DIY workbench/island for under $150

 So I have now solved my dirty little secret basement mess. I have spend three days purging and organizing the basement which lead me to build this "island" style work bench it is 40"x 67" by 36" high.
It is not totally complete but it could easily stay as is a be a great work space. I would like to add big "pot" style drawers to both side to hide away the clutter. That will come soon, I am sure...
I was thinking I may even include a long drawer to hold big rolls of wrapping paper , what a great spot for gift wrapping.
I thought just in case someone is still reading this blog and my posts I would include some details on how I built this project.

Here is how it all begins, I bought 6-2" x 4" x 8' studs, I cut each piece into 3' and 5' lengths. I connected them as shown with my Irwin corner clamps. 3' x 5'3" approx is this frame. Then I pre-drilled the butt joints and attached them with 2" wood screws.

These Irwin corner clamps are amazing for built-ins and drawers it keeps corners square and it acts like that third hand you can always use in carpentry. 

 When the frames are constructed set them aside for a little later. Oh dear you can see our gym, pretty fancy right?

 This is my new favorite tool my Ryobi impact driver. I wanted one for Christmas but I mistakenly asked for a Ryobi mini driver , it is nice but does not have the strength of the driver, it is what I have been looking for all along and it's even cute and a bright happy color. I got it and then picked up the Ryobi Combo kit with drill and circular saw as well as the battery pack and charger. Ryobi is my go to brand for tools since we have moved here almost 2 years ago , great tools at fair and affordable prices.

 I have been using this quick change bit holder by Dewalt which I like very much. Nice fast bit changes I can go from drilling to driving in a flash.

 After the 2x4 frames are completed I then moved onto the legs. I had 2" X 6" x 8' boards that I was trying to use for a workbench so I used them and cut them down into the legs. I cut each 8 foot length into two 36" pieces, leaving me with 2' lengths left. I set the 2' lengths aside and clamped the corner legs together with the Irwin clamps. I used 4 screws evenly spaced along the one side to join the boards , I did not use any glue , it was not needed and it was a good thing I didn't in the end.

 I then placed one of the 2x4 framed on the floor and placed the corner legs in place and attached them to the frame with three 2" screws.

 I then used the 2" scraps to use as spacers for the lower shelf. I screwed them into the legs so that I could easily slide in the next 2x4 frame. Then I removed the 2" scraps.

 Then my daughter and I flipped it over and I added the next 2x4 frame. I used clamps to help me hold up the frame to allow me to screw the next frame in.

 I then went off with my finished dimension for the shelves to Home Depot to have 1/2" pine plywood cut for me.
That's where I realized I could not just slip the plywood in because the frames were in the way, silly me. But luckily I didn't use glue so I could easily remove the one side of the corner legs allowing me to just slide in the plywood and re-attach the legs. Easy peasy. Although it wasn't a step I thought of ahead I would construct it differently. I then went back off to get the top cut just slightly larger than the frame. 40" x 67" , I attached each shelf to the frame with 2" screws 8 of them evenly spaced , at the half way point and the corners. You could use thicker plywood but I didn't see the point. It is as strong as a can be .
We will soon be carving pumpkins down there...it's a great space to spread out and get things fixed , created and repaired.

So there it is again for just about $130 before taxes I built this island workbench.
You could do it for less especially if you use chip board or OSB, knock off $60 . But like everything materials may be more or less where you are.
If you would like to make it with wheels just make the legs 3" shorter , you will loose a little shelf depth keep that in mind. I like I said before I will be adding drawers where the shelves are to keep things out of sight.
It is a pretty easy project and will allow for ease of creating lots of other projects in the future.


Materials
4- 2"x6"
6-2"x4"
3 sheets of plywood
2" wood screws medium size box 80 screws or so

I would love to hear your thoughts about my latest project....and thank you for stopping by.Just to be clear this post was NOT sponsored at all , this is just my project using the tools I have bought and the items I like to use.
Chris