Build A Shaker Workbench
With a stout base, thick top, and abundant tool storage, this is one bench you’ll never outgrow
Synopsis: Inspired by the workbench at Hancock Shaker Village, this sturdy and stylish bench has a big, heavy base with drawers for all of your hand tools, and a beefy hard-maple top. There is a twin-screw vise on the front apron, with enough space between the screws to dovetail most furniture parts. A sliding board jack supports boards for edge planing, or for when you need to dovetail a part that’s too big for the vise. The top can be drilled for holdfasts.
The shop at Fine Woodworking gets a lot of use and a fair amount of abuse. This is especially true of the workbench. After years of steady and heavy use, the top and vises are just hanging on, and the tool cabinet in the base is barely functional. The time for a new bench has come.
You might think that a bench for a communal shop…
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Get the Plan
Printed and digital plans and a cutlist for this project are available in the Fine Woodworking store.
Comments
Having a hard time locating a source for the timber for the legs. Any suggestions?
I am not able to gain access to purchase these plans. Please help as this is the main reason I purchased a membership.
I built this workbench and love it. I used repurposed ponderosa pine for the base, spalted maple for the top, and white pine for the drawer assembly. Plan to build storage for specific hand tools into the drawers. I found milk paint on line and duplicated the plan as designed right down to the twin screw vice.
I wonder whether the folks at FWW think it would that difficult to substitute a leg vise for the twin screw vise and move the twin screw vise to one end?
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