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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 Tale of Little John

March 1, 2013 By Helen 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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

Roughing It Up

February 21, 2013 By Richard Maguire 13 Comments

I received an email this morning asking if I feel it’s a good idea to use a toothing plane on a bench top. I was slightly unsure of the intent at first but soon realised that this was a question of roughing up your bench top to increase the friction. Yes absolutely, I think that increasing grip on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

Bench Dogs – Wood vs. Metal

February 13, 2013 By Richard Maguire 14 Comments

Bench dogs

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my preferences when it comes to the shape of a bench dog and now I’m going to elaborate a little and cover some points about the choice of material. I’d thought about comparing the options with a list of pros and cons but then realised this doesn’t really weight … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

First Look – MKII Wagon Vice

February 8, 2013 By Richard Maguire 10 Comments

Our wagon vice has been undergoing a bit of a make over and today I’d like to share the first photo of the prototype. The handle, its most recognisable feature remains the same. I’ve always loved it’s balance and size and certainly didn’t want to loose any of it’s aesthetic through change. So many … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Maguire Workbenches, Vices & Work Holding

If You Don’t Want To Buy A Cow…

February 7, 2013 By Richard Maguire 14 Comments

Buying suede to line a vice jaw

When I posted about suede a couple of weeks ago  a great suggestion was made by Paul Chapman. I'd written about just how effective suede can be for adding grip to any vice though I've never really come across anywhere that sells it in small quantities - we always have to buy a full hide! Paul's idea … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

Round Dogs or Square?

January 30, 2013 By Richard Maguire 23 Comments

Round bench dog

Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. Both round and square bench dogs will hold effectively. After a short time of working with both shapes though I must say that I soon came to favour the round ones. Many, many bench builds later and that opinion still stands. As someone who’s pleasure comes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

Get A Grip!

January 25, 2013 By Richard Maguire 15 Comments

If you’re building a workbench then you’ll likely spend a lot of time pondering over which vices are going to suit you the best. There’s a lot of choice out there so it can be a big headache but whatever you opt for there’s one step that I definitely recommend you take. Adding a suede lining to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vices & Work Holding, Workbenches

All Style and No Substance??

November 27, 2012 By Richard Maguire 21 Comments

Whenever I’ve taken my workbenches out to a show I’ve always enjoyed lovely feedback and appreciation. One line that I can guarantee will come up at least a dozen times though is “it’s too beautiful to use!”. You’ll think I’m mean but it’s always that line that leaves me feels somewhat deflated - … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

My Dog’s Too Tall!

November 21, 2012 By Richard Maguire 6 Comments

The Veritas Inset vice is a real gem which is why I chose it for our Little John Bench. There’s nothing excessive about it and its qualities lie in its simplicity; simple in design and simple to use. Compared to the wagon vices we're now more familiar with this one is very compact and so you only … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbenches

The Little John – Small Hand Tool Workbench

October 18, 2012 By Helen 12 Comments

Our latest small woodworking bench has now been named and is ready to step out in to the big bad world. We introduced The ‘Little John’ last month and if you haven’t seen it yet you can catch up with that post here. After taking this compact 5' workbench along to the European Woodworking Show we’re … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workbench Designs, Workbenches

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