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Building a workbench. Need plans

9K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  qualls6 
#1 ·
Want to build a workbench in my shed with the scrap wood I have laying around. I want a bench that looks good and is solid. My dimensions to make it fit nicely where I want it are as follows.

92.5" Long
35.5" tall (without plywood top)
28" deep

I want to be able to store bulky heavy stuff under this thing also. I have found some that I like online but I can't find the one I wanted to build a while back! Any tips for building a clean looking workbench? Anyone know of any good plans online?
 
#4 ·
dpach said:
Although I have no official plans since it was home built, here's the one I built for my garage. 2x4 framing put together with lag bolts, with 3/4 inch MDF shelft and a double 3/4 inch MDF (so 1 1/2 inch thick) top which is covered with tin.

It's now 6 years old and holding up like the day it was built.
How deep is yours from front to back? Why did you use such a thick top? I'm just planning to use 1/2" presanded plywood and in the future if it gets all beat up I'll cover it with diamond plate or something.
 
#5 ·
How deep is yours from front to back? Why did you use such a thick top? I'm just planning to use 1/2" presanded plywood and in the future if it gets all beat up I'll cover it with diamond plate or something.
Don't even consider anything less than 3/4" for the top. 1/2" Is going to be too thin.

I used 3/4" Melamine to most of my work bench and cabinets. On the work bench, I have a sub-frame of 2x4's....the actual top is 2x6's on their side with 3/4" plywood on top of that....as soon as I finish up some other major projects (like my house), I am going to toss on a layer of 1/4" plate steel and then cover that with a sheet of 14g stainless steel.



Not real obvious from this pic, but the bench does not touch the floor. It is all attached to the wall. This lets me wash the floor and not worry about getting them wet. It's basically a whole lot easier to clean.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I'll do a limited amount of wood working on it. I want to put miter saw on it and a vice clamp. I don't do a lot of wood working but when something comes up I always wish I had a nice workbench with room to work. My shed is 12' from front to back and I'm planning to make it a little under 8' long to leave space for a large tool box one day. All the plans you guys linked me to weren't free but they look simple enough to build. Keep pictures coming to give me more ideas.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I'm in the process of building this work bench and I need a little help. What's the best way to attach this corner so I won't need a support beam back there?

Beam Wood Ceiling Room Hardwood



I have the one by holding it in place and the other side is attached to a 4x4 as the support beam on that front corner. Ideas? I tried screwing in at an angle but it's not working out for me.

EDIT: Would a corner brace on the inside and one on the underside be strong enough? The back 2x4 has 2 screws in each stud going across 92.5"s.

Under Side


Inside:
 
#12 ·
#11 ·
Eds_tls said:
I would do some type of a ledger board to support the backside

Looks good
There is a 2x4 going across the back that the top plywood lays on. I put 2 3" screws in each stud along that back wall. Isn't that a ledger board? I also put 2 2x4s across the bottom of the tabletop, one on each side of the center support.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Depends on what you're using the vise for and where the bench is in relation to the rest of the work space. I have a vise mounted to my bench on the front edge, left side. It's on the front edge because the vise hangs down past the ledge, and I wasn't interested in building up a platform for it (if I built a platform I could mount it further back to center it to work more over the center of bench). It's on the left-hand side because, A) I'm right handed, and, B) the right side of the bench is up against the wall; so mounting it left-side is more comfortable & convenient for me and in relation to my work space. Hope this somehow helps you decide...
 
#19 ·
Nikeman -- do you plan on covering the tabletop with a protective film or tin laminate? That tabletop is 3/4 shelf grade plywood screwed down at each of the posts ? Looking to building something similar but need my tabletop to be able to come off easy enough since my space is tight...
 
#20 · (Edited)
I am going to leave it as is for now since I won't use it to much. If it starts to get beat up I will put a protective layer over it. I was think a thin sheet of sheet metal or something. Yes it is 3/4" presanded plywood. For some reason home depot had seemingly identical sheets but one was $10 or more cheaper. I even had them cut it for me which made my life easier.

I put probably more screws than I needed on mine since I do not plan on taking it down. I have seen plans online for collapsible benches that actually looked pretty easy to build. That might be a good route for you to take. Some looked like they would fold up against the wall.
 
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