Building a Sturdy Workbench with Cheap Wood 

My first woodworking project was a workbench. I used construction lumber from Home Depot that was terrible and all I had was a circular saw, impact driver and a square. If I had access to a workshop like this I would be in heaven.

Hey Brad! Just want to thank you for this video. I used this as a guide to build a craft table in my garage. I built a 6x5x3 foot table, and it's beautiful. I've never built anything that didn't already come pre-cut, with all of the necessary materials. I used 2x4s and then purchased 10 6ft pine slabs that are 1in wide and 1in thick for the top and lower table. I don't have all the fancy tools most of you guys have, so it took a bit longer than I anticipated. I used my clamps and glue to glue each piece together and then filled any holes with filler, and finally sanded it all. I dig the natural look, so I added a clear sealer to the top. It's not perfect, but it's damn good! Thanks again

One thing i`ve noticed in most build videos is that you gents always check for square or mention checking for square. I`ve never seen a video on what to do if that check reveals that, after all this work, things are not square. A video on what to do or how to fix these snafu`s might be a good idea for the beginners that are watching these videos. Cheers.

Great video. A suggestion, if you don't have a CNC machine to make the dog hole template, try using a piece of peg board and drill pilot holes before using the auger bit.

I built a bench with a similar top. We squared up the lumber and determined our order for the boards. We glued and screwed each board one at a time. That let us even everything as we went. My father has a 20” plainer so we made three sections and plained then smooth. Then we glued and clamped the three sections together. It was heavy as hell, but it is a sold, massive top. Oh, it’s made of hickory. You can hit it hard with a hammer and not make a dent. I love your bench- I’m in need of another

Understand that you'll lose about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch over the first few years as you reflatten the top. So the first years I'd check flatness before using it as a reference in glue ups. But after a few years the sap in softwood will fully polymerize and it'll become really stable. This from building dozens of thick workbenches out of pine of these over the years for school.

I clicked thinking "cool, $150, I wanna see how he accomplished this." The answer was with $8,000+ worth of tools in a decked out shop.

I really like when you show the mistakes. It's a great way to teach us not to repeat them! Thank you SO much!

So I made an armoire for my daughter and since I'm a single parent, decided to use the dining room table for an assembly bench. Nice and flat and expandable as well. Point well made..make sure you don't mix up the screw lengths! It was just the tips of the screws, but yes, I did attach the framework to the table. Lol.

I made an Workbench like that after watching the Video but I made one addition to it on one side of it I made another top that folds up and down with a Track for a Table Saw Square and a Mounting Plate for one of my Routers. Thanx for the Inspiration !!!

I'm a relatively new woodworker having done my first glueup. It was 3 sections of 2x3s with biscuits using TB3 for the extended open time and was hectic AF. I don't remember a single video showing how crazy glueups actually are. I'm so happy to see a professional actually showing that aspect. Loved the video and your personality, thanks, man.

I built a 5' English Knockdown workbench. Once that build was finished and oiled I added brackets to hold my roll of craft paper at one end. It paid for the time and trouble the first time I used the bench as I had paper down but spilled a finish can on the bench. Cleaned up nicely. And I later added a 2" X 6" horizontal on one side for better clamping purposes. When I can find my parts I have a vise to add to the side opposite the 2 X 6. But, I really like my bench - solid, sturdy, level!!

Cost of all the tools to build this project from "cheap" wood - $$$$, Time spent building this project from "cheap" wood - $$$$, revenue from building this project - $$$$, Value of building a bench exactly the way you want it - priceless!

I used Southern Yellow Pine for my Roubo workbench and it's awesome. It's strong, heavy, and yet not so hard that it will dent projects that I build on it. I also had a problem ripping my boards. They were pinching and shutting down my blade almost immediately with all of the movement I got from them squeezing the kerf together. I got a lot of crap from people who were yelling about me not using a riving knife and jamming a wedge into the ends like you did but the reality is that they were super heavy boards and my 1.5HP table saw was never going to be able to kick one of those monster boards back at me. I did finally get them ripped and they turned into an awesome workbench.

great job on the bench my friend! Cheers!

