Folding Workbench

I made my own workbench from a very sturdy, solid (65 lbs) door just a year ago using plans from another blog. It has been a great bench, but I find myself increasingly running out of space as heavy tools, like the heavy scroll saw, increasingly find a permanent location on the bench.

I needed a work space that would be kept clear to use for occasional projects. If nothing will be atop the new bench most of the time, it would be nice to have it store away easily to take up less garage space, so I set about creating a folding workbench.

I started by mounting a 2x4 at the same height as my existing workbench.


The legs were also made from 2x4. To make them sturdier, I cut some rabbet joints. Lacking fancier tools, I used a circular saw to make the initial cuts, followed by the hammer and then the chisel to smooth it out. The three legs were all cut at once, which saved a bit of time.



A neighbor moved out and gave us the top to a modular desk she was about to throw away. With one straight side, it's a perfect fit. In a pinch, another solid wood core door would have worked, too, but the desk is larger and has a fun shape.


The legs are mounted along a 2x4, which is connected by a couple hinges. A 2x3 along the bottom of the legs lends the bench more stability. The 2x3 has rabbets cut into it the same way as before, which help support the legs and make it look nicer.


Three strong hinges are added to connect the bench to the wall's studs. They don't support the bench when it's down--the 2x4 on the wall does that--but they support the full weight of the bench when it's folded up, so it's important they're robust.

The bench turned out well. It's easy to pull out and fold away with the gate latch up top and it's large enough and strong enough for most weekend projects.