Diagonally Braced Workbench

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I was asked to post a tutorial to explain and show how to build a diagonally braced workbench. The main thing about it is it has no vertical legs to get in the way. It is as strong as a vertical leg bench if built right.

First, here is why it works:
A triangle is the only geometrical structure that cannot be compressed. No matter how much force is applied to any side or corner it will not change shape. An inverted right triangle is what we are using in this bench construction. The wall studs in your shop are the vertical side, the bench top brace is the horizontal side, and the diagonal brace is the hypotenuse. The only way it will change shape is by catastrophic collapse. Using normal dimensional lumber and proper technique it should be rock solid for our uses. They build houses on cliffs using the same technique.

1) The wall studs - I left the sister boards out the first time. I added them and redrew the sketches.
The studs need to be exposed for attaching the braces.
Because the two braces screw to each other, you need to add a spacer board to each wall stud at the diagonal brace to move it in alignment with the wall stud. Cut the boards to fit from the footer to the bottom of the top brace. Screw and glue this to the wall stud. Screw the top brace to the wall stud and diagonal brace to the sister board. You should use 4" screws at the diagonal brace so the screws go into the stud through the sister board. Drilling pilot holes is wise.
If you are working on a wall that is already covered with sheetrock this creates a little problem. You will need cut away the sheetrock from the top brace to the footer board. You can put a patch board over it later or just let it be.
2) The top and diagonal brace -
Use 2X6 select grade or #1 grade lumber. If you want a really solid bench use 2X8s.
The diagonal brace can be increased to 2X10 or 2X12 if you are adding a shelf below the top. The wider the diagonal brace the stronger the assembly. See diagram.
3) The bench top -
The bench top I like is 2X6 lumber with a plywood cover. It can be made with 2X8s, 2X10s, or 2X12s if that is what you have laying around. Obviously a 2X6 is strong enough on its own, but putting a piece of 1/2" (or thicker) plywood over the 2X6 top makes it cleaner and gets rid of the cracks. You don't need a bench this solid, but you will love it if you make one. I put 20-gauge stainless sheet metal on top of my benches.
If building a lighter duty hobby bench you can just use a sheet of 3/4" plywood and skip the 2X6s.
4) Construction -
Use good construction grade screws. I use torx-drive 3.5" and 4" #9 construction screws. I like to use Tightbond glue on the joints as well. Not required, but just one more thing to add strength. For the low cost of a bottle of glue I would say it is a no brainer.
Space the braces at 48" spacing for a normal bench or at 32" for a bench with heavy stuff on it. Obviously, you need to fit the spacing of the studs. The bench top can extend past the top braces about 6-8" with no harm. If making a bench wall-to-wall, just screw the end braces directly to the side wall studs. No need for diagonals there.
5) Face board and backboard-
The face board is what people will see first when they look at your bench. A face board makes the whole bench stronger and nicer looking as well as allows the attachment of certain vices and tooling. One of the biggest things it does is covers the joints of the braces, 2X6 top, and plywood cap cleanly. You want the prettiest and cleanest 2X6 you can find for this. If you will do a lot of work at the bench a 2X6 oak or maple board is not a bad idea. Both the top brace and the diagonal brace should meet pretty perfect at the front for the face board to fit right. You should make the face board just slightly proud of the bench top. This keeps things from rolling off the bench. 1/16" inch is plenty.
6) Backboard -
If the wall will be bare studs after the bench is up, put at least a 1X12 backboard on the studs after the bench is done. If you don't everything you set on the bench will mysteriously disappear down the back side gap. I would suggest that it be a full width piece of plywood. That way you can screw on shelves, hooks, etc. Or, put the sheetrock up after building the bench.

