Update: At the present time we’re not building 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.
As we’re gearing ourselves up for a busy August I just wanted to bring you a quick reminder since spaces for our Little John’s are filling up fast.
You may be aware that unlike our other, larger workbenches the Little John’s are designed to be built in small batches. Whilst we prepare for our second lot we’ve still got some learning to do before we can forecast the frequency of batches down the line but as things stand it’s looking to be around every six months.
With that in mind now is a great time to place your order as you’ll have a minimal wait. We’ve increased the quantity this time around due to selling out and having to extend the previous batch but the spaces are limited and are being filled each day. If you’re interested then please don’t hold off until next month as I may have to let you down and I hate giving bad news!
As a general rule of thumb we deliver out to main land UK with The Little John fully assembled for your ease however if your access if tight then we can wrap everything up dismantled and separate. This makes it easy to carry parts up or down stairs if required.
We’ve also been receiving a lot of orders from further afield so I’ve been doing some digging of late to secure some great prices for shipping over to America. The nice compact nature of Little John when dismantled makes him ideal for sending out overseas; if you would like a quote then please just send through your location to me: helen@rm-workbenches.co.uk
Places can be secured through our online shop with a deposit of £50.
I have been looking at this bench some. It is extremely nice. I have a couple suggestions for you to go along with it though. Hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty making a suggestion or three.
How about drilling something like four more bench dog/holdfast holes along the far edge of the top just about a 1/2″ forward of the tool well. (in between the bolts for the back legs). That should allow a hold down to be used back there as well.
As an accessory for the bench, maybe even offer a simple two piece flip-stop mounted on the end, right or left hand side depending on the buyer’s preference.
How about offering a bench-top bench that would raise the work up about a foot above the bench top. Something with a Moxon style twin screw vise mounted on it. This type of accessory for a bench aids in seeing what you are working on and can give some relief from bending over when performing certain tasks.
I suspect there are a few woodworkers out there that would like to have such an accessory. There has been some articles in recent times in a few online sites that show these bench-top benches. I built a very poor example of one. They are a little more difficult to make than I had first thought. You folks could turn out a great one I would say.
I put a light holding accessory bracket on the back wall of my tool well. Now I can slide that bracket for my bench light along the back board and get the light more right on the subject. When ya gets my age, ya needs all the light you can get. : )
Then there is the idea for a quick to add lower shelf as an accessory to offer with the bench.
Some of these things might be a good place for using up some of the cutoffs and other lumber not normally used on the benches.
Again, hope you don’t mind me doing the suggesting.
Mike
I had something else to mention but forgot to include it in the last comment…How about offering the two sided bench hook/shooting board combo accessory with the bench. When I saw the one being used in the video for the Little John bench I was totally impressed with the functionality and simplicity of it. What a great idea. Again, for some folks an accessory like this is something they would like to have but not as easy to make as would first appear.
Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for all your thoughtful suggestions, don’t mind the input at all! I like your thinking and a couple of ideas are things wev’ve actually mulled over in the past especially the shelf and flip stop.
The bench top bench is an interesting one. Having not used one before I’m not sure where I stand with them although I can see the benefit of raising the height for certain tasks. I think this along with the bench hook are great ideas for seperate accessories to offer with or without the workbench – we’ll have to give it some thought and see what we come up with!
Thanks again, Richard