Fold Down Workbench PlansThis workbench has it all — a space-saving, fold-down top, easy-access tool rack, and plenty of storage in a wall-mounted cabinet. The top of the workbench folds down against the base to save space when you're not using it.
I started on the workbench by making the top. Why the top? A couple reasons. First, the overall dimensions determine the final size of the base. And second, you can set the top on a couple sawhorses and use it to complete the rest of the workbench.
Make the TopThe top is made from strips of solid wood — pretty typical for a heavyduty workbench. Or you can make a simpler version, as we'll show you in the plans.
BaseOnce the top is complete, the next step is to build the base. The base has thick, solid legs supporting the front edge of the benchtop. What's different is that these legs swing in towards the back of the base allowing you to fold the top down. A pair of side panels and stretchers at the back of the base support both the legs and the benchtop.
Make the Side PanelsTo provide solid support for the back of the benchtop, the side panels are made by gluing up two layers of 3/4" plywood and then adding solid wood edging. The next thing to do is drill a counterbore in each side panel to provide a pivot point for the top. The counterbores accept flange bearings that prevent wear and tear on the side panels as you pivot the top up and down. The key to locating the holes is to measure the thickness of your benchtop.
Build the Folding BenchGluing up solid wood strips to make a heavy-duty benchtop isn't the only option for the fold-down workbench. You can also build an alternate top that's made from plywood panels covered with hardboard.
Built-Up LayersThe bench top has four layers. The bottom three layers are pieces of 3/4" plywood. Adding a final layer of 1/4" tempered hardboard provides a smooth, durable surface.
Add the StretchersTo connect the side panels and provide a way to attach the legs of the workbench to the wall, I added a pair of stretchers. The stretchers are simply screwed in place. (Don't use any glue here. You'll need to take one side panel off later so you can install the top.) To prevent the side panels from flexing, I added corner braces. Here again, the braces are only screwed to the side panels.
Build the Leg AssembliesWith the back complete, the next step is to build the leg and rail assemblies. The legs are glued up from two pieces with a leveler installed at the bottom. Then the rails are cut to size and glued into dadoes and rabbets cut in the legs.
Final AssemblyTo allow the legs to swing in and out, they're attached to the stretchers with hinges. But before you do that, you'll need to mount the side panels and stretchers to the wall. This is just a matter of screwing the stretchers to the wall studs so they're level from side to side. (I positioned the top of the side panels 35-3/4" above the floor.) Now you can attach the leg assemblies. I found that the easiest way to do this was to clamp the two assemblies together with spacers in between them. Then you can clamp this assembly to the stretchers. Finally, screw the hinges in place.
Since the edges of sheet goods aren't all that tough, I covered them with strips of Douglas fir. At this point, completing the installation of the top is identical to the laminated benchtop. With the base attached to the wall, you're ready to install the top. And regardless of which top you use, the process is identical. Materials Workbench
Add the Pivot Pins – The first step is to install the pivot pins that allow you to fold the top up or down. Each pivot pin is a 5/8"-dia. steel rod that rests in a stopped groove cut in the lower surface of the top. Each rod sticks out past the end of the bench and fits into the flange bearings installed in the side panel. To cut the grooves I used a straight bit in a hand-held router. Then I squared up the ends of the grooves with a chisel. A hacksaw makes quick work of cutting the rods to length so about 3/4" sticks out past the ends of the grooves. Finally, to trap the rod in place, there's a 1/8"-thick steel plate screwed to the bottom face. (I picked up both the rod and steel plate at a local home center.)
Install the Top – At this point, you're ready to ask a friend to help you install the top. Start by removing one side panel from the base. Next, swing out the legs and set the top in place. This makes it easier to slide the ends of the pivot pins in place and then reattach the side panel to complete the installation.
Final Details – There are a couple things left to do to complete the installation of the top. The first is to add a couple spacers to the bottom of the benchtop. These spacers serve two purposes. First, they trap the legs and hold them in place after you swing the legs into position. And second, to level the top when it's in the raised position, the spacers are sized to fill the gap between the top of the legs and the benchtop. Just be sure to locate the spacers so the legs are square to the base when they're resting in the dadoes.
Stops – All that's left at this point is to glue a pair of stops to each side panel. These stops keep the top perfectly vertical when the top is in the stored position.
Install the Vise – Installing a vise isn't difficult. In most cases, it's just a matter of bolting it in place. But there are a couple things to keep in mind as you do this. First, you'll need to make sure that the guide rods on the bottom of the vise don't interfere with the legs of the bench. And then, for the vise I used, I added a face block.
Drill the Dog Holes – With the vise in place, lay out and drill the holes for the bench dogs, like you see in details 'a' and 'b.' Just be sure the holes don't interfere with any of the vise parts underneath the bench. Finally, rout a small chamfer at the top of each hole to make it easy to insert the bench dogs. To add more clamping capability to a workbench, you can add a cast iron vise. You can see the one I added to the heavy-duty workbench in the photo at right. A face vise works great for clamping a workpiece between the jaws. But for even more options, you might want to think about drilling a set of dog holes in the top. The dog holes allow you to use a set of bench dog accessories, with or without the vise.
One of the big problems in a workshop is keeping your tools organized and within easy reach — especially around a workbench. But I solved that problem by making the wall-mounted tool rack. Besides providing a convenient storage spot for tools, there's a handy feature built into the rack — a springloaded stop. The stop holds the benchtop up while you swing the legs of the workbench out to set it up, or when you're folding the legs in for storage.
Make the Frame – There's really not much to the tool rack. It starts out as a solid-wood frame made from Douglas fir. But as you can see in Figure 6, there are some things to keep in mind. For starters, the top and bottom of the frame aren't identical. The bottom is slightly wider and shorter than the top. Once the frame is put together, it allows the tool rack to slip down between the side panels of the base and "fill the gap" along the back edge of the workbench. Once you have the top rail (K), bottom rail (L), and end stiles (M) cut to size, there's a little joinery to take care of.
Add a Tool Rack -- Trying to reach under the workbench to swing the legs out for use (or in for storage) is tough when you're also trying to hold up the top of the workbench. To make this easier, I added a benchtop stop. The stop is sized to fit the opening in the wall rack. I attached it with a loose-pin hinge. This way, I could install each half of the hinge separately and then slip the pin in place. A counterbore drilled in the back of the stop houses a spring (detail 'a) to provide hands-free operation. As you swing the benchtop up from its stored position, the back presses the stop in until it "pops" back out. At this point, let the top down so the stop holds it in place, then swing out the legs. When you want to fold the top down, let the stop hold the top in place as you swing the legs against the stretchers. Once that's done, all you have to do to lower the top is lift it slightly so you can press the stop past the back edge of the top. Then just lower the top. |
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