1. Build style

Classic garage bench: 2x4 legs, a top frame and a lower frame, plywood top. Every 2x4 cut is a straight crosscut.

No 2x4s: plywood sides, rails, kick and shelf, all glued and screwed. Stiff and heavy. Long cuts are easy for the store to make.

2. Size

Inches by default. Fractions and feet OK: 34 1/2, 3' 2". Height is floor to top of the work surface. Most people like 34" to 38": stand up, drop your arms, and measure to your wrist crease.

2" or more lets you clamp to the edge.

3. Top & shelf

The hardboard skin is a cheap, replaceable work surface. Two layers make a flat, solid top for pounding and vises.

4. Options

Each leg is a 2x2 core with 2x4 and 2x2 blocks glued around it, so it looks like a solid 3" x 3-1/2" post. Where a rail lands, the blocks stop and leave a pocket on both outside faces. Every rail drops into a pocket, rests on a shoulder and ends up flush with the leg. Build two sturdy end frames first, then drop the long rails in: the long rails are the only parts that set your bench length. Adds 2x2s, a little more gluing, and no end-grain screws on the outside. See the "Leg detail" drawing.

"3/4" plywood is usually 23/32" (0.719"). Measure yours; it changes a few cut lengths.

5. Your tools

Most home centers will rip and crosscut sheets on their panel saw, usually free for the first few cuts. You get a printable cut sheet below. Store cuts can be off by 1/8", so cut pieces that have to fit between other parts at home.