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Do-it-all mobileworkbench

PROJECT PLAN

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52 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 THE FAMILY HANDYMAN

Shelves that hang

when they’renot in use (p. 61) . . .

THE FAMILY HANDYMAN DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 53

mobileworkbench

If you have a tight garage and yourworkspace has to double as a park-ing space, this is the bench for you.

As you can see, it folds down and has plentyof tool storage. And when it’s time to workon a project, it will expand into a hugeworktable.

Adjustable-height shelves on the ends andsides are held in place with sturdy steelbrackets that fit into special double-slottedstandards. One end shelf can be used to sup-port your portable table saw, while the mainworktop area and other end shelf both serveas an outfeed table. The longer side shelves

by David Radtke

Do-it-all

… and fold out to create a huge worktop …

shelves that adjust to hold bench-top tools …

3Screw the legs (F) to the bottom frame with a pair of 3-in. wood screwsat each corner, then clamp and screw the upper frame flush with the top

of the legs. Make sure the legs are square to the frames and then addanother pair of screws to each corner. Clamp and screw the center shelf aswell.

1Predrill 1/8-in. holes and screw the three horizontal shelf frames togetherwith 3-in. wood screws.

54 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 THE FAMILY HANDYMAN

2Cut the twopieces of

3/4-in. plywood(E) for the lowerand middleshelves andscrew them tothe frames with2-in. woodscrews. Makesure the framesare perfectlysquare as youassemble them.

Cutting ListKEY PCS. SIZE & DESCRIPTION

A 4 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 54-1/2" shelf frame

B 4 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 21" shelf frame

C 2 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 54-1/2" center shelf frame

D 2 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 21" center shelf frame

E 2 3/4" x 23-15/16" x 54-1/2" lower and middle shelves

F 4 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 31-7/8" legs

G 1 3/4" x 26" x 59-1/2" worktop

H 2 3/4" x 26" x 18" end shelves

J 2 3/4" x 12" x 59-1/2" side shelves

K 2 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 54-1/2" undermount side shelf supports

can be adapted to fit your miter sawwith additional brackets to supportyour workpiece as you cut. You canalso set all the shelves even with thecentral worktop and create a huge, 4 x8-ft. assembly table. Once you startusing this bench, you’ll find dozens ofways to make it work for a variety oftools and projects.

The bench frame is made fromordinary construction-grade lumber,and the horizontal shelves and work-top are made from 3/4-in. thick hard-wood plywood. You can use standardpine or fir plywood, but we recom-mend hardwood plywood because it’sless prone to warping. There’s nofancy joinery to bog down this rock-solid project. It’s all held together withwood screws. The 3-in. swivel casterson the bottom let you maneuver itinto the tightest of garage spaces andthen lock it into place when it’s timeto work.

Keep in mind that as strong as theadjustable bracket system is, theadjustable shelves aren’t designed towithstand lots of pounding. They’regreat for assembly work and thesteady, concentrated weight of a toolstation. So if you have a lot of pound-ing and hammering to do, you’ll haveto confine this activity to the centralmain worktop.

The entire project will cost about$175, including the hardware, which is

C

D

E

LOWERFRAME

UPPERFRAME

F

F

3" WOODSCREWS

90°

UPPER ANDLOWER FRAMES

MIDDLE FRAME

Continued on p. 58

THE FAMILY HANDYMAN DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 55

G

H

J

Figure AMobile Workbench

K

1-1/2"SETBACK

1"SETBACK

G

D

A

B

B

F

E

E

C

F

A

F

mobile workbench

WORKTOP

2x4 SIDE SHELF SUPPORT (GLUEAND SCREW TO UNDERSIDE)

END SHELF

FAST-MOUNTSTANDARDS

J

MIDDLESHELF

LOWERSHELF

UPPER 2x4FRAME

CENTER2x2

FRAME

LOWER SHELFFRAME

3" LOCKING SWIVEL CASTERS

4 Cut the top from a sheet of 3/4-in. plywood and screw it to the top ofthe legs and to the upper frame with 2-in. wood screws. Make sure to

leave a 1-in. overhang at each leg corner.

58 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 THE FAMILY HANDYMAN

a great value for a versatile workbenchthat’ll give years of service. You’ll alsoenjoy how quickly this project goestogether. Once you have the materialsin hand, you’ll be able to complete it inless than a day.

