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Space-saving folding workbench

DIY4Knuckleheds
Making a Splash
DIY4Knuckleheds
DIY4Knuckleheds
Making a Splash

 

A handy collapsible workbench made from formply and DAR Pine, and painted with black enamel paint.

 

 

The project

 

The amazing folding workbench for small workshops. A surprisingly easy project that is a great solution for small work spaces where a static workbench is not suitable as it takes up too much room.

 

Every D.I.Y. enthusiast needs a workbench and now there isn’t an excuse not to have one, especially if you are like me and only have a single-car garage. 

 

Steps

 

Step 1

 

Cut the pieces and assemble the two end frames. It's pretty important to get these exactly the same as they need to fold neatly in together.

 

Folding Workbench 1.jpg


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Step 2

 

Patch all the holes and imperfections with Spakfilla. Apply an undercoat and then follow that up with two coats of gloss black enamel.

 

Folding Workbench 8.jpg

 

Folding Workbench 9.jpg

 

Step 3

 

Cut the pieces of Formply for the folding arms. A great way to get these nice and straight is to clamp a straight edge to the formply and run your saw up against it. Of course, if you have a table saw you can always use that. Once the pieces have been cut it's time to assemble and connect to the two end frames.

 

Folding Workbench 5.jpg

 

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Step 4

 

Give the folding arms a test. As you can tell from my facial expressions l was pretty surprised by how well it all folded together.

 

Folding Workbench 18.jpg

 

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Step 5

 

With the frame now complete it's time to cut the formply for the top. I've added some thickness to the edge of the bench top by screwing a strip of formply to the underside of the bench top.

 

Folding Workbench 21.jpg

 

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Step 6

 

With a router or even some sandpaper, chamfer the edges of the benchtop to get rid of the sharp edge.

 

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Step 7

Make up the stabiliser blocks for the folding arms. These prevent the arms from folding in and keep the arms straight.

 

Folding Workbench 27.jpg

 

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Step 8

 

Attach the wheels to the underside of the end frames. One word of advice is to offset the wheels. As you can see in the photo, l originally didn't do that causing the wheels to occasionally clash when when wheeling it away which was a little annoying. I have since offset the wheels and it now works a lot better.

 

Folding Workbench 28.jpg

 

Step 9

 

As you can see it folds up to a very slim and tidy 180mm which is small enough to even store inside a cupboard when not in use.

 

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Step 10

 

Here is the finished product.

 

Folding Workbench 30.jpg

 

Folding Workbench 31.jpg

 

It works really well and is surprisingly easy to make. A lot of us have very limited workspaces so it's perfect for that. It's also a good thing to have if you are ever entertaining and need an extra table.

 

Bunnings also seems to have a plentiful supply of the black formply which is also good. I love the look of the stuff and it's mostly straight which is a bonus.

 

Here's an easy to follow step-by-step video tutorial I made.

 

 

Comments
mich1972
Kind of a Big Deal

That’s amazing @DIY4Knuckleheds

MrSober
Building a Reputation

Love these projects, I still have an outstanding bench for my garage I need to build....

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Ensure you reach out if you need assistance with your project @MrSober.

 

Mitchell

 

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