The small workbench that I have has always been very useful, but I find that I need a more stable workbench with a larger work surface. As the sliding side fence of my homemade multifunction work table is very easy to remove, I was using that work table for some works. But now I finally made a new work table, and to make it I decided on a very simple way to make a sturdy structure. So let’s see how to make a DIY work table step by step.
In this first video we see how to make this work table. At the end of this post there is a video showing how to cut the pieces I need to build it.
How to assemble the workbench parts
The first steps were to make the plans, for which I had to decide what size I wanted for the table. And then I cut the wood strips. You can see in the picture the measurements and a simple plan to make the work table, although below you can see that after some time using it as a workbench I decided to lower its height.
After tracing, with the help of the measuring tape, different measurements on a board, taking into account the measurements of the old boards I had in the workshop and the measurements of the wood strips that I will use (I wanted the remains of each wood strip to still serve me for a couple of small projects), I decided on a work surface of 70cm by 110cm.
And as I wanted the worktable to be a little high so I can work more comfortably, I decided to cut the legs of 90cm high (but the truth is that after using it for some time now I want to lower the table a little, as it is a little high to me. You can watch it at the end of this post).
The cut pieces are assembled to form the structure of the work table by joining them just with glue and screws. Yes, there is no need to make complicated woodworking joints. The tricky part is to get everything squared, so I think it is a very good idea to make a simple assembly template that will help to hold the pieces of the short sides in their precise position while I glue and screw them. You can see in the pictures that the template is not something much complicated, just a few small blocks of wood nailed around the legs, as can also be seen in the second video.
Once the short sides are ready, with the glue already dry, it is time to continue this workbench build. With the help of a pair of woodworking clamps and a square it is easy to assemble the rest of the structure of this work table. It is advisable to take this task calmly checking with the square as many times as necessary to make a structure as perfect as possible. And just in case you have any doubts, woodworking glue is indispensable to make the work table rigid and stable. The screws alone are not enough.
For the bottom and for the top I decided to use an old plywood board and an old particle board that I had in the workshop. The 14mm plywood board for the bottom shelf and the 18mm particle board for the top of the work table. I mark the lower board directly by placing the table face down on the plywood board and marking its dimensions and the four cuttings needed to accommodate the legs. I cut it with the circular saw guided with a long wood strip as a side fence, and with the jigsaw I cut the corners for the legs.
I cut the top board so that it protrudes a little on all sides all around the work table structure. I screw it directly from the top and with a flush trim router bit I have to route all around the table structure to make the top board perfectly flush with the aprons of the table. Now I only have to sand and clean the DIY work table. And start using it.
How to cut the wood pieces for the workbench build
Below we can watch the video on how to cut the pieces to make this workbench. As we can see, there are only a few cuts that we can make with the circular saw and the crosscut jig to make the 90 degree cuts.
I lower the height of the workbench
And after four years of use I finally decided to lower the height of this workbench. This workbench was a bit too high for me and was not comfortable when working on my woodworking projects. The result is that most times I work on my DIY combination machine.
In the following video we can see how to cut the legs with the help of my simple circular saw jig to cut at 90 degrees.
Some of you ask me why the work of cutting the wooden legs in the center, and not disassemble the lower shelf and cut the legs at the bottom, but as you can see in this post, all the aprons and stretchers of this workbench are glued. But hey, with a couple of tricks I was able to do a good job safely avoiding the kickback of the circular saw. I managed to cut exactly the same length on all the legs, joined both parts of the work table with wooden dowels and glue, and after that once again I have a super stable workbench that now has a proper height for me.
