For two and a half years I’ve been using a square of plywood on the metal cabinet that used to hold my radial arm saw as a work bench. It was always frustrating trying to clear enough space to lay out a project, or cut a board with the miter saw.

I had been meaning to put a loft in my shed to move some of the boxes out of our house, stuff that we don’t use often but don’t want to get rid of. Initially I was planning on using 2×4’s, so I picked up 10 or so. After consulting with my father in law, I went with 12′ 2×6’s instead. (Always take the advice of engineers, particularly structural engineers.)

Rather than go through the hassle of returning the 2×4’s, I just left them leaning in the shed. There is always a use for 2×4s.

Sure enough, this month’s copy of Family Handyman came and there were plans for building a workbench. Hey! I’ve got 2×4’s, I’ve got some scrap sheets of plywood, why not?!?

The directions in the magazine were pretty darn easy, particularly the cut diagrams reducing waste. I didn’t build the top shelf because I already have peg board on my wall, but here is the finished project:

New Work Bench

The 2×4’s were on sale when I picked them up. 8′ 2×4’s were $1.40 or so, and I used 8.

The plywood was scavenged (with permission) from the in laws garage: free.

Family Handyman subscription: ~$14

Not a bad workbench for under $40, huh?

Peace,
Tony

*I would have linked directly to the Family Handyman website, but it is heavy with popups and bulky to navigate.