Free Up Your Garage Space With These Storage And Workbench Hacks

Whatever the dimensions of your workbench, it’s quick and easy to turn it into a storage cabinet to conceal power tools and other equipment.

For this project, two sheets of 1200 x 897 x 12mm plywood were cut to fit for the doors and 12mm particleboard was used to make the base of the cabinet.

Metal brackets were used to secure the cabinet base to the workbench sides and pine moulding added for a door stopper.

As a finishing touch, the benchtop was given a coat of paint.

Measure the internal width and depth of the workbench, then cut a piece of 12mm particleboard to size.

Position it at the base of the workbench, then secure to the sides using metal brackets and timber screws.

Cut the doors to size from two 12mm plywood sheets, allowing for a 5mm gap all around.

To hang, support the doors in the opening using spacers, then secure hinges to each door and the frame of the workbench.

To provide a stopper for the doors, cut a length of 20 x 8mm pine moulding to the internal width of the bench.

Drill pilot holes and secure to the underside of the workbench 12mm from the front edge.

Attach a door lock.

Space is always at a premium in the garage or workshop, so creating places to store items is a top priority.

Simply adding a shelf under a window can make all the difference.

And if you want to add a little greenery and colour to your workspace, it’s also the ideal spot for a pot plant.

Before the shelf was built and mounted, 7mm plywood was cut to fit under the window between the studs and secured using screws.

Cut a shelf brace to fit between the studs and two 100mm lengths for the shelf mounts from 42 x 19mm pine DAR.

Secure the mounts to either side with timber screws, checking for level using the brace and a spirit level.

Cut a length of 89 x 19mm pine DAR the same length as the brace for the shelf.

Apply PVA adhesive along one face of the brace, then clamp the brace to the shelf so the edges are flush.

Secure using timber screws.

Position the shelf assembly on top of the mounts.

Pre-drill pilot holes, then attach the shelf assembly to the mounts using angle brackets and timber screws drilled into the shelf brace and the mounts.

A great way to add extra storage for tools and to keep the workbench clutter-free is to make the best use of vertical surfaces.

Here, a stud wall was clad from floor to ceiling in 7mm plywood, then pegboard was secured to the area behind the bench.

Hooks were then added for hanging tools from the pegboard, making them easily accessible.

Cut 7mm plywood to fit the wall, making sure the edges of the panels align with studs and noggins.

Secure plywood to the studs using timber screws along the edges every 300mm, drilling countersunk pilot holes.