Construction method:
A) Start by cutting all the top braces. Temporarily mount one to the stud at the desired height. Use two screws to hold it roughly level.
What I do next is cut the end of the diagonal brace that fits at the wall and footer and leave the other end uncut and a little longer than needed.
I attach with one screw at the wall stud and then, using a level, with one screw at the top brace. Once all is square and level, I draw the cut lines on the diagonal and remove it for cutting. This assures an exact fit to the top brace. Cut it out on the lines you drew and re-mount to check. If everything fits pretty good at both ends, remove it and use it as a pattern to make the other diagonal braces. There can be a little misalignment at the footer, but you do not want the diagonal brace sticking out past the top brace on the front or top. Once all braces are cut, glue and screw everything together.
B) Next, cut and fit the 2X6 top boards. The boards can end flush with the top brace sides or extend past them up to 8" with no problem.
Start with the board at the front edge. Make it align with the front of the top brace as close as possible. I temporarily screw a 2X6 to the front of the braces so it sticks up an inch or more above the top brace. This allows the first board to be fitted flush easily. Add the next boards tight to each other as you go toward the wall. The last board may need to be cut narrower and sometimes even tapered a bit to fit snug against the studs.
C) Putting on the top surface - Lay the plywood on the bench top good side down, push back snug to the studs, and mark the front and sides with a pencil from below. Cut the plywood on the lines. Flip 180° and put on with the factory edge at the front. Plane or sand flush with the front and sides if needed. Align the front edge closely with the 2X6 top.
D) Face Boards and End Boards - Screw on the 2X6 face board so it is just ever so slightly proud of the plywood top. Just enough to feel with your fingertips. If the bench does not go from wall to wall adding end boards that stick up a few inches above the bench is a good idea. Use 2X8 lumber for end boards.

Brace spacing: Added information
The braces need to be frequent enough to carry the load of the benchtop and equipment. On a light duty hobby and drafting bench just at the ends will work. On a regular shop bench every 32" is better. One way to make an 8 foot bench with only one middle brace and the end braces is to use double top braces. Make two top braces for every diagonal brace. Put a top brace on each side of the wall stud and the diagonal brace between them. The diagonal brace in this setup goes all the way to the floor and against the wall stud. Put two sister boards on each side of the diagonal brace at the wall stud. These sister boards should be 2X6 and go up to the top braces. You will need to notch the bottom of the sister boards to fit against the footer and the floor. This method can be used for any length bench. I have a 13' and a 14' wall-to-wall bench with only two braces with the ends on 2X8 ledger boards screwed to the end walls. I added a sketch of the double brace setup.

Here are the drawings:

 

[RedCrow]

I have three of the 4 walls of my shop lined with benches built just like this, Makes it so easy to sweep or blow off the shop floor with no legs to work around.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yep, or to put a long object under the bench.

 

[RedCrow]

Dogs love it too. Plenty of space for them to lounge around and not get in the way. Not that they care if they are in the way.

 

[J. Hoffman]

I have one of these for each of my grinders, and for one of my drill presses. Very simple to build and very sturdy.

 

[Cushing H.]

Thank you stacy.

My new basement / shop area will be in a basement with poured concrete walls … no studs. Any thoughts on how to proceed in that case?

 

[Pinoy Knife]

my braces are made from 2x4 lumber cut at 45 degrees on the top and bottom.
you drill a hole at a angle to use4 plus inch long screws to join them to the studs in the wall..
you cut all braces at the same time so they all are the same.. my shelves are also secured this way..
very strong and sturdy.. you drill 2 holes into the 2x4 to screw them to the 2x4 studs in the wall
you have to drill a 2nd larger hole to fit the head of the screw into the wood so it can grab/hold.. kinda like a counterbore

 

[Ken H>]

Thank you stacy.

My new basement / shop area will be in a basement with poured concrete walls … no studs. Any thoughts on how to proceed in that case?

Use concrete anchors to mount metal angle brackets to the wall, then bolt the 2X4" to the angle brackets. This metal bracket could be two 6" long 2X2 angle iron with one bolted to wall at top of bench, and the other at bottom for the diagonal 2X4 support.

