Twin Mobile Workbenches
Read the steps detailed below to see how we made twin mobile workbenches for our garage workshop. You can also see our other workshop and woodworking projects. Use the plans to build your own workshop items yourself or contact us at [email protected] for custom orders.
- Author: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Photography and photo editing by: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Videography and video editing by: Jim Ramos, Ph.D.
- Updated: 2/27/2023
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Original workbench
Several years ago, I started making an outdoor workbench. I was a bit ambitious and started making it pretty big. I had put the frame together and stained it; the only missing part was adding the top and the shelf tops. As I have been known to do, I never actually finished it, and I would just put a large piece of plywood on top of it and use that as the workbench top. The rest of the frame remained skeletal.
I started making that outdoor workbench when I lived in a house with my brother. The house with a mulberry tree that I used to make some wood stands and a lazy Susan. When we moved out of that house, I listened to the hoarding nature in me, and I held onto the half-finished workbench frame instead of getting rid of it. It was too big to fit through any doors, so it went into my new garage. Being used in the same way it was previously used.
Imagining the workbenches
Because I had nothing better to do, I decided to make the workbench frame without any nails or screws. I thought up some special joinery cuts to put them together. I had also wanted to start using epoxy resin and decided I could practice with this. I figured my special cuts made with a jigsaw and drill would not be perfect. I would fill in any space with resin to help prevent any wobble that may come up.
For the 2×4, I cut notches out of each end as well as in the middle. When making angled cuts like this, I like to drill a big pilot hole into the wood at the angles of the cuts. I make sure it is large enough for the jigsaw blade to fit into. This gives me a starting point deeper into the wood to make the cutting easier. The notches were placed so that when the ends of the 2x4s were matched up at a 90-degree angle they would fit in place. Those could then be fitted into large prong-like notches I cut out of the ends of the 4x4s. I used a similar tactic as before, where I drilled pilot holes and made my cuts with a jigsaw. I also cut holes out of the center of the 4x4s so part of the shelving frame could be easily placed in them.
Preparing the joinery
Because I had nothing better to do, I decided to make the workbench frame without any nails or screws. I thought up some special joinery cuts to put them together. I had also wanted to start using epoxy resin and decided I could practice with this. I figured my special cuts made with a jigsaw and drill would not be perfect. I would fill in any space with resin to help prevent any wobble that may come up.
For the 2×4, I cut notches out of each end as well as in the middle. When making angled cuts like this, I like to drill a big pilot hole into the wood at the angles of the cuts. I make sure it is large enough for the jigsaw blade to fit into. This gives me a starting point deeper into the wood to make the cutting easier. The notches were placed so that when the ends of the 2x4s were matched up at a 90-degree angle they would fit in place. Those could then be fitted into large prong-like notches I cut out of the ends of the 4x4s. I used a similar tactic as before, where I drilled pilot holes and made my cuts with a jigsaw. I also cut holes out of the center of the 4x4s so part of the shelving frame could be easily placed in them.
Dry fitting it all together
After cutting out the notches, I was happy to find that they all fit together. Assembling the workbenches was as simple as putting really large puzzle pieces together. I broke some pieces here in there, but the overall integrity of the workbench frame remained intact. As I like to do with most things I make, I did my weight test. Each table was strong enough to hold my weight standing on them, and that is usually good enough for me.
Cutting table top and shelves
Before sealing the joints with resin, I cut the shelves and tabletops out of the MDF boards. Since I did not use nails or screws, I could disassemble the table, add the shelving, and then reassemble it back up around the shelves. As the shelves would be stuck in a place, I did not bother securing them to the frame.
Sealing joints with Epoxy
After the shelves were added, I wrapped the joints and filled them with resin. There was a lot of wobble in the resin-less assembled table, but the wobble disappeared once I added the resin. The table still seemed sturdy enough and still passed the bodyweight test.
I flipped the table over and added swivel casters to each of the 4 corners and in the middle. Having wheels on things is excellent; having swivel wheels is fantastic! It would make moving these 8ft x 2.5 ft workbenches much much more manageable. Once the swivel casters were added, I flipped the table back over. I was tired of working on it and ready to move on to other projects, so I secured the workbench top to the frame with some 18 gauge brad nails.
With my workbench done, I had a bunch of extra storage for all my hoarded scrap wood. Even better, I had so much workbench top space now! And best of all, they had wheels!!! I could put them end to end to make one long table or side to side, so they were larger than my original unfinished workbench. I could also use them separately as individual benches. I’m excited to use the new benches, though I already seemed to have used up all that new workbench top space.
