DIY Portable Folding Workbench or Large Foldable Table
Build your own large foldable table for parties or projects with these DIY portable folding workbench plans.
Make your workshop space even more amazing with this T-track table saw workbench and portable dust collection with clamp storage.
Build Your Own Portable Folding Workbench
Hi, it’s Amy from Hertoolbelt back with another build plan for you. (In case you missed the last project, it was a DIY Fretwork Screen to beautify your space.)
This time of year, I start thinking about working in the yard, what flowers to plant, garden prep and yard clean up.
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors found the perfect portable workbench for outdoor projects while thrift shopping.
It would be a great work surface to pot flowers, use your power tools or even use as an extra table for entertaining. And then it folds up to a nice compact size to store!
Maybe it is the view from Donna’s backyard or her cool workbench, but now I’m excited for spring!
Donna was so kind to give us some details about her table so we could put together plans for you to build own portable folding workbench, inspired by Donna’s.
Get the full printable plans, including cut list and assembly instructions, here in the shop.
How to Build a DIY Portable Workbench or Folding Table
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This portable workbench is a great size for working on projects in your yard or garage.
For backyard barbecues or outdoor weddings, this large foldable wood table will also make a great extra table for serving or dining.
Since this folding table/workbench is built with basic plywood, you’ll just want to add a a tablecloth or table runner to dress it up a bit.
For outdoor entertaining, pair this table with a set of primitive DIY wood benches. You can also update your basic folding chairs with paint or by reupholstering the padded seat/back.
Dimensions
Fully unfolded, this portable folding workbench measures 96” W x 30” D x 32” H. (You can add up to 5″ to the legs for a taller workbench.)
The hinged legs and hinged tabletop allow for easy storage and portability! The folded workbench measures 48” W x 30” D x 8”H (plus the depth of latches/handles, etc)
Materials
Only 1 4×8 sheet of plywood, a couple 1×4 boards, and a couple 2×2 boards are needed to build this workbench. (Get the full materials list in the printable workbench plans.)
You’ll also need some hardware:
- (1) – box of 1 ½” wood screws
- (1) – 1 ½” x 30” continuous hinge
- (6) – 3″ strap hinges
- (2) – support hinges, right-hand
- (2) – support hinges, left-hand
- (1) – latch (such as a chest latch or post hasp)
- (2) – door pull handles
Tools Needed
This folding workbench is great for beginners who need to have some extra space without devoting an entire garage workshop to woodworking.
With that in mind, you can build this entire table with just a miter box/saw and a drill/driver. Have the lumber store cut your plywood for you and you won’t even need a table saw (yet 😉 )
Of course, a compound miter saw will allow you to make faster, more accurate cuts — and also make a whole lot more things!
In place of a table saw, you could also use a circular saw with edge guide, which is a good start for a lower investment in tools.
Need a folding table with storage for indoor projects? Build this space-saving foldable craft desk.
Building Instructions
The full beginner-friendly easy building instructions are included in the printable woodworking plans.
It’ll only take you a couple of hours to build this folding workbench and really up your DIY game (as well as save your back some strain!)
Source: Funky Junk Interiors
Folding the Portable Workbench
To fold the workbench:
- Turn the workbench upside down.
- Fold in the outside legs.
- Fold in the center leg.
- Fold the table in half.
- Latch the clasp and use the handle to carry the table… wherever you want!
Click here to purchase the folding workbench plans.
Reader Built Folding Workbench
Over at Jonathan Mainguy, he followed our tutorial and built his own collapsible workbench to preserve parking space in the garage. So smart! (Update 1/26/18 )
Check out more awesome build plans from Her Toolbelt:
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Medicine Cabinet // Cordless Drill Storage // Whimsical Birdhouse
Now that you’ve built yourself a sturdy workbench….
build these reader-favorite woodworking plans:
- DIY Patio Table with Built-In Drink Coolers (and matching benches)
- Farmhouse TV Console/Sideboard
- Wood Barn Door Baby Gate and Dutch Door
- Farmhouse End Table
- Vintage Inspired DIY Wood Corbels
Be sure to pin this for later!
First published 28 Feb 2015 // Last Updated 01 Mar 2021
Amy is the tool lover at Hertoolbelt. On Hertoolbelt, Amy shares DIY furniture plans, handyman tutorials, and craft patterns. She has three pint sized 'helpers' that help fix things around the house and build fun projects.
How can I print the plans for the portable workbench? It would be very tough to do without a printout.
Thank you!
Hi Margaret! We are working on adding that functionality right into our site, but, in the meantime, we use Printfriendly.com for things like this. Thanks — and we hope you’ll send us a picture when you’ve built it!
This is such a handy table! Great idea
FYI you either need to find 10′ 2″*2″s or buy 3 8 footers. I gotta go buy one more, not enough for the 2 6″ pieces. Will repost after I’m done. I’m excited to finish it!
Sorry about that, I forgot to add in the 6″ pieces. Thanks for the correction.
This is a great idea for those of us who have small houses without space for an indoor workbench. Any idea of what the completed weight is?
Amy first of all thanks a million for the plans!! I live in a townhouse and needed a work bench I can store in a small utility room. I searched all over but could not find one until I came across this on Donna’s site through Pinterest. I then followed her site to here. I was geeking until I got to build it. Great design!! The workbench is a little on the heavy side so I did a few modifications to beef it up a little. One, I used tee nuts to secure the hinges to the plywood. I did not trust the 1/2 inch screws to do the job. Second, I used a 6 inch 2×4 in place of the 2×2 for the center leg because I was concerned with splitting the 2×2 with that many screws going into it. Third, I used some of the left over plywood to place 3 inch strips across the bottom of the legs for extra support because I was concerned about the legs breaking when being set up by one person. (I also went a little extreme and used Gorilla glue on all the metal pieces!) I used it for the first time today starting a garden tool closet made from pallets. The bench is perfect in both height (I added the 5 inches to the legs as you mentioned), size and stability. Thank you so much for taking the time to make the plans available. I can tell you from experience that there is no other workbench like it! P.S. Any tips on an easy way to install the locking leg supports?
I made one of these today, in about 4 hours. The nice man at Home Depot cut my plywood for me, saving me a bunch of time! I only made one change, and that was to use pocket holes instead of exposed screws to secure all the pieces together. I just wanted an excuse to use my Kreg Jig. I will say that the hardest part of this project was figuring out how to install all the hinges. The screws that come with them are too long for the 1/2″ plywood, and there are no instructions in the locking hinge or the piano hinge. Thank goodness for YouTube! I’m excited to actually use this for my next project. Thank you for the great plans.
Thanks for the comment, Sarah! We’d love to see a picture! You can send it to us here: http://www.remodelaholic.com/share-brag-post/ or drop me an email at hello@remodelaholic.com.
These are pretty awesome plans! Thank you for sharing the how to. Any idea of the kind of weight it could support? I was wondering if it could be used for a portable bed? It would allow for storage underneath, and portability when moving. I only weigh 116 Lbs. Would it be stable enough, do you think? I don’t know if it would be any lighter, or if it would affect the stability, but I was thinking of maybe putting slats on top instead of the plywood. Then maybe use extra heavy duty locks to keep the legs open. What do you think?
Thanks for writing this, I followed it and now I have an awesome fold able workbench. Here is the link with pics of it complete. https://jmainguy.com/index.php/i-built-a-workbench/
It looks great, Jonathan! Sorry I’m so slow replying. 🙂 We’ll add a photo and a link back so others can see your hard work, too!