Building an Awesome Electronics Bench on the Cheap

I've wanted this for a long time and it finally came together!

[@douglasfogerty7153]

Saving $1000 is money that can be used for something just as important. DYI is also very rewarding and you customized it to your liking. Looks GREAT.

[@josephking6515]

Yes it does and I am so envious of it.

[@Dries007BE]

That $1000 can go towards things you can't DIY!

[@aserta]

@@Dries007BE There's nothing you can't DIY, just things out of your wheelhouse. Remember, NileRed is making hot sauce out of nitrile gloves.

[@NeonSphinx89]

And keeping things out of the trash is valuable just on its own.

[@WowCreativeUsername]

@@aserta DIY me a new graphics card then.

[@yoshiki7757]

Wifey helping out in flip flops, A+. Seriously though, she's always a ray of sunshine in your already enjoyable videos. You guys are a great team and make good content together.

[@Andy_Hinners]

Hey, those are OSHA approved steel toed flip-flops

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

my foreman doesnt wear boots either

[@JustFixIt99]

@@Andy_Hinners I worked with a carpenter once that actually had a pair of steel toed sandals.

[@tonyandjackieholmes9546]

chinese safety shoes or here in Australia thongs

[@maxko8327]

Nice T-shirt Mrs. Wes. Fun to see you still get along with Thomas; and an occasional joke cracking..😁

[@Panhead49EL]

Sacrificing the second table hurt my hoarding soul. But that looks so much better than the shelf I would have rigged up. Proper.

[@tsl7881]

I think a little ocd was going on. I would have welded up two shelves and had two less than perfect workbenches, pushed one in the back and piled crap on it. Just built one from scratch with storage drawers and cabinets like I have, but it does not look so lab like. Particle board and formica are expensive, not $2000 dollars expensive. Interestingly I think mine is painted blue because I saw a picture of these in a catalog (what's a catalog?)

[@tsl7881]

Ok, looking around Wes's shop, maybe not ocd. Just wanted something really nice until he clutters it up.

[@aserta]

Nah. He did right. Plus, we can see that the emperor's clothes really are ... what they are. The price asked VS the materials exposed by his cuts do not match. It's a grift. This is a good video to spread around so people don't get gipped by these grifters.

[@Blueshirt38]

In my case, I would have absolutely made some abomination out pallet wood and scrap square tube.

[@SeanBZA]

The remaining pieces can still have use, as a set of shelves under the bench, to hold things like power bricks, and outlets for stuff always plugged in, plus a cheap set of drawers fitted to the one side (on castors so you can easily move it side to side) helps as well with storage of all those things you need. With the IPA a good thing is to get small HDPE bottles, and put small volumes in it, so it is easier to use, and less likely to spill. Works with flux as well, buying in bulk and refilling the pen, though I simply went and got empty dropper bottles, and filled them with flux, and the same for IPA, using nail polish bottles that hold 10ml each. Easy to use, and much better control of where you apply it. Little brush makes for easy cleaning, and you just rinse out the bottle when it is dirty, or move it to being the first wash bottle, and have a clean final wash one.

[@pmcquay1]

"It's the weekend, I probably wont be out here to help". Immediately helping in the next shot. Got a keeper there!

[@timothyeparsons]

Mrs Wes is super focused on the upcoming weekend!

[@ScoobyMaxC]

I did enjoy that 😂.

[@thewayidoit8895]

Sure love that the whole family is included. So many youtubers don't have their families because of the weirdos. We've seen that Wes has other protections.

[@rickchowsr2532]

Mrs Wes doesn’t seem to like to work on shop stuff

[@TheDistur]

Party time

[@aserta]

She's a teacher. Nuff said.

[@danf4616]

Nice setup. I worked as an Electrical Engineer for 30+ years and had a bench full of equipment from high end quad chan gigaherz O'scopes to logic and Spectrum Analyzers to TDRs and on and on... Thankfully retired now and only have a multimeter. Thinking about getting a portable o'scope for car troubleshooting, but I drive Toyotas and they never break. 😁 Thanks for the videos! 👍👍

[@bigunone]

As an older guy I would add a bench mounted lit magnifying glass, and if your eye sight is really getting bad a set of jewelers loops that mount on your glasses

[@MckIdyll]

Loupes.

[@DeweyCheatumNHoweLLC]

I have 2 Optivisors, one for each workbench, plus the magnifier with light

[@SMEEON]

I’ve started doing some board level repair on small electronics. Ive got a vintage microscope I’ve added LED lights and a circuit board holder to.

