How to Build a Tool Bench

By: Jennifer Stimpson, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Locking casters; There should be 6 in all.

2. Wood glue

3. ½-inch plywood for backs and shelves.

4. Pegboard

5. ¾-inch plywood for work surface.

6. 1x2 filler strip for furring out the pegboard.

7. ⅝-inch plywood for bottoms and walls.

8. Power strip suitable for workshop use.

9. 1½-inch deck screws

10. ½-inch straight router bit

11. Pegboard hooks

12. 5/16-inch carriage bolt, washer and nuts

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Drill/Driver fitted with a countersink bit
- Circular saw
- Router with ½inch straight bit
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Photo: Allison Dinner

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
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8 hours
$150

Difficulty: Easy Large parts, simple hardware, and straight cuts make this bench a lot simpler to build than it looks.

Amy Paladino is a pro at juggling the demands of her job and family. But as with many of us, when it came to organizing tools for DIY projects, she needed a little assistance.

Enter This Old House general contractor Tom Silva, with a plan for a size-it-to-your-space tool-storage bench that doubles as a work surface. Though it may look complicated, the construction couldn't be simpler: Tom used plywood to build one large box and two smaller ones, fitted them with shelves, then placed them back-to-back and topped the assembly with doubled-up plywood. See how he and Amy built it using just a few basic tools and materials.