That 'simple' workbench build took me 3 weekends instead of 1

I thought I'd knock out a basic workbench in a single Saturday afternoon. Bought the lumber Friday night, got up early Saturday ready to go. Then I realized the floor wasn't level by almost an inch across eight feet. Spent the whole first day shimming everything and building a leveling system. By the time I got the top on the third weekend, I had spent $120 more on hardware than I planned. Has anyone else had a 'quick' project turn into a multi-week ordeal over a dumb oversight?

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baker.simon4mo ago

Actually that floor level thing is a common trap. You don't actually need the whole bench to be perfectly level in most cases. You just need the top to be flat and the legs to not rock. I've built three workbenches now (yeah, I'm that guy) and the trick is to use adjustable feet or just screw some plywood shims under the legs after you set it down. Saves a whole weekend of frustration for sure. The $120 extra on hardware does hurt though, especially when you realize half of it was overkill for what you actually needed. Next time just use some screw-in leveling feet from the hardware store, they're like $8 for a pack of four and work way better than building your own system.

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xena9464mo ago

$8 leveling feet changed everything for me @baker.simon. My first bench wobbled so bad I had to shove matchbooks under one leg. Second bench I spent like $50 on some fancy system. Total waste. Third one just used those cheap metal feet from the big box store. Screwed them right into the leg bottoms. Done in ten minutes.

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