25 January 2009

Nicks DIY bike bench

After spending too much time laying on the cold cement of my garage and being too cheap to buy a professional lift, I decided to build my own ct90 work bench.
I decided on a work area that is 2'H x 3'W x 7L' I could have gone a little smaller but happy I didn't.
I figured out my wood needs and went to Home Depot to get the materials and have them cut it to length. I know I could have gotten the wood cheaper at a local shop, but I am not so straight with the circular saw and knew Home Depot would chop it for free. A real time saver.
I also decided on screws to hold everything together and because I knew I would mess up something and have to be able to easily correct the error. I'm a klutz and a little dyslexic and a bit A.D.D. so I leave myself an out. It's also good to know that when it loosens up, I can tighten the screws rather than hammer more nails.

Materials list:
(6) 4"x4" cut to 2 feet
(2) 2"x6" cut to 7 feet
(2) 2"x4" cut to 7 feet
(4) 2"x4" cut to 3 feet 3 inches
(4) 2"x4" cut to 3 feet
(1) sheet plywood cut 3 feet x 7 feet
(54) 2 1/2" wood screws
(32) 2" wood screws

The 4x4 are the legs, 2x6 are the side rails with about 1 1/2" lip to keep stuff from falling off, long 2x4 is bottom support rail and the rest are support ribs under and on the ends of the plywood.

After assembly, I lumbered up on the bench and did a little jig. I'm about 260lbs (+/-) and not even a squeak! Then I pulled the bike up and walked around it and still no movement!
I will add a couple 2x4 or 2x2 to the bottom rails to use as ramp storage. I plan to make a 12" x 7' ramp so I can drive onto the bench rather than keep picking up the bike. Unless I find a cheap plastic or metal ramp beforehand.

Reasons for size: I could easily have kept the stock 8 foot length of the boards but I am strapped for garage space and 12 inches actually makes a difference. 3 feet seems wide enough to have room to walk around the bike and a place to set tools and parts. I can roll the front tire to the edge and then pull the ct90 onto it's center stand and I am now centered on the table.
Besides, Home Depot cut the wood for free so I knew I wasn't gonna lose a finger on this project.
2 feet seems to bring the bike to a comfortable height for sitting on a stool or chair.
I will also drop a piece of scrap linoleum down for easy cleanup of the oil I will spill. My battery charger and a few tools will be hung on the rails.

And for those of you that have dogs, just tell your wife you are building a dog grooming table. Great height for trimming fur, nails etc... And then it "doubles as a ct90 parking throne".
All this for less than $60



1 comment:

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