Hey Brad, thanks so much for giving us a realistic budget bench. Just wondering how it's holding up after 1 yr. Maybe a follow up video with how the construction lumber has done over time and anything you wish you would've done differently. Thanks man!

Nice shoes! I've worked in manufacturing for 20 years. Found Timberland safety shoes 18 years ago and have not changed since. Just keep buying a new pair of the same boot. By far the most comfortable

That bench is a beast! Great video, full of helpful advice, especially your hints on wood selection. I also appreciate you including your occasion goof-ups; it makes this newbie feel a little better. Thanks!

I work in a factory that manufactures wood. We mostly run 1-3/4" thick wood, but before I was hired they even made 3-1/2" thick wood which is astonishing. I had to cut a board back to 20' so it was 1-3/4"x18"x20'... that thing weighs about 200lbs... and I dropped it on my feet... but it's alright lol. I wear Timberlands steel toes which is good cause that definitely woulda hurt 🤣 18" wide ain't even the widest we go, we make up to 2' wide. I don't want to imagine how much those weigh at 20' or even 8'. We sell large bundles of boards used for building houses (nothing you could buy at your local wood shop, these bundles are 10s of thousands of $ each) and the heaviest one I've seen was an 18"x60'... weighs just over 7000lbs. Wonder how much a 24"x60' weighs? 11,000lbs?

So after watching your videos about shop cabinets, I decided to give your plans a try. Up to that point, I had built an outfeed table from plans I purchased from Mark over at the Wood Whisperer. I built the carcass twice as the first specimen wasn't as square as it should have been for the drawers, so on the second try, Viola", I have an outfeed table and a badly needed one at that. Thankfully I was able to repurpose most of the wood from the first try, so no harm, no foul. Now on to your plans: so far I've buit the drill press stand, the 15" five drawer cabinets which will go between two base cabinets, one with the door storage and the other that has the slide out tray and on the other side of my miter saw station will be the three drawer cabinets that I'm finishing up and will put the other 15" cabinet between the drawer cabinets. Your plans are easy to follow and are of sound design. These babies are going to outlast me but I got to enjoy building them. I did build the table saw storage cabinet but had to cut out one of the pull outs because of size considerations, but it sure comes in handy. I have a car and a third garage that I use for my shop, so space is at a premium and if I was able to upload pictures, I think you'd get a kick out of what I did for my dust collector and sheet and board storage. Anyhow, I just wanted you to know what a great job your doing for us and the way you put your plans together and the different measurements for drawer slide height and drawer height were just fantastic!! Thanks again for all you do and this retiree is happy to have found your channel!!

I enjoyed your video. I used the same materials for my bench top - 2 x 6 yellow pine ripped in half. I chose longer material because I wanted a 4' x 8' top. I don't have a surface planer, so I built the leg system first out of fir 4" x 4", then glued up the top one board at a time. To flatten it I used a router sled, followed by belt sander and orbital sander. Added a 10" wood vise at one end, a leg vise on one side, and a set of dog holes. The table was built exactly where it will stay because it is too heavy to move without four guys and a small crane. It is exactly the same height as my table saw and other surround benches along the walls. I attached the table saw to one end of the bench, so it serves not only as a work bench, but as an out-feed table for the saw. Drawers underneath and a few coats of oil, and it is a very serviceable (and inexpensive) addition to the shop.

The biggest pain for this build is making the table top perfect...especially using a relatively soft wood that will pick up damage very quickly. An alternative is to spend a bit more money to purchase solid wood butcher block countertops. Locally, I can get a 3' by 6' by 1.5" solid birch countertop for around $250. I think the birch would upgrade this table substantially over the long run, and it takes 1/2 of the work out of this build.

Built one like that 38 years ago. When I nuilt it I used scraps from a garage build in the areas longest piece was 30 inches, didn't have planer so everything done with hand plane. Still have it kinda relegated to a dirty workbench now. I've had a big block truck engine on it for rebuild and never even creaked. Good luck with yours.

