My Various Workbenches
Over the years I’ve built many different workbenches. Some have been complicated, some have been super basic. Some are my own designs and some are from others.
Note: I’m a power tool woodworker so my workbenches and stations reflect that. Hopefully, I’ll get to build a nice hand-tool workbench in the near future.
This Post Will Cover:
The Perfectly Boring Workbench
I’m shamelessly starting with my own “design” that I’ve dubbed “The Perfectly Boring Workbench”
What I like about this workbench is that it is relatively cheap and easy to make. You can build it in about an hour, with only a circular saw and a drill. Then you can customize it to suite a variety of rolls.
My opinion is that a 3ft x 6ft workbench/assembly table is about the perfect size. It’s small enough to reach around. You can move it against a wall in your garage and still park a car. It can easily handle a 4x8 piece of plywood. The 3x6 size is a carry-over from the Paulk Style Benches I’ve made. More on Ron Paulk’s clever workbench designs below.
What I don’t like. On my first versions of this workbench I didn’t add enough bracing to the top and it sagged over time. This is a problem because when you assembly things you want a flat surface. It’s an easy fix and I’ve updated the plans to account for this.
Miter Saw Stations
I’ve had a variety of miter saw stations. Some i’ve built and some I’ve bought. I currently have two. My “perfectly boring mitersaw station” and my Paulk Total Station.
The Perfectly Boring Mitersaw Station
My shop mitersaw station is an adaption of The Perfectly Boring work bench that’s against the wall of my shop. It’s not fancy, or complex, but it supports long boards and allows for repeatable cuts.
The video is queued up to start at my miter saw station.
It’s depth, mainly to allow for my mitersaw slide doubles as a place for benchtop tools and….junk collection.
It takes up a lot of space and isn’t mobile (pro tip: Put everything on wheels even if you don’t think you’ll use them).
One day I’ll get around to refining it.
Store-bought miter-saw stands
If you’re limited on space in your shop consider a store bought miter saw stand designed for contractors (same goes for table saws). They fold up, some roll, and take up very little space in a shared garage or storage shed. You can then wheel it out, pop it up, and then you have a mitersaw station ready to go.
Seriously, don’t discount jobsite/contractor tools. Many are great and allow you to go from a storage shed (or trailer) to fully functioning shop in 10-15min.
I’ve seen some really great DIY modifications carpenters and woodworkers have made to their mitersaw stands and they are really ingenious.
My $30 Mitersaw stand
I designed this on a jobsite in an afternoon after my store-bought stand bit it. This prototype had a lot of downsides; It wasn’t very stable, no stop block, I would not put a 10ft 2x12 on it.
However, I think there is a ton of potential to this design that I never work-on. Part of me wants to rebuild it and refine it. I think it could be something really useful.
The Paulk (Smart) Total Station and Miter Saw Stand
Ron Paulk has invented some of the best portable workbench designs in the world. I’m going to dive more into his designs below. My second mitersaw station is the Paulk (or SMART) Total Station. It’s a mitersaw station, a workbench, a router table, and a table saw outfeed table all in one.
The Multifunction Slab
This isn’t my original idea. It is essentially a knock-off version of the Festool MFT Table. I made mine full DIY style with a 3/4” sheet of MDF and a 3/4” Forstner Bit. If you have access to a CNC you can purchase the CAD file and have one precision made from http://www.multifunctionslab.com/
If you’re just getting into woodworking and need a basic workbench. I’d say start with the MFSlab. You can have the guys at the box store cut it to size for you, pick up a couple of saw horses on your way out the door and with a drill and a jigsaw you can detail it out.
The Paulk Workbenches (AKA the Smart Woodshop)
As I mentioned above Ron Paulk is the inventor of the Paulk Workbenches, the SMART Woodshop and is full of creative ideas to work efficiently. Ron is a finish carpenter who started coming up with ways to work more efficiently on jobsites to get more done in less time.
Ron Paulk is an active You-tuber. You should subscribe to his channel and purchase his plans to build your own Paulk style workbench.
Be sure to visit Ron’s website at https://thesmartwoodshop.com/
The Folding Workbench
I built this workbench for a client. She needed a place to work in her garage but still wanted to be able to park her car in the garage. This folding workbench solved that problem and is solid enough for most hobby, home maintenance tasks.
This folding workbench is a great addition to any garage or craft area with limited space. In its folded position it only takes up 6" of floor space. When set up it's a rock solid 32" deep workbench ready for your next DIY project. The best part is you can build it on a Saturday for less than $100.00.
How have you built your workbenches?
Leave a comment below and let’s start a discussion.
