy would
move the "dial" further.

That said, your actual question is: How many total crank rotations to get from
lowest to highest?

------
nmeofthestate
It looks like this guy plans to do a lot of jumping up and down on his desk.

~~~
TeMPOraL
I wouldn't accept a desk that wouldn't hold my weight on top of its usual load
anywhere close my home. When we were building a custom workbench in a
Hackerspace, I put it in as requirement. You don't want your table to collapse
when somebody sits on it.

~~~
nicbou
Does that happen a lot?

~~~
TeMPOraL
It's enough that it happens once. When it does, you'll have a broken desk, and
possibly a medical emergency on your hands.

------
OzzyB
Is there is link for his old UK desk build? Those steel tubes look boss, great
look, and might be something I could tackle myself.

This new Japan project looks a lot more ambitious, good luck xD.

~~~
dazzawazza
Looks like this: [https://simplifiedbuilding.co.uk/kits/desk-
tables](https://simplifiedbuilding.co.uk/kits/desk-tables).

~~~
elisvent
If you're ok with a slightly rougher finish on the casting but the same
material properties as Kee Klamp, you can get cheaper store-brand variants of
many of the common connector types from Global Industrial, Grainger, and other
industrial suppliers.

Also, structural pipe is usually pretty dirty from production and I've found
it's worth the cost to just have a local metal fabricator take care of the
cleaning.

[https://www.globalindustrial.com/c/storage/fittings-
framing-...](https://www.globalindustrial.com/c/storage/fittings-framing-
rail/Kee-Klamp-Fittings)

------
xcambar
Looking forward to the follow up!

I have a question: what CAD software do you use? Would you recommend it to a
beginner?

I'm desperate in that software space, everything seems either clunky, too
complex (as a beginner) or overly expensive...

~~~
sirn
As a beginner (have been learning CAD since a week ago), I tried OpenSCAD then
FreeCAD and found FreeCAD to be simple enough to get started. I followed the
tutorial in FreeCAD Wiki[1], particularly the Toothbrush Head Stand[2] one
(since my primary use was 3D printing) and could get comfortable with the
software within a day or two.

[1]:
[https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Tutorials](https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Tutorials)

[2]:
[https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Toothbrush_Head_Stand](https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Toothbrush_Head_Stand)

~~~
jstanley
For anyone else reading this:

The key thing to know in FreeCAD is that you almost always want to use the
"Part Design" workbench. Then the workflow for creating a part starts with
creating a "Body". The "Body" represents a single solid. The major features of
your part are created with 2-dimensional sketches (either on the base planes,
or on flat surfaces of the part, or on datum planes that you can define). The
sketches are then "Padded" up to form a solid bit or "Pocketed" down to form
holes in the solid bits (although there are other operations as well - Pad and
Pocket are the most important).

Knowing that much should be enough to help you mentally plan your part, and
then looking at the tutorials should be enough to learn how to use the UI. If
you are reading this and are having trouble with FreeCAD please feel free to
email me (address in bio) and I will try to help you.

I love FreeCAD and I wish it was the "default" hobbyist CAD instead of
Fusion360.

~~~
hanniabu
That's the difference between freecad, sketch, and blender? I often see these
names thrown around but not sure if each is used for a different purpose or if
they're all the same but different people just prefer different software.

~~~
sirn
CAD is operated based on constraint, e.g. make a square box and say "I want
this to be 30mm x 45mm with this point, add a fillet (rounded corner) then
make it coincident with this point" and let the software figure out how to
shape/position the object. While Blender is more of a free-hand drawing, e.g.
make a square box, make it certain size, make a corner rounded, then move it
to the a certain point.

Blender has ability to do simple constraint, but it's not its primary uses.
FreeCAD can also be used the Blender way but the software will warn about
being under-constraint. Both FreeCAD and Blender can export to STL file (used
by CAD softwares), but Blender's STL usually need to be scaled to real world
measurements. In case of 3D printing, this STL file can be imported into a
slicer software such as PrusaSlicer, which outputs GCode to control the
printer (e.g. X, Y, Z coordinates, extrusion temperature, etc.)

------
polskibus
I wonder what CAD software has been used. What I find most limiting is lack of
good free / open source 2D and 3D software. I know there is FreeCAD and
Blender, but the former doesn't have many features that exist in AutoCAD, and
the latter doesn't really cover precise modeling use cases.

