How to Choose a Woodworking Workbench
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2021
- Take a closer look at classic workbench designs & and pick the right one for YOU.
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My most recent bench design is portable! The Quick-Stack bench breaks down into 6 manageable pieces that can be easily moved or stored when you're not working. When you need your bench, you can assemble it in 3 minutes and the only tool you need is a mallet.
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English Joiner's Bench
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Video: • The incredible English...
Lightweight Traveler's Bench
Plans: www.woodworkforhumans.com/sto...
Video: • Build the Lightweight ...
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Workbench Related Videos
Four Workbench Building Mistakes (that we all make)
• Four Workbench Buildin...
Joinery for Knock-Down Workbenches
• Joinery for Knock-Down...
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Resources for Bench Builders
Landis, The Workbench Book (Lost Art Reissue): lostartpress.com/collections/...
Schwarz, The Anarchists's Workbench (Lost Art): lostartpress.com/collections/...
(FREE download: blog.lostartpress.com/wp-cont...)
Schwarz, Workbenches: From Theory and Design to Construction and Use (Popular Woodworking Books) amzn.to/2Xsiws6 (*affiliate link)
Schwarz, Ingenious Mechaniks: Early Workbenches and Workholding (Lost Art) lostartpress.com/collections/...
Siemsen, The Naked Woodworker DVD (Lost Art) lostartpress.com/products/the...
Siemsen's Video on using his bench: • Mike Siemsen, Workhol...
Maguire "How to Build a Workbench" (Self Published) www.theenglishwoodworker.com/...
Wil Meyer's site with lots of information on the Moravian Bench: eclecticmechanicals.com/
Rob Cosman's Bench: • The Cosman Workbench -...
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Narex True Imperial Chisels: amzn.to/2EX4xls
(My favorite affordable new chisels.)
Blue-Handled Marples Chisels: amzn.to/2tVJARY
(I use these to make the DIY specialty planes, but I also like them for general work.)
Sharpening
Honing Guide: amzn.to/2TaJEZM
Norton Coarse/Fine Oil Stone: amzn.to/36seh2m
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Marking and Measuring
Stockman Knife: amzn.to/2Pp4bWP
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Speed Square: amzn.to/3gSi6jK
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i don’t usually comment publicly but i think your advice at the end might be the best woodworking advice on youtube. build a bench. now. build some furniture. now that’s advice!
Agreed. It is also great advice for life generally.
I gotta admit, that advice is accurate for most things in life, especially art related things. Now woodworking is about the same amount of art/science, but still... just do the thing
Ha! I also don’t comment much but that ending advice was fantastic. I’m just one more fan in the choir.
Let’s go make stuff.
My Moravian bench is sitting in my dining room right now waiting for me to finish my tea and get back to work. I could NOT have built it without the advice and support form the gang on your forum. ❤
And your work blew us away!
You did a great job on it
👍
I really appreciate how generous Rex is, there are so many youtubers that are just undercover tools salesmen, whereas he gives credit and points to so many different sources, kudos.
*_"there are so many youtubers that are just undercover tools salesmen"_*
My God, that is so true. Rex, Paul Sellers and Matt Estlea are basically the only ones I watch now. The whole 'Woodwork for Humans' concept is just great.
"We live in a culture that keeps telling us how different and how special we are and that attitude leads us to ask ourselves insane questions..."
This statement alone touched my heart and I now want to carve it into my workbench
Its about time someone said it. God bless Rex.
Analysis paralysis is a real thing. Just make a decision, do it and learn something. Thanks for another great video Rex.
This is what I love about you, Rex. You not only make great in-depth videos but also include other sources for us to go and investigate. Thank you so much, Rex. I'll never stop recommending your videos.
As a total beginner who threw together the low work bench in two afternoons based on Rex’s video I can absolutely vouch for it being worth it. It was very approachable, I made a few mistakes but that’s fine because I learned a lot. It really built my confidence for my projects since and I use it all the time!
Thanks for another great video Rex.
Christopher Schwarz, reference at the end is THE ultimate authority on workbenches and their history. His books and articles are fabulous. And to think it all started with "The $175 Workbench"
The $175 workbench will cost you at least $525 to build today.
