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Workbenches

Woodworking Workbenches – Design, Building & Use

The workbench really is the heart of your workshop.
If you plan on doing your woodworking with hand tools, then you need a bench that’s stout and won’t wobble about or require chasing around the workshop every time you take a shaving.

And if you plan on building your own workbench (and you should), then don’t get wrapped up in any fancy designs that cost the earth or take all year to build.

The best thing about a good woodworking workbench is that it’s simple.

Simple to build, simple to maintain, and simple to use.
Throughout our blog you’ll find guides to help you plan your workbench build, from choosing wood to picking the best vice. Browse the posts below.

Or follow us with a step-by-step video series, where we build an English style workbench.
It’s an accessible build, using just basic hand tools to complete your life time bench – you can watch online & download the PDF workbench plans.


The Stick With A Notch Cut In It.

May 18, 2015 By Richard Maguire 17 Comments

The notched batten

The first time we took our benches to see the public I was a bag of nerves. We took along a huge fancy Roubo type thing, but it was the other, simple bench we took that was my favourite. I hoped to focus on the idea that a good bench could be simple so the tail vice was absent, I never use tail … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

Simple & Strong Workbench Design

April 16, 2015 By Richard Maguire 19 Comments

When it comes to workbench design there's a rule to suit us all. Keep it simple, make it strong. Give any woodworker a French bench, an English bench, a trestle and a door fitted out with original Victorian handle bench... As long as they're strong, they all work. The same applies to vices. A … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

Left Handed Woodworking

October 17, 2014 By Richard Maguire 29 Comments

After completing a Little John bench with a left handed set up I was struck by how odd it still appeared to me despite trying to get accustomed to it throughout the build. It made me realise that although we offer to customise our workbenches in this way, I've only ever built around four lefties, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

How To Build A Workbench – Video Series

March 21, 2014 By Richard Maguire

English Workbench Video

You may have noticed that we've been a little quiet on our blog over the past month or so, and this is because we've been spending a lot of time at the barns (no internet). I've been building my own English workbench, and as mentioned earlier, we've been filming along as we go. We're nearly set to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Premium Videos, Workbenches

Oh So Tempting!

March 20, 2014 By Richard Maguire

Workbench with face vise

I am now fully committed to using a wooden screw in this workbench but oh... the temptation! I had Mr Arnold's beautiful old metal screw looking at me from across the workshop as I started to assemble the bench this morning, so I just had to poke it in! I'm very much looking forward to telling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

English Bench and Saw Horses

February 17, 2014 By Richard Maguire

I knocked myself up a couple of saw horses yesterday from some old bits of pine I found laying around in one of the barns. I've already been forgetting to take tools on my travels between the workshops so I didn't want to start carting saw horses around with me as well. With these built I'm now all … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

Hung Like A Donkey.

February 4, 2014 By Richard Maguire 12 Comments

My english workbench

As they say, it's not the size of it but how you use it that counts and that comes to mind when thinking of my new workbench, because I've opted to build it 12' long! I knew fairly quickly that I'd build my new workbench in the English style and I'd also been toying with the idea that I'd like to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

A Bench For Myself

January 16, 2014 By Richard Maguire 16 Comments

Building a Workbench This is will be the first post of probably hundreds on my new workbench for the hand tool workshop. I've taken my Little John bench round there for the time being to allow me to potter and keep busy but it's surprising how dependable this has become for the main workshop and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbenches

Bench Heights… Again

January 11, 2014 By Richard Maguire 15 Comments

Thanks to everyone for all of the comments on yesterday's bench height post , it turned out to be a very varied discussion and I'm pleased we are able to get so many views on a topic which I've always thought should be diverse. Like many of the commenters I'm of the thought that the ideal bench … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

Bench Heights And Paul Sellers

January 10, 2014 By Richard Maguire 62 Comments

I have a great respect for Paul Sellers and especially for the amount of time that he puts it to encouraging hand tool usage. But I was pointed to a post on his blog today which I had mixed feelings on and I did find myself a little riled reading through. There were two points which I took from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

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