OR, use concrete anchors to bolt 2X4" to the wall in a vertical position to simulate studs.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Securely anchor-bolt a 2X4 to the wall from ceiling to floor every 24". Screw a second 2X4 on it at the bottom to the height of the top brace. This gives you a 4" surface below the bench to screw the braces to just like the wall studs in the diagram, and studs all the way to the ceiling for mounting shelves and the back board.

Many people who are planning to make a room in a poured concrete basement put studs every 16" or 24" along all the walls and add paneling or drywall.
You can rent a Ramset or Hammer Shot to power-nail the studs to the wall. Even if you nail the studs to the wall, I still would put at least three anchor bolts in each stud that the bench is bolted to.

I will add a tip on two things that are very useful:
Put a whiteboard or chalkboard in the shop. It is best on a free wall area not over the bench. It can be invaluable for making notes, a shop-stuff shopping list, names of customers, maintenance reminder list, specs on a knife you are making, etc. can easily be found and amended.
Also, put a cork board in the shop buy your desk or near the door. Put a pack of push pins across the top and you can put notes, phone numbers, business cards, invoices, etc. where you can see them. Since you have a concrete wall, get a six-pack of 1/2" thick cork tiles (12X12") and glue them to the wall. Strong double-sided tape also works.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I realized I had something wrong and edited the original post. I redrew the diagram. I added the double brace setup as well.

Some additional comments on simpler builds and shop improvements:
I want to point out that this is the Uber Bench. It is really solid and strong. You don't necessarily need this much bench most of the time. You can angle-screw the diagonal brace to the wall stud and use double top braces just fine without the sisters. You can do the same with a single top brace on most lighter bench builds.

You can use a 3/4" or 1" plywood top and skip the 2X6 lumber top. If you do that add some stringers between the braces.

Engineering wise, the top brace to the wall stud joint is the most vulnerable spot in the build, so make that joint strong. The diagonal is braced against the wall stud, footer board, and floor and won't be going anywhere. Gluing the joint and using double top braces add a lot of strength for only a little extra cost.

If possible, put one or both ends against a wall. Putting the bench end on an abutting wall or making a wall-to-wall bench makes a very strong build. This also eliminates a brace leg at the wall end.

Put a 1" PVC conduit with PVC power boxes 18" above the benchtop. Put a 120VAC duplex box every 3 feet. Put a 240VAC box every 4 feet or where you will need it for the grinder, etc. Use a double gang box for 120 and 240 at one spot. Put a master switch at the end of the bench to shut off all power. Some equipment stays on standby all the time if power is on.

Put GOOD LED lighting above the bench from end to end. You want high Kelvin spectrum, preferably 6000K to 6500K. Light is best both above you and from behind you. A six-pack of 48" strips at 6500K is only $50 on Amazon. The great thing about these new LED fixtures is they are small, lightweight, and plug into each other as a daisy chain. Put an outlet box on the ceiling controlled by the wall switch to plug all your LED strips into. An entire shop of LED lights doesn't use10 amps. The 8-foot-long strips have even more light output and are only a few bucks more.

When planning a bench, plan in where to run the duct for the vacuum. The diagonal brace setup works great because the duct can run in the triangle area under the benchtop.
For equipment with a 1.25" to 2.5" dust collection port like hand sanders benchtop band saws, etc. think about putting a blast gate or port at the back of the bench on the wall. The Cen-Tec hoses and fittings system sold on Amazon and other places is great for hooking up shop tools.

Coiling a 25-foot vacuum hose on a wall rack is a great way to keep a shop clean. Just plug it into the vacuum port at the bench and use the assorted nozzles and wands to clean equipment and floors. If you get in the habit of doing it every day the shop will stay clean, which is a safer shop.