Get it all at your home center and hardware storeIt’s worth your time to sift through thelumber pile to get good-looking,straight 2x4s and 2x2s. Remember,loose knots can weaken a board, soonly select wood with tight knots.Make sure the plywood you select isflat. We found nice-looking 3/4-in.birch plywood at a local home centerfor the bargain price of $39 per sheet.

The adjustable shelf standards andbracket are available at most homecenters and hardware stores. If youcan’t find this hardware locally, checkour Buyer’s Guide on p. 62.

We used a Pop riveter ($20) toattach the brackets (Photo 11). Thisuseful tool is fairly inexpensive andhas dozens of uses around the home.Once you get one, you’ll never under-stand how you lived without it.

Assemble the workbench in sectionsFor this project, it’s important to cutall your plywood and lumber piecesaccurately and square so that the slot-ted standards and brackets align prop-erly. Clamp a straightedge guide toyour plywood to get straight cuts.

Start by building the three frames(Photo 1) that make up the bottomand middle shelf and the worktop. Allthe frames have the same length andwidth measurements. The bottom andthe middle frames have the same sizeplywood. The plywood for the work-top is wider and longer to overlap theends of the steel standards. FollowPhotos 1 – 5 for the assemblyinstructions for the central structureof the workbench.

5Flip the benchover and screw

2x4 blocks into thecorners as shown.Position your cast-ers 1/4 in. from theouter edge and drillpilot holes for theNo. 12 x 1-1/2 in.pan head screws.Drive the screwsinto the legs, frameand block to securethe casters.

6Center the slotted standards on the faces of the 2x4s. Drive No. 10 x 2-1/2in. screws through the holes in the standards and into the legs. Make sure

the standards are parallel with each other.

G 1"OVERHANG

LOWER FRAME

5-1/2" LONG2x4 BLOCK

3" LOCKINGCASTERS

PUSH TIGHTTO TOP

DOUBLE-SLOTTED

SHELFSTANDARDS CENTER

ON LEG

mobile workbench

UPPER FRAME

16-1/2" BETWEENSHELVES

Continued from p. 55

60 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 THE FAMILY HANDYMAN

8Cut furringstrips to

raise theshelves justenough to beeven with themain worktop.We needed3/16-in. stripsfor the endshelves (H) and3/8-in. stripsfor the sideshelves (J).

Screw the standardssecurely to the 2x4 legsMake sure to center the standards onthe front and side faces of the 2x4 legs(Photo 6). Accuracy is importantbecause it’ll allow you to interchangethe shelves from side to side or hangboth longer shelves on one side forstorage. You’ll also notice a top and abottom on each standard. Be sure toorient them perfectly and push thestandard against the bottom side ofthe worktop before securing it.Predrill before you screw the stan-dards into place. Measure the distancebetween the top and the bottom ofeach standard and get them exactlyparallel (Photo 6) as you drive thescrews. Snug them firmly, but withoutdistorting the profile of the standard.

The easiest way to accurately posi-tion the brackets on the bottom of theshelves is to mount the brackets first,then set each shelf over the bracket(Photo 7). Mark each side of thebracket near the standard and thenremove the shelf and extend thosemarks out to the far edge of the shelfwith a framing square to make surethey stay parallel.

Before you screw the brackets to thebottom of the shelves, be sure to cutand glue furring strips to the bottomside of each shelf directly under thebracket. These strips add extra heft forthe screws and build up each shelf justenough for them to lie flush with thecentral worktop. Apply glue and tackthe strips on with small brads (Photo

8). Transfer the earlier marks youmade onto the strips and then screwthe brackets onto the shelf (Photo 9).Check Figure A for the correctmounting setbacks for the brackets.

Pop-rivet the ends of single brackets to thesides of each bracketThe secret to adapting the brackets sothe shelves can hang from the work-bench is to cut the hooked ends offsingle-wall brackets and rivet them 9Fasten the shelf brackets to the bottom of the shelves with No. 8 x 1-in.

pan head sheet metal screws.

