Why a Mobile Project Center Will Replace Your Traditional Workbench

Thinking of buying or building a DIY workbench? Ask yourself these 12 questions before you decide on a traditional workbench for your small workshop.

Thinking of buying or building a DIY workbench? Ask yourself these 12 questions before you decide on a traditional workbench for your small workshop.
A workbench is an integral part of any workshop. It will be used for all of your workshop functions like cutting, clamping, assembly, sanding and more, so it needs to be sturdy and multi-functional. You’ll likely use the workbench for years, so you’ll want to choose one that will last.

I received the Kreg Mobile Project Center in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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How do you decide on a workbench? Should you buy a workbench? Should you build a DIY workbench? What are the best features to look for when choosing a workbench for your small workshop?

For me, I want a workbench that fits well in my small workshop, is loaded with handy features, is sturdy and a good value. Recently I added a Kreg Mobile Project Center to my workshop and I’m so excited that I did.

This thing does everything. Seriously. In 9 Clever Ways to Make Your Small Workshop Feel Bigger, I said “I’m not sure if there is anything the Kreg Mobile Project Center can’t do. It’s a workbench, it’s an assembly table, a clamping station, it can be used as a sawhorse, it folds flat, and it’s perfect for a small workshop! I have one and I want a second one and maybe even a third!”

Best Workbench Features - with the Kreg Mobile Project Center you can make any place your workspace!

At the time of writing the 9 Clever Ways to Make Your Small Workshop Feel Bigger post I only had one Mobile Project Center, but now have a second one. It’s that good!

Are you thinking of buying a traditional workbench or building a traditional DIY workbench? Please do yourself a favor and take three minutes to ask yourself these 12 questions before you make a decision.. Can your workbench or the traditional workbench you’re considering for your workshop do all of the things the Mobile Project Center can do?

12 Questions to Ask Before You Buy or DIY a Traditional Workbench

Is it Easy to Assemble?

Is the workbench you’re considering for your workshop easy to assemble? The Mobile Project Center is a turnkey workbench. It arrives in the box ready to use. There is no assembly required. Just pull it out of the box, unfold it, flip up the two extensions and get working. That’s all there is to it!

Is it Sturdy?

Is the workbench you’re considering for your workshop sturdy? The Mobile Project Center has steel legs and when used as a worktable can support 350 pounds.

Does it Fold Flat?

Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop fold flat? The Mobile Project Center unfolds and then folds flat in just a few seconds. Which means it’s easy to setup when you’re ready to DIY and easy to fold when you’re done. When it’s folded flat it’s just a little bigger than a card table. This means it’s easy to store in a small workshop.

Best Workbench Features - Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop fold flat?

Is it Mobile?

Is the workbench you’re considering for your workshop mobile? Unlike an ordinary workbench the Mobile Project Center doesn’t have to “live” for eternity in your workshop. Nope, not at all. Have an outdoor project in the yard where you need a workbench?

The Mobile Project Center only weighs about 40 pounds, so you can fold it up and carry it where you need it. Helping a buddy with a DIY project? Because of its compact size, you can toss it in the trunk of a car and hit the road.

Is it Also a Sawhorse?

Can the workbench you’re considering for your workshop be used as a sawhorse? Simply expand the legs and the Mobile Project Center becomes a sawhorse. When used as a sawhorse the Mobile Project Center can support 1100 pounds and when you add a second Mobile Project Center used as a sawhorse it can support 2200 pounds.

Best Workbench Features - Can the workbench you’re considering for your workshop be used as a sawhorse?

Is it a Clamping Station?

Can the workbench you’re considering for your workshop be used as a clamping station? The Mobile Project Center clamping options are nearly limitless. Included in the kit is a 3” bench clamp with Automaxx. The bench clamp can be mounted to the tabletop using the T-slot.

Best Workbench Features - The Mobile Project Center includes a bench clamp that can be mounted to the tabletop using the T-slot.

The bench clamp can also be mounted to the legs of the Mobile Project Center.

Best Workbench Features - The bench clamp can also be mounted to the legs of the Mobile Project Center.

With the bench clamp mounted to the legs, it can be used as a bench vice.

Best Workbench Features - With the bench clamp mounted to the legs of the Mobile Project Center, it can be used as a bench vice.

The kit also includes four bench dogs. The bench dogs help to hold down workpieces and slide into any of the 40 pre-drilled holes in the tabletop.

Best Workbench Features - The Mobile Project Center includes four bench dogs. The bench dogs help to hold down workpieces and slide into any of the 40 pre-drilled holes in the tabletop.

Combine the bench dogs with the bench clamp mounted to the side of the Mobile Project Center and it’s the perfect way to clamp large workpieces.

Best Workbench Features - Combine the bench dogs with the bench clamp mounted to the side of the Mobile Project Center and it's the perfect way to clamp large workpieces.

The bench dogs also work well with the optional Kreg In-line clamps. It’s a great way to hold workpieces in place while sanding, etc.

Best Workbench Features - Bench dogs combined with Kreg In-Line Clamps make the Mobile Project Center the best place to sand your DIY project.

An optional Kreg Wood Project clamp can be used for more clamping options in the designated clamping area.

Best Workbench Features - Can the workbench you’re considering for your workshop be used as a clamping station?

Beneath the designated clamping area the Mobile Project Center is reinforced with two metal bars. FYI the Kreg K5 pocket hole jig master kit includes a Wood Project clamp.

Best Workbench Features - the designated clamping area on the Kreg Mobile Project Center is reinforced with metal.

Is it Ready to Mount a Kreg Jig?

Is the workbench you’re considering for your workshop ready to mount a Kreg Jig? The Mobile Project Center has pre-drilled holes to mount either a Kreg K4 pocket hole jig or a Kreg K5 pocket hole jig.