Glad I'm not the only one that goes from too little glue to masses of it dripping everywhere...

I included a pull down storage cubbies for the hand planes I use daily. So when the door is closed the planes are almost upright in their individual slots and when I pull open and down the door they are at an angle. You can make the door so it lays flat and you would just a plane out horizontally. I used arms for a support like the type used in fold down desks, but you can use chain, or a piano hinge depending how you want the front to look like when closed. I did this around my bench except for one end which is occupied by my tablesaw. I found the containers used for a pull down cubby that stores sponges by the kitchen sink work well, but after a month I went with custom cubbies. One pulls down holding my bench dogs, another holds my layout tools and pencils, and one larger one holds my most used power tools. There are cut outs that accommodate each tools shape like the cordless drill has a hole large enough for the chuck end to sit into and the battery end rests against the inside of the door. My cordless circular saw has a slot for the blade to sit into. I have onboard charging for batteries since the bench is plugged into power and can be easily unplugged when I need to move it outside on sunny days. Then I use and extension cord to power the bench. It also has integrated dust collection, and an air compressor. The hose for the dust collection pulls out of the side of the bench to attach to which ever power tool I'm using and then recoils back into the bench. Same thing for the coiled air hose that sits around a pipe of the same diameter as the inner diameter of the hose when stored. The table saw is built in ( a Dewalt DW745- 10") with a large drawer under it for accessories and a slot to the left and right of the drawer for the two sleds I use with it. The drawer on one side has slots for the different blades for the saw. My only regret with this saw is that I can't use a dado stack on it. At the mitersaw & radial arm saw station, I have a dado stack on the RAS at all times for very quick dados when making cabinets, book shelves, anything that I need a dado in. I primarily use half inch, but everything I need related to dados is right at the mitersaw for quick change out. Sorry to ramble. Take your time deciding what you want under the bench. I had a good idea when building it because I took my time to think of new ideas to incorporate into it. And it didn't all come at once. In the end there are drawers, and a sound proof cabinet for the shop vac and compressor along with the fold down cubbies and a tablesaw.

Hey Man, Just built this bench following your plans! Went very smoothly(except for all my blunders), and it's a solid bench! Love it and things for sharing this build with us. Also just wanted to say this is a great channel with some great builds and plans. Even we weekend warriors can tackle and be successful. Thank you!

Just have to say I love love love how you integrated your mitre saw into your cabinetry. *chef's kiss*

I have found it you sprinkle a little table salt on the glue to stop your boards from slipping when gluing up. Thanks for sharing.

Hey Brad! @ ~11:25 you mention that the glue made the glue-up slippery. Just sprinkle a little salt on the glue, and you have built-in tackiness that resolves every bit of the slippage. And in case you don't see this, maybe some of your viewers will, and it can help them with all sorts of glue projects. Hey again. $10 for the plans is cheap when I compare what I've seen from other RU-vid Creators. Thank You. As soon as I retire, I'm going to build something. For now, I'm getting along fine with 2 build tables similar to your old one (but frankly, not as nice). I don't have near the equipment you have, and spend less than an hour a week on wood projects, and most of them are fixing things, or designing replacement wood handles for my wife. So, the need isn't huge yet... Thank you for this video, and you've won a new subscriber.

So happy you finally helped yourself out by building a bigger workbench. It looks awesome!

First, I really enjoy your videos. I started this wood working hobby, a few years before retirement.... just needed something to do. So, I am still "green." One of the 1st things I did when I moved to a larger garage in 2019, was a work bench. I watch a lot of "How to do" and came up with my own. I used eleven 4" x 4" wooden posts. I glue them together. I probably should have glue a few at a time instead of all of them at once. At the time I did not know the difference of a jointer vs a planner. I did not know wood in the store that looked straight would bow when it got home. I can tell you some more things, but I don't want to bore you. I got it together it is about 7' x 36" and 41" from the floor.... I'm 6'2" and it on 3" caster wheels. There are a lot of things I could have done better. Like my top is not exactly even. I was going to send you a picture but I'm not sure how to do that. Dog holes seem like a good ideal.

