Building a workbench for the garage. I've built one before, and built a rolling cart last year. Neither were any big deal but decided to go a slightly different route this time and use bolts rather than screws. That way, I would take it apart if necessary, and I figured it might be just a little stronger. However, ...

1. I don't know if bolts are necessarily stronger than screws. They might be, but after I (finally) bolted things up and then took them off and put screws in (see below), I don't think the bolts are worth the trouble.

2. Having a miter saw isn't, by itself, the pathway to straight cuts and equal board lengths. The miter saw itself is better than using a circular saw but if you don't have a good fence and guide, you won't necessarily make good cuts. Oh, and the blade that comes with the saw is crap. I knew that, but thought I'd try it anyway. The bigger the miter saw, the better, and a sliding one will go a long way. Get a diablo finishing blade and play frisbee with the included one.

3. Back to the bolts -- this is probably a good way to work a build, but if you choose to go the bolt route, you need one very important tool: a drill press. I don't know yet whether you need a floor one or if the bench one will work (and without a bench, its even tougher), but the hand drill does NOT work well on making sure the holes in a 4x4 are perfectly straight. In addition, while a hand drill with a Forster bit may work with a guide, you are much better off with a drill press. Since I don't have a press, I decided to trash the bolt idea and get screws.

4. Wood screws are not all created equal. I picked up some Spax screws that are so much easier to use than the standard Home Depot or Lowes screws, I can't believe it. Those things go right in with my impact driver -- no stripping, no stopping, just like a sharp knife through food. Maybe other brands are just as good, but get one of the brands and stay away from the standard screws they sell. I also went with a Torx (T20) head which I like much better than the Phillips. While I only drove 12 screws, I didn't have a single one hang or strip. I stripped about 1 in 10-15 of the plain kind.

5. Lowes and Home Depot have crappy wood. Not a news flash, but for future projects, I will plan ahead and get the wood somewhere else.

Good info. Thanks.

Good tips. I'm new to wood working so this is helpful. I agree with the screws, makes building much more fun and easier. I recently built a work bench And the plans called for bolts. I decided to go with 3" deck screws and it worked well.

I plan on building another workbench this weekend with my new Kreg Jig. Thanks for the info

Some suggestions...

You're correct, a hand drill is not the way to go, especially when your aim is to drill two pieces separately then be able to fasten them together. In this case, very carefully construct a drill guide out of some scrap. As a minimum it can just be a single piece of board that has straight holes that you can clamp to your work, or step up and glue/screw a piece to it that will serve as fence on one side. A Forstner bit probably wants to walk more with a hand held drill than a traditional fluted bit.

Floor or bench model drill presses you'll still need to support your work beyond the end of your table. I have a large bench mounted unit that has it's own pedestal on casters. I've had some assorted piles of stuff in the past holding up the end of a piece that I was working on.

Screws... Scrap your Philips head. Spend the extra couple of bucks and buy screws with a Torx (star) head. The driver will not spin out when you're putting them in. (NM... I see you figured this out on your own!)

quote:

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Get a diablo finishing blade and play frisbee with the included one.

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1. What miter saw are you using?

2. I'll use about 35lb total of Deckmate #9x3" T-25 deck screw on my renovation. Absolutely love them, it'll go through 6" of wood with a 20v impact driver if you let it. Spax screws are way too expensive for basic home projects.

3. I've ordered a lot of lumber from McCoys and have been very satisfied with the quality.

4. I don't think bolts are worth it either. Wood glue + screws makes for a strong lamination.

Thanks for posting the tips. I'm about to start building my first workbench. Never really done any carpentry work so anything helps! Did you use any plans to build that? I'm looking to build something very similar but with out rollers. Any suggestions on where to get plans?

68: My miter saw is a low end Skil. My next project will be a fence for it. I disagree that the Spax screws are too expensive (paid like 8 bucks for a box), but I will try the other ones.

I did not go off specific plans, but it is a good idea to do that on your first build. I planned this one out in my head, then drew it out. We got it done and it looks OK, but took twice as long as it should have. Once again, having the right tools helps tremendously. The last bench I built, I only had a circular saw and a crappy drill.

But then again, any idiot can build good looking stuff with a workshop full of tools -- power and hand -- but it takes skill to do the same job with basic tools. My work is more functional than good!

Many thanks for this thread! I wanted to build a freestanding lattice partition to "hide" my electrical meter and panels on our back deck. I hadn't been familiar with the "star" screws, but I know the plight of stripping out Philips screws very well. So I picked up a box when I was getting my materials and - holy cow - those things are game changers. Not a single hangup or strip. Thanks!

What are good finish options? Danish oil didn't really work well with cabinet plywood. Neither did shellac. Trying oil based poly now. Putting another top on there in a few years is not going to be either difficult or expensive, but I'd like to keep paint and glue off if possible.

91, I coat my bench with boiled linseed oil. Film finishes just ask to be damaged and have issues for workbenches. Linseed oil works great for glue drippings/stains that fall on the bench, as they come right off. Plus you can easily reapply and get right back to work.

About to start on my shop and the first item will be a workbench. Agrams, is that a butcher block top you have on that bench? How does one go about making one of those?

Looks like 8/4 Maple to me. Glued and planed.

Agrams, did you do they planing by hand or did you do it in separate panels through the planer / drum sander?

crm, most was by hand, but i couldn't plane very well lengthwise on the table, given that one board would tear out if I planed one direction, and another would from the other direction, so most of my planing was from 60-90 perpendicular to the length of the bench.

I think the top is 3" thick and the sides are dropped to 6". I made that thing years ago. It doesn't look nearly as clean now after 6+ years of glue,stain,sanding,banging.

I put the poly on over the weekend. 3 coats. First one went on but felt a little rough. Second one was smoother. The one last night was extremely smooth. I did a water test after the first coat -- the water wiped right up without (seeming to) soaking in. The guys at the paint store said wait 72 before putting furniture on (the poly is made for floors), so I will move the bench in position and start putting stuff on it Wed night.

This bench I built now 4 years ago will be torn down and rebuilt in another way in another location in the garage. Its too big for 2 cars and I really haven't used it like I thought I would anyway. Stuff just collects on there which isn't what it is for. But since I have it and I doubt many would be interested in it for what a) I've got in it and b) what it would take to buy the wood for what I need to now build, I'll just tear it down and reuse.

I'm building into a recessed area, approximately 5 feet wide by about 3 feet deep. Any suggestions or links to pics? I'm thinking a table height flat area of 4 feet left to right (full front to back) with 1 or 2 eye level and above full length (5') shelves above. The extra foot on the right next to the work table would be an area for small ladders, golf clubs and a couple of other things I think can be pushed in there.

I just built this one:

http://www.startwoodworking.com/plans/build-simple-sturdy-workbench

It uses a 3/8 inch threaded rod tucked into the stretchers and secured through the 4x4 legs. Like the OP, I quickly learned how useful a drill press could be. I just used MDF for the top, but once it wears a bit for a couple years I plan on doing a butcher block type top but this works fine for now. For those looking to build a work bench, I thought his plan was fairly simple to follow and it turned out better than I thought it would given my complete lack of experience.