Construction in our family goes back several generations. Our great grandfather was a master plumber; our grandfather and his brother built fishing boats. Later, as the fishing industry in our area waned, our grandfather decided to take a stab at commercial building construction and later, home building.

With a plumber, a boat builder and a homebuilder, we had an unusual amount of exposure to construction while growing up. Although our father was not a builder he was an avid do-it-yourselfer. Without his interest in woodworking, plumbing, painting and just general tinkering, who knows what field we might have wound up doing for a living.

Our dad's workshop was originally our grandfather's construction company workshop. The workbench frame was built from 2x and 4x stock and the top was fashioned with solid 2x12 fir planks. In the mid-'60s, our father built a workbench in his auto repair shop. On that one he used a quarter-inch steel plate over 2x12 planks and 6x6 legs. To this day we have never figured out why he wanted it to be so strong.

We both have workbenches with built-in vises and use them regularly for every imaginable home-maintenance task. We know that not everyone has the time, money or tools that it takes to create a fancy workbench like our father's. If that describes you, read on.

With a small list of lumber and a few special connectors, you can build a workbench that will challenge most others for strength, durability and cost-effectiveness.

A bench can be built using a kit that you partially create. An American company that manufactures metal connectors for wood construction offers a bracket kit that comes with steel connectors, screws, a lumber list and assembly instructions. Since the kit only comes with a list, you have the freedom to select the type of wood you want to use, and purchase it separately. Since no miter cuts are required for the project, you will find that most lumberyards will be happy to cut your lumber exactly to length. You can have it cut to size or cut it yourself. There is some cutting that must be done. Even if your dimensional lumber is cut to length, you will have to make a few notches in the plywood countertop and the shelf below it (six locations altogether, each 1-1/2 inches x 3-1/2 inches). With the steel connecting brackets, this job is perfect for assembly with the screws provided.

Although the bench height in the plan is shown at exactly 3 feet from the floor, you can vary from this standard depending on your preference. Remember, this is your workbench. Changing the height won't cost a cent, and might prove to be a wise decision if your height varies much from average. The lumber list includes a slight amount of extra material.

The depth of the bench is just under 2 feet, and the length is exactly 4 feet. If you build the bench according to the plan's width and depth, the project can be built with a half-sheet of plywood...one-fourth sheet for the bottom shelf and one-fourth sheet for the bench. Although the plan calls for 3-quarter-inch plywood, you can use inch-and-an-eighth plywood instead, for an ultra-sturdy finished product.

By purchasing extra brackets, more plywood and a couple of extra 2x4s, an additional shelf or two can be added. Or you can forget the extra shelves and use the material to extend the length of the bench. Or you can do both.

If the bench will be used inside, Southern Yellow Pine or Douglas Fir would be the lumber we would choose. The project should take no more than an afternoon. Gathering material should take longer than the assembly. About the only thing that you could do wrong is to cut the notches in the plywood in the wrong direction; this project really is that easy. For information on where to get the bench kit contact Simpson Strong Tie at (800)-999-5099 or through their Web site at www.strongtie.com.