Building a Workbench With a Door
July 28, 2017
The first thing I did was remove the doorknob and hinges. The doorknob had hidden screws and I’d never removed one like that before. I had to go watch a youtube video to figure out how to get it off. But it was an easy job once I knew what to do. The hinges came off easy. That was a pretty straight forward job, just remove the screws and pull off the hinges. This prepared the door for being the workbench top as well as gave me a temporary surface to work on.
Next I pre-drilled some pilot holes in one end of the 2x4 legs and started the screws. Then I Putting the workbench leg components together.lined up the center two by four and screwed the two by four legs onto the center 2x4. I cut the legs to 38 inches which was the height of our kitchen counters which are a good height and I like. However, I didn’t take into account what I would be using on this bench. A router table and bench top drill press. The drill press is alright, but the router table is a bit high. Still usable but I will have to figure something else out eventually. I wish I had made the height of the bench about 6 inches shorter though.
I made three of these leg components for the workbench. And this leads to the next step which is adding the two by four brace across the top of the legs. First I drilled pilot holes in the top of the leg components and started the screws. Next I clamped the brace in place on the inside of the legs and began running in the screws. Constantly checking to make sure everything was flush until everything was tight and in place.
I added some braces about halfway down the legs on each end. I made these braces out ofAdding side braces to the workbench. some scrap 1x 6 that I had. Eventually, if needed I can add one to the center set of legs and lay a piece of plywood or boards across them to make a shelf. But for the time being, my shop vac and cyclone dust collection fits under there near perfectly and keeps them out from under foot and taking up valuable space on the shop floor.
All that’s left is to lay the door across the top and the biggest part of Placing the workbench top.building a workbench for my shop is done. I will have to come back and do some tweeking. The door slides a little, so I’m going to have to make some braces to hold it in place. I don’t want to damage the door too much so I’ll have to make these braces with that in mind. Another regret on this build is I didn’t build the workbench base so that the legs would be flush with the door top. If I had I could have just cut some 1x2 boards to length and screwed them into the 2x4 legs with the end extending to be flush with the top of the bench. As it turns out I’ll have to notch out some pieces of two by four.
However these braces will be a project and article for a little later on. If you decide to do this, I do suggest you run another two by four brace across the back. Also remember to measure for what you need and not use any of the measurements I mentioned as your needs are likely different than mine. If you haven’t already, please check out my YouTube channel. I usually release my project videos there before they ever make it to this website so please subscribe while you’re there. Have a lovely day; Get out there and do some woodworking; have a great night and a happy life because life is short and it’s meant to be enjoyed. Peace!!
Redneck Know How Blog
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My wonderful experience with Starbond Super glue is explained in this blog post. The absolute best CA glue I've used.
An option for dealing with nail holes and voids in a table top made with pallet wood.