Installing Pegboard
1 Because floor space is always at a premium for storage racks and toolboxes, consider your shop walls a wealth of ample space for tool storage. By using pegboard to hang tools and supplies, you not only gain easy access to them but also find that this is a low-cost storage solution. Pegboard also gives you the freedom to change or rearrange items as your needs change, making it much more useful than a drawer or shelf.
2 You need to know how much wall space to cover with pegboard. Measure your wall to determine the dimensions of pegboard you require. Measure the pegboard and mark where it needs to be trimmed. Cut the pegboard to the desired wall size.
3 The pegboard should be hung level on the wall. Use a long level to make a mark on the wall as a reference baseline to fit the pegboard to.
4 Cut furring strips 1¼ inches wide and the width of your pegboard from 1/4-inch plywood and attach them to the wall with all-purpose screws. Use the furring strip as a backer so that the pegboard standoffs do not sink into the drywall. The pegboard covers over all of this. The length of the mounting screw needed is determined by the thickness of your materials, i.e., 1/2-inch drywall + 1/4-inch furring strip = 3/4-inch material depth + 3/4-inch penetration depth = 1½-inch screw.
5 Before mounting the pegboard to the wall, measure and locate the wall studs, transfer the stud locations onto the backside of the pegboard, and then hot glue some 3/8-inch nuts to the backside of the pegboard at the marked stud locations for a standoff. Glue the nuts over a hole in the pegboard so that a screw can go through the hole and nut. Space the nuts about 12 inches apart.
6 You could use furring strips as a standoff instead of the spacer nuts, but you lose a lot of useful holes if you do. The 1/4-inch pegboard is rigid enough and it spans between the studs in the wall just fine.
7 Without a standoff to lift the pegboard from the surface of the wall, you don’t have enough room behind the pegboard to insert the peg hooks.
8 Use broad-head cabinet screws to mount the pegboard to the wall. Insert the screw in the hole that is backed by the nut standoff and screw it into the wall without overtightening.
9 When the pegboard is securely mounted to the wall, give it a good coat of primer and then two coats of paint to protect it for many years of service.
10 When the paint is dry, you can start hanging your tools up for easy access. Add peg hooks and rearrange them as necessary.
Workbench
Essential to every shop is the workbench, or as some may call it, a cutting table. If you are serious about the trade, you just cannot work without one. Every project touches the workbench and having one that is large enough for your projects is not always attainable. You can purchase a workbench and assemble it, but the store-bought benches lack in size and features due to manufacturing and shipping limitations. They just do not have all the features it takes to satisfy an active upholstery shop’s needs.
Folding tables are useful for some things, but they are generally not rigid enough for most projects. Working on a wobbly surface is unsafe for you and the project you are working on. Some trimmers like a bench that is movable, but unless you have a huge warehouse space, a movable workbench is just not practical. Adding castors on a bench is something of a preference, but the thought of chasing a bench around does not appeal to me.
Some trim shops have a bench that is built around and incorporates the sewing machine. This gives the trimmer support for materials that are being sewn together as well as space to lay out and cut patterns.
The workbench is an essential part of any shop. My design is very sturdy with a lot of room for material layout and patterning as well as assembly of projects. Underneath is plenty of storage room for materials and upholstery supplies.
It is essential that a bench is sturdy enough to stand on its own and hold up to the weight and stress of pushing and pulling. My solution is to build my own benches from scratch to the size I desire and with the features I need.
Some of the features that make my workbench superior to premanufactured workbenches are that it can be customized to fit the individual needs of any workshop. Because the workbench is built from common lumber and hardware, there are no special parts that can break or need to be ordered.
The height can be adjusted to a comfortable level that reduces fatigue and allows you to work longer and be more creative. The legs of the workbench also interlock to keep the workbench stable and rock solid. This allows the bench to be placed anywhere in the shop without anchoring it to a wall or the floor.
Building a Workbench
I have compiled the plans for you to construct your own table. Feel inspired to make any changes that work best for you.
Bench Frame
Begin by making the frame of the workbench.
From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut the rails to a length of 96 inches.
From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut four stiles to a length of 45 inches.
From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut four legs to a length of 36 inches. (The height of the table can be adjusted to suit your personal needs.)
The stiles are let in 1½ inches from the ends of the rails and the middle stiles are placed at 32 inches on center from the end of the rails. They are secured with two 2½-inch deck screws through the rail into the ends of the stile.
The legs are placed into the outside corners of the frame and are attached by drilling two 3/8-inch holes diagonally from each other through the leg and end stile. The 3/8-inch carriage bolts are inserted through the holes and secured by a flat washer, a split-lock washer, and nut. Tighten with a ratchet wrench.
Measure the distance between the legs. From one 2 × 4 × 96 cut two lock stiles to a length of 38 inches long so that it fits snugly between the legs. Secure the locking stile to the end stile with 2½-inch deck screws.
This 3-D drawing shows some measurements and the overall design of the workbench. Standard construction materials are used in this simple-to-assemble workbench. Any of the features