My Newest, Hottest Kitchen Appliance

... isn't an appliance at all.  It's a woodworking bench:

I'd really gotten tired of trying to find the right sideboard/work table for the kitchen.  So I gave up and bought the wrong one.  http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-workbench-93454.html was about $160.  It's mostly oak, 60"x20", and counter height, which fits well where it needs to go.  The drawers are small — they're really meant for small tools — but they'll still be useful.  

Now if I can figure out what, if anything, I want to do about the bench dog holes, I'll be set.  I figure I can use the tail vise to crack walnuts.  ;)

Comments

[[email protected]]

I just ordered this . Did you ever find a wad to deal with the dog holes?

[Joe Eater]

Steelman9920: Not yet. I'm happy with it though. Mostly I thought I'd just use cutting boards when I'm doing work. The holes haven't really been a problem, but I'm concerned about food falling through into the drawers.

By the way, be careful pushing the drawers in the first time. You have to push them in fairly hard to get the slides to attach. But if you push them in too hard or incorrectly, you'll mess up the rather insubstantial slides, and ball bearings will fall out of them. You can actually get the bearings back in there, but it's a pain.

[coozledad]

Joe: If you can't find dowels to fit the holes, you can have someone turn them for you on a lathe, then glue them with some food safe glue and trim them flush with a Japanese flush cut saw, (Harbor Freight sells them pretty cheap, and I imagine you can pop it one of those drawers to use later as a bone saw). You could also use the bench dogs to anchor a large cutting board if you were going to knead bread on it, or just keep them in case you have to cut dovetails or do some trimwork in your kitchen.

[Joe Eater]

Coozledad! I'm glad people still read this stuff occasionally.

Believe it or not, I have most of that stuff, except for the lathe. Unfortunately, I just haven't come anywhere near doing any of it (time/laziness: I blame both).

I've also thought of pounding wine corks into the holes, but turns out they're a hair big.

[Nichole]

Joe,
You and I are of like mind. :) I want this for a Kitchen Island because of the thick slab top. My honey is going to put dowels in the holes. He is handy, and is going to put all of the drawers
onto one side, underneath one another. We're losing the stand, and use finished ply for sides and a cabinet door on open front (where the two drawers were) I don't want a finish on the slab, but might have honey stain it blonde.

[Joe Eater]

Nichole: Good job. :) Let me know how it turns out.

The holes haven't been much of a problem for me, really. I just put a towel down before I work, then pick it up when I'm done.