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I needed a project during the Covid lock-down and decided to make a workbench form old scaffold I made in 2005. It hadn't been used in nearly 10 years so it was time to repurpose it. Like all of my projects, it grew in scope and complexity and took way longer to build than I envisaged. The steel was rusty in places and had to be cleaned and straightened.

Where I was unable to find the right size and gauge steel in my workshop, I improvised by welding smaller pieces together. This took a lot more effort. Fortunately I did have a two lengths of larger pre-primed RHS which I used to support the bench top, but the ends were smaller RHS welded together.

The welder I used is a 40 year old single phase transformer AC type, which has always been very difficult to use. I have since replaced it with an inverter welder and I'm amazed how easy it is to weld with. I wish I had retired the AC welder before making the bench.

I raced to the hardware the day the lock-down was announced to buy castors, feet and any other hardware I thought I would need for the build. I did wind up buying a couple of bits of plate online to make the vice mount. I also ordered timber over the phone for the bench top and shelves. I would not recommend buying timber over the phone as I like to select any timber I buy. So I did things a little differently due to the tough conditions imposed by the Covid situation.

The bench is height adjustable, has castors, and feet that can be adjusted to take the castors out of play when required, which adds a lot of stability. Despite the look of the finished product, it is very heavy and very sound.

It took me nearly three months to complete.