The Tale of Little John

by | Mar 1, 2013 | 4 comments

There’s nothing like a charming character to warm up a long and dreary winter and fortunately we’ve had our Little John to help keep things moving for us this February. The first batch of our smallest workbench began as planned and it’s brought a whole different feel to the workshop. This is far from mass production (still just Richard busy building and myself to keep him organised, oh.. and keep up with the relentless supply of tea. Did I mention it has to be loose tea, brewed in a tea pot each and every time…) but working on many small parts has livened things up compared to the building of one very large and heavy bench.
A change of pace from time to time is no bad thing and we’ve been becoming very fond of this little workbench; even Richard now refers to ‘it’ as ‘him’!

Since planning in the first batch of these benches we’ve taken on more orders than we’d initially anticipated and so will be continuing on with our second batch well in to this month. Those who placed their orders early are expecting delivery over the coming weeks.

Update: At the present time we’re not making any workbenches for sale, however we have many resources on this website that will help guide you with your own workbench build.

Our English Workbench Video Series takes you step by step through a traditional bench build, starting out with a discussion on choosing the ideal dimensions, demonstrations of how to cut the joinery, right through to flattening your workbench top and building the face vice from scratch.

If you’d like us to guide you through your build with detailed videos and PDF plans, then you can find full details for this Workbench Series here.

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About Helen Fisher

About Helen Fisher

Helen seeks to explore ways to live with greater joy & sustainability for both ourselves & the planet. Concepts which have led to the launch of her second business We Are Carbon. As the producer of our videos, Helen brings a unique perspective & injects life to our education ensuring it is both a pleasure to watch & easy to follow & learn from. Learn More About Helen & The English Woodworker.

4 Comments

  1. Chris Buckingham

    This is a very nice bench,I do like the addition of the rear tool tray,this would certainly be a very handy thing on any bench,even a large one,I find that any horizontal surface quicky gathers so much in the way of tools you are using,that I need another bench nearby just to hold them,that is when I go outside to work where there is more space!You can get sun burned though.
    Chris,
    France.

    Reply
  2. Ken

    Thanks Helen, It is indeed a great bench. I can see this turning into one of your most popular benches so far. Richard is doing a great job, keep that tea going, I hope I can pop in for a cup one day 😉

    Reply
  3. Kerry

    Once you’ve gone the loose tea route, you’ll never go back. Might as well just stop drinking tea. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Kris

    I cannot wait to receive my Little John, as it happens I am looking for someone to lay a concrete foundation for my new workshop where this little beauty will live when it arrives. Thank you for the update Helen I am gnashing at the teeth to get to work on this bench.

    Reply

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