Watch This Before Building a Workbench for Woodworking
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:
✪ My Workbench Guide: https://woodandshop.com/woodworking-hand-tool-buying-guide-workbench-tool-storage/
✪ Buy a New Custom-made Portable Moravian Workbench here: https://store.woodandshop.com/product/portable-moravian-workbench-for-sale/
✪ This is the best source I’ve found for workbench vise hardware: https://bit.ly/2Ksky1Z
✪ My Hand Tool Buyer’s Guides: https://woodandshop.com/which-hand-tools-do-you-need-for-traditional-woodworking/
✪ My Power Tool Buyer’s Guides: https://woodandshop.com/woodworking-power-tool-buying-guide/
✪ 58 Second Moravian Workbench Assembly: https://youtu.be/9vKPpp5_bbE
✪ Desk build videos that show how to make mortise & tenon legs: https://woodandshop.com/how-to-build-a-desk-with-hand-tools-part-1-dovetail-carcass/
✪ Subscribe to my channel for regular woodworking tutorials, workshop tours, & reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodAndShop
✪ Get free woodworking updates, tips, and workshop tours in our regular email newsletter:
✪ Visit our website for amazing traditional woodworking lessons & projects:
✪ Watch our Amazing Woodworking Workshop Tours: https://woodandshop.com/traditional-woodworking-index/
✪ See my Traditional Woodworking School: https://woodandshop.com/school
✪ Join my free Hand Tool Woodworking Forum: https://woodandshop.com/forum/
✪ Shop at my Traditional Woodworker’s Store: https://store.woodandshop.com/
Video looks great but after two ad breaks in the first 4 minutes Im out dawg.
Nice video, good thoughts, and a good inspiration to start working at my own bank.
I am intrigued by the “french” workbench you show made from yellow pine yet you give no info about it. What is it called and where can I find information like plans, dimensions and specs? I’m not quite a beginner but then you gotta start somewhere.
I’m currently in the process of building a Moravian workbench from your plans, I have built the undercarriage and am working on the top. I decided to make it with a split top rather than with the tool tray, just to have the extra mass in the top. I plan on fashioning a shelf for tools that is held in some way by the long stretchers, but that will be after everything else is done.
Love the video but wish the ‘free plans’ weren’t a clever bait and switch to get me on your email list…
Great vid! I think the "knuckles height" rule came from blacksmithing–that’s the ideal height for the top of the anvil.
Wow, very informative. You have given me a lot to think about. I don’t have a large workshop, well just a garden shed really so it will have to be a small bench else I’ll have no room for my planer/thicknesser, bandsaw or table saw. Maybe a take apart bench. ummm have to think about it. Subscribed.
Thank you good info I as well am ready to build a new bench in my shop and found your video very informative thanks again.
some help from you, I had a pacemaker put in me a moth ago, the heart Dr said I couldn’t use power tools anymore, due to the mag field interrupting the pacemaker, I can’t do my pen turning anymore, really bums me, might you know of plans for for a treadle lathe? I don’t want to give up on my pen turning, thanks for helping me.
Playback speed of 1.5 seems more natural
I can hear your dry hands touching things every two seconds lol 😂
Complete!!! Congratulations!!!
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
i dont understand the philosophy of owning wooden tools, even more wooden workbenches.
i can understand they had to do it five millions years ago, but since then mankind learned to walk on their two feet, smelt iron in blast furnaces. then when the gods teached us the alchemy of synthetic diamond, we could produce long lasting various grit abrasive surfaces to machine steel, and what about the carbide tooling, upgrading up the precision turning and milling industries.
but you guys keep using wood. damnit this is so embarassing.
Great video, thanks for directing me to Franck Klaus – 300 feet of moulding by hand, you can skip the gym on the way home… my new woodworking hero .
Have you seen the workbench by Ron Paulk. It’s geared more for being a mobile finish carpenter and is lightweight, has tool storage under the top, and lots of clamping options with dog holes. It’s might not have the mass to absorb lots of pounding but it sure is versatile, lightweight, and easy to move.
Decent video. Get Chris Schwartz’s book – the goto reference for every detail and option for work benches. Remember, a workbench is a work holding device. There is no one bench that does it all. Design and build the one that suits your work. Benches should not be more than 24" deep if against a wall and a bench can never be too long.
Never seen a wagon vise like that before, any info on it? Can’t see a brand in the written article
Very helpful! Many thanks
where may i buy some good tools like what you have in your shop ?
Fantastico. Muito bom! Obrigado
1:45 when he starts
Wow, i feel like I’m in a proper woodworking course in school, for free. Thank you!
Awsesome!!
V
Just watched your video and immediately purchased the plan. I know what I’ll be making this month.
