A workbench is an essential piece of equipment for any serious DIYer. It provides a level surface to work on and can be used for a variety of tasks such as sawing, sanding and drilling. A workbench can also be used to store tools and materials, making it a very versatile piece of equipment.
This is a perfect project for DIYers who don’t have the luxury of a spacious workshop. having used his kitchen table for various projects, this DIYer decided he needed a dedicated work area.
He decided to use the wall space in his garage as a workbench. The problem is that the garage doesn’t have extra space when the vehicles are inside.
The solution is a folding mechanism. This gives you a workbench that can be folded away when not in use. It also serves as space-saving storage for tools that you can conveniently access while working on your projects.
As you can see from the material list, building a bench like this won’t cost you a fortune. All of the needed materials are easily found in your local hardware store. The project only requires basic woodworking tools and skills to accomplish the project.
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Materials:
- 2’x4′ 2 EA Pegboard
- 1x3x8′ 3 EA Cedar
- 1x4x12′ 1 EA Pine
- 2x4x8′ 3 EA Pine Stud
- 1 piece 4’x8′ sheet Particle Board (or any other surface desired for the workbench)
- 3″ 3 EA Core Butcher Paper Roll (or 2×4’s or metal fence posts)
- 7 pieces 3” Door Hinges
- 2 pieces 2″ Hooks
- 4-6″ Small Chain
- 50ct 3″ Wood Screws
- 100ct 1-1/2″ Wood Screws
- 100ct 1″ Wood Screws
- 50ct 1/2″ Wood Screws
Tools:
- Drill (with Phillips head & various size drill bits for pre-drilling holes)
- Circular Saw
- Tape measure
- Sander
- Stud Finder
- Clamps
- Level
- Saw Horse (or any temporary work surface)
Cuts:
- Particle Board – ripped @ 23″1x3x8′
- Cedar: 4 pieces 44-1/4″; 3 pieces 23″
- 1x4x12′ Pine: 6 equal pieces
- 2x4x8′ Pine Studs: 2 pieces 20″; leave the other 2 studs full length
Steps to make this DIY workbench:
Layout the 1×3 Cedar trim on the side of the particleboard that is exposed when the workbench is closed. As shown in the photo below, there are 3 vertical slats, 2 bottom, and 2 top horizontal pieces. Pre-drill your Cedar pieces before screwing them down the particle board – prevents wood from splitting, and easier to drill down the screws.
Flip the work desk over and attach one 2×4 to the edge that will attach to the wall. Secure the stud with 3″ screws from the trim side into the stud. Then attach 6 pieces of 2×2 corner braces on the other side with 1/2″ screws.
The next step is to mount the pegboard. Using the stud finder mark the studs and the desired workbench height on the wall. Also, mark the alignment of the bottom of the 1×4 Pine slats at around 4-5″ above your workbench height. It is important that these are aligned – the top of the slats don’t matter. Attach the 1×4 Pine slats, with the studs on the center of course. 🙂
Place your work desk on two sawhorses or any support that could hold the work desk for you. It is best if these supports places the work desk at your desired height.
Mark the hinges respective to the Pine slats that mount your pegboard, and also on the 2×4 backboard attached to your work desk.
NOTE: Secure the hinges on the workbench first before attaching it to the pegboard.
Double-check your work; see if the hinges are installed properly and that there aren’t any issues with opening and closing the work desk. Then, in this particular example, the cores used came with plastic plugs that go into the end. These plugs are installed on the trim side of the work desk, as shown in the photo below. But your table leg installation would depend on the material you plan to use. 🙂
Attach the frames around the pegboard. Use 2×2 corner braces to hold the frames by attaching them to the pegboard support slats. And that’s it!
If the sides are too unsteady for you, you can glue a wood piece to the frame (NOT the wall).
For storage of the table legs, position some nails halfway on the top frame to hold the legs.
And you are done! 🙂
Thanks to WorkBoots09 for this idea!