[@ingmarm8858]

Mate you warm my heart lol. A "mechanic" who knows more about ESD than half the wannabe "technicians" on the YT. I am very pleased!

[@michaelgould5467]

Wes, New bench looks great. As a 35 year tech in and out of Navy facilities I like it. I understand why melamine ESD tops cost so much. Melas are small fuzzy woodland creatures that are only found in a tiny area just east of Gotland Sweden. It takes a lot of them to make a benchtop so the prices stay high due to over hunting and loss of habitat. In addition to all the general stuff. On my bench I also keep a solder sucker. I find sometimes it works better than solder wick. I have one of those cheap Chinese 1/4" drive screwdriver sets with about 75 different bits with everything from screwbits to nut drivers. The one I have has a screwdriver handle that also accepts a ratchet. For 95% of the small fasteners I run into it does the job before I open up the Xcelite tool suitcase. I really like the Whia precision screwdrivers. A set of Knipex automatic squeeze type wire strippers is handy. As I got older I found I needed a board microscope. I like the LCD type better than the fixed eyepiece. They are getting cheap to buy now. ~$250.00 I bit the bullet and bought one of the Weller 6966 heat guns you showed. Pricey but I have to say I love it. Thank You ---M---

[@troubleis5271]

Who else squealed "yeah" when the table legs clicked so nicely into the printed holders? Nice project Wes, happy for you.

[@eldoradony]

$500 for the hutch plus shipping and tax is definitely like the $600 toilet seat. Only school districts and large corporations would pay that because the purchasing agent is spending someone else's money. You did a great job with what you had.

[@leocurious9919]

2000 $ for that thing and it is made from plywood... I do not know what to say.

[@firesurfer]

@@leocurious9919 High density particle board. :)

[@mrmotofy]

Normally anyone would needing the setup but not able to build it

[@MichaelSteeves]

I work in a large industrial plant. You are paying for far more than the item. You have to request bids and paperwork before your product is selected. You have to follow established procurement and quality standards. You have to deliver it in a way that takes minimal setup time. There is a whole ecosystem built around supplying to industry. When someone tries to go cheap, they quickly find out why it exists. If it takes someone is stores half an hour to sort out non-standard paperwork, and two technicians an hour to assemble, all your savings have just disappeared.

[@leocurious9919]

@@MichaelSteeves Those things exist for reasons, sure. But this is not such an item, nor are his examples. Nobody needs multiple hours to install a toilet seat. These are cheap, every day items.

[@alanfenwick9307]

BOOM, the way you were beaming when you showed off your homework said it all Wes! Great job and thank you for sharing.

[@n1dp]

Went through the same sticker shock on pro benches. Wanted one because we used those kind in the service in our Avionics shops. I ended up using a red Husky storage rack from Home Depot, replacing the metal wire shelves with plywood. Might be a good idea for another bench in the shop for heavier work. Sweet find on those two benches!

[@JohnnieBravo1]

Nice bench! I get to use all that stuff on my kitchen table. Then put it all away when family comes over, and hide some of the stuff from myself, then play "try to find the stuff I put away where I know I'll find it", which seems to always be somewhere I can't find it until I don't need it. Then it's "oh crap, there's where I put that".

[@tetedur377]

That's how I learned about those carpet sliders; from my now late wife. Actually, I learned a lot from her, particularly in the area of home maintenance tips and tricks. I can frame a house, do drywall, and all kinds of things, but she knew all the hacks.

[@tomdixon1213]

I love it when Mrs. Wes, the dog and your children are involved in your projects.

[@Jon-wg8vr]

Pretty sure the dog is stunned😂

[@elesjuan]

​@@Jon-wg8vrWILLARD! YA STUNNED?? 😂😂😂

[@Jon-wg8vr]

@@elesjuan I was hoping Wes was going to catch it I could swear I remember him making a comment about Pegg once

[@elesjuan]

@@Jon-wg8vr oh Wes absolutely has made Peg references. LOVE IT.

[@darylnicklen3685]

Thanks Wes you did a great job on your Electronics Bench. Some people just don't understand about building something to save money and setting it up as you want it to be Looks great in that corner of the new room.

[@CAPNMAC82]

Howdy @Mrs Wes. A good bench is its own reward. Tough part is keeping them from reducing to havign only 2 square feet of open space, no matter the bench size.

