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Description
How do you make a workbench, when you don’t have a workbench to work from? In this series, Paul shows every step on how you can make your very own workbench.
Click here to view Frequently Asked Questions
Tools Used
- Square
- Knife
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Combination gauge (or marking gauge plus mortise gauge)
- Tenon saw
- Handsaw
- Chisel set ½”, ¾” and 1” (12mm, 18mm and 25mm)
- Chisel hammer or mallet
- Smoothing plane
- Brace and bits (or screw gun and bits to suit)
- Router plane**
- Plough plane**
- Rabbet/filletster plane**
- Hammer (steel)*
- 10” steel rule*
- Jack plane*
- 10” rasp*
- 10” flat file*
- Winding sticks
*Optional
**Optional but highly recommended
Equipment Used
- A workbench or improvised support of some kind such as:
- Two saw trestles or…
- a portable, folding workbench or…
- a picnic table.
- Seven or so 36” (91cm) sash clamps (for frame clamping and clamping the laminated top)
- Some shorter sash clamps, bar clamps or G-clamps
Appreciate the content…So helpful to one starting out…or for that person wanting to build in another style to perhaps enable more efficient function.
I am just now making the bench from the old youtube videos and blog series. So while this is not quite timely for me I will say that this introduction video when you showed off details of the bench answered a lot of questions I had about some specifics of the older design bench.
Also, check out the drawing. That is something that hasn’t been available before and might still help you with some of the details.
Good luck with your bench build.
Joseph, I’m building from the plans. The leg dimension appears to be 1 and 1/2 inches too long. Perhaps the designer forgot to add the top plate into the figuring. As I was building, I stacked the parts on top of each other to make sure I’d done it right. It measured 39 1/2″. Easily corrected by taking off the measure on the legs to shorten. Thought you might want to change the plans. I so appreciate this site. I”ve learned a lot. Paul sure makes it look easy. No so for us amateurs .
Hello Chris, glad you’ve been enjoying the sight.
As far as I can see the measurements given are:
Legs 34 3/8″
Benchtop 2 3/8″
Bearer 1 1/4″
Which gives the 38″. Does that help?
I notice the cross-member between the legs has been increased from 4in to 6in wide compared with the earlier bench Paul made. Was that found to be a weakness in the old construction?
Hi Alan,
Paul says:
No, not really but the wider shoulders do increase the lateral stability. Probably an overkill but it looks great.
Kind Regards,
Izzy
I am also in the same boat and am well over half way on my build, cross referencing from the blog series, the YouTube videos and Paul’s book.
Don’t look at it as a problem, use it as an opportunity to figure things out for yourself – it’s part of the charm.
Admittedly, however, it would have made my life a lot easier, that said, I can use this new blog series if I wish to create a second workbench with the skills I have learned from the first.
Fantastic! I can’t wait to build this bench! Thank you Paul and Team!!! 🙂
Really looking forward to this Paul. My first ever introduction to you was on youtube watching you make your workbench in your garden. It was so inspiring.
I’ve just completed a green woodworking course making a Windsor Chair and I’m still hooked, more than ever.
Keep up the great work guys.
Rob
Hello Paul and Josep, I really liked this project and it seems a great success for you, in the flyswatter I gave my opinion but instead I liked this, The plans have improved and although I already have a bank done because I continue I’ve been with Paul for a long time since I released the series on DVD some years ago, we’ve been almost five years and I consider myself part of the team,
best regards
I am so HAPPY about this project!!!!!
I can’t wait for this series to begin!
Clamps aren’t mentioned in the required tools, does this mean there’s an alternative way to laminate the boards? We can see clamps in the video.
LOL obviously it’s a mistake… well spotted!
Hello Mathieu, thanks for pointing this out. I have added a list of needed equipment above. Best, Phil
Philip I wonder if the well board could be 3/4 ?