How To Make A DIY Kids Workbench

Brayden Silva

Woodworking Specialist

Are you looking for an affordable way to make your kid a small workbench they can use? This guide on how to make a DIY Kids Workbench is what you need. The best part about the guide is that you can use it to guide you in creating different small woodworking benches. After all, the principles are the same.

Tools And Materials

Before you start the work, you need to put all the tools you need together. First, make sure you protect yourself at all times to avoid unnecessary accidents. When building the small workbench, make sure you have on safety goggles, a dust mask/respirator, and working gloves.

Additionally, you want to put on hearing protection when you are operating power tools. Furthermore, you also want to get extra tools to build the bench.

The standard tools needed include:

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• Wood planks for legs, aprons, back frame such as pine.
• Thick wood board for a top workspace and a bottom shelf such as MDF or plywood.
• Miter saw.
• Orbital sander.
• Kreg Jig K4 Pocket Hole System and Kreg SK03 Pocket-Hole Screw Kit.
• Drill with right angle attachment.
• Hammer.

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• Nail gun or hammer and nails.
• Wood glue.
• Bar clamps.
• Wood veneer edge banding.
• Finish preferably polyurethane.
• Wood primer.
• Wood paint in kid-friendly colors.

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Step-By-Step Instructions

This standard DIY guide for making a woodwork bench for kids follows 5 basic steps. As mentioned above, the principles are the same, however, the measurements may vary depending on the design you want to go for. These include:

Step 1 – Cut & Drill Pocket Holes Through The Planks For The Apron

1. Cut all pieces of wood for the small workbench. The sizes and wood type for each part are as follows (this is presuming your woodwork bench for kids will measure about 30 inches long by 15 inches wide by 22 inches tall, the top will be about 2 inches).
2. 5-inch pinewood legs.
3. 25-inch pinewood aprons.
4. 75 by 13.75 pinewood back frame.
5. 30 inches long by 15 inches wide by 22 inches tall MDF top workspace and bottom shelf.
6. Drill pocket holes into the top and bottom aprons and pegboard frame.
7. Once done, use the sander to break off any deformed pieces and smooth out the edges and front corners of the top workspace.

Step 2 – Assemble The Back Frame

8. The next step is to assemble the back frame to hold the pegboard and back of the legs.
9. Attach four wood pieces together, drill pocket holes, and mark where you want to attach the pegboard.
10. Attach cleat pieces to the frame (to help hold the pegboard later).

Step 3 – Attach Aprons For The Small Workbench Top And Front Legs

11. Use pocket hole screws to attach the side aprons to the top workspace and legs. Do this by centering the aprons on the legs and then, add the front apron last.

Step 4 – Attach The bottom Aprons For The Shelf

12. The next step is to work on the shelf. Using the drill, right-angle attachment, and pocket hole screws, attach the bottom aprons to support the shelf.
13. Next, attach the pegboard using waterproof wood glue.
14. When you are done, apply pressure under to hold where you applied the glue and let the piece rest until it is dry.
15. Once dried, turn it upright and let it rest.
16. Apply a few coats of varnish to the bottom shelf before installing it.

Step 5 – Create The Small Woodworking Bench Top

17. Lastly, using a piece of MDF or plywood, make it a workbench top.
18. Use an orbital sander to sand down and round the corners.
19. Next, use the wood veneer edge banding to clean the surface of the wood after sanding.
20. After getting a clean raw look on your wood, paint a single coat of primer, paint the wood, and add a few coats of the finish.
21. Apply wood glue along the top of the frame and install it on the top of the workbench.
22. Apply some pressure onto the workbench until it has dried.

After the fifth step, your small woodworking bench will be done. Some people choose to add extra details and décor to make the bench stand out. For example, you can use a router to create fancy edges. Alternatively, you can opt for readymade store-bought letter signs to decorate the small workbench with your kid’s initials or pattern signs (such as flowers or shapes) for a more unique design.