![]() ![]() With most woodworkers working out of smaller shops, I thought this might be useful as a starting point for others. I also chose to go with vertical grain douglas fir for both the economics and the fact that the softer wood wouldn’t damage finished pieces. I took some of the features of classic benches and modified the dimensions to fit my shop. Knowing I planned to make a ‘forever bench’ someday (out of sapele and maple), I didn’t want this bench to break the bank. With the space, this bench would also have to work as an outfeed and assembly table, so a typical 24” deep bench would be a bit narrow. I wanted a Roubo style bench, and while it is still my goal to build a custom, full size bench when I move to a bigger space, I needed a sturdy workbench to fit my needs and my shop. I experimented with rolling benches on casters, which were terrible for any kind of joinery or planing (too light and not sturdy). ![]() I run a full-time, small production, fine furniture business out of about 300sqft (a two-car tandem garage). ![]() I ran into this issue with my current shop. ![]() These benches, however, are traditionally quite long to allow for supporting long boards for jointing with a No 7 or 8 plane – and therefore not ideal for a smaller shop. Traditional benches, whether a full or split-top Roubo or joiners bench, are to me, the perfect bench for a mix of hand and power tool woodworking. Tools on casters, rolling carts, and French cleat walls help the cause – but what about a workbench? Ideally, it should be sturdy, durable, and for hand tool work, heavy. ![]()
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