Designing an Overkill workbench for home office

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.<p>Also interesting to learn that Japanese “2x4”s are in that ratio exactly. In the US, they’re 1&#x2F;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.)

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!

I&#x27;ve been working on a workshop workbench, also using 20 series aluminum extrusion. Here&#x27;s a picture of 2 of the 4 pieces: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;photos.app.goo.gl&#x2F;AMaBwa5pRBQfqDPQ7" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;photos.app.goo.gl&#x2F;AMaBwa5pRBQfqDPQ7</a><p>Aluminum extrusion is pretty nice to work with, though in retrospect I probably wouldn&#x27;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.<p>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.<p>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&#x2F;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.

Something that bothers me a lot with desks: The legs sticking out and cutting into your foot space. Especially when you have an &quot;L&quot; desk and the legs stick out to block the entire &quot;inner corner&quot; bit.<p>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&quot; cherry wood.<p>Knowing that now, I&#x27;ve realized there are other benefits like my monitors shaking less because the desk is so rigid. I&#x27;d definitely recommend a solid, hardwood surface to anybody looking to get a custom work desk setup!

My favorite design idea: move your computer out of the room. My PC is in the next room &#x2F; closet and the room is completely silent. In my case all I needed was a small hole for an HDMI and a USB cable.

I recently purchased an adjustable height workbench from Home Depot. I&#x27;m in the process of designing a subblememtal top so I can use it as an adjustable height desk (standing desk &#x2F; regular desk).<p>I opted for with drawers but that might have been a mistake. I&#x27;ll know soon.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.homedepot.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;Husky-46-in-Adjustable-Height-Work-Table-with-2-Drawers-in-Black-HOLT4602B12&#x2F;312063230" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.homedepot.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;Husky-46-in-Adjustable-Height-Wo...</a>

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

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

Looking forward to the follow up!<p>I have a question: what CAD software do you use? Would you recommend it to a beginner?<p>I&#x27;m desperate in that software space, everything seems either clunky, too complex (as a beginner) or overly expensive...

I wonder what CAD software has been used. What I find most limiting is lack of good free &#x2F; open source 2D and 3D software. I know there is FreeCAD and Blender, but the former doesn&#x27;t have many features that exist in AutoCAD, and the latter doesn&#x27;t really cover precise modeling use cases.

Some thoughts: You&#x27;ll probably want some decent light under the hanging cabinets (plus some shading so you&#x27;re not looking into them while sitting on your PC). Now is a good time to plan for the necessary cabling&#x2F;switches&#x2F;...<p>The overall intent of the structure seems to be &quot;make it sturdy&quot;, and yes, overkill :P If you&#x27;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&#x27;m doing) to a piece of wood clamped to the window ledge, or something like that. (That&#x27;s more a hint for the general HN crowd).<p>Have fun with the woodworking :)

Check the weight rating on those Northern bayous. With a big monitor they won&#x27;t hold the weight.

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.

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 =)<p>Luckily yours does not appear to be concrete...

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!

Cool project. You really put some planning into it.<p>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.

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

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

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.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.globalindustrial.com&#x2F;g&#x2F;work-benches&#x2F;components&#x2F;tops&#x2F;butcher-block-work-bench-tops" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.globalindustrial.com&#x2F;g&#x2F;work-benches&#x2F;components&#x2F;t...</a>