Every shop needs a vacuum system of some sort. On a budget, it is the biggest shop vac you can afford. In a big pro shop, it may be a separate room with a huge cyclone collector. Whatever it is, it won't do any good if you don't use it religiously. Used shop vacs may be ugly but all that matters is they have good suction. All shop vacs need to have the filter cleaned often. It may require cleaning several times in a session of grinding handles or blocks. If itis mainly for the grinder and blades weekly may be enough. Funnels and adapters can hook up almost any tool to a vacuum.

A spark trap is needed if you grind steel. It can be a drywall bucket of water or a metal Dust Deputy. The Dust Deputy systems are great for the money. You don't need to buy the whole system, just the cyclone is what you need. The catch drum can be made from all sorts of things. Withe a pre-trap at the grinder even a low-price plastic Dust Deputy will work fine. A spark bong is a good simple pre-trap that can be made for almost nothing.

Running a compressed air line to the bench is also smart. You can plug in a hose with a blow gun nozzle and blast the dust out of tools and grinders, etc.

 

[Cushing H.]

Use concrete anchors to mount metal angle brackets to the wall, then bolt the 2X4" to the angle brackets. This metal bracket could be two 6" long 2X2 angle iron with one bolted to wall at top of bench, and the other at bottom for the diagonal 2X4 support.

OR, use concrete anchors to bolt 2X4" to the wall in a vertical position to simulate studs.

Ken … i kind if thought of something like that, but was nit sure if just anchoring a single brace at the top of the vertical woukd be strong enough.? If the bench is loaded, there would be a lot of torque trying to pull than anchor out of the wall..

 

[Cushing H.]

Securely anchor-bolt a 2X4 to the wall from ceiling to floor every 24". Screw a second 2X4 on it at the bottom to the height of the top brace. This gives you a 4" surface below the bench to screw the braces to just like the wall studs in the diagram, and studs all the way to the ceiling for mounting shelves and the back board.

Many people who are planning to make a room in a poured concrete basement put studs every 16" or 24" along all the walls and add paneling or drywall.
You can rent a Ramset or Hammer Shot to power-nail the studs to the wall. Even if you nail the studs to the wall, I still would put at least three anchor bolts in each stud that the bench is bolted to.

I will add a tip on two things that are very useful:
Put a whiteboard or chalkboard in the shop. It is best on a free wall area not over the bench. It can be invaluable for making notes, a shop-stuff shopping list, names of customers, maintenance reminder list, specs on a knife you are making, etc. can easily be found and amended.
Also, put a cork board in the shop buy your desk or near the door. Put a pack of push pins across the top and you can put notes, phone numbers, business cards, invoices, etc. where you can see them. Since you have a concrete wall, get a six-pack of 1/2" thick cork tiles (12X12") and glue them to the wall. Strong double-sided tape also works.

Stacy .. if i follow you, you are recommending running bolts through the “stud” in the long (4”) direction of the stud, so that the vertical wood behaves just like a regular wall stud … correct?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yes, that is how you stud a concrete wall. It raises the paneling/drywall 1.5" from the concrete for air space and provides a 3.5" wide nailing surface.

In your situation you have two choices. One is to use the 1.5" side of the single 2X4 bolted to the wall to attach the top braces. This is likely enough surface for a light duty bench. The better plan is to put a second 2X4 (34" long for a 36" high bench) on the one bolted to the wall up to the top brace top surface. This will give you 3" to attach the top brace to.

 

[Cushing H.]

Yes, that is how you stud a concrete wall. It raises the paneling/drywall 1.5" from the concrete for air space and provides a 3.5" wide nailing surface.

In your situation you have two choices. One is to use the 1.5" side of the single 2X4 bolted to the wall to attach the top braces. This is likely enough surface for a light duty bench. The better plan is to put a second 2X4 (34" long for a 36" high bench) on the one bolted to the wall up to the top brace top surface. This will give you 3" to attach the top brace to.

Got it … thank you!

