Category Archives: workbench

How to Build a Workbench

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Happy Monday!  Finally some meat instead of potatoes.  This weekend I started and finished a work bench I had planned earlier.  This table will be the perfect work center for other upcoming projects like our dining room wainscoting and will be a good start to getting our basement organized.  I incorporated a Kreg Klamp Trak for easier pocket holes as well.  Makes joinery much more convenient.  I’m going to try to learn Google SketchUp so I can start posting plans for some project, this work bench being one of them.  I also tried to incorporate some of Ethan’s suggestions from his earlier workbench post.

Here’s how I built my workbench.

1.  I planned to make the overall width 36″ and the height 33.”  I chose a 3″ caster wheel (4″ overall), a 3/4″ melamine top and a 1/2″ plywood sub-top.  That leaves 27 3/4″ for the legs.  I made my legs out of 2x4s and cut all four to length.  To each leg, I added a 12″ long smaller piece of 2×4.  I glued and nailed them together.

2.  The legs were braced together with 2x4s that were glued and joined with pocket screws.  The width of the pieces were determined by subtracting the width of the legs from the overall width of the table and the top overhang (the top melamine piece will overhang the table by 1″ on each side.

3.  The longer side pieces were done the same way.  The overall length of the table is 60″ with the framing length of 58″ (subtract 2″ from 60).  Once the 2×4 legs are subtracted, that leaves 51″ for the side piece lengths.  The bottom shelf length is recessed in by 1 2×4 and I used a 2×4 beneath it to support it while I screwed it in.

4.  The dimensions for ribs for the top and the bottom shelf were measured right off of the frame.  I nailed them into place with a dab of glue for good measure.

5.  With the framing completed, it’s time for the plywood.  The top will get covered with a melamine, but under that I added a 1/2″ thick sheet of plywood.  Since it’s going to be almost completely hidden once the final top is on, I used a lower grade BC plywood, which is cheaper.  Since the bottom shelf is going to be seen, I added AC plywood there.  Both pieces were glued and screwed into place.

6.  Screwed on some caster wheels!!

7.  Time for the top.  The Kreg Klamp is around 34″ long which fits perfectly in on my 36″ wide table top.  Funny thing about this Klamp… I needed special T type bolts to hold it down and I couldn’t find anything that would work.  I ended up using toilet bolts!! They were in a pack I never used and they fit perfectly!!  To attach the melamine top, I just put down a lot of Liquid Nail (which is the only glue I used on this entire project, btw) and then added screws in from below.

8.  Add some corner brackets.  These brackets were fairly inexpensive and will hopefully add some durability.  That’s about it.  Not too hard.

Just to be on the safe side, I’ve added some clamps to really keep the melamine top squeezed down until the glue cures.  I’ll pop those off after 24 hours.

Can’t wait to start piling crap onto that bottom shelf and using this table for some projects!  How was your weekend?  Get anything done?

Planning a Workbench

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I know what you’re thinking.  Wait, aren’t you already working a couple projects?  Why don’t you finish those before you start another?  And what’s with all the planning posts?

So, to bring you up to speed…

1.  We’re waiting for some hardware to arrive for our kitchen cabinets’ sliding drawers.
2.  We’ve been discussing layout options and panel configuration for our raised panel wainscoting dining room plans.  We haven’t made a decision yet, but we’re going over to a neighbor’s house to check out his paneling to get some ideas and to come to a consensus.

I think those are the main projects, but there’s a couple other small things we’ve got waiting in the wings to keep us busy in between jobs.

When we kicked off the planning portion of our raised panel project, I listed a bunch of steps I’d need to accomplish to finish the job.  One of them is to build a router table.  While I was assembling the cabinet drawers, I noticed that the wood kept getting metal dust and dirt on it from the table saw.  I was essentially using the table saw as a work surface.  I realized that it was probably time for a work bench for our basement as well.

I’m going to try to build one fairly quickly and get it done before we do any work on the dining room.  I could definitely use the work surface for all the wood working that’ll need to happen.

In my old house, I whipped together a basic work table made from 2x4s for the legs, MDF for a bottom shelf and melamine for the top.  When I was building my kitchen cabinets and finishing up that house, it served as my central work space.  It even had a Kreg track built into the top to allow for easy pocket screw joint creation.  That jig really made the cabinets fly.  Since I had no place for it once the house was done and I was fairly confident Lisa didn’t want a large 2×4 work table in our living room, I disassembled it and threw it out.

We also had Ethan from One Project Closer contribute a guest post on making a really useful work bench.

Oh, and sorry for all the planning posts.  We’re all potatoes lately and no meat.  Maybe it’s the engineer in me, but I enjoy the planning part of the project nearly as much as the execution.  What’s really key for me and this project is to try to get all the material for the work bench, the router table and the wainscoting at once.  That would be sweet.  Lisa has a Lowe’s coupon, so we’re going to try to make the most of it!!  My Jeep won’t be happy with me though.

Here’s what I’m going to be looking for when I build my workbench and if you’re considering building one yourself, this list should be helpful.

1.  Set the height so it’s comfortable to work on.  When you buy a pre-made table, they are all within 1″-2″ of each other.  I’m probably average height, but if you’re tall or a little shorter, then you can tailor it to your needs.

2.  Should be longer than wider.  I’m going to butt my table up against a wall in the basement and I want to be able to reach my arm across the table and be able to just touch the wall.  Again, this is something you can customize.  You can make it wider than an arm’s length, but be sure to have access to both ends in that case.  The length is all up to you.

3.  Use strong, but light materials.  2x4s are nice and 3/4″ plywood is really tough, but they can sometimes be overkill.  You could probably make a torsion box with 1/2″ thick plywood and make the legs by stacking thin plywood sections together.

4.  Plan on adding storage and added functionality.  Kreg jig tracks, drawers, shelves, whatever you’d like.

5.  Read Ethan’s post for more info on adding wheels, electrical outlets and brackets for bracing.

6.  Melamine makes a nice top because it’s smooth and already finished.  You don’t need to paint it and it repels stains and spills.  It’s also pretty heavy.

If you’d like to get into some basic woodworking, making a work table is a great project to start with.  The cuts and the assembly doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be strong.

Is anyone else sick of planning and not doing?  I feel like I’m in “Spaceballs.”

Now how many blogs will you read today that have a “Spaceballs” reference in them? You’re welcome.