2x4basics 90164MI DIY Custom Workbench & Shelving Storage System - Heavy Duty Black Steel Frame for Garage, Workshop & Home Organization

I have very little experience as a do-it-yourselfer working with wood. None-the-less, I got a GREAT result with this. Since you buy all the wood youself to put this kit together, this means you can custom design and build this to your exact needs and specifications - up to the maximums specified by 2x4Basics. This is a HUGE advantage. In my case a little careful forethought and time with a tape measure revealed that I could fit a 7' x about 25" workbench neatly into a space between 2 poles next to my basement stairs. This is a nice trick as my basement space is very limited.While I was waiting for the delivery of my kit, I visited the 2x4Basics website and downloaded the instructions to peruse. While these are only pictures, with careful examination most assembly steps become clear. I did encounter a few pitfalls, however. TABLE1) The total dimention the depth of the workbench is the lenght of the front-to-back side pieces PLUS the width of the front and back 2x4's (side-to-side). In my case my side pieces were 24", but my total front-to-back depth wound up being 27".2) The 23/32" AC plywood that I purchased for the table top (7' x 27") was slightly warped. Therefore I bought #6 x 1-1/4 Galvanized Deck Screws to hold down the edges of the table top. I put them in at every 1 foot, and a little pressure with my electic drill/screwdriver resulted in these being nicely countersunk for a flat, smooth table surface.3) I wanted to be able to put large items underneath the table, for example, my cordless electric drill & saw set case. Therefore I OMITTED the bottom front 2x4 and both of the bottom shelves under the table.4) This meant the that lowest 2 side pieces (front-to-back) needed to be an ADDITIONAL 1-1/2" (width of the back 2x4). In my case this meant instead of 24" (top 2 side pieces), the bottom side pieces were 25-1/2".5) With 3 back pieces, 6 side pieces, one front piece and a 83-1/2" diagonal, plus the 23/32" AC plywood table top (7' x 27"), the table is as strudy as a ROCK. SHELVES6) It took me a while to relize that the bottom 2 shelves have 2 full lenght and 2 shorter 2x4's to accommodate the 4 shelving uprights. These are 6-7/16" shorter, in my case, 6'5-9/16" long instead of 7'.7) A number of the screws that are driven into the shelf kit pieces require getting your Phillips bit driver into small spaces. A BIT EXTENSION is almost certain to be necessary.8) I made my total shelf height 31-1/2" above the top of the table (36"). I did this after trying several experiements with taller dimentions, but felt that I needed to be able to clearly see and reach what would be on the top shelf (I'm 5'10" tall). I also took into account the height of the ceiling. 31-1/2" seemed to the the maximum height that would work well with all of these considerations.9) In my case I wanted my selves to accomodate small items that could fall in between the 1/2" gaps in the 2x4's. I therefore purchased 3 cut sheets of 1/8" Masonite Preswood as a hard shelf liner surface (7" wide x 16" deep). 2 of these (for the lower shelves) had to have additional cutouts at each of the corners to allow for the shelving uprights. After much trial and error, the dimentions of these 8 cutouts wound up being 3-3/8" wide (7' width side) x 4-1/8" deep (front-to-back side). Only a good lumber yard with the right tools (NOT just a table saw) can do this properly for you.10) I nailed down the Masonite liners with 5/8" x #18 Wire Brads, spaced at each 1 foot. This small nail size allowed for the Masonite to be held firmly flat, while providing for negligible disruption of the flat shelf surface. GENERAL11) If you're like me, you don't have the tools or experience to cut your own materials. You can have the lumberyard do it all for you. This requires, however, careful forethought and a detailed Bill of Materials. In my case, my revised, corrected Bill of Materials was:2x4Basics #90164Workbench and Shelving Kit Project7' (wide) x 27" (deep [front-to-back]) workbenchBILL OF MATERIALS v.4TABLE1A - Table surface - 7' wide x 27" deep x 23/32" thick (AC plywood) x 11B - Front & back - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 7' long (no bottom front) x 51C - Sides - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 24" long (top & middle) x 41C - Sides - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 25-1/2" long (bottoms) x 21D - Diagonal - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 83-1/2" long x 1SHELVES2A - Top shelf - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 7' long (wide) x 42B - Bottom shelves - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 7' long (wide) x 42B - Bottom shelves - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 6'5-9/16" long (minus 6-7/16") x 42C - Uprights - 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 31-1/2" long (tall) x 42D - Upper shelf surface - 1/8" Masonite Temp. Preswood 7' long (wide) x 16" deep x 12D - Lower shelf surfaces - 1/8" Masonite Temp. Preswood 7' long (wide) x 16" deep w/4 cutouts @corners 3-3/8" wide x 4-1/8" deep x 2HARDWARE#6 x 1-14" Phillips Galvanized Deck Screws - 1 box#18 x 5/8" Wire Brads - 1 boxIn my case the total for my materials was slightly over $135. The result far exceeded my expectations. While most of the steps can be done alone, a couple are MUCH EASiER with one additional person to help you, briefly. I am just delighted with the results, some difficulty in assembly notwithstanding.