 Build a Handyman Workbench
I should have been more suspicious when my neighbor with the skinflint reputation offered me some scrap lumber, "free for the hauling." But I was young and poor at that time and wanted to build a workbench in the worst way. Little did I realize how something free could be so costly. My enthusiasm carried me through the hard work of pulling the nails from the lumber, and then patiently straightening them with hammer taps on the concrete garage floor. But when I was finally ready to start cutting, I realized why my neighbor had been eager to get rid of the lumber.
Simply using the word "warped" doesn't begin to explain the complete range of lumber defects I surveyed. But I figured that I could overcome the bad lumber with a strong arm and the coffee can full of salvaged nails. After a weekend of hammering and sawing, I had assembled a workbench. Of course, I hadn't taken the time to draw any plans, so the only way I could tell that I was finished was when the lumber was used up. Then I kept hammering until the coffee can was empty. I stepped back for a look. Then I stepped back further. I nicknamed that project "my 30-foot workbench," which had nothing to do with its actual length. It meant that it didn't look too bad from 30 feet away.
Built for Strength
By the time that first bench gave up its spirit, I had learned a few things about woodworking. So for its replacement, I designed a bench with unshakable joints. Instead of nails, this bench has drawbored mortise-and-tenon joints and reliable nut-and-bolt connections. The top is laminated from three layers of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) for a flat working surface. This heavyweight material contributes enormously to the bench's solidity. I've often wanted to work while sitting, but the design of my old bench made that awkward.
OVERALL SIZE: 35-3/4" × 30" × 72"
What You'll Need
- Leg 3" x 3" x 33"-1/2
- Top rail Lumber
- (8) 8 ft. 2x6 Douglas fir
- (4) 8 ft. 2x4 Douglas fir
- (3) 8 ft. 1x4 Pine
- (2) 3/4" × 4' × 8' MDF
- Hardware
- (6) Figure-8 fasteners
- (12) 5/16" × 5" Hex-head bolts
- (24) 5/16" Flat washers
- (12) 5/16" Hex nuts
- (20) 6d Finish Nails
- (2) 3/8" × 3' Dowels
- (12) #8 × 1" FH wood screws
- (4) #10 × 21/2" FH wood screws
Leg Assembly
I located the lower stretchers toward the back. That way, I can pull a stool right up when I have detailed work to do or just need a break. The bench also features several convenient options. You can build either or both of them now or add them later. The drawers keep frequently used tools and accessories within easy reach, and the shelf stores more tools and fasteners, so the bench top is always ready for your next project.
For strength, durability, and economy, I chose Douglas fir. If you want to make your bench from hardwood, birch and maple are traditional choices. Once you get back to your shop, use your table saw to rip the 2x4s to width, removing the rounded corners from both edges. Then crosscut the leg halves to identical length. Next, set up your table saw to cut the dadoes for the bottom rails. When the leg halves are glued together, these paired dadoes create the mortises. Screwing a wooden extension to your miter gauge helps prevent tearout when the dado blade exits the stock. This will give you clean, precise cuts.
First, cut the lower end of each dado by butting the end of the leg half against a setup block clamped to the fence. Then, register the bottom end of the leg half against the rip fence and cut the top end of the dado. After making both end cuts, make several passes to remove the waste between them. Now you can turn your attention to the mortise at the top of the leg halves. Make certain that the dadoes making up this mortise are the same size as the lower dadoes. That way, all your rails can be identical in width.
Leg Halves Become Legs
After you've milled all the dadoes, glue the leg halves together in pairs. To keep the parts from creeping, partially drive brads into one leg half in each pair, then clip their heads about 1/16" above the wood. When you apply clamping pressure, the brads will be buried into the other leg half for a non-slip glue up. Align the leg halves with their leg halves together after cutting dadoes.
I used a small piece of scrap wood to remove any glue that oozed into the mortises. After the glue joints cure, unclamp the legs and sand all their surfaces. Chuck a chamfering bit into your router, and rout the chamfer at the bottom of each leg. Next, make a light pencil mark all around each leg to define the limits of the stopped edge chamfers. Clamping blocks at the start and stop points of each chamfer will guarantee great results. Rout the chamfer along each edge of the leg.
