The Workshop Shed Workbench: Tips on Building Your Own

Now that the workshop shed is finally up and looking great in that corner of the back yard you realize you have 96 square feet of prime usable workspace and that portable workbench just won’t do. You know you would like to attempt more elaborate projects and having a viable workspace is critical. So the first thing that has to be built is the shed workbench. What makes a really good workbench you might ask. Here are some tips that I think will be beneficial.

The shed workbench is the centre of any operation in the workshop. It must be robust and able to take the forces applied to it when work is clamped to it. It should have a perfectly flat top so that any assembly work done on the surface will be accurate. Anything you make will reflect any deformity in the top.

A good hardwood workbench should have a solid flat top with a vice fixed at one end. If you are right handed the vice should be positioned on the left side of the bench. Holes should be drilled at intervals through the bench top to accommodate “dogs” or bench stops. The dogs are there to enable you to wedge a piece of wood when sawing or planning. The traditional workbench usually has a recessed area along one side where tools are stored out of the way while working.

A sturdy shelf built below will give your bench much needed stability and keep the bench square. A drawer for small items is beneficial and a guard against loss. Good sturdy legs provide support when hammering or using a mallet. A plywood top on the shed workbench surface is sometimes used so that it can be replaced occasionally as it wears out. (You will always have a nice surface to work on).

The bench vice is a very important piece of equipment. It is better to buy quality as you will want to hold your work squarely and securely. A good vice can be purchased at any tool store. You can make your own tool holder at the end of your bench by using a strip of plywood and some hardwood blocks affixed with screws. A bench hook is easily crafted by using a square of plywood with a lip that hooks over the front of the bench, and a backstop that supports the work.

To store other tools and items simply screw a board to the wall above the workbench and fit it with spring clips for holding chisels and screwdrivers and use wooden pegs for hanging hand saws.