Having a mobile bench is necessary in my small shop. But after moving my bench, I want it to rest solidly on its feet when working. While changing a car tire, I came up with the idea for the workbench lift seen here.
Hydraulic power. The lift uses two small inexpensive bottle jacks that are usually reserved for lifting a car. Using butt hinges, I attached a plywood piece to the bench foot and installed a pair of cleats. The cleats serve a couple of purposes. First, they register and cradle the base of the jack. Second, the cleats provide an anchor point that the bottle jack base can lever against when it’s getting pumped up to lift the bench.
The jack presses against the lower shelf support and lowers the wheels while raising the workbench. Then, it’s a simple matter of moving the bench into its new place and using the pressure relief valve to lower the jack and the bench to the floor.
The jack rests on a hinged plate with cleats to hold the jack in place. When pumping up the jack, it presses against the lower shelf support and lowers the plate and wheels, raising the bench.
Pumping up the jack raises the foot off the floor. Lowering the jack drops the bench back onto the foot.
