How to build a filleting bench at home

Now, some of these constructions are of food prep standard, while others are nothing more than bacteria factories. Should you have the room, the answer to not contaminating your catch is to process your fish at home.

And anyone with the most rudimentary home handyman skills can build this kick-arse filleting bench.

So what do we need? Treated pine is a no-brainer for the frame as it’s cheap, easy to find in almost any hardware store, and it survives well in the weather.

Run a close eye over what’s in the stack when selecting timber, as some will be as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. If they’re all a bit wonky (and sometimes you’ll have to inspect dozens of lengths to find a couple of moderately straight pieces), keep the best of the worst for shorter cross-sections.

Every filleting table needs a sink, and scrapyards and recycling centres usually have plenty to choose from. The single trough pictured hereabouts cost just $20 and looked as good as new after a clean-up with some household cleaner and a metal scourer.

Nylon chopping boards are hygienic, easy to keep clean, and cheap to replace. Fortuitously, a board measuring 750mm by 45mm perfectly matched the sink dimensions.

Catering supply companies stock a range of chopping boards in different sizes. Custom shapes also may be available.

A standard kitchen bench is about 900mm high, which puts our project at a comfortable waist height.

A lower shelf gives the framework some rigidity and a place to store spare knives, a sharpening stone and the like.

If the bench is exposed to the elements, form ply is an obvious choice but it is expensive and comes in very big sheets. Ordinary ply is cheaper, but be prepared to swap it out every couple of years.

If filleting big fish such as kings, jewfish or tuna, another piece of ply cut to fit over the top of the sink will add more bench space.

Galvanised 75mm and 100mm bugle batten screws hold the frame together. Pre-drill each hole with a 1/8 or 3/16 drill bit to stop the timber from splitting, and countersink the holes.

The cutting board is fixed in place with 30mm galvanised self-tappers, while the trough just sits in the frame. In this instance the filleting bench is fixed to the wall, but it can be completely mobile.

Some 45mm PVC pipe, a threaded coupling and an elbow attached to the sink's drain hole take all the blood and goop away onto the lawn, or in this case, into a drain.

A knife scabbard that protects knife blades until they’re needed is a good add-on.