Members' Gallery - Share Your Builds
My English Work Bench
The English bench -with douglas fir - was my first project using hand tools. It was quite a learning experience. Thanks Richard.
Great instruction led to quality build 2023
Richard and Helen’s video series provided me with such great instructions and super helpful tips for working with a minimal set of hand tools! I was very impressed with how stable this bench was even when it was just dry fitted together, before adding glue and nails. I love this bench! Ron P.
Chuffed to bits
Thanks so much for the video series, I've learnt so much more than I ever have from a book. Thoroughly enjoyable, I'm actually going to miss it, but looking forward to watching another one. The build took many months and I made plenty of mistakes, the worst of which was not taking the twist out of the aprons, which means the trestles are not parallel, but nevermind, I literally cannot wait to start using my first ever workbench.
Three years later Finally flatten again
I didn't post the first pictures of the bench in February 2019, after three years of use and abuse I I've flattened it again. American yellow pine is hell to cross-grain plane. No wonder I put it off for a year or so. It's ten feet long and will wear you out. I have marked off six feet to see if I can build the French Bench and be satisfied. The distant four feet is mostly cluttered anyway. I have my eye out for slabs to use as a top for six feet.
Three years later Finally flatten again
I didn't post the first pictures of the bench in February 2019, after three years of use and abuse I I've flattened it again. American yellow pine is hell to cross-grain plane. No wonder I put it off for a year or so. It's ten feet long and will wear you out. I have marked off six feet to see if I can build the French Bench and be satisfied. The distant four feet is mostly cluttered anyway. I have my eye out for slabs to use as a top for six feet.
A Proper, Humble Bench
Well, this is my trusty English Workbench in Douglas Fir. It's my first proper woodworking build, and I've since built several of the projects from this site using this bench. I smile when I think of Richard's comment from the series preview, where he mentions he could "knock one up in a weekend." This took me months to build, an hour each day, starting from rough sawn boards. And while it wasn't easy at times, it was the ideal project for introducing proper techniques. The build made it easy to transition to joinery in other projects, and provided confidence to build with only a few tools. And I made plenty of mistakes. I remade the planing brace more than once, split a couple boards with cut nails, spacing between the plank top is more than intended, and the list goes on. But it's still the perfect bench. It's solid, works perfectly, and lacks nothing. I installed a Lake Eerie 2X wooden vice, Benchcrafted planing stop in ash stock, and use a couple of Gramercy holdfasts. The bench measures 8' long and 27" wide. The top is exactly two inches thick. It's finished with two coats of Tried And True Varnish oil. I built this bench a year or two ago, and I've included pictures of it since then. I know most workbench photos show a new, untouched bench but I thought I'd show mine with a few miles on it. This series was my path to Richard and this site. I was simply looking for a sturdy workbench (that I could build without a workbench). Instead, I discovered hand tool woodworking. I know Richard doesn't care for "the sentimental rose tinted shite" but building this bench is a lesson in more than woodworking, I think.
Beech Englias workbench
Almost finished. Just need to leather prep the vice, drill the holes for. The holdfast and make the toothed planing stop. Been fun making it but hard graft with beech an hand tools.
English workbench in Douglas Fir
It was a revelation to make this entire wood bench using hand tools. The skills I learned building this bench will be with forever. I loved I could make bench left handed.
Don's workbench
My first piece of furniture! Hopefully not the last. Built over about 5-6 weeks with just a jack plane, block plane, ryoba saw, marking guage, knife, square, ruler, mallet, hammer, punch and one chisel. Thanks for the lessons!
Garys Workbench May 2021
Well all I can say is I had a go! Made from fence posts, floor joists and 4 x 2s, more knots than timber. What a learning experience. Loved it! I will make a smaller one but next time I will use some decent timber and hopefully my joinery will be much better. It is a solid, stable beast though!