Davy's Blog: Build A Workbench With Hand Tools

Many of us who like to tinker around with things want a reliable workbench. However, what if your main focus isn't woodworking, or you just don't have a circular saw/table saw? Well, don't worry, this tutorial will hopefully give you some ideas on what can be done with just hand tools.

I started work on the table legs with a few planks of white pine boards that were bought at B&Q. Any board will likely work, just use whatever is available to you.

A line was drawn perpendicular to the edge of the board. This determines the length of the table leg, which ultimately determines the height of the table. I decided for my legs to be 80cm tall, because that seemed to be optimal given my height. Yours will obviously vary based on how tall you are. As a rule of thumb, the top of the workbench should come up to the crease of your wrist when your hands hang down by your side. However, the only way to tell is with frequent use. If you develop back pain or other issues it means your bench is not at the right height.

The wood was then clamped onto a wooden stool using C-clamps and a scrap piece of wood. This is to prevent the clamp from denting the wood. A simple handsaw was used to cut down the predawn line. Caution should be taken to go slowly to prevent splintering the board, especially towards the end.

After being cut off from the main board, the plank still has to be cut lengthwise (rip cut) to from 2 thinner boards. The 2 thinner boards will be joined in an L shape to form a leg. A line was drawn down the middle of the board (hard to see in the picture). This line is not in the center because the thickness of the board has to be compensated for. This cut would normally be hard to make with a hand saw, but the next step will show you how.

In order to make a long straight cut with a hand saw, a guide has to be set up. This is nothing more than 2 boards clamped on either side of the cut, with just the width of the saw in between. This prevents the blade from wandering during the cutting process. It is best for the two boards to have a factory straight edge as the guide.

This is the result after cutting, notice how straight the edge is. That would not have been possible without the guide in place.

Repeat the above steps until you have 4 sets. Here is a preview on how they will be joined together.

To attach the two pieces of the leg together, angle brackets will be used. To help locate where they will go, a line is drawn 15cm from each end of the board.

A clamp over the bracket will be very helpful in preventing it from slipping or moving while a screw is driven in.

Once one side of the bracket is attached, the second piece of wood can be clamped so that the next set of screws can be driven. Do this with all the legs.

In order to attach the legs to the tabletop, a framework has to be attached first. This can be made with some simple wall stud lumber as shown on the right.

It is advisable for a lip to be left on the table. This allows materials to be easily clamped to the workbench. I decided to make my lip 3.5cm wide.

Cut the wall studs to length using the handsaw like before. Exactness is not very important, as this is just to reinforce the legs.

All of the wall studs cut to length and laid out for reference.

Pilot holes are drilled 2.5cm away from the ends, and 1.5cm from the side of the board. A larger drill bit is used to countersink the heads of the screws. If you own a countersink bit, that will work too.