Thread: Trash picked a Vanity!

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This is going to be the "new and improved" welding/grinding bench! It had been sitting by the side of the road for a few days before I couldn't take the pressure and had to pick it up... Poor old girl...

I had already removed the two end drawers and dummy front in that pic.
I dug into my wood pile and hauled out some 1 x 3"s, a couple of short 2 x 4's and some 1 x4's I salvaged from a shipping container.
Here are the drawers (and one I had in my stash) that will be going into the bench when it's done.

reinforcing the bottom with a couple of 1 x 3's and adding 2 x 4's for a place to mount the CASTERS!!!!

Added some stretchers to the top to stiffen it up and have a place to bolt the OSB top down. Do you see the HF furniture dollies on top? Yea...

I blew one of the dollies apart and bolted/lagged the long sides of the dolly to the ends of the bench. The casters bolt right thru the bottom plate into the structure I added. Sturdy..

I will be adding some structure to the end caps also. Either a sheet of OSB screwed from the inside or just a 1 x 4 verticle cap on each corner. I'll probably do the OSB, it will give me some thing to screw to when I add tool holders to the ends of bench. This will get an OSB top tomorrow and eventually a 3/8th X 24 X 52 inch piece of steel to finish it off... And, of course, an electrical outlet and long extension cord I MAY even paint it!
I have a grand total of 8 dollars into this as it sits tonight... That was what I paid for the dolly...
Thanks for looking.
Mark

I got the top and back all skinned with OSB and got the dummy drawer replaced with a real one. Lots of room here.

Haven't got new pics but I have a power strip mounted on this end and a tool/screwdriver holder bolted to the other...

I added verticle risers to each corner to strengthen those to better carry the load.

I picked up a piece of 1/4 inch HRS today 24" x 54" to use as the top. I will be adding some 2 x 6 risers to the top, standing on edge, to raise the work surface up to my level. I will inset them from the edges of the base cabinet a couple of inches which leaves lots of room for clamping to the edge of the 1/4" top plate.
Another addition I am thinking about is adding some slide out shelfs to the two end doors.

The doors are all 9" wide which just fits the width of a plastic shoe box. If I put a few boxes on the slide out shelving I can keep a lot of my grinding discs and sanding pads right there in the cabinet. The middle doors will be for grinder and sander storage.

It can be very satisfying accomplishing a job like that and always need to have your tools tidy in their place.

Works for me!!! When the owner refurbished the store across the alley from my garage, 2 of my friends and I put in all "new" shelves in our garages with their leftovers!!!!!

I like it! I am huge on "re-purposing" things and I hate to see anything go to a landfill (of beside the road) without a shot at a new lease on life in another venue.

Good on ya!!
Glenn

Nice save! That will make a good workbench.

When I saw the first photo I thought "please don't say you're making a roadster out of that vanity" so I'm glad you went in another direction with this project