DIY Workbench From Scraps and Pallets

When you're looking to get into woodworking, you need a place to start. Scrap wood and skids can be found almost anywhere. Before I began this project, I had thirty-five plywood bed slats and a six- foot rectangular pallet. Afterward, I had a nice six-foot workbench ready for use.

• jigsaw
• screws (30 2 1/2 inch, 50 1 3/4 inch)
• sandpaper
• plywood slats
• drill/screwgun
• carpenter's square/speedsquare
• torpedo level
• polyurethane (optional)
• brush for polyurethane
• measuring tape
• pencil

For more great ideas on how to use pallets, check out these instructables:

• Elegant Pallet Shoebench
• Diy Workbench From Scraps and Pallets
• Elegant Pallet Box
• Easy Pallet Phone Holder
• Easy Storage Carpet Ball Table (coming soon!)

The first thing to take into consideration when building a workbench is the size that you want it to be. The needs and available space of each workshop vary greatly, so must the workbench.

While building my bench, I used a six foot pallet. Skids are great for building workbenches because they easily prevent any kind of sagging and streamline the project.

Before I made the legs, I had to take into account how high I wanted the bench to be. Workbenches are generally quite a bit higher than normal tables and desks. I built my bench 39 inches. Before building the legs, decide how tall you want the bench. If the bench is to be 20 inches tall, cut the legs down to 19 inches. If 50 inches is wanted, cut the legs down to 49 inches.

To build the legs, I placed one slat on top of another and screwed in one short screw at the top and another short screw at the bottom. I repeated this process 3 more times. After all the legs had been assembled, I put the skid on the ground so that the legs could be attached to the side. When attaching the leg, make sure that the top of the leg is flush with the top of the pallet. Once it is flush, drill one long screw in the top right corner of the slat. Put another screw 2 or 3 inches below the previous screw, and all the way to the left. Place one more screw in between, still keeping in the diagonal line. Once finished, the leg should look like the second picture. Repeat the process 3 more times. Now, stand your bench up, it's halfway done.

Once the bench is standing, it can hold some of your tools. However, it will be very easy for some of the tools to fall though, and the bench will be slightly wobbly. This can be easily remedied with the use of other slats as braces.

The first brace to be attached is a horizontal short-side brace. Measure from the outside of one short-side leg to the outside of the other leg. As shown in the first picture. This is the first piece to be cut. After cutting the piece, attach it to both of the short-side legs 2-3 inches above the ground. Repeat this step on the other side of the bench. Next, attach a full slat diagonal from the top of a short side leg to the bottom of the other short-side leg.

Finally, the long-side braces. Grab six full slats and cut them in half. Set four of the cutoffs to the side. The other four cutoffs will be cut in half one more time. Take one of the pieces and match the top of the piece to the bottom of the 2x4 of the pallet; making sure to keep the rest of the piece neatly flush with the leg. Once everything is lined up, as in the first and second pictures, use one short screw to secure it. Repeat this exact step again, the only difference being that long screw will be used instead of short screws. Move to another leg and repeat the process. Now that the spacers have been attached, the braces can be fastened. Select one of the four long pieces and screw it in to the spacer and leg using the long screws. Attach the other end of the brace to the inside of the 2 x 4 of the skid. Use short screws. Repeat this process for all of the other legs. The third picture can be used for reference.

The shelf is optional but can come in handy all the time. I grabbed four full-size pieces of pallet wood and cut two of them in half using my jigsaw.

To build the surface, select a full slat and place it on the top right side of the skid. Fasten it down to the skid using short screws. The next slat will need to be cut with the jigsaw before it can be attached to the bench, as the remaining surface is too short for a full slat. Start the next row on the left side of the skid.Continue completing rows and rotating starting sides until the entire top of the skid has been covered.

Now that the bench has a surface, it can be customized. I chose to add a shelf and a bench vise.