[@GrandsonofKong]

Amen to that! I've got one about 9 feet long and wish I had 2 square feet! Stuff is multiplying while I sleep is my estimation

[@dfross87]

Workbenches and sheds suffer from the same problem. They are NEVER big enough.

[@ProtonOne11]

Yeah, it builds up quickly in the tools. Next up, you want a hot air station, a rework station with smd solder tweezers and sucking soldering iron. Then you need a multi voltage power supply, then you need your magnification with a microscope of some kind, signal generators, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, hot plates or board preheaters... And the "active" projects need some space to live at as well! It seems like a never ending expanding cycle. But i like that 😅 I think what Wes' desk is missing is some more storage drawers, but they are probably easy enough to add with some office trolleys that you get cheap/free when corporations throw out "old" furniture.

[@tsl7881]

I thought the clear area of the workbench was the vice jaws.

[@Mrflash222006]

Mrs. Wes is working smarter, not harder and she didn't break a sweat moving that table

[@josephking6515]

Mrs Wes has a Masters Degree in Mathamatics. She is one extremely intelligent and very smart person. Massive respect for her and Mr Wes.

[@Jon-wg8vr]

I knew the moment I seen flip-flops and knowing the weight of that table that this was not gonna be a good idea for her turns out she had a good idea, but she did give it to college. When she tried lifting; yeah, nope!

[@Rottrsq]

That internal sense of accomplishment cannot be duplicated. Every time you use that bench you will instantly recall the project and have that feeling again. I know, I get it too when my projects/repairs work out. Wes, disregard unkind or chippy comments. I like to hear you talk and explain your thinking as you work. It's how I learn. If someone wants silence, they can always mute the volume. I like all your projects - not just auto/truck - the wood splitter rehab was perfect. If you want to fix it - do it. I say "soder" also, people need to learn there are silent consents in English. To de-solder try a red sucker bulb. Looks like a kid's clown nose W/a white tip. Melt the solder, then squeeze the bulb and suck it into the bulb to be emptied later. Much better than wicks. Like your channel V-much.

[@meme2287]

A pin sticking out to slide the solder wick reel onto would be a good idea :)

[@BBslider001]

The little shelves look like a great place to scrape your knuckles when reaching for stuff. LOL....great build....and no speedy delivery.

[@martylost167]

The winner of the Oscar for "Best Wife Actor!" goes to: Wifie All the women taught her well. That's word for word, for word, what they say. That's why we love them so. Your very, very smart and determined, Wes and I hope you know that.

[@DanEBoyd]

WHAT??? Mrs. Wes is telling you to just buy the darned (expensive) shelf, and you still engineered your own! Well done sir! Excellent video!

[@mito-pb8qg]

Really digging these shop videos!

[@chucklengyel6882]

I had the same color and style Benches back in my electronic tech job in 80's, An excellent project, well done, looks Great too!

[@mnieh9869]

Wes, in case you didnt know: You can get thread inserts for 3D prints, which get inserted using a soldering iron. they basically melt into the plastic, allowing you to repeatedly screw and unscrew stuff. For this project they're not needed tho. Fantastic job, enjoyed watching it

[@fredmartin126]

@@JobyFluorine-ru4bd Looks to me that was recycled 3D materials. An excellent use the second time around. You fool.

[@ronaldheit196]

I had that work bench Wes showed with more accessories when I was service manager for the largest amusement vending equipment company in the upper Keys. It definitely was way cheaper back then. Just like Wes I did a bunch of mods to it to fit my needs. I had a dual trace scope I could hook up to my P.C. and save signals I'd get on problem chips on Arcade and pinball games circuit boards for future reference as well as what this signals should look like on a working board to compare so I built myself a library of both.

[@WatchWesWork]

Yeah I have a Pico scope that let's me do that. Worth it's weight in gold for some jobs.

[@danjirak7123]

I'm very appreciative of all the content you post, regardless of the subject matter. I enjoy watching content where the host takes pride in their work....a dying breed unfortunately. Between your pride, knowledge base, and ingenuity, you have a pretty damn good channel here! Thanks for investing your time to post content, it pays off!

[@leradze7125]

i'm not a huge electronics guy, but that setup looks fantastic. Building your own shelf was pure genius. Really looking forward to future shop videos regarding lifts and air plumbing etc. I'm certain your shop is gonna turn out amazing.