My first exposure to workbenches was, as for many, my father's and grandfather's built-in benches. As my own experiences grew, mostly on jobsites, whatever heavy, straight-ish boards that could be clamped or screwed to saw horses had to suffice. Then I converted my 2 car garage into a dediczted woodshop and the process began in reversed order from saw horse to modified gorilla rack shelves with a thick top serving to help me build a Woodsmith version of a Scandinavian workbench (which I have modified twice) from construction lumber and repurposed oak flooring. Then I bult a smaller version of your English workbench for my office/project space. Often I'll work in my driveway under pop-up canopies when I need more space. So now I'll build either a Moravian or a Roman low bench that I can pull out when needed. So if you can't make up your mind follow my path and build them all.
Realistically something on sawhorses is the best first step. Unless you're flexible enough to go the Japanese route working on the ground.
> "Rex, I CANNOT figure out which workbench to build!"
The only correct answer is "all of them." How else will you *truly* know which one is best for you?
The question is: Which one I build FIRST?
@@rainerl-h259 roubeaux(knockoff) , the rest you don't need to build anymore.
Only actually using a bench (or anything else for that matter) will tell you what you need. Don't worry about it, pick the one that appeals to you most and get to work. You will almost certainly modify it as time goes on anyway.
What a fantastic video. I really wish I’d had Rex when I was getting started. I started woodworking on a plastic folding table, the absolute worst workbench conceivable. When I built my first bench, I spent all my money to get the wood and hardware for a real roubo. The build took me about 3 months start to finish, as I was only 11 at the time and had to work around school. That bench has been the core of my workshop for almost 7 years now, and has helped me start and grow my woodworking business. Hands down the best part about it is that I left it bare. I simply built a framework, put on 1 vise, and started work. It’s had all manner of different work holding and tool storage devices screwed, glued, and ripped off of it in that time, and at least 6 different vises. Someday I will build it again out of nice hardwoods, with only my favorite features, but it has been the perfect bench for me.
Paul Seller's Plywood bench is a great bench...if you like gluing plywood for days. :-D
Sellers' original design has no plywood. Vids for that are 9 years old and still up on youtube. It's a brilliant bench.
Correct, but after that one, he did one that was ALL plywood...from the top to the joints on the legs.
@@sjlarue1 I'm not recommending the plywood bench. The initial design, still available, is excellent. I made mine out of Fir.
@@lelandpurvis5004 I know you are not. I was just saying that AFTER he did the wood bench like yours, he came out with one that was all plywood....Which is a great bench IF you like laminating hundreds of 3" wide 3/4" plywood pieces into a workbench.🤣
"Just another project you have to do before you make any damn furniture!" Loved it. My current shop time situation.
Good luck, MM! After about a month of working at it, I just got my first workbench complete enough (though not really finished yet) to build my first not-part-of-the-bench project on it. The bench build and the not bench project have both been fun. But the un-bench one is WAY easier on my back and knees than working on the ground to get the bench going : )
Rex's English joiner's bench is an EXCELLENT starter bench if you've never built a bench before.
It's super easy to do with basically no skills, there's no complicated joinery to get stuck on. You might mess up a piece or two, but all you need to do is remake that piece and keep going.
Edit: the thing that makes the English joiners bench so good is Rex himself. He walks you through step by step and he's a great teacher.
I built his portable bench, and made a few small tweaks (legs are tapered and secured in bridles mortised into the batons, tapered cuts around the edges of the top) for aesthetic to let it also work as a piece of hallway furniture.
And for eight freaking dollars in wood, I have a gorgeous mid-century styled hemlock hallway bench that I can carry outside and use to knock together other projects.
Lots of videos on woodworking but I enjoy yours most. I’ve decided to start woodworking, but I have a couple of challenges. First, I lost both my hands in an accident a few years ago. Second, I live in an assisted living facility, so I’ll have to do all my work by hand to keep noise down. Fortunately, there is a company (Fillauer) that makes a nice set of woodworking tools.
I’m getting fitted for the new prosthetics soon, so right now I’m trying to decide on workbench as my first project. Any input would be appreciated.
