Woodworking Weekend

Here are two examples of sturdy table or cabinet style stands.   I say cabinet style because it’s very easy to enclose these stands and either install drawers, doors, or both.

Friday evening I started out with the intent of building a workbench for my garage workshop. I had recently purchased a CD full of plans for shop tables etc. and decided to build this one because it was simple and suited my purpose as a utility table for use inside or out.

I had selected my stock for the table at Lowe’s and Home Depot taking only the straightest of 2″x6″s from the pallet. To my dismay many of the so called straight boards were still slightly twisted and bowed. Oh well, in this application a small twist or bow doesn’t make a huge difference but look for the best of the lot even if you end up with a big stack of boards in the floor at the store, it’s not that big a deal to put them back and it will save you a headache in the long run.

I did all of my main cut’s Friday evening so I could start bright and early Sat morning putting the bench together. You just have to decide how long you want it, how high, how wide. I took measurements of an area I thought I might use the bench in and designed it around that. I made mine 37 1/2″ Tall, by 29″ deep, by 8′ long. Yes, I used the full length of the 2″x6″ I didn’t cut the top ones at all.

Saturday morning I was ready to go; after a quick trip back to Lowe’s to pick up the 2 1/2″ drywall screws to hold it together. I always forget something. In this case I thought I had the screws already,reguardless, when you estimate how much something is going to cost or how long a project will take, always throw in what you think you already have and add another trip and add another day.

Having all the stock pre-cut and laid out was a big motivator for putting the bench together. I measured 5″ from the ground up and used a square to go 1 1/2″ into the 2″x6″ leg for the cross support cut-out. Then 5 1/2″ up to get the notch the exact size.

I drilled a 3/8″ hole to give my jigsaw some room to turn a corner and cut out the notches in short order.

Once cut all but one of the cross supports fit together perfectly after a little pounding. I had to use a chisel on one slot to make it go all the way flush. Note To Self: If you have one that does that, go ahead and fix it before you put it together, it will save you from taking it apart later to fix it. You might want to underline that.

Once you get to this point it pretty much puts itself together. Insert the cross members, screw, screw, screw! Attach the runners, and there you have it. I added a brace in the center that protruded 1 1/2″ from the back to support the backer board.

After my wife saw how sturdy the table was, we both agreed that we could use it out back. That added another couple of steps to the project. Mainly finishing. If one were to use this bench in the garage as a workbench it would be fine as it. However using the bench outdoors requires some protective efforts be made. Continued in next post.