Hey Brad, hope you didn't get too sick with Covid and you are back feeling better. I really enjoy your video's and I wanted to thank you for showing the portable drill press today. I was actually just looking at one for a project I will be working on but wasn't sure how well it would work. Looks like it worked well so I will place my order. Thanks again for your videos and take care!

For workbenches and tabletops I like to use 2x4's on edge, held together with all-thread rods spaced every foot or so, instead of being glued up. Countersink washers and hex nuts, and keep retightening as the wood seasons. You wind up with an affordable, rock-solid top, that can be planed smooth or covered with plywood, Masonite, etc.

I'm a carpenter and its good that you show your mistakes or items that you come across with the differences in a natural product.

For the dog holes, plunge router and 20mm cutter is the best here to get accurate results and a clean finish. Also chamfer the top of the holes for quick registering of clamps

Very nice!...I love the look of your shop, tool are all in place and area is very clean, it's hard to keep like this when your working with wood.

I like having drawers on lower cabinets and work benches. I think its much more convenient pulling a drawer out versus getting down on the floor to reach to the back of a cabinet. With that said youo could also put drawers (20 inches or so) on one side and shallow shelves ( 6 - 8 inches) on the other side. Great video, Brad. keep up the good work.

I love it when creators leave their mistakes in videos. Makes me feel better when I make them.

Bravo! You're the only woodworker I've seen that keeps the guard on the table saw.

Ah so that's what it's called: yellow pine! I have several hundred pounds of these lumber at home that I got from a project at our airport and I didn't know what kind of wood they were. I have already built a workbench using several construction yellow pine 2x4s and indeed several were wonky. I am still learning woodworking so videos like yours have been instrumental in my growth.

I always enjoy watching. Your videography, fun nerdy jokes, and knowing when to speed up work and when to explain are right up my alley! :)

A video accomplishing the same end result without the need for thousands of dollars of tools would be pretty cool.

There is white pine, Douglas fir and southern yellow pine. There are four types they use for SYP. Long story short the stuff with a pink hue is probably Douglas fir. The stuff you are using for your table is SYP. Looking forward to this video.

Brad, I have watched countless videos from many different contractors/builders (depending on what I was doing from door hanging, painting, cabinet making, etc etc etc) YOU are my number one favorite! You do GREAT work, give GREAT details and perspective and options and are FUN to watch! I will follow you for the rest of my existence!

I love these videos that say you can build X for peanuts, then they use about $10K worth of sophisticated power tools to do it. That said, I couldn't stop watching, it was fascinating.

I made a sliding drawer/shelf for all my Nail Guns and Nailing Supplies under my work table. It works awesome and keeps my nail guns handy as I need them.

Get plans to build your workbench! fixthisbuildthat.com/sturdy2x4workbenchplans Storage Video Now Live! Sturdy Workbench Storage Upgrades - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BfYrJuhdADw.html

I've always wondered why work benches with dog holes in them don't have a shallow (1/2" deep) pull out tray just under the work surface. That way, when you inevitably drop something down the hole, you can retrieve it easily. It would also catch sawdust and keep things stored under the bench cleaner. By the way, nice looking, inexpensive bench! Can't wait to see your storage solutions!

I like that you don't try to ignore gluing is a mess. First one to say it out loud :) Very good video, thanks.

That card trick at 12:36 for cutting off the dowels is so obvious, but yet so genius. How have I not thought of that! You didn’t even mention it, but that is a fantastic tip.

love this one. for storage, i would french cleat between the side legs on both sides so you can have some easy modular storage adapted to the work you are currently doing on the work bench

Cool now I need to buy all those expensive wood tools and learn what they do and how to use them 😅

I'm moving up there in years, so I thought of my back and knees when you wondered about future under-bench storage options: I would opt for some pull-out-pop-up shelves that keep you from stooping over or kneeling down to get to things stored under there. Nice video.

