Garage Workbench 2

When we first moved into our house, I had far fewer tools and much less woodworking experience when I made a workbench. There is a bootstrapping problem here in that you need workbench to make things, but a workbench is one of the things you need to make. (Yes, you can buy workbenches, but they are either cheaply made or exorbitantly expensive.)

I found plans for a workbench that I liked due to how substantial and heavy it was, plus it was made out of ordinary (cheap) construction lumber. I was not happy with the end result as far as the fit and finish of it, but it served itself well enough for decades. See the Garage Workbench Page for more details.

Over the years, I needed a solution for storing raw wood. I used some rack made from pipes, which worked fine, but was not ideal. I also have needed more and work table space for my accumulated bench-top tools. Given the strength and design of the workbench, I started to realize that I could store all that lumber underneath and have working space on top. But I already used that for storage, so another identical bench would solve the two problems of storage and extra bench-top space. It would also give me a chance to redeem myself and built the bench more properly (no uneven top this time).

I modified a few things from the original design:

• I made the top slightly longer.
• More overhang of top over the frame to allow putting a vice on either end.
• Did not add the sunken tool storage area on the top.
• Used MDF for the bottom shelf.

Otherwise, this was identical to the original bench I made.