Drawboring Unites Legs
Maybe the memory of driving all the nails in the first bench — and the wobbly results — motivated me to to make extra strong joints in this bench. The mortise-andtenon joints get additional muscle power from the time-honored technique of drawboring. This system has proven itself brawny enough to hold timber- frame houses and barns together for hundreds of years, so it certainly is more than adequate for a hard-working bench. Carefully lay out the peg hole locations along the centerline of each leg, then drill them with a brad-point bit chucked into your drill press.
Workin' on the Rails
Before you cut the tenons on the ends of the rails, double-check the width of the legs. I designed my tenons to protrude 3/16" beyond the legs. To ensure tenons of consistent length, clamp a stop block to the wooden extension on your miter gauge. Zero in on a perfect fit by cutting a test tenon in scrap lumber that is the exact thickness of your rails. Don't make the tenons so tight that you need to hammer them into the mortises. That would damage the hammered ends, and could split the legs. The rails have dadoes to seat the stretchers. Each top rail has one dado, and the bottom rails have two. After laying out the dado locations, cut them with the table saw. Mark the location of the bolt holes in the rails, carefully centering them in the dadoes you just cut.
Chamfer the Tenon Ends
I scratched my head for a while trying to figure out how to machine the chamfers on the ends of the tenons. Then I realized that I was confusing myself by thinking only of power tools. When I used my block plane, I had the chamfers done in a few minutes. Chamfering the short edges first will help prevent tearout. If you're a stickler for subtle points, note that the top edge of the top rail tenon is not chamfered. When chamfering the cheek edges, I worked from both ends toward the center. Sand the rails, then lay out the legs and rails in their assembled positions and mark them. I always take the time to do this when I'm working with mirror-image assemblies. It helps to prevent embarrassing mistakes. Join the rails and legs. Using a fine- toothed saw, cut off as much of the peg waste as you can. Then sand the end of the pegs flush with the surface of the legs. Cut the rounded corners off the holes square to the stock. Screw wood extension to miter gauge.
Even though this workbench is designed as a permanent fixture for my garage, I wanted to be able to take it apart in case I move to a new house. I settled on a nuts and bolts system for both strength and straightforward construction. At first, I was going to simply drill completely through the stretchers to create a home for the nut. But then I looked at the number of subtle design touches I had already built into the bench and decided to try something a bit more refined. To keep the nut concealed from the front of the bench, I chose to machine recesses into the back face of the stretchers. Lay out the hole centerpoints on the stretchers. To avoid breaking through the front surface of the stretchers when you drill, you will need to use a Forstner bit. Then grab a chisel and square one end of the recessed area. This provides a flat bearing surface for the lock nut and flat washer.
Drill Into Stretcher Ends
Now you can use the holes in the rails as guides for drilling into the ends of the stretchers. But to do this, you'll need to temporarily clamp the stretchers between the leg assemblies. Try to recruit an extra pair of hands to help you line up all of these parts. Clamp the leg assemblies to the stretchers, making sure to align the top edge of each stretcher with the top edge of the rails. I used pipe clamps to hold the assembly together for drilling. Chuck a 3/8" bit in a hand-held drill, and use the holes in the rails as guides to drill into the end grain of the stretchers. Unless you have a long bit, you'll need to disassemble the stretchers from the rails to complete the drilling. Drill all of the stretchers, then assemble the base with bolts, nuts, and washers.
On To the Shelf
To make the shelf, joint and edge-glue 2x stock to get the necessary width, then rip and crosscut the panel to its final size. Screw on two cleats to position the shelf and help keep it flat. The cleats and gravity hold the shelf in place. Clamp the stretchers to the leg assemblies and drill the bolt holes into the stretchers. Drill the holes as deep as you can, then disassemble the base and complete the holes. Drill holes 1-1/8" deep. Begin shaping the recesses for the nuts by drilling holes into the stretchers. |