Best Workbench Features - Is the workbench you’re considering for your workshop ready to mount a Kreg Jig?

Does it Have a Drill Holster?

Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have a drill holster? I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve set my drill down on my workbench, the drill wasn’t balanced and took a tumble onto the floor. The Mobile Project Center solves this problem with two pre-drilled drill holsters.

Best Workbench Features - Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have a drill holster?

Does it Have a Lip for Hanging Kreg Screw Containers?

Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have a lip to hang Kreg pocket hole screw containers? The Mobile Project Center keeps the entire tabletop free and clear for assembly by providing a lip around the perimeter for hanging screw containers.

Best Workbench Features - Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have a lip to hang Kreg pocket hole screw containers?

Does it Have Recessed Storage Trays?

Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have recessed storage trays? The Mobile Project Center has two recessed trays to keep items like drill bits, drivers, screws, pencils and more close at hand and from rolling onto the floor.

Best Workbench Features - Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have recessed storage trays?

Can it Connect to Another Workbench?

Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have the ability to connect to another workbench? The Mobile Project Center includes “connection keys” which allows it to connect to other Mobile Project Centers. The connection keys store in the tabletop.

Best Workbench Features - Does the workbench you’re considering for your workshop have the ability to connect to another workbench?

And then slide into the key slot in the side of the table to connect to other Mobile Project Centers. This means you can double, triple, quadruple (or even more) your workbench area.

Best Workbench Features - The Mobile Project Center can connect to other Mobile Project Centers using the connection keys.

Was it Named a This Old House Top 100 Tool?

Was the workbench you’re considering for your workshop named a This Old House Top 100 Tools for 2017? This Old House says the Mobile Project Center is “An easy-to-set-up workbench, sawhorse, assembly table, and clamping station all in one that’s great for DIY, repair, and woodworking projects.”

Conclusion

How does the Mobile Project Center compare to the traditional workbench you’re considering for your workshop? I think you’ll agree the Mobile Project Center DOES IT ALL! It’s a workbench, it’s an assembly table, a clamping station, it can be used as a sawhorse, it folds flat, and it’s perfect for a small workshop!

Thank you for stopping by. If you found this information helpful, would you please pin it to Pinterest? Other DIYers would appreciate it and I would too! Thank you – Scott


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Looking for workbench ideas? Unsure if you should buy or DIY a workbench using plans. Before you decide on a traditional workbench check out the Kreg Mobile Project Center. It's a collapsible, folding, mobile workbench that can be used as an assembly table, for clamping, as a sawhorse and more! #workbench #smallworkshopideas

11 Comments

  1. Scott, I have had my eye on this for some time. Thanks for the information I needed to replace my “falling apart 40 year old Workmate”!! Cheers, Jeff

  2. I found this post a bit disappointing. Expecting to get some suggestions that would guide one to choose a certain type of workbench, it ended up being more of an infomercial for the Kreg Mobile Project Center. That’s fine but perhaps the title should be more along the lines of why you might want to choose the Kreg Mobile Project Center instead of a more traditional workbench. The offering from Kreg does look good though although it seems rather expensive.

    1. Hi Steve – Thank you for writing. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but I understand your point. I certainly don’t want my fellow DIYers to be disappointed, so I took your suggestion and renamed the post. Thank you – Scott

  3. While I own and like many Kreg products. I’ll stick with my Black and Decker 425 and would buy it again over the Kreg.

    I can adjust the B&D to two heights. One for assembly or hand work and a lower height to put my portable table saw or other equipment on and have a reasonable working height.
    My B&D worktop IS a clamp and using the included bench dogs can clamp all kinds of crazy shapes AND can be split in thirds and set part to 90 degrees. By removing the middle panel you can clamp super wide items. It has standard diameter dog holes and there are plenty of bench clamps you can buy that will go through the hole and hold from underneath.The B&D worktop is solid wood. You can use regular clamps anywhere on the worktop not just in a particular re-enforced place. I routed a channel in one panel and installed a t-track for quick adjust jigs.
    If you did like I did and accidentally saw into your worktop you can replace it with wood by transferring the hardware from the old worktop. Want a bigger work top, use a bigger piece of wood.
    Most of my screws etc don’t come in special containers (coffe cans, convenience packs, 5lb boxes……).
    The frame is steel. I don’t know what it is rated for load but I am 200lbs and stand on it all the time.

    The WM425 is $159.99 Canadian on Amazon.ca or at regular price at Rona. Another good comparable is the Worx Pegasus at $149.99 Canadian on Amazon. The Kreg is almost double that. Savings could pay for a couple of nice tools with the savings.

    1. I don’t know if the Black & Decker Workmate benches are available here in South Africa any more. Haven’t seen any on sale for a long time. I have one of these cheap Ryobi knockoffs but it is very light and not too stable so sawing and planing on it are difficult. I plan to build a proper bench soon.

  4. This is a really neat bench. You’ve really covered it all. Ive been thinking about getting a Kreg jig too. Great review. Thanks for putting it together. This bench is in the running!

    1. Thank you! The Mobile Project Center is a real workhorse! And you’ll love a Kreg Jig. It makes assembling projects sooo easy!

      1. That’s a great question! I would first ask how much do you think you’ll be using the Kreg Jig? I use mine ALL THE TIME! If you think you’ll be building frequently like me you can’t beat the features of the Kreg K5. If you think you’ll be building often the Kreg K4 is a good option. If you think you’ll be building less frequently the Kreg R3 is a good value.

        What are you planning to build with the Kreg Jig? The projects you intend to build can also help guide you towards a certain jig. Let me know and we’ll figure out the best jig for you!

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