As a woodworker, all I could think was “man I wish I could run the top through my planer before he glued it back together. Could have saved this man hours of sanding.” 😮‍💨

I’ve worked in a manufacturing environment for nearly 20 years and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to get my hands on one of these old lista benches lol. Nice work, now i need to try harder when i get the chance again. Nice work 👍

My dad has a smaller Lista work bench he inherited from his old work place. He worked for Parker Hannifin. They had an old building, and they were getting rid of a lot of old equipment before moving into a newer building back in the early to mid 2000 range. There was an old Lista work bench he wanted. The workers were going to throw the bench in the dumpster. My dad saved it and restored the work bench kind of like you did. He repainted it all black with a clear coat. The wood top was restored and was given a honey oak polyurethane finish. He still uses the work bench to this day. You did a lovely job with this one. Nicely done.

Overall it’s a decent table. If you’re not using it for big heavy projects. Its gets unstable when using my jigsaw and handsaw. Table starts to shake and lifts off the ground. Maybe I’m doing something wrong?Also the folding mechanic works great kzfaq.infoUgkxyFZUPFEey-PuqsPMxqaykBhgA1LWxFHh when setting up, but I can’t get the table to fold down. It gets stuck 3/4ths on the way down.

Good work, with exception of the paint job.

I did something similar back in the day. When you start to reassemble it much easier to do upside down. Place top on the floor with bottom facing upward. You’re not fighting gravity that way. Very nice work, really like the castors!👍🔥

Finally somebody restoring something gigantic that isnt a vehicle or random stuff and that can genuinely be used for actual work/projects

The steel top is a nice add on . The wood glue is stronger than the wood itself, biscuits or dowels help with alignment and that's about it. If the glue fails in your lifetime, you'll be glad you didn't use either of those. As for wood finish, you did well, any product will need to be touched up or redone in time. Solvent finishes do make the wood look nicer, water based polyurethanes hold up very well and are easy to reapply when needed. The only other upgrade I'd see as useful is a back panel to increase rigidity in the long run. Nuts and bolts will loosen over time and use. I had a metal cart that had nuts, bolts, lock washers. As a job-site cart it got moved frequently, it always needed tightening. Solution, tightened them all one last time, welded every joint and lap, removed nuts and bolts.

I really enjoyed your restoration. I am into manufacturing new machinery but watching old stuff being restored have a special place in my heart.

I really love utilitarian restoration: industrial tables, boxes that hold precision machines, industrial table lamps, etc Also, with the right tools, and this guy has pretty much all the right tools, jobs like this just require some meditative patience. The right tool for the job is always key.

From the way you use the belt sander and how you use the brush, in addition to the neatness in your way of working, I already realize that you are a professional👍, I don't see the video as a hobby, I care about learning and I pay attention in the details.

WOW! This was so satisfying to watch you redo the whole work bench to its original look. I found it so satisfying...beautiful top...the final touch was the castors. Thank you for sharing this...enjoyed the video very much.

Watched this ages ago but had to come back again as I found it so worth while. Thanks dude

I enjoyed the entire video, but the creation of your custom emblem was awesome. I didn't realize it was that "easy". I was kind of partial to the beat up wood block. The new, sanded, and varnished slab looks nice, but the old surface had more character. Either way, nice work.

Over three summers, I had to find another desk for a teacher in the workshop. More areas were being used for academic rather than practical lessons. Every year someone had got a brand new modular desk and the old worn beat up desk was being tossed. Mostly particle board construction with a veneer, I have new life to those desks with four coats of satin yacht varnish. Each coat was rubbed down and the finish was great. Thank you for this video. I have an old workbench in the garage I need to update…

Great work Restoration Station!

If that old work bench couldn't tell you stories of glories and victory

Well done. It looks great. I’d love to get my hands on one of these old benches.

I love the look of a used wood surface. Nice end result either way though!

That work bench is too beautiful to work on!! Great restoration!!

Great job with the refurbishment and upgrades. I love the red casters. Happy making.

