DIY Cabinet Style Workbench
Hi, we’re Laura and Louis! We recently moved into a new workshop as a home base to operate our camper van rental business. It’s also where we work on our passion projects, so it’s been a bit of a mess as we tried to get organized. To help with this endeavor, we decided to build an 8ft wide workbench to house all the tools and shop supplies strewn around the workshop.
We used to work off of the floor or a makeshift table with 2 sawhorses and a piece of plywood when we had limited space, so we’re excited to have a functional workspace.
Before starting on the build, we modeled the general construction on Fusion 360 and made a cut list. We knew it would be too many pieces to keep track of on the spot, so we’re glad we printed the cut list and had it for reference. You can download both the 3D model and the cut list using the link below (don’t worry, we won’t spam you).
We used ¾” plywood for the carcass and ½” plywood for the drawers boxes and faces. The overall cabinet dimensions are 96” x 28” x 36” (L x W x H)
A list of everything we used is linked below:
Firmgrip Women's Gloves M - homedepot.sjv.io/gbJ6W2
Firmgrip Duraknit Gloves L - homedepot.sjv.io/mgjR3e
Power Pro 1.25" Screws - https://amzn.to/3A4z4WB
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig - https://amzn.to/3tzBDyt 1.25"
Pocket Hole Screws - https://amzn.to/33G6LBC
Kreg Door Hinge Jig - https://amzn.to/3KjKMkF
12" Bar Clamps - https://amzn.to/3Ia1scA
Leather Sheet - https://amzn.to/3Ij6m7n
26" Drawer Slides - https://amzn.to/3tPUy8H
Inset Door Hinges - https://amzn.to/3FOeon7
Get 15% OFF on Starbond CA Glues with our promo code IMEEMADE15 https://www.starbond.com/?rfsn=4627514.f53079
To start the project, we cut down all of the pieces and labeled them for easy access. It’s wise to break down full sheets of plywood with a circular saw first because it can be difficult to maneuver large sheets on the table saw.
Then we clamped our pocket hole jig onto our worktable and drilled pocket holes on all the stretchers and inside divider pieces. We also cut out the toe kick recess (3.5” high x 3” deep) by marking it with the combination square and removing the material with a jigsaw.
We attached the first side wall with the bottom runners using a square and spring clamps to make sure everything is 90 degrees. Then we attached the other side wall using the same method.
We placed the bottom panel on top of the bottom stretchers and screwed them from the top using 1.25” screws. We mainly use Power Pro screws because we love the torx head and the fact that the holes don’t need to be predrilled.
Once the bottom panel was secure, we attached the runners on each corner of the outside walls and screwed in the middle panels to the bottom panel via pocket holes. Then we put the top on and attached it with 1.25” screws through the stretchers.
Once that was done, the carcass was pretty much complete. At this point, we left the middle portion open because we were mulling over what this space would be used for. We didn’t think another set of drawers were necessary, but we were torn between keeping it open to house the shop vac and other larger tools, or adding shelves. While we tried to figure that out, we started assembling the drawers.
The drawers were simply made with butt joints, wood glue, and brad nails.
Once the drawer boxes were done, we installed the drawer slides onto the carcass.
We used scrap pieces of wood as spacers to position the sliders in the correct position. For this build, we positioned the spacers 4” from the bottom panel, then 11” from the top of the first slider, 6” from the second, and 3” from the third. To recap, we placed the 4” spacer on the bottom panel and placed the slider on top then attached it to the wall with the provided hardware. Then we placed the 11” spacer on top of the slider, placed the slider on top of the spacer and secured the second slider. And so on.
If you are still confused after seeing the photos below, find us on Instagram and DM us with questions: @imee_made
Once the drawer slides were attached to the carcass, we positioned the drawer boxes in place with a scrap piece of wood clamped to the front of the box to mimic the face. That way, we were able to butt up the receiving end of the sliders and screw it in place.
With all the drawer boxes installed, we attached the drawer face. We used paint sticks to ensure a consistent perimeter all around, then secured them with brad nails.
We made sure to shoot the nails into the side panel of the drawer boxes so the nails don’t poke through the other side of the drawer face.
Back to the empty hole in the center of the workbench. We decided to close it up with a fitted piece of plywood and secured it in place with pocket holes.
Using our kreg jig, we drilled the recess and installed the door hinges. Mounting the doors was pretty straight forward and the hinges have a lot of adjustment to fine tune the position. We used a piece of scrap as a stopper for the doors and a few dabs of Starbond CA glue to hold it in place.
To finish everything up, we moved on to drawer pulls. There was leather left over from our camper van build, so we cut 1” wide strips, made a quick jig for the drill press, and drilled holes.
We folded the strips to make a simple loop and screwed them directly onto the drawer faces. That’s it!
This awesome workbench is 8ft across, hosts 8 super deep drawers, and has shelves to home to all of our shop supplies when they’re not in use. It is so nice to have a solid workbench, lots of storage, and a clean slate for new projects!
We’re still finalizing the layout of our workshop, but the main woodworking/metalworking and assembly area is pretty much complete. Stay tuned for what’s next!
If you’ve made it this far, we’ll let you in on a bonus fact about the workbench: it’s got removable casters! Click here to check out Rockler’s quick release workbench casters.
We added them randomly because we happened to be gifted a set, and we love that we can move the workbench around to suit the needs of our space.