~~~
mywittyname
Sketchup is good enough for projects like these. It's a little awkward because
it doesn't have the concept of a body, only faces. But that's only relevant if
you're doing simulations on the design.

The biggest issue is that the web version is lacking but the desktop version
hasn't been updated in like a decade. So be sure to have a shortcut list handy
on another screen because you _have_ to use shortcuts if you're going to be
remotely productive.

------
archi42
Some thoughts: You'll probably want some decent light under the hanging
cabinets (plus some shading so you're not looking into them while sitting on
your PC). Now is a good time to plan for the necessary cabling/switches/...

The overall intent of the structure seems to be "make it sturdy", and yes,
overkill :P If you're like me and your monitor(s) are wobbling while typing
(=programming = working), a simper solution is to get monitor arms and attach
them NOT to the table. So either screw them directly to the wall, or (what I'm
doing) to a piece of wood clamped to the window ledge, or something like that.
(That's more a hint for the general HN crowd).

Have fun with the woodworking :)

~~~
gcds
Regarding lighting, I will have some led white and of course some RGB strips
too with overhang so no eye pain, and rgb under the small shelf too and etc :)

------
60secz
Check the weight rating on those Northern bayous. With a big monitor they
won't hold the weight.

------
Kaze404
That looks like a ridiculously cozy desk. I recently just moved myself and am
in the process of designing my office, and might go with something like this
instead of a flat, boring desk. Thank you for the inspiration.

------
neltnerb
This is really impressive documentation, though I comment only that this
reminds me of many objects I have constructed inside a room without thinking
about how to remove it =)

Luckily yours does not appear to be concrete...

------
gcds
I have part 2 already written just waiting for youtube to process video, going
to post a link to part 2 about shopping all the materials!

~~~
gcds
Here go, part 2 of my series with Hyperlapse video. Enjoy!
[https://www.techprowd.com/home-office-project-overkill-
workb...](https://www.techprowd.com/home-office-project-overkill-workbench-
series-part-2-going-shopping/)

------
redm
Cool project. You really put some planning into it.

As others have mentioned S4S lumber in the US is not standardized in size. It
can vary. If your using a softwood like Pine, it will also not be strait. This
is going to cause your tight tolerances to be off. You should build this with
lumber that has been fully dried, and fully straitened and taken to a lesser
tolerance, something that can be plained and jointed down to.

~~~
mywittyname
S4S lumber is the most straight variety you can buy with the lowest variance
in size.

~~~
defterGoose
Yeah, the SxS system typically isn't used for construction lumber, but a 2x4
is _technically_ S4S.

------
fh973
I guess the room does not leave many options, but he picked the one with one
window from behind where he sits.

------
dfcowell
Watching this with interest. I’m living in Tokyo and would like to undertake a
similar project.

------
madengr
I built some really nice lab benches using the laminated “butcher block” tops.
One has a 48”x72” work surface to accommodate deep test equipment and still
have 24” of working depth. A 24”x72” shelf on top of that for more equipment.
With the butcher block you don’t need additional framing for support. Just
sturdy legs at either end.

[https://www.globalindustrial.com/g/work-
benches/components/t...](https://www.globalindustrial.com/g/work-
benches/components/tops/butcher-block-work-bench-tops)

~~~
driverdan
Ikea and Lumber Liquidators (in the US) both have very reasonably priced Oak
and Birch butcher block. It makes for great table tops.

~~~
jnellis
I believe Ikea stopped making solid wood butcher blocks years ago. They are
all veneers now.

~~~
driverdan
Looks like you're right about their countertops, they only have veneers
listed. Too bad.

They do still have tabletops, although I incorrectly remembered it as Birch
it's actually Beech: [https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gerton-tabletop-
beech-50106773/](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gerton-tabletop-beech-50106773/)

