Harbor Freight Workbench | Assembly | Mods | Review

Assembly, Modification, and Review of the Harbor Freight Workbench (48 Inch) In this video, we will assemble, modify, and review the 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡. I hope you can make the Harbor Freight Workbench a better solution for your garage workspace or woodshop after the modifications I am suggesting. Whether you are making fishing lures or woodworking, having a workbench that accurately fits your needs is vital! One of the first things I looked for when designing the garage workspace/woodshop at our new house was workbenches. In the past, I have settled for hand me downs or something built out of 2X4. When it was all said and done, I ended up spending hundreds of dollars and was never happy with what I had. This time around, I did my homework, and the right option for me was the Harbor Freight Workbenches despite some negative comments. Please check out our website: https://cubanredneck.com/harbor-freig... …and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook:   / cubanredneckcom-103761264834496   𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 The Harbor Freight Workbench Assembly is pretty straight forward if you are familiar with RTA (ready to assemble) furniture, although the instructions are less than stellar! A lot of people don’t understand why IKEA is a juggernaut in the RTA industry. Most of their success has to do with accurate, easy to follow instructions. Many small details are not very clear on the manual of this workbench. One that got me, not once but twice, was the uprights that hold the third shelf. It only fits one way for no apparent reason. That is just bad engineering on the Chinese part, but then again, this is nothing new. To improve the Harbor Freight Workbench Assembly process having the right tools is imperative. While you can do this with just a screwdriver and a set of pliers, power tools, especially a drill, will cut your assembly time by 60%. For the Harbor Freight Workbench Assembly, I used the following tools: Power Drill with 10mm nut driver, #2 Phillips screwdriver tip, and #3 Phillips screwdriver tip A 10 mm ¼ inch socket and ratchet A 10 mm combination wrench 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐬 A significant part of this video on the Harbor Freight Workbenches are the modifications. These are what make them suitable for my garage workspace. For me, a good workbench has to be rigid and should not flex, either left to right or front to back. Something else that is just as important and probably closely related is how solid it feels and how it reacts to vibrations. The mods I did to this workbench where specially executed to address these criteria. However, the only thing you are not going to get is weight! This workbench will always feel light even if you change the wood shelves to ¾ inch plywood. With that said, the few additional braces and the double-sided tape made a massive improvement in stiffness and rigidness. For the Harbor Freight Workbench Mods, I used the following: 7/64 Drill bit 3/16 Drill bit Five Blade Countersink Drill Bit 3X Mitek Np15 Truss Mending Plate 7X #6 X 1 Inch Sheet Metal, Pan head screws 4X 8-32 X .50 Pan Head, Machine Screws with lock washers and nuts 6X 8-32 X .750 Flat Head Screws with lock washers and nuts 4 Packs (25 pieces each) of ¼ lock washers 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 I guess many people have questioned if the Harbor Freight Workbench – Is worth it? Is it any good? That is a loaded question, and in this day and age, when everyone takes every comment “literally,” it is hard to give a definite answer that will please everyone. So, I have decided to take this one step at a time. 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲? Hell, Yea….! Can you build a workbench that looks like this for $70 or even $100, which is the regular cost? NO, and this is the primary reason for the decision to go this route. After making a small hand drawing to calculate the amount of wood I was going to need and with my Home Deport shopping cart reaching $150, the decision was straightforward! As I showed in the video, there are other options available. However, they all look like the same workbench made by the same Chinese company. The only difference is the name on the box. 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝? I have to say it is pretty good for the money. The steel feels like recycle soda cans mixed with something, and the hardware (nuts, bolts, and screws) is not worth putting it on if you are going to use this bench daily. The hardware upgrades I made added up to about $5, and if I had to do it all over, I would have replaced the screws as well. Without a doubt, the Harbor Freight Workbench is a valuable solution for somebody looking for an airbrushing station and assembly desk, maybe even an electronics service station. It is NOT a workbench. You will attach a six-inch vise to and start hammering away, but overall I am quite satisfied. #HarborFreight #Workbench #Review