 

[Ken H>]

Ken … i kind if thought of something like that, but was nit sure if just anchoring a single brace at the top of the vertical woukd be strong enough.? If the bench is loaded, there would be a lot of torque trying to pull than anchor out of the wall..

You're right the top bench support will have a good bit of torque for sure. With the diagonal support anchored at bottom as Stacy shows will help lessen the torque a good bit. Stacy has the right approach, I like his ideas.

Reading this thread has given me some ideas about my shop. Currently my grinder is located in middle of the room. Even with a good dust collect located at bottom of platen, there is still a good bit of dust that's thrown toward the rear of grinder. If grinder was mounted at a wall, that would help keep less grinding dust in room. I'll have to look and see how I could manage that.

 

[Cushing H.]

You're right the top bench support will have a good bit of torque for sure. With the diagonal support anchored at bottom as Stacy shows will help lessen the torque a good bit. Stacy has the right approach, I like his ideas.

Reading this thread has given me some ideas about my shop. Currently my grinder is located in middle of the room. Even with a good dust collect located at bottom of platen, there is still a good bit of dust that's thrown toward the rear of grinder. If grinder was mounted at a wall, that would help keep less grinding dust in room. I'll have to look and see how I could manage that.

Yeah … dust, dust, dust. In my new space i should have space to wall off a dedicated grinding area. Im just thinking in terms of a very spare framed “enclosure” with plastic sheeting on the framed walls. Nothing sturdy or fancy, but enough to keep the dust from wandering all over the place

 

[Lorien]

if there's anything I learned about physics during my many years working in the bicycle industry, it's that triangles are strong. Every bench and nearly every shelf I build is supported by triangles

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Me too, there is nothing stronger than a triangular brace. On simple work table builds I just make two right triangle from 2X4s screwed and glued together on the wide side and screw the upright portion to the wall studs. This will hold a surprising amount of weight. I put a stringer across the front and one on the wall then drop a plywood top on. Great for a small wall mounted table to hold one piece of equipment. It doesn't even need to go to the floor unless the weight on it will be high.

Cushing and Ken. If you can put a vacuum port at the back of the grinder as well as the one below the platen it will catch a lot of the grit tossed toward the back. Run the port vertical behind the bench, 90° elbow, and forward to the spark bong. This will work even on a rolling cart grinder or one on a table in the center of the room. An AC floor duct is perfect. The 4X6 box should sit right behind the drive wheel.
To increase airflow, you can make a face plate with a 2" slot. Slit the slot down the center and bend the two flaps out as a funnel to guide the grit.

 

[Cushing H.]

if there's anything I learned about physics during my many years working in the bicycle industry, it's that triangles are strong. Every bench and nearly every shelf I build is supported by triangles

So … just what is wrong with a square triangle?

Which reminds me … there is a really funny video along a similar geometric vein that I will look up and post here..

 

[Cushing H.]

Me too, there is nothing stronger than a triangular brace. On simple work table builds I just make two right triangle from 2X4s screwed and glued together on the wide side and screw the upright portion to the wall studs. This will hold a surprising amount of weight. I put a stringer across the front and one on the wall then drop a plywood top on. Great for a small wall mounted table to hold one piece of equipment. It doesn't even need to go to the floor unless the weight on it will be high.

Cushing and Ken. If you can put a vacuum port at the back of the grinder as well as the one below the platen it will catch a lot of the grit tossed toward the back. Run the port vertical behind the bench, 90° elbow, and forward to the spark bong. This will work even on a rolling cart grinder or one on a table in the center of the room. An AC floor duct is perfect. The 4X6 box should sit right behind the drive wheel.
To increase airflow, you can make a face plate with a 2" slot. Slit the slot down the center and bend the two flaps out as a funnel to guide the grit.

Stacy, I currently have (well, had) a secondary dust collection in the back of my grinder enclosure … but it is just a 2” pvc pipe. I like your idea *much* better. Thank you!