Radio Repair Bench- On the Cheap

Best Wishes for a speedy recovery, Rod.

When you get it done, please post a pix of it here on the forum.

Hi All,
I hope to build a good tech bench along the lines of what you have described for working on radios after I get out of rehab. Thanks Frank.
Rod

Thanks for the compliment.
 We can solve your work area easy. I have a sawzall & a sledge hammer. Just a bit of mess and you could expand outside. A plastic tarp to keep the weather out & viola!

I was thinking of many of the folks who live in small apartments and need an easily storable / movable bench.
 It would be very easy to add a lower shelf, drawers, or storage bins under it. A bit of innovation and one could even mount a 2 drawer file cabinet under it, depending on size & height of bench.

Taking it a bit farther, one could mount test equipment, amps, speakers or whatever under it and use a patch panel on top for access.

I would like to add putting a railing or "back" around the sides and back would really eliminate bits & pieces from falling off too.
Actually I had a 4-400A roll off my bench at my folks place and go POP!.  . I added stops to my bench after I moved.

Thank You!
I read it all and am quite impressed that its orderly and fine details.
Unfortunately for me My work area is limited as you know.
A close friend brought a Harbor Freight wood workers bench. We removed the wood vise and extended the back side and modified it to be secured to the wall with 1 X 2  wood strip. This was done because we added shelf to hold a ton of test equipment (relatively speaking of course) which amounts to maybe 15 pieces and works well.

So you need a small repair bench for that old radio and you have little money?

Here are some suggestions for materials  to make one stout bench for practically nothing, except some labor time & some gas.

Find a local company that has a pile of pallets laid out for free. If you can find the ones from a paper supplier- those are the top of the line for the project, as they are heck for stout! A machinery company is ideal, as I have gotten many, many very stout pallets from them, some up to 12 ft. long using 4x4's and 4x6's as the "runners"!

The 2x4's or 4X6's that are the main supports are perfect for the legs, and are likely just about the right length for height  too.

Disassemble the pallets- likely 3-4 will do the job for a small bench. (YouTube has some great disassembly videos on pallets).
I use a claw hammer, 16" end cutters, a small pry bar, and a Bull Bar (tm) (Crescent tools IIRC. KILLER prybar). to dismantle the pallets. If I am in a hurry, the circular saw or chainsaw is also used.

Use the heavy members as legs and the boards for the bench top. If you are unable to find the paper pallets, (They use 2x6's for the top boards, double up the thinner boards. You don't want a flimsy top. 
 Now machinery pallets often use plywood for the pallet top, so that on top of the boards will make a very stout table top. Also check with your local floor & counter seller to see if they have some old Formica scraps to put on the table top too. (Don't discount getting an entire useable top for your bench from their dumpster if they replace counter tops in a kitchen).

Put it together as you wish. It's your work bench and height, width and length are to suit you, not me.
  You might even consider rollers on the bottom. Good quality ones with wheel locks. Likely the most expensive part of the bench. This allows you to roll it into a closet for storage if the XYL doesn't want to look at it when you are not puttering with it.

Add some cheap low pile carpet squares from the local Dollar Store and add a plug strip to the front & back. 

I lucked out and with permission from the foreman, scored the end cabinet out of a pizza place that was out of business. Basically it was a hollow press board box, made of 2 layers of pressboard and covered all over with Formica.
 A piece of salvaged strip hinge, my circular saw and a few minutes later I had a door on it, and a shelf inside- all salvaged materials. 4 garage sale casters (buck each) and I had one heck for stout roll around bench- WITH INTERIOR STORAGE! And i added a lock to it. It was close to 100 lbs weight when I was done. It worked fine to hold up those old rear projection TV sets too. (200-400 lbs typically). Formica on top insures you have no nail or screw heads to cause a short or shock hazare, and the carpet is to protect the cabinets.

You can salvage the "twisty" nails and not have to buy screws, or get some screws to assemble it with. Mine used screws, nails, and glue.
   It's up to you & your budget. Also check with the contractors in your area about salvaging scraps from their dump pile on new construction. (Look for nails & screws in the pile too. it's generally too much trouble to pick up dropped fasteners, and they get swept up & tossed into the pile for garbage.) You may end up with OSB board or plywood for the bench top from those piles. 
  Just be polite and get permission in writing from the contractor or foreman to get the materials, and be sure to let the watchman know when you are there and leave. They will appreciate it. (I have even been known to "forget" a case of " soft drinks" on the ground when I leave as a thank you. That ended up getting me an invite back "any time" from one site decades ago).

On the carpet squares- Thick pile tends to trap solder and small parts and can leave a very ugly scratch on a cabinet. The short pile is best, and they are cheap to replace if they get soaked with grease, solvents, or whatever. I used to vacuum the squares I used or take them outside and flog them on the side of the building to clean them up.

That's basically it. Workbench on the cheap.

My bench is all salvaged materials and is 16 ft long and 4 ft wide. I did splurge and get 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood for the top of it. (When I bought my house and put up the garage, I disassembled my bench from my parents home and re-assembled it here. The plug strips and breaker box on the back side were added after the move).
 Legs are 2 lengths of 2X6 at right angles to each other on each end with 2x6 supports in the middle (Gotta love house demolition for salvaging materials!) I did also added cross supports under the top every 4 ft. I did add plug strips down both sides and a breaker box on one corner so I could turn the entire bench off or leave one section on if needed. It has lasted 30+ years now and will certainly be around long after I am gone.