My notes on workbench build & design: (looking for insights)

Anyone really good in SketchUp Pro & have a spare evening (these plans are beyond me)?

• I really want to share the detailed plans...but I dont have any... and I'd like too

"The Achievable Budget, Professional, Workbench" Concept Image (not mine)

• Bricks give away size as APPROX. 48" x 24" (x 32-5/8" or 32-3/4" Tall)
• Its so well made, watch the video, its hard to believe he only used 1x 4x8ft OSB sheet
• Insane Storage: 2x FULL drawers, 3x MINI drawers, 1x side FULL length cubby

Unfinished/Un-Dog Holed, Full apron sacrificed for 2x drawers, Vices/peg/hardboard not yet installed

Video of it (concept image) being built: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzx7CpxxV-E&t=75s

When building your bench, always focus your energy on what’s most important:

• Functionality. Obsessing over aesthetics only takes your attention away from the task at hand.
• Practical, Functional & Well Finished >> is ALWAYS better than fancy, every time
• Make sure the bench can hold/clamp common pieces. Able to work face, edges & ends with ease.

Finishing OSB?

Fine sanding/staining of OSB will produce smooth, but somewhat "woodpunk industrial", finishes.

• Good for a workbench, quality can be very high, enough for "high end furniture pieces"
• Hardboard faces, 1/8", screwed/glued to rough finished OSB will help preserve OSB surfaces

Note: I'd just get black or white faced hardboard and polyurethane coat it (instead of finishing it)

OSB: LEFT is \"HIGH\" finish, like flooring/furniture. RIGHT is \"BASIC Aesthetics\" finish

Material Use: Make a 48" x 24" (x 33" Tall) Workbench EASILY, WELL FINISHED, UNDER $100

• 4x8ft 5/8" OSB = $37
• 4x8ft 1/8" Hardboard = $11
• 4x4ft 1/8" Pegboard = $9
• 4ft 2x4" Lumber = $4
• 2x Scaffold Screws/Bolts = $10 ($5 each)
• 75x each 1" wood nails & screws = $3 ($1.5 each)
• Stain (0.5pt/35fq ft coverage) = $3
• 220G Sandpaper = $2 (small 3x9" pack)
• Wood Glue & Filler = $8 ($4 each)
• TOTAL: $82 (Under $100 after taxes) FULLY FINISHED
• ACA (As Cheaply As): $50

Either vice faces made of layered OSB or a single (1x) 4ft ling 2x4 lumber, cut up

If using 1x 4ft 2x4 lumber, there is enough OSB/Hardboard for 2x simple 12x12x4" drawers

1. REQUIRED: 1 FULL sheet of 4x8ft OSB 5/8"
2. REQUIRED: 2x 8" to 10" long, 3/8" to 3/4" Scaffold Bolts/Nuts & 1x 4ft 2x4 lumber (2 Vices)
3. REQUIRED: 1x Box 1" wood screws & nails 220G Sandpaper 0.5pt polyurethane finish
4. Optional: 1 FULL sheet of 4x8ft Hardboard 1/8"
5. Optional: 1 (HALF 4x8ft) sheet of 4x4ft Pegboard, 1/8"

• Cut a 48x48", 1/8" Hardboard in to TWO 24" x 48" pieces & a 48" x 48" piece
• Top BOTH worktop & Shelf top with a 24" x 48", 1/8" hardboard
• Cut up remaining 48" x 48" Hardboard, 18/", to fully face visible/outside areas of legs/apron
• Cut a 48" x 48" Pegboard in to TWO 24" x 48" pieces.
• Bottom Apron with 24" x 48" 1/8" pegboard
• Cut the remaining 24" x 48" Pegboard, 1/8", in to TWO 24" x 24", side outside of BOTH legs
• Construct DIY vice screw mechanisms from scaffold bolts/nuts

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Sheet Waste Notes

An OSB sheet is 32sq ft, 0.66sqft (2" x 48" strip) = AAA WASTE MAX (2%, 90% of which is SAWDUST)

• NO single dimension greater that 48" (unless well planned to avoid excess scraps)
• Cuts that are not right angled or split triangle (legs only), will create excessive scraps, AVOID
• Legs = "L-Joined" triangles (2 from a rectangle), thickness of OSB LESS than desired height
• Bracing constructed in the same manner as legs (on much smaller scale, "L-shape")
• Apron 6" to 8" in height, below worktop, & "full" (sides/front/back) inside legs, not outside
• Side aprons, both, should have a 4" x 6" cut out, as vice mount ports (tail vice can swap sides), repurpose cutouts as vice mount bracing
• Lower Shelf thickness of OSB (5/8") LESS in width & length (to fit inside legs), 4" over leg foot

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STRUCTURE/LOAD BEARING Notes

TOP/LEG/STRUCTURAL SHELF & STRETCHERS, THICKNESS:

1. If it gets hit with tools (it is a workbench, right?), 5/8" minimum, if OSB or Plywood
2. 3/4" if HDF, but its somewhat toxic (but formaldehyde), its also VERY heavy, & weaker
3. MDF is NOT strong enough (for STRUCTURAL) ever, & its somewhat toxic (formaldehyde)
4. Finish the surfaces in polyurethane, it will last longer, not chip/flake & help repel moisture/grime

Keep in mind that materials can become quite expensive. So, if you’re on a budget, try to keep things simple in design and in choice of wood.

• Worktop should always be over/capping legs (does not damage leg structure when working)
• Top dog holes are vital, as is a tail vice (adding an additional leg vice is suggested)
• Aprons should be "cut out" to allow a hand port to the internal (hold/clean/clamp/tool rest)
• 5/8" OSB is a much cheaper/greener choice than MDF/HDF. ITS STRONGER & finishes nicer
• 1/8" Hardboard is an ideal "sacrificial" surface for worktop (easy to strip/replace)
• 1/8" Pegboard is ideal leg side sheathing and adds storage
• 1/8" Pegboard is an ideal/clean LIGHT (tape/pencil, hand tool) bottom for under top/side apron
• Any worktop over 48" in any direction should be center braced

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Sizing Notes

Height

To avoid aches and pains, you should aim to keep the height somewhere near the 30" to 36" mark.

Flexible in either direction depending on your height and the work you’ll do.

• 24" (with a 6" lifting foot cover/slide, for when they grow) is acceptable for small children
• 30" If you plan to use hand tools and need to have the advantage of height over the piece you’re working on, then you may want your bench to sit a bit lower.
• 36" But if your using power tools, for better view.
• 33" is a happy average. If both hand tools and power tools are part of your day-to-day shop activities, roughly where your wrists fall naturally at your sides.
• Sturdy Lifts are "safe" up to 6" IMHO

Depth

The depth of your workbench should, ideally, be no longer than your arm can reach across it.

• In most cases, for adults, that number falls around 24"
• Small children can make do with, as little as, 12", BUT 18" will let you extend its use for a lifetime as a sawbench

If you happen to be the type of woodworker that works with unusually large or wide pieces

• In that case roughly 30" (any longer would require GIANT height, for a reach over 30")
• 48", MAX, if you work on truly giant pieces

But for most projects and pieces, two feet should be sufficient.

Length

Unlike height and depth, the length of your workbench is a matter of preference.

• 30" is considered the minimum "adult size" working surface
• Small children can make do with 24", but will quickly outgrow it (30" is a better minimum)
• Anything longer than 96" would be considered "gigantic"

But keep in mind that the longer the workbench, the thicker the wood should be, or cross bracing added, to maintain its strength and stability.