Build a Simple Bench

Step 1 - Make your Plans (or "Make your Time")

By the way, you can click on any of the photos in this guide and they will show in a new window in full size. You can also right click on the picture to "save link as..." in full size. The size I chose for my bench was 3' x 3' because I had a scrap sheet of plywood in my basement of that size. I chose to make the bench 34.25" high because that is the height of my table saw. Using Google SketchUp I've drawn each component separately as well as the fully assembled bench. There are many angles included with each part labelled corresponding to the component name (i.e. "A", or "C"). If it's difficult reading from the screen, you can download a printable version of the guide below in .pdf or OpenOffice.Org format.

To Modify the dimensions of your bench... - To make your bench longer add length to the "H" component (for a 3' x 4' sheet of plywood, add 12" to make "H" it a total of 44" long). - If you want to make it wider, add length to the "A" and "G" components in the same manner. - To make the higher or lower, add or subract the desired amount to the 17" measurements in components "C" and "D". - If you download Google SketchUp you can easily drag the edges to the lengths you need after you download my .skp (Google SketchUp) files below.

The idea I went with was to have 3 different types of edges to be used for various types of clamping to the table. So one edge is just plywood, two edges have the 2x4 lumber laid flat against the bottom of the table top, and one has the 2x4 lumber on its side against the bottom of the table top. The kiln dried "2x4s" that I bought turned out be very precisely 1.5" x 3.5" so I have assumed this in the plans below.

Components List: "A" (qty required: 1) "C" (qty required: 6) "D" (qty required: 2) "F" (qty required: 2) "G" (qty required: 3) "H" (qty required: 2) "TOP" (qty required: 1)

Components Diagrams:

/\ "A" (qty required: 1)

/\ "C" (qty required: 6)

/\ "D" (qty required: 2)

/\ "F" (qty required: 2)

/\ "G" (qty required: 3)

/\ "H" (qty required: 2)

/\ "TOP" (qty required: 1)

Fully assembled plans/diagrams:

Angle 1:

Angle 2:

Angle 3:

Angle 4:

Angle 5:

Angle 6:

Step 2 - Prepare your materials and tools

The tools you will need are: - A Handsaw - Chisels - Mallet (for use with chisels) - A Screwdriver - A Measuring Tape (and/or Ruler) - A Pencil (and Eraser!) - A Square - Safety Gloves and Glasses

The materials and hardware you will need are:

- A box of 100 1-3/4" screws

- A box of 100 2-1/2" screws

- A sheet of plywood (3' x 3' x 3/4" in my plans above)

- Qty 8 of 2" x 4" x 8' lumber (actually 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 8')

Note: These numbers for screws are approximate. My rule of thumb was to use lots of screws to make sure everything stayed together well. In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong by using too many screws... Also note: You should buy the good 2x4 lumber, kiln dried and all that. If you buy the cheap stuff it will warp and absorb moisture easily and be full of holes and knots, &c. I paid a little less than $3 (Canadian Dollars) for each 8' piece.

Step 3 - Cut your materials

Now that you have made all your plans, I recommend you mark out all the cuts you will have to make in your lumber. Follow the diagrams above to show where you will need to cut pieces out. Here is an example of a 3/4" x 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" (0.75" x 3.5" x 3.5") section that would be cut out of the end of component "A" or "C". As you can see, the cutting points are marked out with a pencil which can then be followed by your saw or chisels:

Note: You should use a square to measure and mark all of these lines, a few examples can be found at: Canadian Tire; Home Depot; or Home Hardware.

For cutting, I used the handsaw to cut all the small lines, and then a chisel and a mallet to pound the pieces out. This looks sloppy in the end but is faster than using a coping saw or the handsaw to cut all the pieces out. After the pieces were pounded out, I used the chisels to clean the cuts up (make sure your chisel(s) is(are) sharp). The next few pics show this process and in some of the pics you can actually see the markings for which compenent it is (i.e. "A" or "C", &c.):

Step 4 - Assemble your bench!

The assembly should be pretty easy as long as I've made the made the models easy enough to understand. If not, there are some pictures at the end of this section that show the bench fully assembled which should make it clear. I started by putting the "C" and "D" components together, then adding the "A" and "G" components, and then finally adding the "H"s. This completed the frame of the bench. Next I attached the "F"s to the top, and then placed the top on top of the frame and lined up the edge where the 2x4 is flat against the side (that is, I lined component "A" up with the edge of the plywood top). After that, I started screwing the top to the frame to the "A" and "G" components. The result was a very sturdy, easy, cheap bench!

Note: I actually had to use clamps to keep the "A" component flush with the edge, due to warping during assembly of the frame. Once you have "A" screwed to the top though, it will all stay in line.

The Result!

And that's it! The finished product was actually stirdier than I expected and it actually all came together pretty well. One thing I did add at the end was a woodworkers vise (here is the model I bought - I got it on sale for 55% off ($22 Canadian Dollars) from Canadian Tire and it works extremely well).

Downloads

Note: You may need to download a utility to be able to uncompress ( "unzip" ) the files below. I suggest 7-zip.