[@dougjones9493]

It's shocking how good it looks 😂

[@laserhawk64]

Well done, Wes! A couple notes from an electronics hobbyist and retrotech guy (as well as artist, budding writer, and all-around computer neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrd). One, Hakko is NOT an "off-brand" -- and, sadly, many "name brands" aren't any more (for instance, Zenith is now Funai Tech... you should see the guts I pulled out of _that_ LCD TV, what a joke). Two, fume extractor is... more hype than anything else. So-called "solder smoke" is only boiling-off flux and nothing more -- the metal smell is from the solder melting. Solder doesn't atomize, only the flux does... and rosin flux is nothing more than, basically, boiled pine sap (no, seriously, Wiki it, it's pine sap that's been rendered the way pig fat is rendered into lard). It's fine. Three... 0.031in solder (0.8mm in civilized units) for through-hole, use the hair-thin stuff only for super tiny surface-mount stuff unless you want to go through it waaay too fast. Four... antistatic mat is also hype. Unless you're working on something made literally in the 1970s, and it has very specific kinds of chips, you're fine without it. Done plenty of work, and plenty of _rework_ -- never bothered with the wrist strap. Literally the only stuff that needs that kind of protection is the really, really early CMOS-process stuff -- first-gen 4000-series glue logic and first-gen ROMs/RAMs that used CMOS tech. The HMOS, PMOS, and NMOS stuff, you can walk across a football field during an electrical storm holding that in one hand and a bare CB radio antenna in the other, and the chips will wind up better off than _you_ will. Anything TTL, or 1980s-and-later, same story, because by then they'd learned how to do proper ESD protection on chip dies. Tube stuff, same story, it's just too rugged. Literally if you're working on, e.g. an original Pong arcade cabinet from Atari, or "big iron" from IBM or DEC or the like that has actual chips in it, you _probably_ want the antistatic mat and wrist strap, but for anything more modern, or anything old enough to be discrete-component-only, you've not got to worry about it. Other'n that -- looks good to me. It's certainly cleaner than what I've got. Oh, two other things. Learn to use a logic probe and you mostly don't need a 'scope for what most folks use it today -- I have a $17 Elenco, it's the one that Blondihacks uses (aka Quinn Dunki) and she is an absolute literal living legend... as for multimeters, keep a couple Cen-Techs from Walmart around, or the $10 bargain-bin ones from Ace. Use the Fluke (or whatever you consider "nice", for me it's a $15 Sparkfun job) for the important stuff, use the cheap ones where you think you might screw up, so that you're not left swearing a blue streak because you blew up the _expensive_ one -- that's actually a BigClive tip. But, I'm a bit more shoestring than you are. No worries. We all have our limits, and they're all a bit different. One last thing, I mean it this time. Maybe up where you live it's different, but in MY house, "weekend" is Saturday and Sunday -- Friday and Monday only count on federal holidays, and even then it's only Friday evenings... and I don't even work! (I'm too incoherent to moonlight, even, so SSDI is all I have to work with. You'd be surprised at what you can do with a kludged-together 6v battery drill and hand tools and nothin else.)

[@Thesecret101-te1lm]

Great setup! Two suggestions: A: Add a few mains power switches. One that switches on the lights and any measurement instruments and whatnot. Another that switches on outlets for devices you are working on, and your power supply. This way it's easy to not forget something switched on, and also it's easy to use this as an emergency off if something goes poorly. B: Maybe have that cable holder on a hinge so you can swing it out to be able to reach it while sitting at the table. Or possibly just mount it on the wall to the left of the table. P.S. you will miss the additional bench, but you made the right choice to use it for a shelf. In my experience it's a bad idea to have more than the absolutely minimum viable bench space, as it tends to accumulate half finished projects. I strongly recommend installing cabinets everywhere, as they are great storage but won't get used to drop things that you intend to put in their right place later, like shelves tend to do.

[@richied6319]

Well done Wes!!! While you where needing a shelf, I thought why not make one yourself and you did! Great Job!

[@major__kong]

You can even tap balsa wood. If I remember the procedure correctly, just drill and tap as usual. Get some CA glue aka super glue and dose the threads liberally to harden them up. You'll probably want to get the thin CA glue for hobbies not the thick gel stuff from the big box store so that the threads get a good soaking and you don't end up with globs of glue. After it hardens, chase the threads again with the tap. It's a tried and true method for building attachments for RC airplanes. I use nylon bolts not metal because nylon will fail before the CA infused threads and saves you from repairing primary structure after one too many hard landings or taking off on rough ground. But for a static application in the shop, metal should be fine.

