My garage workbench sagged for 2 years until I tried this plywood trick

I built my workbench out of 2x4s and 3/4 plywood, but after about a year the top started bowing in the middle under my tool chest. A buddy told me to flip the plywood over and screw a 1x2 cross-brace underneath every 16 inches, which cost me maybe $8 total. Has anyone else found a cheap fix that changed how their bench held up over time?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley63911d ago

Flip the weak spot to make it strong. Works on furniture too lol.

morganl7111d ago

Flip the weak spot to make it strong" - thats a good way to put it honestly. What gets me is how we're all trained to look at something thats not working and just assume its junk. Like with relationships or jobs too, not just furniture. The thing you think is the problem might actually be a clue if you stop and look at it from the other side. I had a kitchen drawer that always jammed up and I was about to throw it out. Turned out the rail was just mounted slightly crooked and all I had to do was swap the screws to the other side. Now it slides better than any other drawer in the house. Its wild how often we almost give up on something that just needs a fresh set of eyes.

morganl7111d ago

OH man this is SO true! A buddy of mine had this old wobbly coffee table that drove him CRAZY for like a year. He finally realized the leg that was loose was actually the strongest one if he just flipped the whole thing upside down and tightened it from the other side. Now that table is solid as a rock and he uses it as a workbench for his hobby projects. It's kind of funny how the thing you think is broken actually just needs a different angle.