An Easy-to-Build Workbench

Bolted butt joints for rigid construction

A
s a school woodshop teacher, I must often solve problems of the top. This decision should be based on the bench's intended
on the spur of the moment. That's how the design for my use (a carving bench should have a narrower top than a cabinet-
easy-to-build workbench came to me. A couple of kids maker's assembly bench) and on the shop space you have avail-
wanted to build a bench as a gift for a neighboring preschool. The able. The bench I built has a 42-in.-wide by 72-in.-long top, good
bench had to be quick and easy to construct, yet professional look- for general woodworking tasks. From these dimensions, I calculat-
ing and, above all, absolutely rigid. When all the elements for a ed the size of the frame and the length of the stretchers, You can
simple, bolt-together frame came together in my mind, I hit my determine the length of each pair of stretchers by subtracting
palm to my brow. It seemed so obvious. I wondered why I hadn't twice the thickness of a leg plus the amount the top will overhang
thought of it before. at each end from the length and width of the benchtop. When de-
ciding on the amount of overhang, keep in mind that it's a good
Designing the workbench idea to leave plenty of room on all sides, for mounting vises and
The workbench mainly consists of four legs and four stretchers for clamping things to the top. For example, I chose a 7-in. over-
held together with eight identical joints. The joints are easy to cut hang and used 3-in.-thick by 3-in.-wide legs, so my end stretchers
yet forgiving because they are fastened with common hex-head were 22 in. long and the side stretchers were 52 in. long. I made
bolts available at any hardware store. The joint, equally effective in my stretchers from 2x6 stock.
hardwood or cheap construction-grade lumber, is also perfect for I used soft maple for my bench's legs, but you can use glued-up
many types of knockdown furniture. It's even solid enough for hardwood or construction-grade 4x4s. Cut the legs to a length that
permanent installations, such as a built-in work counter. equals die height of the bench less the thickness of the top. I find
The first step in building the frame is to decide the dimensions that bench height is largely a matter of personal taste. I'm a six-
 ends than that or you risk the force of the bolt splitting out the
endgrain and ruining the stretcher.
Bore out the cross holes with a -in -dia. bit, which will leave a
hole large enough to allow a box wrench to fit around the nut
during assembly. Next, the portion of the hole facing the end of
the stretcher is squared up for the nut. I used a try square to mark
out the pocket, as shown in the drawing. Then I chopped out the
waste with a chisel. If you like, you can whittle or sand the edges
of the opening to give them an attractive chamfer.
To locate the bolt holes in the ends of the stretchers, I made a
thin-plywood (you could use cardboard) template cut to the same
dimensions as the cross section of a stretcher, in this case about
in. by in. The template is used to mark the center for each
-in.-dia. bolt hole, and then these holes are drilled through until
they intersect with the cross holes. A spade bit in a portable elec-
tric drill works fine in endgrain, although I prefer to use a modi-
fied auger bit in a hand brace. To modify the bit, I just filed the
spurs off, and it chewed right through endgrain. I tried to drill
accurately by checking that the bit was parallel to the face and
edge of the stretcher, and stopping and rechecking frequently. Be-
cause the hole is much larger than the bolt, dead accuracy isn't
necessary; as I've said, this joint is very forgiving.
If you plan to disassemble and assemble the bench often, you
might want to add an alignment dowel on the end of each stretch-
er. This short, -in.-dia. dowel keeps the stretcher aligned during
assembly and mates to a slightly oversized hole in the leg.
Next, mark and cut out the relief area on each stretcher end,
leaving two l-in.-long contact areas. A -in.-deep relief is all you
need, but if you'd like to add a decorative touch, you can cut a
fancy shape; just avoid cutting too near the cross hole or you'll risk
splitting the joint when you tighten the bolt. I cut out the relief
area on a bandsaw, but you could use a sabersaw or chop out the
waste by hand with a chisel.
Use the same template described above to mark the positions of
footer, and I like a 34-in.-high bench whenever I'm sawing or plan- the bolt holes on the legs. Each pair of legs is laid out differently,
ing wood; for small assembly work, though, I'd want the benchtop so be sure to mark carefully. If you choose to countersink the bolt
an inch or two higher. The workbenches in my school shop are 30 heads, drill the countersunk holes first. A 1-in.-dia. hole matches
in. high, which is right for most adolescents, although younger the diameter of washers normally used with -in. bolts. Drill the
woodworkers might do best with a 26-in.-high bench. bolt holes oversized— -in. holes for the -in. bolts-as you did on
the stretcher ends earlier.
Making the stretcher joints Assemble the bench frame by first bolting together the legs and
The function of a stretcher is to prevent the frame from racking end stretchers, and then joining them with the side stretchers. The
and the bench from rocking, so it's imperative that each stretcher joints will seem loose and sloppy when first assembled; simply posi-
connection be rock solid. A joint held together with a single bolt tion and tighten them using two washers under each nut. You might
focuses pressure at the center of the joint, which doesn't adequate- need to retighten the joints after they've settled for a few days.
ly prevent the joint from racking. Two bolts are better because
they pull the stretcher against the leg closer to the edges, thus Fitting the benchtop
keeping the joint square. But you need to buy twice as much hard- For my benchtop, I glued up some -in.-thick maple I had lying
ware, plus it takes twice as long to knock down or assemble the around. An easier (although more expensive) alternative is to buy
bench. After trying several variations of the bolted stretcher joint, I a length of ready-made butcher-block countertop, available from
finally came up with the version shown in the drawing. A single many building-supply stores, home centers and lumber dealers.
bolt is used for each joint, and an arched relief area is cut out on Bolt the top to the frame through a batten glued to the inside
each end of the stretcher. As the joint is tightened, pressure is fo- faces of the end stretchers (see the drawing). Bore three -in.
cused at the outer edges (like a two-bolt joint), effectively locking holes in each batten, and then fasten the top with -in. lag bolts
the stretcher square to the leg and preventing racking. and washers. While the battens keep the top flat, the oversized
To begin making the joints, crosscut the stretchers square and to holes allow the solid-wood top to move with changes in humidity.
length, and drill cross holes to provide the space for the nut and If you want to add a shelf under your workbench, screw battens to
washers that are fitted to the end of each bolt. The center of each the underside of some -in.-thick shelf boards; then drop the shelf
cross hole is located where the bolt end will be when the joint is in place, as shown.
assembled. For my bench, I used 3-in.-sq. legs and -in.-long
bolts with the heads countersunk . in. deep. This places the cen- Richard Starr is a teacher and author. Building this workbench is
ter of my cross holes at in. from the end of each stretcher. You the topic of the first show in his television series, Woodworking for
should avoid locating the cross holes any closer to the stretcher Everyone, on PBS this fall.