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The Editors Mailbox

Build Your First Workbench

Fine Woodworking Editors, 

57 users recommend

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This "weekend workbench" is solid, inexpensive, and easy-to-build
by Bob Van Dyke

A workbench with an end vise and front vise is easily the most important tool in your shop, one that you use on every project. If you don't already have one, or if yours is old and rickety, it's time to upgrade.

You could just buy a bench - there are some very good ones out there - but you could easily spend $1,000 and not improve on the bench that I'll show you how to build in this article for around $300.

This bench is everything a good workbench should be: It is heavy and strong, so it won't skate or wobble. It has a flat surface big enough to support a medium case side or tabletop. And it's capable of holding your work securely, with an end vise that can be used with benchdogs to hold work flat or like a front vise to clamp work upright. Best of all, you can make this bench in a weekend, to your own dimensions, and you don't need a ton of tools.

If you're wondering whether a bench like this can really do the job, I have more than 25 of these benches in my school and they are still going strong after 11 years and 3,500 students. click to enlarge diagram

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Video Workshops: This is how we do it

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UPDATE: Using Your Router and Router Table Safely by Hendrik Varju

Comments (2)

lcdcok writes: How is the top attached to the base or did I miss that part???
Posted: 1:53 pm on December 28th

PSeverin writes: Another top option might be to use 3 layers of 3/4" Baltic birch plywood. It comes in 5-0 x 2-6 size as a cut size, and so can be loaded into almost any car. You could probably skip banding the edge using the plywood. Yes it is more expensive, but so are the pills for curing a strained back from hauling 4 x 8 sheets of MDF to say nothing of the delivery charge from a lumber yard.

There are many ways to do things. I appreciate the simple direct, low cost approach for building a bench. Thank you for the well done article.

Peter


Posted: 2:58 pm on November 30th

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