Fantastic work, Brad! Amazing looking bench indeed! 😃 About the lower part, whatever you do leave around 2 inches free under the top... This way you can get anything that falls there and you're going to have a small space to store little jigs... And there are lots of them you can make! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Great vid Brad. I am in the process of building this myself. A suggestion that I discovered for the bench top mount holes on the apron stretchers...(someone else might have done this, I haven't searched comments). I used my Kreg pocket hole drill bit to make those mount holes. Just chucked it into the drill press, marked it for depth stop and drilled first part. Swapped bits, flipped apron and finished other side.

Awesome build! Can’t wait to see your storage solutions for underneath. Great job!

glad to see someone actually make something again!! Thanks Brad

Awesome workbench but I’m totally freaking out about how cool your custom made “Fix This Build That” sign came out! You absolutely should cover just the making of that type of signage in a ‘how to’ video. What I’m wondering the most about that sign is: ‘how’d you get the logo and lettering to pop out so crisp and sharp? The brief flash of the wood just off the CNC didn’t look super crisp but perhaps that clip was of a test run and not the one you poured resin in? Anyway, I’d love to learn more! Great Channel!

I made a table similar to this a few years back and gluing it was also a pain. I used a 100 year old Stanley bench plane to make it flat and I still have it to this day.

Love this build! You glanced over attaching the top to the base a bit. Just wondering how did you attach the top? Dowel pins? Bolts? Thank you!

the bench looks great!

Love the video, and the design. I do have a question though, it looked like in the video you attached the top to the frame by screwing the frame on from underneath. Wouldn't this approach cause issues with the wood expansion / contraction? Love people's thoughts.

Hey man, tnx for the video, I did build this table, but I used concrete with reinforcement, I didnt need the surface holes. It turned out very sturdy and cheap. Ty once again.

This is a great video on how to build the work table, and i'll def bookmark this for next Spring. but I do really enjoy that you don't hide your mistakes in editing and that you embrace them. Thank you!

Solid build! One day I hope to be as proficient as you seem to be with work working. Very nice craft, sir!

This is a serious workbench, and looks absolutely beautiful!! Well done, as always! 👍

Awesome bench … awesome video … and a great sense of humour … 🙏🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Nice video! Maybe I missed it. But, I was looking forward to seeing how you connected the top to the base. Can you explain how you did that part?

Love this build, combining the 2x4's to make the legs is brilliant, and lends to a strong and warp resistant solution. Out of all the video's I've seen, I'm going with this solution, thanks Brad, you have an awesome channel.

Your build looks great. As someone noted in an earlier post, the pink colored wood is Douglas fir. If it's caramel brown, that would be Hemlock pine. My main workbench is built from Douglas Fir. Douglas Fir is used for the parts of a house build that have to be extra tough - floor stringers, roof rafters, stair steps come to mind. My bench is quite sturdy.

Thanks for sharing, I’m currently an apprentice in finish carpentry, but I’m also learning on my own woodworking. These type of videos help a lot.

Very entertaining. 😀 $150 in materials but $10000 in tools😏

Thanks for your point about dog holes. I was just getting ready to put a bunch but I’m gonna limit it to just a few now, on one side. Thanks. I can always add more later.

Just for info, the “white” studs are usually spruce, and the “pink” are standard Fir. The pinkish ones are actually the strongest, but kinda more splintter-y.

Excellent video! That simple trick with the playing card on the flush cuts is maybe the best thing I've seen on woodworking RU-vid in a long while! Thanks!!

very nice work! I just did something similar, and used sanded 23/32" plywood for the top.

I really liked your playing card trick that you used when flush cutting the dowells in the legs/supports! that's a neat trick that keeps the wood underneath from getting marred unintentionally.

What an awesome new workbench! Have you considered retractable heavy duty casters that you can enable with a step pedal? Just thinking if you want to move the beast for any reason. Then retract them for a solid base again. Just an idea. Really enjoy your videos!

