At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Top
- 60 × 24 in, two layers of plywood (2t thick)
- Frame
- 54 × 20 in outside
- Height
- H, your choice; legs H − 2t
- Shelf
- On rails 4 in above the floor
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2×4 lumber (1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in dressed), 8 ft | 8 | Straight boards; legs, aprons and rails |
| Plywood sold as 3/4 in | Two 4 × 8 ft sheets | Top layers from one; the shelf from the other. Measure the thickness, t |
| Carriage bolts 3/8 in with washers and nuts | 8 × 5-1/2 in and 8 × 5 in | Aprons to legs |
| Screws | 3 in, 2-1/2 in and 1-1/4 in | Rails, top and lamination |
| Wood glue | — | Leg laminations and top layers |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top layer | 2 | t × 24 × 60 in | Plywood |
| Leg piece | 8 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × (H − 2t) in | 2×4; glued in pairs |
| Long apron | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 54 in | 2×4 |
| End apron | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 17 in | 2×4 |
| Long lower rail | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 54 in | 2×4 |
| End lower rail | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 17 in | 2×4 |
| Shelf | 1 | t × 20 × 54 in, corners notched 4-1/2 × 5 in | Plywood |
Tools
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Drill with a 3/8 in bit
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Square, tape and straightedge
- Wrench
Choosing the height
There is no single right bench height. Lie-Nielsen makes its bench to order from 32 to 38 in, Benchcrafted's split-top bench is 35 in high and Sjöbergs' Elite 2000 900 mm. Woodworking workbenches compares makers' benches and why height depends on you and your work. Choose your height H, then cut the legs to H − 2t, where t is your plywood's measured thickness.
The design
Each leg is two 2×4s glued face to face, 3 × 3-1/2 in. The frame is 54 × 20 in outside: 54 in long aprons front and back and 17 in end aprons between them, all on edge, with the legs inside the corners and the aprons' tops flush with the legs'. A second, identical set of rails sits 4 in above the floor, and a plywood shelf rests on them, notched 4-1/2 × 5 in at the corners round the legs; screwed down, it ties the lower frame together. The top is two layers of plywood, 60 × 24 in, overhanging 3 in at the ends and 2 in at the front and back for clamping.
| Joint | Fastener | Why that length |
|---|---|---|
| Long apron to leg | Two 3/8 × 5-1/2 in carriage bolts | Apron 1-1/2 + leg 3-1/2 = 5 in, plus washer and nut |
| End apron to leg | Two 3/8 × 5 in carriage bolts | Apron 1-1/2 + leg 3 = 4-1/2 in, plus washer and nut |
| Lower rail to leg | Two 3 in screws | Rail 1-1/2 in, then 1-1/2 in into the leg |
| Top's lower layer to aprons | 2-1/2 in screws, countersunk | Through t into the apron's edge |
| Top's upper layer | Glue, and 1-1/4 in screws from below | Through the lower layer only, so none shows on top |
Lengths follow from the 2×4's dressed size, 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in.
Building it
Legs, frame, shelf and top
Cut and laminate the legs
Cut eight leg pieces to H − 2t and glue them in pairs, faces and ends flush. Let the glue set, then square the ends if they have shifted.
Build the end frames
Clamp an end apron across the tops of two legs and an end lower rail 4 in above their feet, legs inside the ends. Drill and bolt the apron with two 5 in carriage bolts per leg; screw the rail with two 3 in screws per leg. Build the second end the same way.
Join the end frames
Stand the end frames up and clamp the long aprons and long lower rails across them, outside the legs. Drill and bolt each long apron with two 5-1/2 in bolts per leg and screw the lower rails. Measure the diagonals of the top frame and adjust until they are equal.
Fit the shelf
Notch the shelf's corners 4-1/2 × 5 in, drop it onto the lower rails and screw it down; this stiffens the base.
Fit the top
Screw the lower top layer to the aprons with countersunk 2-1/2 in screws, overhanging evenly. Spread glue and lay the upper layer on it, edges flush, and screw up through the lower layer with 1-1/4 in screws so no screw reaches the surface.
Check it
Set the bench where it will stay, check that it does not rock, and shim a foot if the floor is uneven.
Holding the work is the next step: woodworking vises and clamps explain the options, and a vise is fitted as its maker's instructions say. Planning parts is easier with the cut list optimizer. This bench belongs to the shop projects family. For a seating bench rather than one to work at, see the bench plans.
Safety— A bench for work, not a ladder
No load or stability rating is claimed; do not stand on it. Cut the 2×4s with the work supported and clamped; see woodworking safety rules.
Before using the bench
- Height chosen and legs cut to H − 2t
- All sixteen bolts tight
- Frame diagonals equal
- Shelf screwed to the lower rails
- No screw heads in the work surface
- Bench steady on the floor
Sources
A BenchRoot design; every size is on the drawing or in the cut list, and sizes that depend on your plywood are written in t. It was drawn and checked but not built or tested for this page, and no load, flatness or stability rating is claimed. The height is the reader's choice; makers' benches are cited to show the range, not a correct figure.
- 1.
7' Standard Workbench. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: One maker's bench with its height made to order from 32 to 38 in.
- 2.
Split Top Roubo Bench. Benchcrafted.
Used for: One maker's bench at 35 in high.
- 3.
Sjöbergs Elite 2000. Sjöbergs.
Used for: One maker's bench at a 900 mm working height.
- 4.
NIST Handbook 130 (2026), IV.B Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2026.
Used for: A nominal 2 × 4 dressed dry to 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in.
- 5.
Panel Thickness Tolerances and Labeling (Technical Topic TT-054). APA — The Engineered Wood Association, 2013.
Used for: Panels labelled by actual thickness rather than nominal alone, so plywood sold as 3/4 in may be thinner.
- 6.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002.
Used for: Securing work with clamps or a vise so both hands are free for the tool.
About this project
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