Workbenches

Revised and updated in a new edition, this is the only workbench book that shows the reader how to design a good workbench, how to build it and - most importantly - how to use it in their shop for all sorts of tasks, teaching the craftsperson how to fish rather than feeding them...

Every board has edges, faces and end grain. So every workbench should be able to easily work the edges, faces and ends of boards. But most benches built during the last 100 years will fail you on at least one of these tasks.

This book dives deep into the historical records of the 18th and 19th centuries and breathes new life into traditional designs that have lain dormant for decades and were utterly fantastic to use. These old-school benches are simpler than modern benches, easier to build and surprisingly perfect for both power and hand tools.

Encompassing years of historical research and real-world trials, this book boils down centuries of the history and engineering of workbenches into simple ideas that all woodworkers can use. With this book, your very first workbench will do everything you need it to do for the rest of your career in the craft.

This revised and expanded edition includes 64 pages of new information including a step-by-step build and measured drawings for an 18th-century French bench and a knockdown English bench, as well as recent advances in workholding.

About the Author

Chris is the former editor (and now a contributing editor) of Popular Woodworking magazine. He has produced how-to videos for Popular Woodworking, Lie Nielsen tools and teaches woodworking around the world.