I have James Krenov's first bench he bought when in Sweden. He ordered a larger one and sold his bench to another American in Sweden who eventually moved to the US near me. This person ordered another larger bench from Sweden and I bought his (Krenov's) bench from him. . By necessity, I lifted the base of the bench 3 " as Krenov was shorter than I. The bench includes his original deliver/order tag.
I also have an upper end Sjoberg which my wife uses for her mosaic art.
Another useful bench is self made from plywood and 4X4s. Strong, large. Disassembles with bolts and screws in the event it needs to be moved.
man thats a bit of woodworking history, nice find!
I think your final thought is the most important thing in the video. The best bench is the one you have at hand to work on. Great info, Rex.
I also subscribe to the idea of building a bench and working with it but then rather than building another, have a think about modifiying the bench, adding features. There is a lot of snobbery about only using a bench of one style. I reckon if you think the tool well of a Scandinavian bench works and you like the apron of the English bench stick them together and make it work for what you do
When I moved out from my parents' house 2 years ago, I got our old pine kitchen table (3 cm thick top of laminated pieces), legs held with metal corner fastener-thingies.. rickety. I made through mortise and tenons betwween all legs with 2x4's, put my toolbox on the shelf sitting on the lower stretcher level. Then, inspired by rex'a pine vise, I made a similar with an oak slab. the whole bench is just shot together, you can make anything work.
I like the term Bench Slave. It fits.
Slave as a noun: a device, or part of one, directly controlled by another.
Slave as a verb: subject (a device) to control by another.
I would also recommend Paul Seller's variation on the english joiners bench. He has a series on building the bench without a bench. I built mine about two years ago and I've built everything from small projects to eight foot dining tables and king size bed from using just that bench, and it's holding up great.
Big fan of Rex, but leaving this bench out seems like huge oversight, whether intentional or not. Since he covered at least three English benches and makers I do not understand how Sellers could be left out, considering the huge influence he has had in bench building and its proven capabilities.
Paul has covered that bench well and people are very aware of it. You might see his bench as another variation on the Nicholson, or you might see it as a bench that's kind of unique to him. Either way, it's outside of the scope of this video....not because I don't love Paul, he's a massive influence.
While watching this excellent and comprehensive video I was - all the time - waiting for Rex to mention Sellers' series on "How to build a workbench." Sellers also made a good and sturdy bench of plywood, the same as Pask Makes did. Rex could also have mentioned John Heisz version of the Euro-style bench he designed, which isn't too complicated to build with his detailed plans. However, as Rex said, there are no concise answer to which type to build, just go for #1 and expect #2 to be the one you will live with.
The easiest way to mention Paul Sellers on TH-cam Woodworking is by not mentioning him. Anyone who has googled a woodworking video knows Paul Sellers and will immediately comment that you left Paul out of the discussion. His work bench is awesome I built a modified version of it as a built-in in my garage. Does that make my bench a Seller's bench or an American built-in? I think Paul's bench is a version of the English Jointer bench with a heavier top and tool well.
Great video. I needed this three years ago before I built my "forever" bench lol.
How dare you ask this question the week after I finished my first workbench? I will watch this video with a sceptical frown... But with great interest. Looking forward to it
Paul Seller’s workbench was my first to build and my current workbench. I really enjoy it, however the front vise is not flush with the apron so you have to do some improvising to hold long pieces. I also made a couple of dog holes that are not on his bench.
But the inconveniences are small and it was a great first project as a beginning hand tool wood worker. The only tools I had were a Kobalt no 4 plane, harbor freight set of chisels and two cheap saws. I learned a lot from the experience. I’ve been using the bench for over a year now.
Sellers has the complete video series free on TH-cam.
Nicholson bench: "What would Meryl do?" we ask ourselves. She would lower the aprons so she can fit clamps in between them and the tabletop. Ingenious!
Thanks for a great video as always, Rex!
or at least cut some notches in it...
Doesn't work. The apron/top joint is integral to the stability of the bench. (I guess you were j joking, so... yeah, fell for that one)
Build the top out of two or three boards, leave a gap between those to fit the clamps there. I do this myself (or just use a holdfast). For those who didn't get the joke...
