Don't RUIN your workbench with 2x4s. (Use these tips instead.)

you are getting ready to build a workbench and you're probably going to use construction Lumber probably 2x4s because they're inexpensive and they come in the perfect size you can use 2x4s to make slab tops legs braces supports they are perfect except for one thing aren't 2x4s kind of you know terrible my colleague Scott walz just made a great video about 2x4s and how they're kind of garbage for workbenches because they're made out of the youngest trees they're most likely to have the pith they're going to be much wetter and they're way more likely to warp and twist than any other construction Lumber and I agree with everything he said because it's all true if you build your workbench out of 2x4s your legs might fail and your top might delaminate that's a fancy word that comes from the Latin phrase oh my workbench just fell apart instead of 2x4s Scott and other prominent Woodworkers suggest you use bigger construction Lumber 2x10s and 2x 12s probably with the pith in the board then you rip the pith out leaving you with basically a pair of Premium 2x4s really good pieces of Timber that are straight mature and have nearly quarter saw grain you take these pieces and then you build your bench as if you were using regular 2x4s which is a great strategy if you've got a jointer and a planer or at least a decent table saw ripping yellow pine 2x 12s is no joke but what if you are just some poor slot building your first ever workbench out in a garden shed with nothing but some janky hand tools you're not going to make all those giant rip cuts by hand so what are you supposed to do well I suggest you build your bench out of regular 2x4s and don't worry about it I've got five tips that are going to make your build a success and let you sleep at night and tip number one is you need to toss the stacks don't go to the home center and just buy 12 random 2x4s 10 of them are going to to be garbage you need to sort through that stack of boards and be ultra picky do not buy boards that have the pith in them do not buy boards with giant knots do not buy boards that already have warp and twist or anything like that they're not going to fix themselves you are looking for Clear vertical grain that runs from one tip of the board to the other without run out in the middle and then when you're done and you found your boards restack all the ones you didn't take that will keep the find people at the Home Center from hating you once you get your wood back to your shop then you need to cross cut and store it Crosscut means cut it to approximate length boards lose almost all of their moisture through the end grain so you want to expose fresh end grain and get that moisture change happening now once you've got your boards back to your shop you want to store them for a good long period of time does that mean stickering them and carefully stacking them someplace no at least I don't I keep all of my workbench wood in this disorganized pile of crap in the corner of my shop and I leave it for a full 4 weeks 2 weeks is good but after 4 weeks you really know which boards are going to give you problems and which ones are going to behave while we're talking about workbenches we are having a plan sale everything is 50% off at Rex Krueger tocom not just workbenches but also shop projects and Furniture projects it's all half off but only until Christmas and we're doing an extra special deal that I'll tell you about in just a minute tip number three is buy extra wood because you never really know what's going to happen this board looked okay in the store but now that I have it back at the shop it is a disaster it is horribly warped and twisted I can't make anything out of this this board looks like it should be terrible it's got grain run out big knots swirly grain this should have Twisted horribly but it didn't this board's been in my shop for months it's straight as an arrow and ready to use wood is unpredictable so buy extras at $3 a board you can afford to okay your wood is cross cut to length it's dried out it's ready to go you're going to make a component you're going to make a leg for your workbench but before you do you need to plain your surfaces I am sure you've seen a video where somebody has taken a rough disgusting surface like this slathered it in glue clamped it to something else and said hey worked yeah it worked on camera who knows what happened down the road gluing up an unplaned surface like this is asking for trouble whether you do it by hand or by Machine you need to smooth this surface out that's what wood glue is looking for smooth straight surfaces that are extremely close together that's how it works the best the good news is planing it up is quick let's do this surface right this second I'm going to do it by hand plain old Stanley Jack plane here we go I just said plain old Jack plane and my wood is obviously a bit CED it's Hollow in the middle so I'm going to work a bit more on the outer edges now this board is a little bit stubborn it's got one super low spot right in here and I need to bring the rest of the board down more I don't have to eliminate it totally but I got to get close okay that tiny bit of fuzziness there isn't going to make a bit of difference I've got a smooth clean surface I'm not even going to do the rest of it I'm going to prep my other surface put the two halves of my leg together let the glue dry and then playing the rest of it Richard Maguire has an outstanding 20 minute long video on gluing up workbench legs I am not going to repeat everything he said I'm just going to link to that down in the description my last tip is free your mind in the last 20 years Woodworkers have become obsessed with slab top benches mostly because of the brilliant French rubo style bench they're amazing but you don't have to build a slab top bench at all consider instead the English style workbench I've got two of them right here and they use a clever system of interlocking planks just regular construction wood arranged like a torsion box or like floor joists these give you a structure that eliminates the need for a slab you don't have to laminate up anything at all these benches use less wood they're less expensive you don't need any Machine Tools they're relatively easy to build and they have hidden benefits beyond all that stuff check out this ugly 2x4 right in the middle of my bench top it's got a huge knot swirly grain and grain run out on both sides this board must be a disaster and in the year it's been in this bench it must have bowed and twisted like crazy right wrong this board is dead flat and perfectly straight because it's fixed down to this rigid structure of interlocking boards now this is a terrible 2x4 and of course I can't keep it from expanding and Contracting but I can keep it from twisting and bowing because it's fixed to this rigid structure this structure allows you to use even very marginal wood and get a good workbench the Brits did it all the time if you're getting ready to build your first woodworking bench I've got a pair of traditional Eng English designs to get you going my original English joiners bench is a heavy Stout bench that's also easy to make from common construction Lumber my minimum Timber bench is stripped to the bone with 40% less wood to save you money both builds are approachable and the plans for both are on sale right now they're 50% off but only until Christmas if you really want a slab top design check out my quick stack bench it is an all hand tool slab toop workbench that is also knocked down it comes apart and goes back together quickly and easily it's a bench that goes wherever you need it to go in addition to our plan sale we are also doing a course sale for the first time ever we're putting our minimum Timber bench course and our quick stack course on sale 30% off and they come with the plans included for free this is the first time we are ever offering a sale on these courses and they are made to take you through every step of the build process and get you going and listen no matter which workbench you buil you don't need to fear the 2x4 you just need to learn how to use it and anybody can do that thanks for watching

Channel: Rex Krueger

Views: 87,822

Keywords: rex, krueger, workbench, diy workbench, diy, how to build a workbench, workbench build, diy workbench table, woodworking workbench, garage workbench, woodwork, workbench diy, mobile workbench, diy workbench with storage, ultimate workbench, build a workbench, simple workbench, diy woodworking, woodwork workbench, workbench top, easy workbench, roubo workbench, how to make a workbench, diy workbench pallet, diy simple workbench, diy garage workbench, diy workbench 2x4

Id: gHBoPvQxZvw

Length: 9min 18sec (558 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 08 2023