Don't Make a 2x4 Workbench

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[ScottWalshWoodworking]

Features 20 step-by-step pages, 3d renderings throughout, and a cutlist for the easiest build possible.

[kaptnkarl]

I have always used solid core doors for my bench tops. Very straight, very stable, and very cheap if you take your time finding bargains. My best score ever was getting ahold of several 10 ft long, 24 inch wide conference room doors that had no holes in them and they were more than 2 inches thick.

[gtr]

At 71, I've built a lot of work benches over the years, using different designs. One of the ones I like the most is using a solid core interior door, with a 1X3 oak perimeter for the top. You can use any type of replaceable top on that, smooth hardboard works well. I also like 4X4's for leg construction, and I've used different bracing, shelving, enclosure to hold it square. The more experience you get, the better the bench(s) seem to get. There is no wrong way, and don't be afraid to experiment!! Nice job on this one BTW!! 8) Peace --gary

[ccall]

In lieu of the roller that has to get tossed, use some kind of plastic card. It'll spread the glue even thinner, reduce waste from drips during clamping, and you can just wipe off or break off the wet or dried glue when you're done and reuse the plastic card.

[davidchristensen]

I appreciate the humor and reflections on what didn't work on past builds.

[vaeshethblade]

You can actually avoid cupping by installing your lumber with the grain facing the right direction. The assumption, looking at the board, is that it will cup "with the grain", but reality is the opposite of the appearance. The long grain will pull away from the short grain, so if your end looks like )))) the cupping will take place on the right side even though you would probably assume it would occur on the left. Install the bark-side of the board down, I noticed you had about half bark-down and half bark-up on both your old bench, which is why only half of it cupped so badly. When making glue-lams, you actually want to alternate grain )))((()))((( so they will naturally tug against one another and prevent warping.

[jeffeverde]

10:50 re: dents in your worktop - you can take pretty significant dents out of softwood with a damp cloth and an iron. If the damage is beyond what you can steam out, you can always route out a shallow recess and patch it (like a butterfly inlay)

[xaphon]

I am actually working on the ash workbench right now. Yes, I am a hermit, I have no social life, I hate money, and I love the smell of contact cement. My wife loves telling people I'm a woodworker and explaining to them that the reason we have almost no custom built furniture in the house is because I spend all my time making needlessly elaborate shop furniture that only I will ever use.

In any case, the build is coming along real well. I never worked with ash before, but now I want to use it all the time. It reminds me of oak in terms of appearance, but it's softer, lighter, and a lot easier to work with (and it's pretty cheap!). Probably the best species for shop projects in my opinion.

[SaintFredrocks]

I have been using 2x8s and 2x10s and milling them down for years. They tend to be a lot better than the 2x4s quality wise, and it ends up costing a lot less. Thanks for another great video.

[BariumCobaltNitrogn]

The half lap is a good joint, underrated. The full lap though holds a cat and a dog. I made my workbench out of the family dining room table, 8' mid-century modern mahogany with 2 leaves, seats 16. Made a coffee table out of the leaves, unscrewed the toothpick legs and screwed on 4 4x6 glue lams, cross bracing and a bottom shelf from a massive butcher block. It's only 3/4" but well made so it stays flat and doesn't budge at over 300 lbs. I get a lot of good ideas from you and others to stay busy, as a retired sparky.

[blaster-zyxx]

This is MUCH easier: we are not making furniture, we are making a workbench. Just use particle board for the working surface. It is flat, smooth, inexpensive, you can clamp to the edge easily. And after drilling into it a bunch of times or screwing into it to hold your work in place, you just mix glue and sawdust to patch it back up! Save the furniture making for furniture.

[bvburnes]

Thank you so much for posting this. I spent the past 12 months lost in a hellscape of over-engineering a workbench in sketchup that I would end up never building. You might have saved my workbench project from disaster

[lwj]

I used 2x8s also; but instead of ripping them in half, I ripped them to the depth of my vises (2-5/8, if memory serves), eliminating the need to carve a recess in the bottom of the top. Instead of using construction grade 2xs, I bought Southern Yellow Pine, a tad more expensive than SPF, but also better quality and more stable (or so it seems to me). Cheers from Virginia's southern border!

[Krunch]

Nice! I used 4-4x8 for the base and attached the 4x4 corner posts with 12” landscaping screws. 2x4 and 3/4 MDF make the top. No diagonal braces in the way of storage. Solid as a rock for 20 years and counting.

[jamesthomas]

Another option for the legs that I think is actually a lot less work is to use 3/4" plywood stacks. You can fairly easily incorporate half laps or tenons in the glue stacks. You can also do sturdy legs with just 3 layers formed in an L (staggered at the corner so no 45 degree cuts needed) and still use tenons for the cross pieces. I glued up end frames and left the long side span tenons without glue so I can knock it down if I ever need to move it out my workshop.

[skippylippy]

I have metamorphosed into a crusty old hermit who works with wood in my garage.
Love your work bench! 🥰
I enjoyed all the points you made in this video - Thank You. 👍

[horacesawyer]

Great video: Filming, production. Knowlege and commitment to your art. Dry humor just enriches the experience. Learned things too about wood itself. Inspiring. If only I had the time in life to try to build something like you do.
Wish I could hire you to make a nice bench. The work of a skilled, dedicated professional craftsman is worth paying for!

[iFixJunk]

That's a beautiful bench. I think it's adaptable to other types of work, as well. (Not just carpentry.)

It looks very strong and well-thought-out.

[anitab]

This guy is too funny! I’m not a woodworker and I found the dry humor highly entertaining

[RaethFennec]

You can't stop me, video title! See, this is why I installed alternating cross-braces under my surface, and put a high density particle board over it instead of gluing a bunch of boards together and sanding them down. Easy to fix, fill or replace. That workbench was a beast, had a built-in table saw, tons of storage for all my tools, a place for grips, and was so sturdy you could jump up and down on it without the slightest movement. Way bigger than I needed! But goodness did I enjoy it. It was just small enough I could drag it around by myself, one side at a time. I hope the people we sold the house to are making good use of it.