Shooting Bench Plans

Shooting bench plans are a dime a dozen on the ‘Net and it is not surprising that many hobbyists find the ease with which they can peruse and download free shooting bench plans enticing. Thus, they will frequently find themselves with a weekend that is devoid of things to do, and suddenly the plans to build a shooting bench are dug up and a trip to the hardware store is in order. Yet sadly, this is the beginning of the end for many, and it is not unheard of that a do-it-yourselfer will pay twice or even thrice for a shooting bench when he makes it himself.

Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid disaster, but in order to recognize the pitfalls you need to know the exact juncture when good shooting bench plans go bad. Here is a list of the most commonly encountered problems:

1. If your plans for a shooting bench avoid giving you exact measurements but seem to be rounding to the nearest inch, you are most likely in for trouble. Granted, the highly skilled woodworking pros that host many a do-it-yourself show on cable television may be able to get away with it, but if you, the average hobbyist, try to follow such plans, you will most likely realize that what should have taken one weekend will result in weeks of frustration as you saw, re-saw, scrap, and run to the hardware store to buy more lumber.
2. While free plans for a shooting bench are legion, make sure that a picture of the finished product accompanies the shooting bench plan. Should any part of the instruction be ambiguous, a photo is worth a 1000 words.
3. Make sure you know ahead of time if you are looking at a portable shooting bench plan or the kinds of shooting bench plans that will make a stationary contraption. Each has their own merit, but by and large the portable kind is much more useful. Of course, the stationary bench does double as a picnic table in a pinch!
4. Quality shooting bench plans will detail the hardware you need in addition to the proper lumber measurements. Nothing is more frustrating than having to run to the hardware store time and again while you are in the middle of gluing and sawing.
5. Ensure that your shooting bench plans discuss the weight of the contraption. While this might not make a difference to you if you own a truck and are planning on making a stationary bench, if you get around in a small passenger vehicle and plan on having a collapsible model, weight makes all the difference in the world!