I guess the key to doing all of this is organization. While that may be the key, you should see my soon to be ex-living room, because I haven't packed much of my business "stuff" yet. My husband and I are sitting on two of our patio chairs with the little patio table in between the chairs. You would think we would have tons of room to walk around, but the floor is littered with papers to be shredded, boxes of beads and findings, jewelry making tools, and photo props.
So, where does the organization come in? That's what today's blog is about, building your own Take Apart Workbench.
My husband and I designed this simple but functional workbench. It is not only sturdy enough to hammer on, it comes apart and is easy to move around or take with you...if you move, travel in an RV, or just want to rearrange your work space. Read through all the directions first before assembly, and let me know if you have any questions. I apologize that the pics don't show me putting this together, because it was already made. I promise any jewelry tutorials will NOT be written this way!You will need:
- 1 sheet ( 4 x8 foot) of Best Grade 3/4 inch thick plywood
- 21 feet of Best Grade 2 x 4's
- 28- 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inch x 1/4" wood screws or dry wall screws
- 4 Stainless steel round Phillips head 1 1/4 inch long x 1/4" wide screws
- A circular saw or good straight saw
- Tape measure
- Pencil or pen
- Sand paper
- 2 pieces 48" x 24"
- 1 piece 18" x 29 3/4 "
- 4 pieces 27" long
- 8 pieces 18" long
- First you want to screw all the legs together.
- For the first leg structure, take two 27" pieces and one 18" piece.
- Place the 18" piece on top of one 27" pieces and screw together with the longer screws in three places down into the center of the 27" leg. Refer to pictures.
- Do the same on the other side of the 18" piece.
- Measure from the top of the leg structure down 19" and mark on both legs. This creates a cross member for stability and to hold the shelf
- Center another 18" piece over the mark as seen in the picture, and screw together using the longer screws on each side with two screws each.
- Follow the instructions above to make the other leg structure.
- Sand all the edges of the cuts made from the plywood and round the corners.
- We will attach the units that hold the legs in first. Measure in from each end of one 24 x 48" piece of plywood 4 inches and mark with straight lines.
- You might need a helper for this step or super glue (a temporary solution till you screw it together) on 18" 2 x 4 piece in the center of your marks. (So the 2 x 4 will be 4 inches from the front, back, and side.)
- Using your long screws, screw from the plywood top down into the 2 x 4 in at least 2 places. Screw down hard enough that the screw "sinks" into the plywood top.
- Do the same thing on the other end of the plywood top.
- Measure across the top of your legs at the width of the 18" leg top, because all 2 x 4's are not created equal and you want your legs to fit in tight to the leg holders on the plywood.
- Mark that out and screw the another 18" leg holder like you did above, using the longer screws, making sure your leg is going to fit snugly but not sloppily. Refer to the pictures.
- Place the legs into their holders and flip the table over.
- Place the 18" x 29 3/4" shelve between the legs across the legs cross members. This will add stability while you add the second top.
Finish the Top:
- Pick out the smoothest surface side of the remaining top board for the top of your table. You want a level firm surface to work on.
- On the bottom of the top (lol) add some wood glue to help assure the tops will stay firmly together.
- Using you stainless steel Phillips head screws, screw the tops together from the top on each corner, 2 inches from each corner.
And you are done!!! The top comes off, the legs come off, and the shelf comes out. You have four pieces to move whenever you need to. You can add a felt or other table cloth to keep your beads from rolling off.