[@bostedtap8399]

"Pretty Spiffy", never heard that before 😅. Great job, negotiating wifey time that is, no great job Wes. Next on the list, isolation transformer. Thanks for sharing

[@damonhill4909]

And don't forget the ESD mat for that Electronics workbench. I would also recommend a soldapult solder sucker and a "third hand" to hold and keep things steady while soldering.

[@MikeyMack303]

A third hand with lighted magnifier is nice.

[@1pcfred]

ESD isn't the problem today it was in the past. Early CMOS was very sensitive. Such fragile devices haven't been made in decades now. We have made progress on that front.

[@damonhill4909]

​@1pcfred I worked in the QA engineering dept/test lab for Parker-Hannifin Corp in their Automation Division in northern California for years. All of the benches had ESD mats with drain wires to ground. Technicians are required to wear ESD shoes and wrist straps with drain wires too. I would do the same and not take a chance on zapping an expensive piece of electronics. You have no idea what parts the circuit is built with. Better to be safe than sorry!

[@1pcfred]

@@damonhill4909 if it worked it wouldn't need to be worked on. Some things aren't worth fixing either. A lot of rules are just about obedience. There's a certain type of person that likes when others do what they're telling them to do. Wear the shoes and the straps! Some like being told what to do too. So it all works out.

[@OfBronzeandBlaze]

I really appreciate that you show your other interests outside of mechanical repair. It’s really cool to see people who don’t like to be pigeonholed by social conventions

[@bearddevil]

That shelf looks fantastic. Very well executed.

[@nwicarenthusiast3263]

Something about doing it yourself and it coming out good is just a great feeling

[@andykilmer6837]

For tapping holes in 3D prints, my shop has found great success with ribbed rivet nuts. All you have to do is make your hole slightly smaller than the OD, and then press them in with a hot soldering iron. The heat transfers through the steel and melts the plastic enough to get the m seated. You get a bit stronger hole than just tapping the plastic itself.

[@mrmotofy]

As well as just making that section thicker

[@SeanBZA]

Do not forget that old landline phone indoor cable is a valuable asset as well. Used for jumper wires, and for connections as well, and you can get it in up to 500 pair bundles, with a good assortment of 10 colours and with stripes as well. Old copper network cable is also useful, makes for great links, and the flexible one for wiring up front panels. Generally available at every building demolition if you look for it in a dumpster, and you only need a few meters of it (or for the USA yards, close enough for the work you will use it for) to last a long time. Bonus as well it comes pre tinned in the most case as well for the phone cables, which is a great help soldering them, though the PVC insulation does tend to pull back when soldering.

[@1pcfred]

No one's throwing scrap wire into a dumpster. Even with insulation on it the scrap price of wire is just too high.

[@jordangochnour7356]

Never gets old seeing you impressed with yourself Wes

[@gregharrison5737]

Awesome project. Your wife's facial expression and comments at the beginning were perfect

[@preston963]

I've been an mechanic & electronics tech for 40+yrs fixed thousands of dead laptops & phones not to mention read & writing eeproms & modules on my old wood tongue & groove bench with masonite over it never ever had a problem.

[@Levent_Ergun]

Result turned out much better than I expected, great job Wes

[@johncraig406]

Fantastic job, Wes. That looks an awful lot like my old Electronics Bench that was made out of wood and plywood, served me for a few decades.... now at 81, my stuff is crammed into boxes and I can't find what I want most of the time 🤫

[@paulpatenaude3208]

Congrats on your new office and electronic work space,you deserve the upgrade!

[@TheBrookian]

Add a solder sucker, a metal trash can (for flicking hot solder blobs into), and a mini fridge. (Need beer for the hot tedious electronic work). I have a dremel on mine too because little files are too tedious. GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@fixins]

Wes is becoming my favorite woodworking channel on YT!

[@aserta]

Woodworking WESnesday.

[@guyk2260]

Love the safety flipflops Mrs Wes .

[@jasonatkin6787]

I do electronics for the US DoD...what you say about the pricing of and preferred market for ESD-approved workbenches is spot-on. People with budgets do not buy such benches new. Only the largest companies and government are buyers.

