Well I thought this might make a good post so here it is.

I made a workbench, bought the material yesterday and put it together today. Walking out with the lousy 14% sales tax was just under 170$.

I used the fallowing materials:

2 pcs 1x3" 10 feet long "nice looking/furniture" Pine.
1 pcs 1x3" 6 feet long "nice looking/furniture" Pine.
1 pcs 1x3" 4 feet long "nice looking/furniture" Pine.
2 pcs 2x4" 8 feet long "nice looking/furniture" Pine.
1 pc 2x4" 6 feet long "nice looking/furniture" Pine.
1 pc 4 feet by 8 feet 3/4" Thick Birch panel.
200 pcs 2" Long #8 Coated Robertson Deck Screws.
2 pcs 2.5" Hinges.
1 pc Locking Latch.

(I could have used another 10 foot peice of 1x3" instead but I did the math in my head wrong and needed alittle more I found out as I was having it cut hence the 4 foot piece)

All the wood bought was Canadian. No import stuff.

And included in the price is a 5/8 wood spade drill to cut USB wiring holes in the bottom "shelving box".

Tools required:
Cordless Drill/Screwdriver (multipul batteries would be good to have)
Replaceable tip ratcheting hand screw driver.
3/32" Drill bits.
Robertson screwdriver bits to suit deck screws.
Combination square (only used for layout of where the 2x4" legs are on the desktop and top shelf).

All in all I made out like a bandit didn't cut the wood myself had the lumber store cut it, they normally charge if you cut a piece of wood more then twice a buck a cut but the guy let it slide by!

Anyways there is NO Scrap wood, any bits and pieces of scrap wood were put to use, such as the top right shelf back panel would have been scrap as well as the stop on the right on that panel to stop books from falling off.

Its a pretty solid bench, except for the fact one leg is about 1/16th smaller then the rest, which is just fine by me seeing as I assembled the bench by "eye" to make sure its all lined up and square.

The Bench uses the 2x4"s for support such as the legs of the desk top and top shelfs, as well as a piece of scrap 2x4" was used to secure the latch on the box.

The 1x3" was used to make two 3 sided skirt on the legs of both the desktop and shelf. A piece of scrap 1x3" was also used as you may see in the box used to make a stop for the door. And not shown is 2 smaller 1x3" pieces being used to give more support by screwing in the box on one of the skirts as well.

The box is screwed in on the top skirt in the back, and on both of the right legs.

All skirt/leg attachement points are secured by 4 deck screws, the box's paneling also had a few screws to hold it together and then onto the bench.

Edited: All and all I ended up with no screws left, meaning I used all 200 screws on the desk.

What you think ??

Dimitri

Looks good Dimitri . Ya did a fine Job. Ya didn't mention stain are ya gonna stain it or leave it natural?
Joe

You know Joe I'm not too sure right now, I like the look of the natural Birch, and pine but I might just stain it sometime at a later date.

Mind you I'd imagine I should take some sand paper and remove the writing on the thickness part of the plywood first, seeing as its visible, my desk looks real "lumber like" as of now.

Mind you one corner of the box is pretty unsupported, I think I might pick up a 18" long piece of 2x4 to use as support for it before I start loading it up with weight. But for now I'm going to put in the 2 unused screws in pace to hold it.

Dimitri

Cool, Like ya said you can always stain it later if you want or just clear coat it. It's nice building your own stuff. I have done quite a bit of stained wood trim in my place it makes ya feel good when ya look around and know you did the stuff your self
Joe

This is the biggest thing I've built to date out of "raw" materials for myself.

I wasn't sure what sizes or anything till yesterday morning when I settled on a few different designs, and I picked the one that suited me the most and was the easiest cutting wise as I didn't want to spend all day at the store and I think I got a good desk out of it.

Dimitri

Looks good 'Mitri....you done well mate.

If you didn't want to stain it mate you could always do a really good prep job and finish it in clear lacquer to maintain the natural colour of the timber.

Next thing is a table, then some chairs etc etc etc.

Cheers, Vince

Looks good. But, don't think the top is strong enough to use for a loading bench.

A17Shooter wrote:

Looks good. But, don't think the top is strong enough to use for a loading bench.

I was thinking the same thing. For my loading bench, I screwed and glued 2 3/4 inch plywood sheets together and to the frame. They don't flex, even with the progressive.

I like the design, though. You ought to draw it up with instructions. You have already the BOM. It is a good workbench design. I am needing a place for my bench lathe and this looks like it will work. I think I will add a fluorescent lamp under the top, and change the shelving slightly to accommodate the lathe accessories.

Thanks! Good job!

I can always add another 3/4" sheet later on, seeing as I used deck screws and they are not covered.

Dimitri

Nice job!