@@johanneswerner1140 No, it works really well, and no, I'm not joking, not at all. The bench is real. And Meryl is real too. There are many ways to build it.
I think an overlooked quality of the built-in bench (as it was described in this video) is that your workbench is RIGHT UNDER your tool wall, if you have such a wall installed. With the potential for shelving too, the potential tool access provided by the built-in w/ a wall contributes to really nice workflow.
I build a Moravian Bench during the first lockdown.
I build it with hand tools only, in my flat and I can't be happier. The Top was build out of two big construction lumber posts joint with 5 big MaschineScrews and nuts.
A year later I made a nicer top with a wagon vise build in.
I think I was lucky, to have picked the perfekt bench for me without knowing much before... Time will tell.
Thanks rex for all the top information.
You're so right about the mindset that prevents us from making things. Whenever my "I want it to be perfect" kicks in, I go to your videos and watch, you show us that it is okay to make mistakes. Whenever I want to buy an expensive tool, I remember you doing stuffs with limited and not so expensive tools and everything worked just fine. Thank you Rex! I'm sure your channel made a lot of people not to quit and enjoy woodworking.
Similar experience Dominic, had not done any woodwork since high school over 45 years ago and then I go and build a bench based on Rex's encouragement that any idiot could do it.....He was right and it worked out great.
I built my first bench about 36 years ago. It was 12, 10 foot 2/4's bolted together face to face with all thread rod. It was my first and only bench. I still use it today. Thank you for sharing a interesting and informative video. Have a great day and stay safe.
The Roubo might not have any drawbacks for most people, but I am CONSTANTLY using pegs and holdfasts in the dogholes in the front of my English bench, and I can't envision working without them at this point.
Just add a sliding dead man. Another thing to build of course, but I'm guessing a person who has built that style of bench would be more than capable of adding one.
@@ricos1497 I don't place any value on clamping to the bench so an apron is the low tech permanent solution. Of course having a basic smithy and being able to make my own holdfasts for the price of 5/8" bar changes my perspective a bit.
@@fisharmor I have to admit, if I didn't need the space for drawers, I'd prefer the apron option too. I've got a number of holes in my bench legs that sort of perform the apron function, but not as well.
@@ricos1497 I've got a 2x12 apron and starting right under that, I have drawers. Nine of them. The drawer carcass top is just at the bottom of the 2x12, and the void above the carcass is just deep enough for the holdfasts to work. Plus I can store a bunch of long clamps from the end, on top of the drawer carcass, and they don't interfere with the holdfasts until I stack them 2 high.
I've become a big fan of using all the space I have, so the biggest of these drawers is I think 5" deep. The smallest is 1.5" - because I don't need more than that for pencils and rulers. And you only need a 3" drawer to fit a whole plane if you have to (on its side, of course).
I didn't really know what I was doing at the time, I just thought "I want to learn dovetails and a carcass and drawer bodies seems like the thing" and then went a little nuts, but it totally works.
My current thing is using my cheap HF bending brake to turn old computer case into custom fit organizer bins. You can reclaim entire drawers that way.
I have build the workbench from Paul Sellers, and am fully satisfied.
That’s awesome! Did you build his older version with a bench top on either side of the tool well or his newer one with only one worktop side? I’ve wondered which people prefer assuming they aren’t limited by extra small space.
I just finished building the Rob Cosman workbench and it is fantastic !
I came across your video on idea to make my door bench operable and be able to knock it down your dowel idea was very interesting. It baffled me that you added that half dowel to the post. I've had a much simpler approach by drilling the holes for the dowels about 3/8 of a inch from the edge of the outside post and used a half dowel tapered and it does the same thing thanks for the vid
Damn, dropping some serious wisdom at the end and calling people up and out of their introspective lifestyle into something more.. WELL DONE!
