Sturdy Work Bench

Cut two 2x4s to length (33" in the source build) and fasten them together at a right angle with three evenly spaced 2-1/2" construction screws. Repeat three more times until you have four matching L-shaped legs.

Cut a 2x4 into four 3"-long sections and secure one to the bottom of each leg with two construction screws.

This step is easy to skip, but it's worth doing: identical cleats make leveling the bench simple to check, they support the stretchers better than screwing directly into a leg's end grain, and they add real surface area to each foot, which makes the whole bench sturdier standing on an uneven garage floor.

Decide on your top size and desired overhang before cutting this piece — the shelf-support length sets the width of the whole project. For a 24"-wide top with a 2" overhang front and back, subtract for the legs' footprint and cut to 16", as in the source build.

Attach the shelf supports between the front and back legs at a lower height.

Cut the stretchers to the length your top and overhang call for (40" in the source build) and fasten them to the legs at two different heights on each long side — this doubled bracing is what keeps a workbench this simple from racking under real use.

Cut the top supports four inches shorter than the shelf supports (12" in the source build) and space them evenly across the stretchers, two construction screws per joint. Four is usually enough to keep a solid top from flexing; add more if your top is thin or your bench sees heavy use.

Set the laminated top on the frame and attach through the top supports and stretchers with counter-sunk screws. Fill the screw heads with wood putty and sand flush once it's dry, so nothing on the work surface catches a board sliding across it.

A plywood-stack top or edge-glued 2x4 top both work if you'd rather build the top yourself, but each traps sawdust and glue in its seams in a way a solid laminated top doesn't.