recently came across this video showing a guy building a very fancy, very heavy work bench. he does nice work.

my workbench is a lot less fancy, you can see it in this picture

somewhat full of work in progress, but you get the idea, just some CDX 3/4 plywood supported by 2x4s on edge and some 4x4 legs on casters. mine took less than a day to put together.

and mine gets used hard, spilled on, drilled into, screwed into, sanded now and then when i put the sander down before it has stopped moving.

what is your preference?

Plain! I'd be afraid to use a fancy one.

Timely post as a workbench is high on my list. Years ago I bought one of the HF ones when on sale. I added 2x4 diagonal in the back to help with the "sturdiness" of the bench. The vise isn't very good but better than no vise. For a new workbench, I plan to use some butcher block counters I got on sale for the top - just need to work through how to design the base. My "YouTube research" is ongoing!! I don't want to spend months making a workbench (congrats to those who create furniture level benches!) so trying to keep it simple, but strong/sturdy.

Edited April 2Apr 2 by BB1
Typo

In the older Woodsmith shop videos they had a large, really nice bench...it was always covered with some kind of protection when they were doing anything on it. The current episodes have a smaller, still nice, bench, but at least it seems they are working on the benchtop itself (in the very few episodes I've seen). Mine, which is somewhere in the middle I guess, gets used. It's had some errant cuts plugged/replaced, and has some dings/dents, Lately I've noticed that bending over to work on it hurts my back quite a bit, so I'll be trying to make it taller. But it's sturdy enough and does what i want. The photo is from probaly 10 years ago right after I made a new top for it, it doesn't look anywhere near that clean anymore.

First/last real workbench. First thing I bought when setting up the basement shop

Lot's of changes made since that pix was taken

I don't have a stand alone bench because my shop space is limited. I've always wanted to make this and will someday.

In the meantime this is my shop. All my equipment is portable except my drill press.

6 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Lately I've noticed that bending over to work on it hurts my back quite a bit, so I'll be trying to make it taller

I'm a bit over 5'10" and so tend to like my tools and benches a bit higher. My router table is set near the top of the stand capacity and I love the height. The new miter saw surface is around 37 or 38 inches; the saw obviously sits below that - think that surface is around 34".

The traditional, old-fashioned way of determining the height of a woodworking bench is to stand upright in your workshop shoes and measure from the floor to the first knuckle of your little finger (or your pinky/palm joint). This often results in a bench height of roughly 30–34 inches, which is generally designed to allow the woodworker to lean over their work and apply downward pressure for hand planing.

Key Traditional Methods

The Pinky Knuckle Test: Standing with your arms relaxed at your sides, the bench top should align with the bottom of your pinky knuckle or the joint where your pinky meets your palm.

The Wrist Test: Another traditional measure, often favored when using cast-iron planes rather than traditional, taller wooden planes, is to set the bench height at the crease of your wrist.

The Planing Stance: A practical method is to put a hand plane on a test surface, assume your planing stance, and adjust the height until your forearm is parallel to the floor.

20 minutes ago, MrRick said:

The traditional, old-fashioned way of determining the height of a woodworking bench is to stand upright in your workshop shoes and measure from the floor to the first knuckle of your little finger (or your pinky/palm joint). This often results in a bench height of roughly 30–34 inches, which is generally designed to allow the woodworker to lean over their work and apply downward pressure for hand planing.

Key Traditional Methods

The Pinky Knuckle Test: Standing with your arms relaxed at your sides, the bench top should align with the bottom of your pinky knuckle or the joint where your pinky meets your palm.

The Wrist Test: Another traditional measure, often favored when using cast-iron planes rather than traditional, taller wooden planes, is to set the bench height at the crease of your wrist.

The Planing Stance: A practical method is to put a hand plane on a test surface, assume your planing stance, and adjust the height until your forearm is parallel to the floor.

That would wat too low for me! My back and neck would be in constant pain.

These are intended to be a guideline not rigid fact. In the end you must do what is comfortable. I've learned to always test before doing. When I built my bench I judged my framing height and all by working with my tools on it before gluing and screwing everything into place.

Edited April 2Apr 2 by MrRick

for height, i made mine about 1" lower than the table saw height, so if needed, it could be used as an outfeed or infeed table as well. i have several of these in my shop, as well as a smaller version that serves as the outfeed presently. all on casters so i can move them around if needed.

17 minutes ago, DAB said:

lower than the table saw height,

I made my rolling air cleaner cart, which also serves as another horizontal surface the height of my tablesaw (slightly less). Very glad I built it like that.

My first workbench was one I inherited when moving into an apartment, left by the prior tenant.