I built my bench 20+ years ago. I don't know that I was inspired by any particular design, I just had an idea in my head of what I wanted that would fit in my space at the time. The very simple frame is made from 2x4s and 2x6s, held together with carriage bolts and construction screws. The front side of the top frame is three layers of 1x6 oak with spaces for dog holes in the middle layer down the length. I have a shelf at the bottom that leaves space for my shop vac at the end under the top. The top is 3/4" plywood with 1/4" hardboard on top, resting in a rabbit on the inside edge of the top frame. The hardboard isn't glued down, I figured that way I could replace it if it got too chewed up. I haven't replaced it yet. This has served me quite well over all this time. I'm in the process of adding a moxon-style vise to the front using 2x6, wheel handles from plywood, and some acme thread I salvaged from a kitchen trash compactor. Thanks for this overview. I never realized there were so many classical options out there. Thanks for sharing!
I am literally like 2 weeks away from moving to a new house and building a new workbench... nice timing Rex!
Your ending advice on just picking a bench and getting on with it is golden. Just start making stuff already :p
really enjoy Chris videos but I used Rex's work bench as my inspiration and finished basic construction a few weeks ago an am throughly enjoying working on it now. So many thanks Rex for your help in coming up with it as well as the other projects you have inspired me to make.
Built my first ever joiners bench based off your design. Thank you for instilling me with the confidence to give it a go, it works well, better than I could have imagined.
Rex, fantastic video. It is so comprehensive in its overview and then "links" to where one can find details on what they decide. Thanks again. You have become a TH-cam treasure.
After watching your videos I built a version of the joiner's bench very similar to yours but with a tool tray added underneath. It's great, many thanks for the inspiration.
A very helpful roundup. Thank you.
I am glad that you mentioned Rob Cosman but disappointed you didn't mention Paul Sellers.
They have both been massive influences on me.
I built several big furnitures in my house with a work bench that is just a big 48x48x3/4 plywood board sitting on top of a mechanical tool cabinet
I built Rex's English workbench as my first woodworking project last year during the lockdown. It was very straightforward and everything went according to plan. It's pretty difficult to screw up.
Definitely a good "general" sturdy workbench for a beginner to make. I literally built mine on the kitchen table then moved the parts into the spare bedroom (which then became a workshop) to assemble it.
I got into woodworking a few months ago when I found your channel Rex. I just got the wood for my first bench (a knock down Nicholson) and can't wait to try to build it! Thanks for all the inspiring videos!
This is a damn fine honest, informative, comprehensive and inspiring video! Very impressive. The best I’ve seen on this subject to date.
I'm glad I found your pages. Alot of great advice and ideas. Wish I would have found you sooner because I just took off on my own and rednecked up a workbench from an old kitchen table top (I used the legs when I made an Old Farm House Table). It's worked out great for the 3 tables and 2 shelves I've made so far. But with all your shows I'm finding all kinds of new stuff I can add to the table and do it cheaper than normal. THANK YOU REX!!! Please keep on with the videos!!!
100% great stuff. I concur wholeheartedly about Chris Schwarz. I was so blown away by his free downloads I sprung open my wallet and boought stuff. I now have a signed copy of The Anarchist Design book and the plans for a stick chair.
The Moravian bench is in my immediate future. And you're right too, about his expertise and his writing style. Very well done.
And thanks for your generosity and sharing the hard won knowledge.
The best time to watch this video would have been before building my first bench. The second best time was today. Thanks for another great video, Rex - it has me excited to start building my new, all handtool workshop in my basement (after working in the garage for the last year or so).
I've built two Moravian benches -- one out of 2x6s laminated together for the top and 2x4 laminated together for the legs, the other 2x4 all the way through. The first one is a little over built for woodworking, so I mostly use it for workshop stuff, especially working on heavy cast iron equipment. The other one I did a little closer to Will's design, with the tool tray and overall smaller top. Both frames are built from laminating 2x4s to create the joinery, so I skipped the 1/2 lap dovetail for a through mortise with full size tenon, same with the middle brace, and the bridle joint just had a full size 2x4 glued into and planed down to the angle. This system was *way* more beginner friendly and used a compound sliding miter saw for everything but the angled through mortise for the long stretchers and wedges.
outstanding! best short survey of practical woodworking workbenches i've ever seen, here or anywhere else, and i've been reading about this stuff for 30 years. nicely done. 👍
I absolutely appreciate how you share credit with other woodworking teachers. Thank you for this and for your excellent instruction and insights.
