Build a heavy-duty workbench yourself – all for under €200

If you want to build a DIY workbench, you first need to make a good plan. The tools, the material you use, the design and the dimensions of your DIY workbench depend primarily on what you intend to use it for.

Maybe all you want to do is repair a DIY children’s toy every now and again or make DIY Christmas decorations once a year. Or do you want to build furniture like a wood slab table, make a DIY wall shelf or take on a more challenging project like building your own router bench?

Before you get started, think about what you need the workbench for and where you want to place it. An outdoor workbench places different demands on the material than one inside in your basement. Likewise, certain features may be needed to do certain types of jobs, depending on your specialisation.

If you build your own workbench, be careful not to over-engineer it. Make a plan of what you need. There are many things you could do, but which you don’t really need. Leave them out.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this:

• Carpenter’s workbench: A joiner’s or carpenter’s workbench is perfect if you often move and work with larger pieces of wood. That means you’ll need a lot of space, and the bench has to be very stable. You don’t want it to wobble when you’re sawing, drilling, milling or fixing something. Therefore, you have to make sure the workbench is sufficiently heavy and stable when you’re drawing up your plans.
• Mobile workbench: Maybe you need a workbench that you can move from point A to B. There are different factors that matter most here. It should be light and possibly include a folding mechanism or casters under the table legs.
• Goldsmith’s workbench: If you want to make your own jewellery, other factors are important. Generally speaking, you will be doing intricate work involving a number of tiny parts. In this case, it is best if you can work sitting down. A section of the front edge of the workbench should be cut out so that you can get as close as possible to the piece of jewellery you’re working on. The weight and stability of the workbench play a lesser role.
• Workbench for planting, sowing and repotting: If you’re more of a gardener than a handyman, check out our guide on how to build your own planting table.

As you can see, there are a number of things to consider when building your own workbench.

In this guide, we will be building a workbench for as many applications as possible. This means that it must be large enough for you to carry out most of the tasks that you as a do-it-yourselfer want to do comfortably. It should stable enough that it does not wobble, practical enough that everything is within reach and cheap enough to make financial sense to build it yourself.

The following workbench ideas will help you during the planning phase:

• Design: Even if this isn’t feasible in every cellar or garage due to space constraints, experience has shown time and again that a free-standing workbench that is accessible from all sides has enormous practical advantages.

As you cannot fasten a free-standing workbench to the wall, the base frame should be sufficiently sturdy. In addition, you can strengthen the frame, for example, by attaching perforated plates to the sides to hold tools, small boxes of parts or similar.

The worktop should be thick enough so that it does not wobble when you’re working. Which type of worktop you’ll need depends on what you want to use the bench for.

You can also set aside space for storage under your worktop in your plans. Drawers are a great way to create order. They can be easily made out of oriented strand board (OSB). Check out our guide to building a DIY drawer divider if this is something that interests you.

• Size: A medium-sized DIY workbench that you can really work with should be at least 160 cm long and 80 cm wide. Choose the height based on how tall you are. This will ensure you are comfortable while working. You can get a general idea of how high it should be by standing up straight and letting your arms hang down. The distance from your wrist to the floor is a good height.

Remember to factor in the height of tools, if necessary, unless you want the worktop to be absolutely flat. 

• Materials: Wood is a good material for a universal workbench. The material combines many useful qualities: It is flexible and relatively easy to work with while also being solid and heavy. Plus, you can sand it down after using it for some time. Find out more in our guide to sanding.

While it would in theory be possible to build a workbench out of metal, you’d have to use enough of the material to achieve the necessary weight. That means you’ll likely need to spot-weld, and you won’t have as many design options as you would with wood. You would also need to take steps to prevent the workbench from rusting. If not, processing wood on the workbench could leave behind ugly spots.

• Features: What you plan to use the DIY workbench for determines which features you’ll need. It is important to think about options to clamp the part or piece you are working on in place. For that reason, it’s best to have a worktop with holes in which you can clamp workpiece holders. That is a feature that you’ll really need and shouldn’t do without.

Whether or not you add a front or shoulder vice depends on what you’re using your DIY workbench for. Generally speaking, you can always install one later on.

Buying a pre-assembled workbench can be expensive. Even small units with a simple metal sub-frame cost around €500. You can get a fairly good workbench equipped with a vice for about €900.

You can save hundreds of euros by building a DIY workbench. The key factors are the design, size, material and features, as previously described. If a basic workbench is more than enough for you, you can build one for about €100 that is both sturdy and long-lasting.

Whether you choose to build a work table, a carpenter’s bench or a workbench, the two core components are the worktop and the base. The following three steps illustrate how to build a basic workbench.

Your finished workbench can be used in a number of great DIY projects, a desk for your office at home or other tables for your house: Build your own weight bench that you can also use as a coffee table or make a table from pallets. There’s little you can’t do once you have a good place to work. The sky’s the limit.