Sorry, too many commercials to sit through. I’ll sit through one or two at the beginning, maybe even one every 10 to 15 minutes, but I can’t sit through these, too many, too frequent.
Very informative. I’ve been wanting to build a really nice one with a hardwood top for years to replace my beat up but very sturdy pine dimensional lumber one I built 25 years ago. You’d be amazed how loading dead car batteries on the bottom shelf will add mass.
Don’t pay for the stores to cut your boards! Go on the weekend with your son or beer drinking buddy and take along your saw horses, battery powered circular saw (or portable/job site miter saw), triangle, tape measure and pencil. Park your truck farther from the store where nobody is gonna park right next to you and go in the store and buy your boards, when you bring them out cut them to the sizes you need and load them up (I do this and have a compact SUV). If you don’t have saw horses don’t worry, use the lumber cart that looks like a table with a hollow top at the orange box store (you’ll know what I mean when you see it), leave the lumber on it and make your cuts being careful not to touch blade to the metal cart…..
Great video, I’m starting out woodworking and have been following along with The Minimalist Woodworker book by Vic Tesolin and was going to build the Nicolson inspired workbench in that book, but I think I want something more compatible with a wagon vice. This video is really helpful in my research.
Love to build your bench and try to find the time, After I build it shure the time will be return from speeding up any project in my future.
Thanks for showing me, Sir
? why get a 12" just to cut it in half ?
1;58 is how long it takes to get the video started.
Great video, thank you for sharing.
the blue prints for the free Moravian work bench only shows a corner of the entire blue print which makes it unusable
Brilliant video. Thanks so much, I’m building a compact workshop, 2.5 by 1.5 meters with double front doors to open up the space. I’ve been trying to work out what kind of workbench to build, whether fixed cabinet style, or traditional. I’d seen the Moravian style before but your review of it has convinced me that it is ideal for my needs.
Thanks….excellent info and format👍🏻👍🏻
You look like you’re in mild to moderate pain throughout this whole video. But, there is some solid info here. What I takeaway is "Built what you want" and I appreciate that. I. Gonna go for an English joiners bench with a face vise using halflap joinery. I’m not a woodworking master yet.
In ten years, I want to make another bench and see how much better I can do.
Thanks for the info!
I think that the "benchtop at curled knuckle height" rule came from blacksmithing. There, you want to set up the top of your anvil so that you can just brush it with your knuckles. Less awkward for smacking the heck out of hot iron. Less wear and tear and your body. I guess that some woodworkers thought if it was good for blacksmiths, it was good for them. Wrong.
Great video, very informative.
A few acting classes and you’d have deadly solid videos!
Great video with tons of info. I’ve always believed that a workbench is a very personalized tool that’s best customized to suit your individual needs. Everyone’s different and I’m sure that someone who’s strictly a traditional craftsman will be well served with a packaged design of one of these established styles. But I’ve found that with the variety of work that I use my benches for, ranging from shoddy carpenter work to leatherwork, metal work, classic car restoration and repair and light fab work and occasional electronics with a bit of everything else thrown in for good measure, a bench intended for a specific purpose does me no big favors. I found that going from trying to use tables and carts and those stupid little vice table top things with the plastic crank handles in them sucks and going from that seventh stage of hell to building your first custom bench is like being reborn a new man with fresh new possibilities everywhere. But even more dramatic if a change is to go from having a custom bench which is swept away along with your ridiculous oversized garage in a wicked witch if the west side style tornado called divorce that trying to go back to random tables and saw horses and various gadgets is like a giant kick in the man parts and can be extremely frustrating. Unfortunately I’m not in a place yet where I am able to set up a shop and build new benches, but it’s good to have goals and a light at the end of the tunnel to avoid getting caught up and lost in the darkness. But I’m already designing a better workbench in my head that will incorporate a near sternum high while seated on a barstool section for leatherwork, soldering, etc, with a flip out 18” wide lower work surface that flops over to provide a knuckle high work surface for wood working with bench dogs and full width end vice similar to what I had on the old bench that the ex probably has covered in pink tools and laundry baskets by now. I’m thinking this time I’m only going to make this into half of the 8’ long bench. May make it stationary as well and just incorporate tool storage above and back against the wall. Not sure what it’s going to end up looking like yet, but chances are it’s going to be a monster.
Good information, thank you.
I’m sorry sir but you were wrong I’m already on our three on workbenches and it’s not bedtime yet
And out of the three hours this is top 5
And now back to construction
Thank you
You would need a different workbench if doing kitchen cabinets and closets. It will have to be big but not heavy.
That name i remember that name but dont know from where anymore hate when that happens?
Tool buying guide info. Where?
What an incredible guide, hello from Queretaro, Mexico.
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.
A learning experience that is the reason I watch this videos…Knowledge is important.
i like this video very much