MOM'S MULTIFACETED WORKBENCH

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Before you begin assembling a drawer, rabbet the inside of the front to a 7/16" depth all around . . . making the cut 5/R" wide along the top, 9/16" wide on both sides, and 1/4" across the bottom. Then slice a 1/4"-wide, 3/8"-deep dado across the inside face of the drawer front . . . 3/4 inch above the 1/4" rabbeted relief. This slot will accommodate the drawer's bottom. Wood screws are used to hold all the pieces together, and a suitable handle can be fashioned from a scrap of 2 X 4.

The assembly of the large drawers follows the same basic plan as that of the smaller ones—the rabbets on the inside of the drawer front are identical—but the dimensions are slightly different: The sides are made from 1/4" X 9-7/8" X 20-1/4" B-B interior plywood, and the bottom is a 1/4" X 11-1/4" X 20-1/4" slab of the same material. The drawer's back is a 1 X 8-7/8" X 11-1/4" board, and its front is 1 X 10-1/2" X 12-1/2".

Dividers should be included as well, to give the drawers secure platforms to slide on. We built a set from half-lapped rectangles-which measure 12" X 19"made from 3/4" X 3/4" stock, covered with 1/4" X 12" X 19" sheets of B-B interior plywood. (If you prefer to have open shelves rather than drawers, the dividers can also serve that purpose.)

FINISH

The top of our workbench was coated with a heavy layer of polyurethane varnish, to give it a pleasant natural appearance—and to provide waterproofing. We left the color of the pegboard side "as is", however . . . and painted the drawers with a quality latex enamel.

Our research department's bench has already seen hard labor on a number of projects . . . and has managed to survive soldering, filing, and even lunch breaks without suffering damage. What's more, since the table has four convenient sides to work from, it has proved to be a favor ite location for our group brainstorming sessions!

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