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I am planning on building a 2' deep floating workbench on both sides of my 2 1/2 car garage. My plan was to run a 2x4 the length of the wall 4' up from the floor. This would be screwed into each of the studs with 2 wood screws per stud which are 16" apart. I was then going to build boxed frames by taking 2 2x4's and 3 2x2's. The 2x2's would be screwed into the 2x4's on both sides and the center. 3/4' plywood would be screwed to the top of the frame. The frame would then be screwed to the 2x4 that is running the length of the wall with lag bolts going through the frame the 2x4 and into the wall studs.

The wood I selected to use is labeled as Kiln-dried Whitewood from Lowe's which they state is usually Aspen or Spruce.

My question is how much weight would this be able to support? I would like to be able to mount a Miter Saw, a bench grinder, bench clamp, etc. I am also planning on building a matching shelf 2' from the ceiling for light storage of miscellaneous items, PVC pipes, etc.

Ok I found a picture of someone doing what I was looking for.

enter image description here

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    didn't we just discuss something almost identical to this? You really want some form of support on the side away from the wall -- feet, angle braces below or above, chains above... Simplest is to put the bench on top of a few cabinets, which would also give you drawer space.
    – keshlam
    Sep 25, 2014 at 22:19
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    For a work bench, you want it to be as sturdy as possible. I'd want more legs, not fewer. Especially in a garage, where you could potentially be putting lawn mowers and such on the bench.
    – Tester101
    Sep 26, 2014 at 8:54
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    I use two 4x4s for my workbench - no back legs. The bench top sits on a 2x6 going across the back, anchored to wall. This thing isn't going anywhere but can't see getting rid of the legs since sometimes I have a good 1000 pounds on it.
    – DMoore
    Sep 26, 2014 at 17:14
  • can you include a sketch/drawing? Much easier to picture what you are aiming for.
    – DA01
    Sep 27, 2014 at 4:24
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    Related question: diy.stackexchange.com/questions/49153/…
    – DA01
    Sep 27, 2014 at 4:25

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I'd look at a running some braces from underneath the front of the bench back to the wall at a 45 degree angle or so. That will hold a lot of weight.

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One immediate thought I had was if you used metal pipes. What I mean by that is to purchase some flanges and mount those into the studs.
Iron Flange

Then you can tighten a metal pole into that which then will act as the brace. Then by cutting holes through the 2x4s of the bench you can slide it on.

Its the same principle as those cheap floating shelves from Home depot that are hollowed out in the center that work with a bracket that looks like this.

Bracket

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  • I'm not convinced normal mounting hardware would be able to withstand the torque. Remember, the floating shelves can't carry as much weight as shelves with (what amount to) diagonal bracing... even the ones which have an anti-torque arm.
    – keshlam
    Oct 1, 2014 at 20:00
  • At 165lb I hung off a 1" diameter pipe that was turned into a flange similar to above pic. It had 2 3" screws driven into the stud. My wife wanted floating book shelves with reclaimed wood and dug the "industrial look" of gas pipes and flanges as the mounting hardware. After doing it I was really shocked at the strength.
    – treeNinja
    Oct 1, 2014 at 20:55
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I built a similar work bench, you will want some support underneath.

I did 2 braces for support on each beam. They were cut from ¾” plywood and shaped like a right triangle with 16” legs on each side.

Picture from the instructions (with just 1 support on one side, I did both sides):

enter image description here

For more information see: Danny Lipford Workbench Questions

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