Yes Rex you are right : just too much thinking not enough working . Cheers Rex.
I’m building my bench timber frame style, it’s taken me 2 years so far, because other than the glue and vice I’m not spending money on it. I’m doing this by using pallets, and the pallets I’m using have to be pretty specific, I’m only using pallets made of red/white oak and hickory, that way I have a nice sturdy hardwood bench. Now if I just wanted to use the standard available pallet that is made of pine I would have Ben done 18 months ago. Oh well can’t complain about a bench that is only costing me the $17.50 for glue- the vice was a Christmas gift so no money there. Now I kind of feel like I have to say this: I do currently have 2 makeshift benches that I got for free that are the rickety thin top Nicholson type that I added 2x4 to the underside of for support and those get me by for now- I really can’t wait to finish my bench
I had a nice combination bench that I’d built with “free” cast off lumber that I’d gotten from the shipping department of a place I used to work.
Was partially a “built in”, and partially a timber bench. I say this, and the top, and stringers were all 4x4 lumber. The two front legs, where found in the rafters of the old farmhouse I was in, they were true 2x2, with 12x12 pad feet, with 4 gussets, and steel dowel drilled center on the ends. I was able to use the dowels into blind holes in the underside of the top, the leg glued/and braced with straps to the face of the front stringer. The rear stringer was set shallow to allow the rear of the bench to rest on a piece of strapping that was lagged into the brick wall of the house.
It was heavy, solid, and cost me only the hardware to assemble it.
Been watching your channel for awhile now. I have to say I've never had a video inspire me to open so many tabs at once on my browser...Thank you. You are a well of fantastic information. Thanks, Rex. Keep up the great work.
I’m making the traveller’s bench, and today I stopped hemming and hawing about how I should sharpen my axe and a chisel, and finally did it. The chisel turned out awesome. Tomorrow I’m having my son help me put together a drill mate just to get him involved, and I’ll be using a drill for the batens, but I’m trying to do everything else by hand. I have wanted to read the Anarchist book, great to know there is a pdf!
I’ve been planning on building my first workbench, this was really helpful. Thanks!
I really appreciate you mentioning built in benches as a legitimate route to go. It’s way too easy to watch some videos and think you need something fancy, when all you really need is a solid and stable work surface.
I have made two of your version of an English bench amended with an end moxon vice, bench dog holes and an adjustable central support between the front legs to support work. I also made a small split saw horse and bench mules. Great fun to build and use. Cheers Rex.
At 5:38 Rex says England doesn't have a lot of old growth forests. We did, once, but we basically cut them all down to build ever bigger battleships, longer railways, and what was left we burned to make coke to make iron. A lot of good, old growth oak, once, the likes of which we will never have again.
I Love the Moravian, and it got me into woodworking. The tool tray is the last part of the build
if you build it the way Will Meyers shows it. I'm half way though the tray.
Excellent advice. My first bench was made from a kitchen remodel. The top was 3 layers of laminated 3/4 fir plywood and old fir framing for the edging. It measured 27 x 63 because that was the size of the plywood. The legs and stretchers were made of old framing 2x4's laminated together. It had no vises. It looked like your first bench. it worked. When I got more experience I built a better bench and passed the old one on to someone who was remodeling and building a shop.
I have been in design limbo for my 1st bench for months and today (just now) I have finally decided on the dimensions of the mortise & tenon joints. And literally 15 seconds after finally coming up with those dimensions, this video comes on.. lol..
The real reason I was stalled for months was my learning how to use my hand planes to get all the 4x4 & 4x6 stock true and dimensionally square along with a few side projects I used as prerequisite builds leading up to my bench (mallet, wooden mortise gauge & a heavy duty 18"x24" table I plan to turn into a sharpening station if I ever finish this bench...
Rex your content has been a huge help and has taught me so much along the way. Thanks for being here for us woodworking Newbs!! Cheers my friend!!!!
