How to Make an Easy DIY Workbench

I love creating practical things.  If it’s just “pretty” with no purpose, I really less inclined.  And last week, I heard about Triton Tools’ #MastersofWood competition.

So this is my entry which I thought would be really useful if you’re in the market for making one yourself, too.

It’s extremely sturdy, robust and has thankfully stopped me from cutting in my conservatory.  DIY can make a mess!

And I’ll let you in to, well, what’s now not a secret anymore.  This was my first ever attempt and it’s been incredibly encouraging, giving me such rewarding results.  So if I can do it, ANYONE can!

Here’s what I used:

• 7 x 2.4m lengths of C16 CLS 38mm x 63mm (I also had a spare 150mm length)
• Bacho 244 22″ Hardpoint Medium Handsaw:
• 1 sheet of B&Q 9mm OSB 3 Chipboard (mine was already cut in to 150mm x 29.5cm strips from a previous project
• GOLDSCREW WOODSCREWS DOUBLE SELF COUNTERSUNK 5 X 80MM 100 PACK:
• Black+Decker Drill Driver
  5.5 drill bit (sorry, I don’t know where it’s from)
• Tri square
• GOLDSCREW WOODSCREWS DOUBLE SELF COUNTERSUNK 4 X 40MM 200 PACK
• Rubber mallet
• 2 packs of Coach Bolt & Nut M6 x 100
• BLACK+DECKER Autoselect Pendulum Jigsaw with Blade, 550 W:
• 6mm drillbit from this but I DON’T RECOMMEND FOR METAL (which is what they’re meant to be for both)
• Long drill bit from this set
• Bosch Hammer Drill (for the long drill)

My Method

1. Cut the c16 pieces of wood in to the following:
   4 x 150cm lengths (for long sides of shelves)
   4 x 1m lengths for each leg (or shorter if you wish)
   10 x 59cm long noggins
   4 x 150cm x 29.5cm pieces of 9mm thick OSB3 chipboard (or 2 x 150cm 59m)
2. First, I laid out a rectangle from 2 x 150cm and 2 x 59cm pieces and screwed them in with 80mm screws.
3. Then I screw in the noggins 37.5cm apart (watch video below at 3:24), making it 3 noggins in between, working out at 5 noggins per shelf which includes the outer ones.
4. Then I screwed the chipboard on the top of the frame using 40mm screws and also in to the noggins.
5. Repeat the same method as above and turn upside down (chipboard being at the bottom) and held an offcut of the C16 directly in to one of the corners to draw around before creating a hole.  Note, I faced the longest flat side against the longest side of the shelf (at 5:08 of the video).
6. I unscrew the table top and carefully drilled holes in each corner of my pencilled rectangle to enable a me to get a jigsaw through and cut out my holes.  I did this for each corner and made sure the offcuts slotted through with ease.
7. Then I placed the chipboard back on the shelf, placed an offcut in each hole temporarily while screwing the chipboard back on top (and then removed the offcuts).
8. I returned back to the shelf with NO holes cut out (this was to be my table top) and turned upside down to screw in the carriage/coach bolts (see 4:19 of video).
9. And then I slotted the table legs through the 2nd shelf.  Placed it where I wanted it and attached with more coach/carriage bolts.

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