[@gordonborsboom7460]

Because of cheap imports, we all have a distorted view of what something cost when made locally. That being said, people need to be more creative on their own, like Wes

[@tsl7881]

He's mostly right, all the prefab workbenches at the box stores , Sam's, HD , HF, Lowes are nearly all imports. I have seen some USA Craftsman and Husky tool cabinets, but few.

[@ryang5441]

I can’t get enough of videos like this Wes!

[@TerryLawrence001]

That's the first time I have ever seen a flying squirrel!

[@jimgrady7458]

Unfortunately for the squirrel, it was the "Boeing" subgenus.

[@999torino]

I said to my son, look he's a flying squirrel now. Glad to see others are on the same track.

[@redeyedmongoose2963]

Can’t believe the eagle flew away. He was in gun range.

[@infocpctrainer]

wow, that 'kiddo' is growing up so fast, great to see him. nice project, cant wait see some action

[@TheMacdoug]

The repeated improv comedy of “it’s the weekend” was just gold.

[@billgeorge7804]

A grand for a shelf seems entirely unnecessary and unreasonable too. Your workaround was neat and elegant. Someone needs to be asking some pretty pointed questions to the manufacturer to justify the cost of what is a jig-built unit with a chipboard surface when the materials and manufacture time would be less than a quarter of the asking price. Great video as always, always something new and novel. Thank you.

[@WatchWesWork]

I suspect their cost is more about making a niche product in the US for institutional customers who require insane amounts of paperwork.

[@johnburch6927]

Back in the eighties I worked with a guy at a local Ford dealer that turned me on to having a personal oscilloscope. Of course I haven't upgraded since those days, and adjusting range is more akin to adjusting squelch on C.B. radio.

[@alskjflaksjdflakjdf]

An oscilliscope has been on my "to buy" list since the 90s when I first got into the workforce. Any decade now I'm going to pull the trigger on one. :) Maybe I should ask the family to buy me one since they're always wondering what to get me..

[@joecoyne5660]

@@alskjflaksjdflakjdf An O-scope is a very handy tool if you learn how to use it. For a couple of hundred dollars you can get a pretty good scope with digital memory, and digital readouts for both voltage and frequency. I bought a Hantec DSO5102P a few years ago and have been very happy with it. The controls are almost identical to the hugh dollarTexas Instruments scope I use at work.

[@boe4448]

Wes, Very nice E table. I enjoyed your video and seeing your family. Boe

[@Midwest-small-engine]

Definitely a sweet looking workbench setup

[@osgeld]

I went the really cheap and easy route, work was going to throw one away, its got 2 shelves, and on the 4 pillars its got 4 switched outlets and below its got 3 drawers on the right, 2 on the left and a cabinet box instead of a large file shelf ... I paid for some beer to get a buddy to help me take it apart and throw it in his van! all ESD white tops and blue powder coated steel (hell even my wife was jealous at the time)

[@Rorschach1024]

Do we have Clearance Clarence?

[@mdublikesthestock9293]

New workbench is awesome, using what you have is better than quick delivery, sometimes

[@chrisj2848]

Nice, I have workbench envy. And a new storage "solution" to explore 😊

[@zoidberg444]

Mrs Wes cracks me up. haha Spiffy bench though Wes. Interesting application of 3D printing. Your office is really coming along.

[@arvidjedlicka6237]

Awesome bench and many ideas I will need to copy. Thanks.

[@Stephen.in.Virginia]

Wes this one one of your best non-diagnostic videos, I did similar so I could roll a long work table fitted with 100w halogen 2 level work lamp along hallway and thru doorways without taking doors off of hinges

[@DelButch]

Wes man how satisfying is this watching a Fella scratching his itch “ your electronic bench “ my tool shed !😊happy for a guy

[@josephking6515]

Only thing I can see missing is a hot air station for the surface mounted items. Then you'll need a snazzy microscope so you can see the SMD pieces. Real nice desk Wes and you could remind Mrs Wes that since she was off for the _weekend_ she *cannot* share in your ritcheous glory of building an excellent electronic workbench. Only thing I would have considered changing would have been to put Dome Bolts in the part the held the shelf legs together. That would have been the _je nais se qua_ for the _piece de resistance._ Bravo! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

[@JamesArmstrong-t7b]

As a 79 year old life long antique auto shade tree mechanic and retired A T & T special services test center technician i am amazed to see the CNC machines work .. Your skill set is Macgyvish !!

