A portable workbench is a piece of equipment that is often used in construction and sometimes used for personal use at home. Most commonly a portable workbench is used to hold tools and to serve as a sawhorse. Because users can collapse a portable workbench and move it from place to place, it is a useful item for site-specific work. People who work in carpentry and construction sometimes bring a portable workbench with them so that they have a surface to work on and to use for organizing their tools. A portable workbench can also be useful for people who have only a small amount of space in their garages, tool sheds, or work rooms and need to be able to fold up and store their workbenches after completing a project.
The most important feature of a portable workbench is its sturdiness. Many such workbenches are advertised according to the amount of weight that they can support. In addition to being able to support a good amount of weight and pressure, it is also important the a workbench is not at all wobbly. Working on a surface that is not steady can be very dangerous. This means that not only is it important to choose a workbench that is sturdy and well made, but it is also important to set it up on solid, even ground before using it.
It is also common for a portable workbench to serve as a vise. If the top of the workbench is made of two panels of wood or metal, these panels may be adjustable. By using a crank to bring the two sections together or move them apart, the top of the portable workbench can securely hold items as a vise would, keeping the items steady as they are being worked on. Not every portable workbench offers this feature, but it is an important aspect for some people who use portable workbenches on a regular basis.
Some high-end portable workbenches are crafted with a large amount of storage capacity in the forms of cabinets and drawers that fit under the working surface of the bench. Unlike other workbenches that fold up, these kinds of portable workbenches are often set on wheels that can be locked into place. The larger a portable workbench and the more storage capacity it has, the higher the price.
By Diane Goettel