A few years (and residences) later, I joined the local woodworking club and they were doing a deal with all the necessary lumber, hardware, and plans to build a Tage Frid bench from a FWW article. They planned to do a "group project" to build them, but my schedule didn't work, so I opted to do it on my own. I think I might have been done earlier than most, though I thought it took a long time. It was a great learning experience as it had a number of joints and construction principles. Being 6'4"+ I altered the height as recommended somewhere. But when I put it together in final assembly, it was too high. Apparently there was an error in the plans. Fortunately, it was in a joint that was easy enough to cut back. But I found its narrow top did not work for a lot of the larger furniture projects I was doing. I also discovered that my inherited bench was too low and I no longer got backaches working.

Next step was I bought a "vintage" metal office desk from the church that was remodeling. It had a nice top and I built a frame on wheels to make it mobile and the right height.

A number of years later, I moved and left the desk behind. The top, that was removable, came with me and resided on sawhorses that I'd made in 1976. Today, it's my glue station, sheet goods rip down station, and occassional assembly area.

I happened onto an online auction where they were auctioning off fixtures from a Sam's Club. I bid and got the wine rack for less than $10. There were about 30 boxes of baltic birch, various shorts of 2x4 and 3/4" plywood and surprise, several hundred #8 x 1.25" square drive screws, as well as a number of 1.5" screws from the disassembly. I finally found a place to install my Emmert vise, made a 4x8 top bench, routed handles in the boxes and made them drawers, and build a nice bench/assembly area. I made it so that about 8 carriage bolts will disassemble everything for removal when that day comes.

I've also made about 8 assembly benches for the furniture bank for coaching volunteers and a couple larger ones for the theater shop (that unfortunately tend to get holes drilled in them and often just collect junk).

i recall a New Yankee Workshop episode long ago, where they were talking work benches. Norm started out with a fancy, but shallow proper workbench, but time showed him its limitations. so in the episode, he wanders over to WGBH production warehouse, and they have dozens of workbenches on casters all over this large warehouse, and they explain the idea behind the design. you could pull a cord and the casters would retract and you'd be resting on solid legs. all built from plywood stock. and in later episodes, you don't see his fancy work bench anymore, he goes to the plain plywood one he made that basically copied the WGBH idea.

also, in my Sam Maloof book, he shows his workbench - sheet of plywood with good support, beat to death, but still functional.

some ideas to consider. if you like a fancy bench, go for it, show off what you can do. but don't make it so nice that you are afraid to use it daily.

plywood is cheap, i can unscrew mine and replace it in under a hour. mine is 96x36.

@kmealy beautiful work!!

My bench was years of planing and parts accumulation to make it a reality. Yes you might consider it fancy but it is heavy and can be banged on and it will still be there. I did a blog on it so you can take a look.

White OAk Bench

Looks very nice Gerald.

My current bench is one that I originally used for mechanic work, it serves the purpose but has it’s limitations for the type of woodwork I do. 2x4 frame and double thick 3/4 plywood top, screwed to the wall and standing on 4x4 posts.

I have a bunch of 8/4 hard maple set aside for a proper bench, modified Roubo style. Just need to get around to making it. I do a lot of handplane and mortoise/tenon work so it will be lower than what I use now.

I have a variety of benches, none are really done, but I use them.

First one here is one I started making about 20 years ago when a friend gave me all this farm cut 4/4 red oak that was in the back of pickup he bought. I don't know what the truck was doing in Tucson but it came from western Ohio. Never got around to the drawers because I was tapped for spare cash to buy baltic birch for them. I have the birch now, but haven't made the time yet. All the tools are on the shelves behind the bench, one day they will be in drawers I hope. I scored some butcher block maple for the top about 5 years ago, that was another hold up.

The one I've used the most in the last 30 years is this one:

My mom bought it in a junk store in Tucson and it has really served me well. Top is just pine 2x12's and about due for new ones. Vise is one I added as soon as she gave me the bench. It's a little wobbly for heavy planing but I've always made it work.

Chopsaw bench I made about 12 years ago. The big drawers hold all those pretty chunks of wood I collect and can rarely bear to cut up. I've had to replace the guides once when they got too dusty. I've since put end and back panels on to keep some of the dust out of them. The offcut bin is a surplus recycle bin from a town I lived in at the time, they were giving them away when they went to a new system. Should have grabbed more, the three I have are always in use. The shelves are something my ex made, I need to add some more shelves to them.

Last one, I finally made a good outfeed table just a few years ago when I moved into this current shop (a walkout basement)

Ever notice how an outfeed table gets covered with unrelated projects and then you have to clear some space to use the saw? I guess I need more shelves!

When I was planning my small basement shop, the kitchen in the high school for the town I work for, had to get rid of their butcher block work tops. The health inspector said that wood may keep live bacteria on it. They were throwing them out, they were each 6 feet long. I offered to get rid of them, actually using the logic that it was saving them money, not having to pay someone to get rid of them. They said yes. A friend who had a truck, and his own shop, met me after I got off work, and we took them. His pay was he got one of the tops.

Edited April 4Apr 4 by Artie