[@FlatThunder]

I feel ya....I can't bring myself to overspend on items I can make, but often overlook the time and effort required. Nice work station upgrade! 👍😁

[@1pcfred]

Why, what are you doing that's so much better? When you do things for yourself you can't count that time.

[@FlatThunder]

@@1pcfred Time is money and you can never make more time. Sometimes I spend extra time building a version of my own widget over buying an off the shelf product. Perfect example; I built a homemade auger for my 843 Bobcat instead of buying or renting one. It turned a small part of a task into a major project on its own. I have a working version of an auger for 20-25% the cost of a purchased unit. The better option would've been to purchase one and resell it. Oops, that's what I mean 🙄

[@1pcfred]

@@FlatThunder Time is not money. Time is relative to the observer. I make time all the time. What you cannot do is buy time though. Any rich person on their deathbed will tell you that. Personally my favorite thing in the world to do is waste time. I do most like it when I waste my time how I see fit to waste it though. Sometimes I like to waste time on inane projects of my choosing too.

[@jeffwilson1399]

I'm not an electronics guy. . But I am a workbench guy. Nice work!!

[@wigf173]

To us, Wes, all your videos are 'bangers'! You do you, we'll be here for it.

[@93Martin]

"We're building an electronics table" "We?" LOL for a moment there I thought I might be watching Stuff Made Here

[@mjmcomputers]

Turned out really nice!

[@IAmUndersteer]

“…it’s Thursday.” 😂😂

[@Andy_Hinners]

Windsor Ontario has a phenomenon known as the "West End Weekend". It runs Tuesday through Saturday. I'll leave it up to you to vision the demographic that follows this calendar.

[@dfross87]

The only thing I can see that could be better is that those little blue shelves should have a small lip around the edge to stop things being knocked off so easily. Outstanding job Wes! Not sure where you're planning to put the rest of your leads, though.

[@dougjones9493]

In the fine print of the marriage certificate, the wife must support the husband no matter how foolish his endeavors seem. Woman math, I saved $1000. By spending the day making it myself.

[@fluffyblue4006]

May I suggest a dim-bulb-supply for testing mains-powered devices? It is easy to DIY, it's just a mains power cord with a receptacle and a light bulb socket wired in series. Small devices will get almost the full 120VAC, because of the small resistance of the cold incandescent light bulb. But when your device would have a short circuit or drawing way more power than expected, the light bulb will just light up. No tripped breakers, no harm done. The luxury model has several light bulbs with switches, for easy selection of the expected power draw. And a bulb bypass switch. And a fuse.

[@robpeters5204]

Some women don’t get it. “Speedy delivery???” It’s always nice and easy when they say speedy delivery when you are paying for it but when they have to pay it’s a totally different answer. That’s when they say you can do without or you’ve done it this long what’s a little bit longer I can’t believe she won’t back you on this Wes. You are working hard and deserve some nice things to continue to do your work. You’ve put in your time so now you can enjoy the fruits of your labour. Nice job buddy!

[@rodneypidcock6903]

Great work, as always, Wes. Could probably use the leftover pieces and add a few more and make another shelf to sit atop the first one, if you need or want a little more space.

[@clayfree7428]

The wife looks as interested in the project as cleaning week old road kill off the street!🤣🤣

[@psuu1]

As with many wives, yours is almost certainly right, and should be trusted for a 'normal' perspective on projects. Have to figure out what your time is worth! Also, even though she's right, 100% love spending way too much time to 'save money' on a project. Definitely a banger of an electronics bench video I've seen in weeks, if not years.

[@Andy_Hinners]

I've got a cat that dines on squirrel every chance he gets. He leaves nothing but the tail.

[@Jon-wg8vr]

You would think the cat would love all that extra hair to cough up in your house😂

[@Andy_Hinners]

@@Jon-wg8vr I've seen what's produced at the other end the next day. Must all get dissolved no fur. no bones.

[@Jon-wg8vr]

@@Andy_Hinners you dig up your cat turds

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

Pretty Nice Bench, Wes. Didn’t Sound like Mrs Wes had much faith in the job going smoothly, glad it did. I liked that the whole family was helping push the bench into position, even Max followed along. Thanks for the Videos

[@woopimagpie]

Wife: "I will not be helping." 5 seconds later: shows wife helping. I have one of those wives too. We're lucky fellas Wes.

[@stagggerlee]

From someone who spent 19 years at an electronic work bench, very nice. I often wish I had it back.

