How to Make a Great Workbench

I have made several of these benches over the years, and it was always the first thing I made when moving into a new house. I like to be organized, and figured it didn't hurt to make it look attractive as well. Basic woodworking skills and the tools that that requires are necessary for a project like this, but is quite simple when taken one step at a time.

First, I did a drawing of what I wanted, and basically the workbench consists of the bench itself, 12ft by 24 inches. Three quarter inch plywood was used for the top and the backboard.

When laying out bench and backing, try to install on existing wall studs so that the ends of the plywood are even with the studs. Since a 12 foot dimension is used, and studs are 16 inches on center, this works well. Additional studs or supports can be added if needed.

When starting this work area in the garage, I didn't plan for proper electrical circuits, and lights.  However, with a few additional circuits added on, and some imaginative solutions, sufficient power and lights are now in place.

The more shelves, cupboards and tool holders one has, the better.  All the nooks and crannies adds up to lots of storage space, and makes it easy to organize, and find, needed tools, supplies, fasteners, etc.