I used to work in a lumber yard and we stocked all 2x lumber in up to 20 foot lengths and could order lengths up to 32 foot.

lets create a cheap 150 dollar workbench you can create at home mean while him creating it with 23 thousand dollar workshop

The shim trick with the rip cut is key. I have a tendency to do this every time and what I did was I created a T shim so it sits right no top and I just push it down. It's basically a hair wider than the knife I've had too many kickbacks to want to see another one. How many? Just one. That's all you need just one piece of wood shooting at your face at 50mph. I think anyone who wants to use a tablesaw should watch a safety video on it and rewatch it if you step away for more than a month or two. For the glue up, I'm a fan of what you did. a 13" planer (why 13", why can't they be 16", Dewalt I'm looking at you!) and run them through. Great way to get them where you want for the final form.

$150 ? I dread to think how much that quantity of timber would cost in the UK. A sheet of 3/4 birch ply is now £150!

I have a 22” planer and my wife wanted me to make a coffee table out of a round from an old tree that we had taken down last year. I picked out a really nice section that had some really pretty knots and growth to it. It’s been curing with linseed oil for about 9 months now. I measured it all up getting ready to put it through my planer and the damn thing is 24” at its widest section so now I gotta plane the whole thing with my cordless planer.

Great name plate addition! I need you to make one improvement to that name plate - - - Reinstall it flush mounted and just use dowels in place of those four screws to hold it in place and cover the metal screw holes.

Nice! After having watched 3 different workbench build videos yours it the most straight forward and easiest to follow. I can see room to add a cabinet with drawers or doors under the top and off the floor. I can also see adding wheels for easy movement.

Congrats on having plans available for us. I am planning on buying the whole bundle. Hope you continue to upload plans

For these large glue ups, I’d use one of the urethane glues. It has a long open time, and if you get it clamped correctly is stronger than the wood.

Love that you are keeping the reminder holes...

Wow, when I had COVID. I didn't want to do anything. That is some high energy. Also glad to see that you are human with the bloopers. Makes me feel better about when I screw something up.

Gosh, never thought of that before. You really are a genius problem solver!!

If you were just starting out and didn't have a variety of clamps, drill some holes through all the boards and counter sink the outer boards, then run run some all thread thru them and with a washer and bolt on either end. It will tighten it all up and make it look really cool...

Liked your bench idea so much I grabbed a set of your plans! very pleased man! right down to the drill guide and owl bit! building cabinet carcass and drawers under it now and tool storage on the opposite side underneath. also either adding a leg vise or a Moxon Vise. Thanks again Brad!

Easy to read plans. Made some minor changes to accept wheels. Will build another using the same idea but a little longer and with an oak top and vice.

I really like your work station, specially the cutting station, the saw is on the centre and also good for long and short board.

Carpentry has always intrigued me. Watching you and learning this is awesome.

ive watched alot of videos and this is the best video in my case i will try to make something like this.

Heat video and a super new bench. I am in the middle of a new build where the top will be 38 x 72. I have the nd now that is 90 X 30 and like you said, you can’t clamp things crossways and your it’s way too long. This afternoon nd will have a laminated top because it will mst be used for layout and assembly. The glue should clean off easily. I also have bench I made 25 years ago where the top is oak from my father’s farm and the legs are made out of hickory. It’s 24 X 80 and works great. When building that bench I payed it out, clamped it together for a dry fit I then drilled three holes cross ways and threaded ready rods with large washers as a clamps. I then glued 3-43/4 inch boards on at a time and while they dried I drilled and doweled 1 inch dowels through that days boards and through some of the previous days board. She it was done I used Winding Boards to hand plane it flats it’s a great bench that I plan to hand Dow to my grandson.

I used 4x4 for the legs and Timber Lock screws with 2x6 stretchers and 3 inch GSR screws. My difficulties were associated with not having a flat surface wo work on.

That's an awesome and sturdy workbench. Looks very heavy. As we all say, "that ain't going nowhere" lol. As far as the bottom, I would build a cabinet insert that would take up the entire opening. Kind of like a wooden tool chest. You can't ever have enough storage.

great job. few tricks I wish I had known. I put drawers in mine that pull completely out from both sides so that I have access to them no matter which side I'm on.