[@brucemitchell5637]

$2200.00 for a formica topped bench? That's absolutely ridiculous! I can't believe that these people are still in business!

[@M.TTT.]

yea the govt can only buy from certain dealers, its crazy the costs of stuff

[@kechumgreen8893]

yep, just after he said the price i immediately thought government sales and large corporations.

[@tsl7881]

Schools, institutions must spend your money on these or something like them. Also, This is a ESD formica, which you can't buy at lowes.

[@tinkermouse-scottrussell3738]

Enjoyed watching this all come together, Wes. Thanks for sharing it with us. Also consider adding a Sal Ammoniac Tinning Block for your tips. Play safe from Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.

[@brianworley7705]

Wes, Well done on the ESD protective bench. It has been a few years since I did much with that kind of setup. I have the soldering iron, some wick, solder, both tweezer and standard flush cutters and a few odds and ends. I even saved a cut-off protective mat that was discarded when fitting a new mat on a bench years ago. It works for small projects. I miss doing it, actually. My freshman year of college, I spent a portion of my afternoons working to assemble strain gauge assemblies for the college. They had two companies that ordered assemblies with their labels on them for lab type class use or similar. I remember wiring the strain gauges and the boards plus the hook on the load bar, then testing and package. Find memories, besides not having probably enough ventilation for the space. Been a lot of years ago. Thanks for sharing the video and bringing back several memories.

[@schwartzenheimer1]

Some things have to be built, just because they can! A few years back, here in San Diego, a division of General Dynamics closed down, leaving 100's of those benches to be liquidated. I know at least 4 start-ups that populated their entire lab/production areas with them (at about $100 a pop). I worked at several of them over the years...right place right time. Your bench came out beautiful. It was definitely worth the effort... Hyah, you electrons, get along!

[@elesjuan]

Excellent electronics bench. Only thing I would add is a laptop or small form factor PC for schematics and research. Also, as always, really love Mrs. Wes. That lady is such a gem.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

I dream of having a work bench like that. It looks wonderful.

[@madrew2003]

Mrs. Wes plays a good skeptic, but you struggle with the straight man bit. haha. Great video as always!

[@terryrogers1025]

Some how I missed this one I don’t know how, but, thanks Wes, nice job setting the bench up, looks very handy, hope you enjoy using it and that it meets your expectations. Enjoyed watching you set it up.

[@DELirious97]

For less than 1000 bucks you basically have the same thing looks the part. Love your slowly makeing the shop more efficient and cleaner. Been watching for a few years now and you have always worked around madness. It's amazing how you could work around everything. You are finally scratching that itch

[@chakathewolf]

Retired lab tech. here. Spent most of my life soldering. Your bench looks great! The only thing I'd add is a magnifying glass / lamp of some sort. Personally, I'd have two multimeters, but that's just me.

[@justovision]

Really nice bench. I shed a tear when you chopped up that other bench but the end product was satisfying. A couple of other useful tools on the bench are a cheap function/signal generator. They've gotten pretty inexpensive and, if you do AC, a variac and an isolation transformer.

[@JosesGaraje]

Nice job Wes, I recently purchased a cheap 30 vdc/10 amp power supply for testing, it said it was variable, but come to find out you have to set the amperage and voltage before the test and have no adjustments during the test, so buyer beware that's why they're so cheap.

[@ouch1011]

It's not just the government. I work for a major semi-conductor manufacturer. As soon as you add "cleanroom" to literally anything, you add at least 3 zeros to the price. We use disposable towels that are synthetic and don't produce particles when used just for cleaning and wiping things. They cost several dollars per towel. They're disposable. If someone needs to wipe their nose, it costs $5-6. If it says "semiconductor production" on it, add 5-6 zeros. There are o-rings on our tools that cost several thousands of dollars. A maintenance service, which in the high volume factories take place about once a week, cost $100k for a single process chamber just for the parts. We aren't allowed to use aftermarket parts, even though they exist and likely come directly from the actual part manufacturer (imagine buying a Denso oxygen sensor instead of a Toyota one, they're probably the exact same part with the Toyota logo scratched off) because the aftermarket parts aren't production approved. Entire companies come up from making very basic, niche products and cornering the market. They can charge whatever they want because there is no competition, no regulation and no other option. I'm sure this bench is over-priced the way it is only because of the three letters "E S D"

[@MckIdyll]

Gotta love it when Mrs. Wes gets that 'dimple of doubt'. Scroll back and look -- it's there.