7Push the brackets into the slots, center the shelf and then mark thebracket location on the rear of the shelf as shown. Then remove the shelf

and extend the marks with a framing square.

mobile workbench

GLUE AND SCREW A 2x4 (K) FLAT HERE

AFTER APPLYINGBRACKETS

CENTERBRACKET

ON MARKS

J

3/8" FURRINGSTRIP

14" ARMBRACKET

11" DOUBLE-WALL BRACKET

THE FAMILY HANDYMAN DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 61

12 Test the fit of your riveted shelf hanger brackets. Finally, cut, glue andscrew a 2x4 (K) between the brackets of the long wing shelves (J) to

stiffen them.

to the inside of the double-wall brack-ets (Photos 10 – 12). Install a metal-cutting blade in your jigsaw to cut thesingle-wall brackets as shown inPhoto 10. File the edges to removesharp burrs and then clamp the pieceto the side of the bracket (1 in. fromthe end of the bracket, excluding thehook; Photo 11). Drill two 1/8-in.holes through both pieces and thenPop-rivet them together. Make sureyou accurately position the pieces soyour shelf will hang level from thestandards. Remember to fasten onecutoff piece on the inside face of onebracket and the other on the outsideface; otherwise, the hooks won’t lineup with the slots.

Once you’ve got the shelves andbrackets ready, try them out. Makesure the hooks seat solidly in the stan-dards and then check the shelfheights. When placed in the top slots,they should be even with the centralbench top. If they’re high, unscrew thebracket and plane the wood stripslightly. If they’re lower than the cen-tral worktop, add some washersbetween the bracket and the shelf tonudge them flush.

You’ll find the end shelf brackets,with the support arms, a bit morestubborn to remove from the slotsthan the regular brackets. I found itbest to hold the shelf front and give ita firm jerk upward for a clean releaseevery time.

Adapt your tools to fit the workbenchSome tools will work best in thisworkbench if you cut 3/4-in. plywoodbases for them (cut a hole in the bot-tom of the base for the table saw torelease sawdust) and then clamp thebase to the shelf when you’re using it.You may have to cut strips and gluethem to the bottom of your table sawtool base so it lines up with the top ofthe workbench. You may have to dothe same for your router table or sur-face planer. We’ve only shown you a

11Clamp the cutoff single-wall bracket to the double-wall bracket 1 in.from the slotted end of the bracket. Drill two 1/8-in. diameter holes

through one side of the bracket and the cutoff bracket behind. Push the rivetinto the hole and squeeze the riveting tool until the rivet snaps tight.

10Cut thesingle-

wall brackets 2 in. from theslotted edge forthe side shelf (J)brackets and 1-1/2 in. for theend shelf (H)brackets. Filethe cut edges toremove theburrs.

SINGLE-WALLBRACKET2"

1/8" STEEL RIVETS

DRILL 1/8" HOLETHROUGH

BRACKET ANDSUPPORT

1"

1/8"HOLE

LOCKINGPLIERS

POP RIVETER

CUTOFF PIECE FOROTHER SIDE

CUTOFFPIECE

RIVETED ATTENTION

few ways to adapt tools to thisbench. It’s so versatile that with alittle ingenuity, you can adapt it toalmost any situation.

Buyer’s GuideThe Fast Mount brackets we used aremade by John Sterling Corp. and availableat home centers. The side table 11-in.brackets are item No. 243736. The endshelf 14-in. arm brackets are item No.243744. The single-wall shelf brackets that

get cut for mounting are item No.243728. If you can’t find this hard-ware, get it from www.aubuchon-hardware.com or call (800) 282-4393. If you can find the standardsbut not in the 24-in. size, buy thenext size and cut them down.

62 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005

Shopping ListITEM QTY.

3/4" hardwood plywood (E, G, H, J) 3

2x2 x 8' pine (C, D) 2

2x4 x 8' pine (F, B) 3

2x4 x 10' pine (A, K) 3

2' long double-slotted standards 8

14" arm brackets 4

11" straight double-wall brackets 6

Single-wall brackets 8

Glue 1 pt.

2" wood screws 2 lbs.

3" wood screws 2 lbs.

No. 10 x 2-1/2" flat head screws 25

No. 12 x 1-1/2" pan head sheet metal screws 16

No. 8 x 1" pan head sheet metal screws 16

No. 8 x 3/4" pan head sheet metal screws (for miter saw work support) 4

3" swivel locking casters 4

mobile workbench

14" ARMBRACKET

11" DOUBLEBRACKET

Art Direction • MARCIA WRIGHT ROEPKEPhotography • MIKE KRIVITOpening Photo • BILL ZUEHLKEProject Design • DAVID RADTKE

DOUBLE-SLOTTEDSTANDARD