Very nice! Your restoration was spot-on! I would have cut the metal bench surface in half and hinged each piece so I could have dual work surfaces if I wanted, but that's just a preference thing. Otherwise this looked incredible!

Amazing work!!! Would love to see you show it off a little more in the end 🙌🙌 You deserve it!

Just the right amount of restoration. It doesn't need to be perfect, just functional and presentable.

One of the most satisfying videos I've seen in a long time.

I got one one of those Lista benches out of my Mother-in-Law's garage! Might have to add a restoration project to my to-do list after this! Beautiful work.

Lista, that's top of the line industrial stuff.

It was a great restoration and the castors and steel top “add on” was the icing on the cake!

Looks good. I would attach a magnet or two on the wall so you can leave rhe bench in place and simply life the metal top off when you want/need to work on the wood surface.

Beautiful & solid restoration! That bench will last forever.👍👍👊

Well that turned out gorgeous. Expected nothing less. Great job 👍👌

While a workbench by nature is supposed to take a beating, still, at some point, they get to the point of "ya know what, workbench? You deserve better!" Great restoration, great modifications!

Wood is such a cool medium to work with, all new just a few 32nd's below the surface. Nice job.

Good video ready for another 20 plus years.keep it up 👍👍😎😎

Excellent job! That bench looks amazing

Sweet restoration, nice touch adding the steel top on hinges. Makes for an excellent work surface option. Thanks for the video.

I loved the blue paint and was so sad to see it get sanded and powerwashed off - I'm so glad you repainted the metal parts red!!

Nice finished project. A good bench to start with and reasonably well cared for. Other than the top, little damage. Looks good finished.

I'm getting a jack of all trades vibe from you and I like it. Good restoration vid!

Fantastic job. I don't remember him asking to use my tools. If he asked, I would have suggested bench dog holes. Maybe he will be asking to borrow my mag drill for the holes. Great job 🤣👍👍

Whew. I felt so relieved when you packed those bearings with grease 👍😂

Now THAT'S a workbench! I'm so jealous :O Amazing work you done a wonderful job! Looking forward to seeing it in action in future videos :)

There is something really satisfying for me watching things look new again. I’m thinking of starting a business doing this.

The addition of the locking casters was a good move. Cleaning up around the unit will be so much easier.

That was a remarkable restoration. It was super satisfying to watch that belt sander grind that wood surface clean again. The surface turned out perfect and the paint job looks really good! That was cool how you made a metal surface that you can put on and that you put a nice bluing on it as well!! You did a perfect job start to finish! Great video!

My old USAF shop had all new Lista benches in the mid 90s. Nice stuff.

We have Lista desks at work, super nice. Well worth the time to restore one.

Lista is top end stuff, really built to last. When putting it together, I find the easiest way is to lay the top on the floor face down (on top of protection) and assemble the legs that way. Saves working from underneath. Then just turn the whole thing over. Would also save jacking up the drawer cabinet. Brilliant idea with the steel top, hinged as well! Good restoration though, great to watch.

nice and extra shiny clean workbench

I dig the color change from blue to red! Great job!

This guy does heavy collision and body work foooooooor sure

Great work! There’s nothing more satisfying than doing these types of restoration projects imo… man I gotta get me some of those tools 😂

great outcome. I'm sure you looking forward to using that beauty in you future projects

Beautiful job. Way more work than I have time for though. My only suggestion is all four casters to be swivel. You even had a prime example in the video. You had to lift the fixed end to get it out. That will be way to hard when it's in use and full. Ask me how I know😉 I switched the fixed casters to swivel and life is better. A little harder to roll straight but way more maneuverable.

@ Restoration Station, You did it again. Many subscribers wanted you to plain it, but the thing is.......All those extra effort you put in this bench, will pay you back in the end. And now you know every Cm2 of that top. Amazing job...as always. Greetings from the Netherlands. Bert

Pretty good. People need to be reminded that this will be used to work on. It is not supposed to be a showpiece.

Nice, very nice, love watching your work, it’s always so good!

