What is a good work bench?

Craigslist.

Can your first project be to build your own? Saw horses and a thick plank. You can put drawers underneath and cabinets above.

Don’t underestimate the strength and durability of pressboard you have cut to measure at a home store. Some of them you can pound, scorch, saw and scrape on top of and they’ll barely gouge. My mom’s had some before that topped assembled metal frames you can layer shelves in or suspend cabinets. Ask a home store guy which of thickness and grades are most durable. I just bought an entire wall sized sheet for under $10.00 and had it cut down into panels. It wasn’t the cheapest and it wasn’t the most expensive choice but it’s really sturdy stuff we don’t have to worry about ruining or it collapsing on us.

Best bet is to build one because you can customize it to the workspace you have.

However, there are some at sites like woodcraft for around $500.

My suggestion is DIY.

I have yet to find a pre-made workbench that worked; the best benches I’ve seen were custom-made. Also, it depends on how sturdy you need it, your access to materials (whether purchased or salvaged), and your ability to work those materials. At work, we have a pretty nice table made out of a 4×8 sheet of ¼” steel and angle-iron, but that is stuff we have lying around the foundry where we also have an entire department of welders. You may be perfectly fine with just wood.

Without knowing exactly what your needs are, I doubt anybody can make a great recommendation other than “build your own”.

Yes, can you build your own? Make it tall enough to be customized to your height so you are not slouching. My ex husband was very creative and build a work bench and then found 6 old cash register drawers and hooked them up underneath the bench with a little electrical button that opened them all with a ding lolol
He was so proud of his creation. haha

The top surface needs to be solid enough so you can beat it with a hammer and it won’t bounce or reverberate. At least a couple layers of ¾ ” plywood laminated. 4×4 posts would make good legs and framing for it. There is no way to go overkill on a work bench. Try to stay away from manufactured store bought jobs they really suck.

What is your goal? If you want to do woodworking I would suggest making your own since you will need to eventually need to own tools to make it. If you want a place to re-build a transmission I would suggest buying a premade one.

My suggestion to you is do it yourself. It will beneficial to you.