How to Build a Wall Workbench
- 1). Cut the pieces for the table's shelf and top frames and legs from 2-by-4 lumber. Cut: 4 at 48 inches long for top and shelf front and back; 4 ends at 21 inches long, 4 legs at 35 ¼ inches long. Cut your work top and shelf from ¾ inch plywood 2 at 24-by-48 inches. Mark the pieces with a quick square for clean ninety degree cuts and make the cuts with a circular saw.
- 2). Build a rectangle frame 24-by-48 inches. Lay two 48 inch 2-by-4s parallel 21 inches apart on edge. Set two 21-inch pieces perpendicular to the longer pieces and between them, and flush with the ends of the 48-inch pieces to form the ends of the rectangle. Attach the 2-by-4s by driving 3 inch treated deck screws through the face of the 48-inch pieces into the ends of the 21-inch pieces. Use 2 screws in each joint. Repeat this step to create a second rectangle with the remaining 48-inch and 21-inch pieces.
- 3). Set one rectangle on a flat sturdy surface. This will be the bench top. Use a C clamp to clamp one of the 36-inch legs in the corner of the frame so that the 3 ½-inch face is against the inside of one 21-inch side pieces and the 1 ½-inch face is against the inside of the 48-inch piece. Attach with at least 2 screws. Repeat placing one leg in each corner. The legs should extend above the frame. This is your workbench, upside down.
- 4). Leave the bench in the same position and measure from the open, or bottom, ends of the legs 12 inches and mark each leg. Set the second rectangle frame around the four legs and tap it down toward the table top until it passes the 12 inch marks on the legs. Turn the table over and set it down on its feet. Adjust the bottom rectangle until the bottom edge is even with the 12 inch mark on the legs and attach with screws.
- 5). Set one plywood top on top of the frame, flush it up on all four sides and screw it down with 1 5/8 inch treated deck screws.
- 6). Mark the second plywood piece 3 inches in from one corner along the long side. Mark 4 ½ inches in from the same corner along the short side. Use a square to mark a rectangle using these marks. Set the square along the long edge even with the mark 3 inches from the corner and make a line 4 ½ inches long from the edge toward the center of the plywood. Set the square along the short side even with the mark 4 ½ inches from the corner and mark a line from the mark to the end of the first line. Mark identical rectangles in all four corners of the plywood and cut them out using a jig saw. This is your lower shelf.
- 7). Set the plywood shelf piece you notched in step 6 on top of the bottom rectangle frame so that the notched corners fit around the legs. Screw the shelf down to the frame as for the bench top.