Last summer, after I’d moved my toolbox to the dealership, I needed a workspace in the garage. I found this design online and made a few changes to it, with a few mistakes.

A 2 foot by 4 foot workbench fit perfectly in the space I had, so all the materials I needed were six 8-foot 2x4s, a 2×4′ sheet of 1/2″ plywood, and a 2×4′ sheet of 1/4″ plywood. 8 foot boards fit perfectly in my car, going from the back of the trunk right up onto the dashboard by the windshield.

First I assembled the top of the bench, very simple with just two 4′ pieces of wood for the front and back, and four pieces going between, and everything screwed together.

Then I put together the shelf for the bottom, only 1′ deep, with half of the sheet of 1/4″ plywood. There are six legs, the ones in between are to support the lower shelf.

The biggest mistake I made was that the side of the lower shelf should’ve been 2 foot pieces, so they would reach the front legs and keep them strong. They don’t have any bracing otherwise.

To finish it off, I put the whole 2×4′ sheet of 1/2″ plywood on the top and screwed it down. It’s a really nice, sturdy workbench. I hadn’t done much building with wood before, so I’m looking forward to doing more projects like this.

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-Dan