Watch This Before Building a Workbench for Woodworking

5 features that are important when building or buying your first workbench for hand tool woodworking. Links mentioned in the video:



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[jnewmy]

This was a great video. I've been watching a ton of stuff trying to help figure out what to build for my new bench and this was by far the best and most informative, plus we share the same name so it's no wonder it was good, lol. What is the style of bench you mentioned at the end of the video that was made with 16' dimensional lumber? I'm going to replace a rickety old second hand bench and this looks like a good option to hone my skills.

[saustin]

I could listen to you talk about stuff for hours because you offer both opinions and facts plus you answer the questions most others don’t.

[BlackSwan]

A fantastic video. Great workbench primer. Thank you. I REALLY like that it is quiet, straightforward, no music to "rev us up" and all the other video "tricks."

[KubaAirs]

Amazing video, you convinced me on making one. Thank you!
Just one thing to point out. Moravian's weren't a cult. We Moravians (Ethnic group in Czech Republic) have had difficult times with the Catholic Church since they executed Jan Hus. His teaching was to protest corruption among Catholic Church and their priests, that you shouldn't need to pay to church to be closer to God. Catholic church obviously didn't like that idea so they burned him alive and it started a Hussite Wars here in Europe. The ones who followed those teachings were labeled by the Catholic church Protestants, Heretics, Cult members and what not and many fled. Still Christians.
It's one of the reasons we're among the most atheistic countries in the world.

[makenchips]

Probably one of the best workbench reviews I've seen and YouTube overview of workbenches voices in general understanding these workbenches in their purposes. The one premise that he talks about a lot is the style of work you going to do one bench won't cover everything for everyone's preference! The one point you don't pick up the first time listening to this is the workbench and yellow pine is it a Furniture bench or is it a real workbench. There's a lot of personal preferences here nothing's perfect and nothing's absolutely they must it's all personal preferences from your style of working.😊

[isaach]

This is PERFECT timing... after a 12+ yr hiatus I am returning to woodworking. My old bench was a harbor freight. Since I left it with my old house, and have finally rebuilt a tiny shop at my current house, I'm going to be building my own suitable for woodworking, leatherworking, flyting, and any other hobby that may come along! I felt ashamed that I was looking at pine...the last few minutes of the video made me feel better about it! Plus I never realized about the 16' 12X lumber being from the best part of the tree, though it makes sense.

[maple]

Thanks! Joshua By necessity, my workbench started out as a 34" x 9-foot Solid core Mahogany slab door. It was notched to fit between two brick posts in my basement. I saved the offcuts, and years later they rejoined their brother, sandwiched between 3/4" or 20 mm baltic fir plywood and a top of leftover 1" Maple flooring. It now has pair of 10" vintage Record QR vices buried in 3" maple jaws. The base has continuously been laminated 6 x 6 Doug fir. The bench has stayed flat through its iterations! That's a long story but it covers 35 years and 6 moves!

[mohdalisyed]

Great video. I have now watched it 500 times.

Living in a rental house, I figured the best workbench for me would be a short Moravian. I am so glad I made it. Learnt alot along the way. Thanks for your videos.

[matthewkeeley]

Well, I came here by hitting the enter key off somewhere else. I was a woodworker from age twenty to age thirty and looking to get back in as a small hobby. So refreshing style of teaching, I'm sure his students do very well. The workbench that can be broken down and yet comes from a traditional design is great. Glad I found this site.

[fredrikabacka]

Brilliant! THANKS -a lot!
I'm shifting from teaching crafts in public schools, into starting a small mobile and flexible bisnes for "Pimping Workshops & Homes" and "Outdoor ABC" (Adventures, Boatings & Crafts)... Your knowledge & know-how, experience & wisdom, personality & style, tips & tricks will be a great recourse to me!
F-ready the Finn,
Go Forth Services

[gordonvanlieshout]

Glad to see some keeping the art of wood working alive. I chased saw dust for 59 of my 70 years. Started with building a soapbox derby car at age 11. Before that, forts, tree houses, bush camps. I had a Huck fun life, for this day and age.

