Portable Workbench Plans

This plan available at PlansNOW.com

Portable Bench - The title of this workbench plan from PlansNOW implies that you'll be taking it apart and putting back together as you move it from one job site to another. This says a lot about how old the original design of this plan is. With today's large selection of lightweight, portable work stations made specifically for on-jobsite projects, not many people would be willing to drag around all the pieces that make up this wood workbench, much less take the time to assemble everything once you get to where you're going.

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That said, it doesn't mean this is a bad workbench design. On the contrary. In fact, it's a rather beautiful example of woodworking craftsmanship. The simplicity and function of half-lap joinery throughput this project almost reminds me of a well-designed lego puzzle. And when everything is assembled, and the careful joinery all exposed along the edges, it probably won't be something you want to ever take apart.

Of course, to make workbench this attractive, you'll need to put in some extra work. Like a lot plans out there targeted to more advanced woodworkers, this design suggests taking rough, construction grade lumber and fine tuning first (in a well-equipped wood shop) before you start cutting it up. In this case, that means running everything over a jointer to produce an exact width and thickness for every board. Once that's done, it's on to the table saw and dado blade to start cutting the half laps.

Half-laps are a fairly simple joint to make, and when you combine them with glue and/or screws, they'll hold up to just about anything. Just as the name implies, the depth of a half-lap should be equal to one- half the thickness of each joining board. Half-laps are are usually wider than the cutting path of most dado blade, so you'll have to make multiple passes. This plan suggests you make some test cuts on scrap stock first to find the exact blade height you'll need for the joints.

There are a few drawbacks using this type of joinery with construction grade pine, and the designer of this plan shares a couple of mistakes he made with an earlier design. Apparently 2x4 construction pine is not strong enough to support the half laps you'll cut at the ends of the rails. When you start tightening down the bolts, the soft grain has a tendency to split. I can understand how this might be a common oversight among woodworkers who are used to working with dense hardwoods. This large of a half lap would never be a problem with oak or cherry.

So to stay with the more economical pine, the designer suggests you sandwich the 2×4s between pieces of 1/8" hardboard for reinforcement. This will add some rigidity to the half laps, as well as beef up the strength of the rails.

If you have a limited number of clamps (like most people), you can group all three assemblies into one large sandwich and clamp them all at the same time. You'll probably want to use some scrap 2×4s to pad the outside of the assembly and help distribute the pressure more evenly. The plan also suggests using waxed paper between each stretcher to keep them from bonding to each other. After everything is tightened down, clean off excess glue when it has dried to a rubbery consistency. A putty knife works fine for this.

One of my favorite things about this workbench plan is the provision for a bench vise. It's not made for a heavy-duty vise, but this type is fine for most projects around the house.