Lista is a very good brand of work bench, and tooling cabinets also!!

This was great. Thanks for just letting us hear the sounds of you and your tools working, instead of putting in an inane musical soundtrack as background, and for clearly showing each step of the process you used to make it happen. The video overviews and close-ups were especially good, and showed in detail what had to be done to restore such a great find to reliable shop use for years, if not decades, to come. I was not aware of Lista workbenches until I saw this. Now I know what to look for at yard sales, estate tag sales and flea markets.

That thing has some great bones. I prefer the original blue. To each His own. Great job

Very nice restoration Nice touch adding the casters and steel top with hinges.

Incredible restoration, awesome bench, I like the metal top .

Beautifully done!

Very nice resto job. I'm sure it will give you many years of good use.

Sanding down that bench top made me sad, all those memories of projects past. Finished product looks great.

Great score, Lista is top notch stuff.

You sir are a brilliant craftsman and artist.

Happy to see you save this bench... l worked in a restaurant , in the garage in the back was one of these benchs, it was always cool to go back there and use the "shop" . Would love to be able to grab one now that l have a house and a garage... great work , thank you.

I have an old lista machinists tool box with the butcher block top and 4 HD casters, the box was probably 20+ years old when I got it and that was 1998, I gave it to my son several years ago (he is a Chrysler Mechanic) but the box could use a good restoration now. Great job you did on the work table.

Wow! Great transformation.

This was a fun watch - I especially enjoyed the dent repairs and reinforced bolt holes. But that hinged top... So wherever you put this thing you'll need to keep the wall totally clear behind it if you ever plan to fold it up - and not cover outlets like where you have it now. And you'll have to figure out how to keep it up while you're working and jiggling the table so it doesn't come slamming back down on you. I was hoping to see some planer magic on that wood top. lol!

Excellent work! I hope we get to see a restoration on that Beverly sheer you've got there some day

From a wood working perspective it would have been best to use biscuits or dowels to join the split pieces back together and then 3 coats of oil based polyurethane but that's just my opinion though, it turned out really great.

Love the size of this bench and man that gorgeous work top. Wow

Great result! The only thing is the undersite of the table... I know it probably won't be seen much but if it were also cleaned the restoration would have been perfect 🙊😄

That is just wonderful!! 10-stars, and then some.

What an awesome old workbench

Wow, that table top, would have made a beautiful dining table. 😃

Verly nicely done. Makes me think its time to clean up my bench.

Beautifully done,love the red color.

I love the idea of a wood/steel top. I'm gonna do that to my workbench. 👍👍

Such a good work. Thank you so much for sharing your restoration. Love the stainless steel cover …great idea.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Just an idea to consider. Your refinished benchtop is beautiful. I find that within weeks of all that work, my benchtop is looked pretty haggard. I put a sheet of 1/4 inch plywood on my benchtop with a few countersunk screws. When it becomes covered with glue, paint stains, beat up, etc. I can simply change the plywood and have a new benchtop. I then do not have to refinish my benchtop nearly as often. It nearly always stays presentable. Just a thought. A little more difficult if you have benchdog holes or certain vices, but something to consider.

Love the patina on the steel top

5:38 I see you, Cheeky transition, I see you. Loving these vids.

So good, I had to watch it twice!!

Looks like my dad's bench in the basement when I was a kid. Same color. Don't know if it's the same thing, very similar. Always nice to see one brought back. You can always use a good, strong bench. 👍

Excellent. Thanks for this - inspired me to do the same with mine.

Wow! that looks great

That metal top is genius

my favourite part of this: why not both?! amazing video bro thank you

That wood too looks amazing!

WOW Nice work table. The project is finish really good!

Love it. I haven't bought a bench like that because they never looked sturdy, but yours seems really solid. Great job

Great job! Thanks for sharing.

Good work 💪

Excellent job, wow!

Nice job. I like the top, personally I would have done the drawers black with the rest red. Especially with the metal top. Brilliant job!

Nice project 👍 turned out pretty cool. Well done

Well done! Nice touch with the metal top👌