Building a garage workbench

Every handyman needs a workbench in the garage. If you have access to some decent tools and a supply of wood, you can easily make your own. Before a handyman starts making cabinets, working on things, or building the next great invention, he first needs to create the workbench from which all the other projects will spring.

Before building a workbench, start with blueprints or plans. Take accurate measurements of the available space in the garage, to ensure the workbench design will fit the space available comfortably. Leave plenty of room to cars, or whatever else your garage houses, choose a location for the bench where you can easily haul large or heavy materials to.

Depending on the use for a workbench, you might need to haul heavy or oversize items from the truck to the bench. You wouldn't want to need to do all that hauling time and time again if a better location is available. Oh, and one more thing: don't forget the need for electrical power outlets. An electrician can easily plumb a new outlet to the location on need. Don't try to use extension cords to bring power to the workbench on a permanent basis.

After deciding the dimensions and placement, you're ready to consider the actual design of the bench, or purchase plans to meet your needs. There are only 3 requirements of a good basic workbench. One, it has to have room for you to lay out the materials you're most likely to use over the years. Any large, flat area becomes a workspace. Two, it should have storage space for tools, supplies, and materials. This can take the form of a cabinet under the bench or a tool rack above, on the wall. Third, the work area needs locations for specialized fixtures such as vice clamps, grinders, or any other tool that needs to be mounted.

Once a workbench design meets these three requirements, you're good to go. Start off by collecting all the tools you'll need to perform the build. Assuming you don't have a set of tools yet. Avoid buying excess tools at the start. Build a collection over time, according to need. At the start, buy only the tools you'll need for building the bench. Start with a good saw, drill, perhaps a planer, or sander to take care of smoothing the wood.

Depending on the design, you'll also need nuts and bolts, nails and hammers, or screws and screwdrivers for fastening the wooden parts together. If you're planning on painting or varnishing the bench once it's assembled, don't forget those supplies too. One good tip to consider - wood glues are available on the market that can be used to fasten wooden parts together. These are helpful, but they're best used in conjunction with nails or screws to fasten fixed parts together. Don't rely on wood glues alone for fastening. Once you get the tools, just head off to the local lumber yard, pick up the wood you'll be needing, and go to work!

Before working on more complex projects, it gives plenty of initial practice in handling tools. Construction mistakes are usually easy to fix since it's not a decorative piece of furniture. It also tends to be cheaper than buying prefabricated workbenches and tool cabinets from a shop - largely because these mass-produced items are made with standard designs and dimensions which may not suit your needs.

Building a workbench allows you to set the specifications, so everything on the bench has a purpose that you alone, determine. whether designing from scratch or purchasing workbench plans (which can always be modified), building your own workbench is a rewarding experience for any handyman.