I love this video! I love the way you bring up the past about work benches from centuries ago, and I am going to build a work bench based on this. I subscribed to your channel and you are a most informative woodworker! Thanks!
This is what the internet is for. Very good work. I've inherited my father's pattern maker's bench from a foundry in the English midlands. It takes two of us to move it, but that's kind of the point. I have never been limited by it, but still Rex has ideas I might add and then they'll get passed on in turn.
Me: Finished laminating 2x4s together and planed them up to make a workbench top today.
Also me: Now it's REALLY time to figure out what design you're actually going to go with, genius.
Sometimes things just line up nicely. Thanks, Rex.
Great video! And it's really refreshing to hear someone on TH-cam recommending books without using it as a segue into a sponsored ad for an audiobook service. Just signed up as a supporter!
BTW I don't really mind the fact that other TH-camrs use sponsorships and it allows lots of them to make great content, but I'll admit I just skip past 99% of the ad parts.
Thanks Rex. I really appreciated the end where you talked about (paraphrase ahead) getting over your special self and just doing it.
Thanks Rex, and your outtro encouragement was so valuable. I was watching too many workbench videos, but just need to actually make one!
'Knowing' what ya want before you have any experience is rather like flipping a coin. Me, I purchased one of those cheap and lousy Wilson benches from Harbor Freight and used that to make a sawbench and a matching height Japanese style sawhorse. I'd no real idea that woodworking was going to be my 'Hobby of Choice' yet....but was leaning that way. Charles Swartz' TH-cam video's were informative and the Roubo style bench was the one that caught my interest the best, so I built one starting from rough sawn boards....and got an education into the use of handplanes, sharpening and 'basics'. If I was going to start again, I think the low Roman bench would be a better starting point....but my Roubo bench is a keeper. -Veteran '66-68
You are ao generous, experienced and wise. Thank you.
I made my mine not following any plan but my need, and also with "hard rubbished" wood. Its a disaster but i love it. It really solved what I wanted to. You helped me a lot.
Two Saw horse's and an old solid core door on top has been doing the job for me for donkeys years now.
This is great. Its excellent watching how you've collected all this great information for us.
I have been woodworking for over 40 years and I find your shows informative and entertaining. You are a great presenter and do a terrific job on content and layout. I am almost done with my last workbench. I have seen all the various types and am just building one that suits my needs while utilizing features from various other designs. I am lucky enough to have two Emmert Pattern Makers vises which I have acquired over the years for free and am incorporating them into it. The biggest mistake I see most make in the videos is that they are trying to combine a work bench with an assembly table. To me they are two separate benches and not a good thing when combined.
I made the English joiner's bench in a few hours a year or so ago and love it. I didn't even have a vice for a while and that never slowed me down, now I've got a leg vice and an end vice. Even though I wouldn't rule out making another sort of bench, I like the idea behind the English joiner's bench. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. If you know how to make that style of bench, you can put one together anywhere and at least manage anything the others can do. I added another 2x10 to the apron to make doors and cabinets even more convenient, as well as a tool tray at the back and one of those length-ways pop out stop boards down the middle. The first and last of those helped especially when I was only working with a crochet in the beginning. Thanks for the vids!
Haven't had a good dose of Rex for quite a while. (I watch too many videos about table saw and band saw hacks.) It's just plain fun to watch someone who's this excited about working with hand tools.
This is EXACTLY the video I needed to see at this time. THANKS!
I am going to build the ULTIMATE "ugly clay ashtray" version of a workbench!
So, Rex, you're saying "Build something! Even if it's wrong, you'll develop skills and gain experience"? Sounds like a plan. Think I'll start with your free bench plan - my thanks for your generosity!
Well done. This should be a great help to those who are in the decision making process.
Great video. I love your thoughts at the end about just doing it. Stop fretting and just do it. I also like the idea of working with it for a couple of years to find what you like and dont so when you make your next one you know exactly (or close to exactly) what you want in your next one.
I built Rex's English wood workers bench ......... out of scrap wood which included, part of a car port, an old bed and some wood my wife was planning on cutting up for firewood. And it's brilliant, and yes I did use a thin top, supported by a lot of stretchers. And I don't see myself building another as this meets all my needs.
