After looking at the various workbench offerings at Sears, Home Depot, and Lowes, I decided to go DIY. I knew I could make a better, more modular workbench myself by reusing parts of my existing setup and buying off the shelf components from the hardware store. I inherited my old workshop from the previous owner of my house and he built it out of old laminate closet storage units and three bathroom vanities. It was bulky, inefficient and crowded and I wanted smarter storage and a more open workspace.
The old workbench was sturdy and sized well, so I decided to keep the guts of it and just pull off all of the front trim panels, doors, and drawers from the vanities. I also took down all of the laminated shelving that was above the work bench. I always hated the way the shelves stuck out too far from the wall (24") and hovered too closely over the work surface. After I gutted the old setup, I started building the new one with an eye towards adaptability and future customization.
For tool storage, I knew I wanted pegboard and a small toolchest with drawers. I bought eight 16"x16" interlocking plastic pegboard panels and peghook assortment sets from Home Depot. Although they were the costliest part of this project ($48), the plastic pegboard was a lot more durable than a sheet of 1/4" pegboard and I knew they'd be a better long term solution. I mounted them directly onto the studs and they are very sturdy. I got a lucky break on the tool chest, my coworker had a brand new Craftsman 4-Drawer Rally Box that he gave me for free! I found a roll of Kobalt anti-corrosion drawer liner on sale at Lowes and cut pieces to fit for each drawer.
I lucked out on the power strip as well. I rescued a completey functional four foot 15A strip from a pile of electronics that were destined for the recycling center. I fastened it to the wall underneath the pegboard, right above my benchtop. Now I have plenty of outlets to plug in power tools, recharge my cordless drill and power the bench work light.
To store power tools, parts and other hardware, I opted for lots of shelves and storage bins in various sizes. I bought a bunch of Stanley Tools storage bins (sizes #2, 4, and 5) to put stuff in, and a four foot wide Closetmaid Maximum Load wire shelf to mount over the pegboard. The shelf is great for storing large boxes and also serves as a place to hang a 24" fluorescent light fixture.
I bought a 4x8 sheet of 5/8" particle board and had Lowes cut it into pieces for me so I could make shelves, then I arranged the shelves to best fit my tools and put everything that I could into the #4 and #5 storage bins. I had a few other unused bins and a milk crate on hand so I fit them in there as well.
I wanted to store tiny parts in small pick bins and have those bins easy to reach, but I didn't have the wall space to make that happen. To work around that, I took one of the new shelves and reused a set of the drawer slides to make a slide out shelf. I screwed 10 stanley #2 pick bins into the shelf so they'd stay put when I slide the drawer in and out. It works well--I have plenty of drawer slides left so I might make another one of these in the future, should I need it.
I bought a 4x8 sheet of 5/8" particle board and had Lowes cut it into pieces for me so I could make shelves, then I arranged the shelves to best fit my tools and put everything that I could into the #4 and #5 storage bins. I had a few other unused bins and a milk crate on hand so I fit them in there as well.
I wanted to store tiny parts in small pick bins and have those bins easy to reach, but I didn't have the wall space to make that happen. To work around that, I took one of the new shelves and reused a set of the drawer slides to make a slide out shelf. I screwed 10 stanley #2 pick bins into the shelf so they'd stay put when I slide the drawer in and out. It works well--I have plenty of drawer slides left so I might make another one of these in the future, should I need it.
I'm really happy with the way this project worked out. It was fun to plan and build it and it only cost me about $200 to get exactly the kind of workbench I wanted.
The workbench mainly consists of four legs and four stretchers held together with eight identical joints. The joints are easy to cut yet forgiving because they are fastened with common hex-head bolts available at any hardware store. The joint, equally effective in hardwood or cheap construction-grade lumber, is also perfect for many types of knockdown furniture. It's even solid enough for permanent installations, such as a built-in work counter. The first step in building the frame is to decide the dimensions of the top. This decision should be based on the bench's intended use (a carving bench should have a narrower top than a cabinetmaker's assembly bench) and on the shop space you have available. The bench I built has a 42-in.-wide by 72-in.-long top, good for general woodworking tasks. From these dimensions, I calculated the size of the frame and the length of the stretchers, You can determine the length of each pair of stretchers by subtracting twice the thickness of a leg plus the amount the top will overhang at each end from the length and width of the benchtop. When deciding on the amount of overhang, keep in mind that it's a good idea to leave plenty of room on all sides, for mounting vises and for clamping things to the top. For example, I chose a 7-in. overhang and used 3-in.-thick by 3-in.-wide legs, so my end stretchers were 22 in. long and the side stretchers were 52 in. long. I made my stretchers from 2x6 stock.
Making the stretcher joints[b1] The function of a stretcher is to prevent the frame from racking and the bench from rocking, so it's imperative that each stretcher connection be rock solid. A joint held together with a single bolt focuses pressure at the center of the joint, which doesn't adequately prevent the joint from racking. Two bolts are better because they pull the stretcher against the leg closer to the edges, thus keeping the joint square. But you need to buy twice as much hardware, plus it takes twice as long to knock down or assemble the bench. After trying several variations of the bolted stretcher joint, I finally came up with the version shown in the drawing. A single bolt is used for each joint, and an arched relief area is cut out on each end of the stretcher. As the joint is tightened, pressure is focused at the outer edges (like a two-bolt joint), effectively locking the stretcher square to the leg and preventing racking.