[Wateringman]

I found this channel by accident a while back, and this primer on wooden workbenches is absolutely wonderful, and highly informative. When I was a UBC journeyman carpenter many years ago, I used to make my own on-site workbenches. It made life so much easier during the time the work lasted. I would use 5/4 boards tongue and grooved (by me), and I would stagger the edges, and hold 2 layers of the boards together with wooden dowels, that had each matching dowel hole slightly staggered, to lock the two layers together.
On thing I always did; which I have seen that no one else does, until I show them, is to make 1 or 2 openings on the surface of the bench; all the way through the bench top. On some if I had the time, ( I always had time) I made a flush cover for the opening. With a hole in the center to just pull the cover off, and expose the opening when needed. My usual size was 5 x 8 inches. This made boring wood so much easier, because any boring of holes, was a cinch, since the piece to be worked on was fully supported, and secured with holdfast clamps. I just centered the hole I had to bore just over the benchtop opening.

[alanmumford]

As a bit of encouragement to those who don't have much space... I built my bench for working in a small apartment, so it's only around 5 feet long and 2 feet wide. For the legs, I used draw-bored mortise and tenoned pine 4x4s for three H-frames (actually with 2 crossbars) and double-layer 3/4 plywood for the top. Because the supporting legs are so close together, that's proven to be plenty thick enough to not sag. 5 inch wide, ankle height stringers of the same plywood are tightly rebated flush with the legs front and back and secured with screws. The top is held by gravity and double 10mm dowels at all six leg tops. It's easily dismantled for moving and not too heavy. I have not experienced any racking when planing and I used a cheap trick to stop it moving - it sits on a piece of industrial or office type carpet laid upside down. This extends about 2 feet in front of the bench, so I'm standing on the same surface as the bench. Because of the rubbery carpet backing, the bench NEVER moves relative to me while working. The carpet also deadens some noise, which is a bonus. It was my first woodworking project and I'm still happily using it after more than 10 years. Oh, and I made it using only hand tools and a Black & Decker workmate!
If I can do it, ANYONE can! :-)

[dagoelius]

This was amazing. I've just discovered the love of working with wood after my grandfather died and your website is a goldmine of useful information for newbies to the craft.

[krabenaldt]

I am going to have to watch again. Found myself dreaming about a new bench and then missed so much of video.

[jerrystark]

I have built a number of workbenches over the years. I have three in my basement shop that I use daily for different purposes. Whether you have built workbenches or are planning to do so, this is a very useful and informative video. Thank you.

BTW: I have watched the Will Myers video on building the Moravian workbench several times. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Excellent video and work bench! (Frankly, I would enjoy listening to Will Myers read the daily newspaper.👍)

[hellomate]

I'm calling my WIP first time workbench the "homebrew hardware store half-english"

Lol.

So far it's been a lot of fun.

I'm glad that what I heard in this video hasn't contradicted any of the theory I'm putting into building my workbench. Trying to get shear and torsion at each joint under control from many angles.

[mathquir]

I'm designing mine and I didn't though of putting the legs in angle. THANK YOU lol. That will surely prevent rocking it everywhere or damaging the bench in question over time.

[uriel-heavensguardian]

I love this workbench. Bought the DVD when it first came out. Haven’t built it yet but I can’t wait to. This will be my bench life. I originally wanted to I the Rubo. To heavy and to big for my needs. Not transportable at all.
This Moravian bench is the best for my needs!

[jakelilevjen]

Just built myself a Roubo workbench from construction lumber. A couple of tips and comments: 1) Everyone who can get southern yellow pine at the big box store should feel lucky. I live in Denver, and Douglas fir is the best I could do. This stuff warps and tears out like crazy! I doubt I will ever try with construction lumber again, as nothing came out straight, flat, or square. 2) When using soft woods, be sure to leave yourself enough time to do the glue-up on the same day as you cut your wood. Otherwise, it will warp, cup, and bow, making for a very frustrating glue-up.