Well said!! I've been using two wood saw horses, an 8' solid core door, and a tool shelf supported by two 8' 2x4's. Some simple notches in the right places and it locks into place. It's need my main bench for 5 it years and it has served me very well. It is time to build one that has a few more features and a little more stable. Love the information,.
Thank you Rex!
I really love your videos! I’m a beginner woodworker and your videos are just perfect for me!
Again: thank you!
Myself use the floor, a common bench, two chairs, stairs, regular tables, workhorses...
Everything works fine!
I built the low bench first, then followed Rex's YT videos to build the English joiner's bench on the low bench. I still use it for every project, big and small, even after more power tools have crept into my shop. At the same time I learnt a lot building these benches since I was a complete rookie at the time
great video and a real service to the craft. Thank you so much Rex
The Paul Sellers plywood work bench that he made a year or two ago uses standard plywood and some neat techniques.
Rex you will appreciate this quote from my great grandfather who was a child during the depression: “the best tool for any job is the one that gets it done, if you spend to much time looking for the perfect tool- your never going to get anything done.”
The Ian Kirby bench from the Workbench Book informed the way I built my bench and it has been a joy to use..... mostly.
I started with the low Roman and I decided to experiment. I added Roubo style legs and an apron on one side for holdfasts. I also added a handmade wooden Moxon vise on the opposite side for dovetailing. Now I have a stocky low Roman that I really like. Thanks to Rex’s videos and Chris Schwartz’s books. Perhaps I should post it on the forum
I appreciate this soo much! Your voice is also easy on my ears so I can keep listening to you while working. Thanks a lot!
This is one hundred percent the Video I was looking for. Especially the part on 12min about the low bench. I'll check out your channel. Thank you very much.
Just build a bench. Super good advice. I'm currently building a bench that was a built in carpenters bench with a valley in the middle for my shed and I just need to build it already. Stop looking at vice options and tenon joiner and put it together. Thanks Rex
Types of Benches:
1. Low Bench: 0:39
2. Built-In Bench: 1:04
3. Cabinetmaker's Bench: 2:12
4. English Bench: 5:13
5. Roubo Bench: 7:58
6. Moravian Bench: 10:43
7. Work situations: 11:58
8. Final thoughts: 15:41
Great and thorough presentation, Rex. The bench I build and finished last week ended up as a hybrid. It is a laminated slab-top timber-frame with a Nicholson-style apron on one side and a open Roubo-style on the other. My thinking is it'll leave an opening to add vises down the road. Right now it's viseless and with holdfasts. Made it all with hand tools and reclaimed lumber. Who needs the gym anyways.
Edit: And I made it on a 100+ year old rickity Scandinavian 😅
Got so much respect for a TH-camr who says, "Stop watching videos like these and READ!"
Such a great overview, Rex! My first bench was an MDF top one from a Fine Woodworking article and video series (I'm eternally grateful to Asa Christiana for getting me started in my woodworking hobby with that bench). I quickly outgrew it and built an English-style bench to replace it, but I just could not get used to working with those aprons and the construction lumber I used wasn't the best. Then I read Chris Schwarz's Workbench book and set out to build a Roubo... It literally took me three summers to complete, using only hand tools, in my unheated New England garage (you're not kidding when you say you need a buddy - maneuvering a 300 pound white ash laminated slab to cut the leg joints was no joke!) but I can honestly say it's the best and last workbench I'll ever need. The Roubo design was a complete revelation for me and I encourage everyone to build one!
i think the main advantage of the moravian bench is the number of skills you learn while building it.
I built a router table with a lift and had to rebuild it 4 times. Even more important than the product is what I learned from building it. My wife was like " go ahead and just buy a lift, we can afford it". I explained that my woodworking skillset can not afford it. I'm learning too much from struggle, and failure.
What are great video! Appreciate the overview on the different styles and their respective histories. I clicked the “like” button because of your closing remarks. They are spot on in my opinion. Thanks
Outstanding video! I did agonized, and finally just built an outfeed table with my table saw incorporated into the plan. I am now planning to build a smaller version of Rob Cosman's Bench. Thanks again.