Get BOTH sawbenches in one set of plans: www.rexkrueger.com/store/traditional-saw-benches Build the English Joiner's Bench: bit.ly/2QZls9T Build the Minimum Timber Bench: www.rexkrueger.com/store/minimum-timber-bench Build the Lightweight Traveler Bench: ps://www.woodworkforhumans.com/store/p/lwtravelbench

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

💜💜💜

@PaulJacobs-rl4oe

2 ай бұрын

Use 1/2inch hardware cloth in stead of plywood for the shelf. No sawdust collection!

My father-in-law had a bench like this. We still use it all the time. He put carpet on the top of the bench, which made it easier on the knees, keeps wood unmarred, and nails and screws from rolling off the top.

@figrollin

8 ай бұрын

Thats a great idea. I was considering using some EVA foam floormats to achieve the same thing!

I like big cuts and I cannot lie, you other woodworkers can't deny, when a big rip cut is in your face, the saw bench is the perfect place, it's spruce, two two by fours, enough to get you out the door.

This video reminds me of the old "woodwork for humans" days and i can't quite express why

I love that Rex made a special mention for the scatterbrained instinct to pile things on flat surfaces in the workshop, man knows his audience...

@orbitalair2103

8 ай бұрын

yeah, those darn flat surfaces just attract 'stuff'. the low roman bench is worse cause its longer.

@graydanerasmussen4071

7 ай бұрын

@@orbitalair2103 NHS filing system... Nearest Horizontal Surface. We all do it :D

@morte100

7 ай бұрын

It’s also great that he’s still concerned about space even though space isn’t much of a concern for him these days.

@J0k394

7 ай бұрын

Very optimistic of him though to expect that making a matryoshka of workbenches would mean no stuff accumulating on top.

I love that sort of video on your channel. No non-sense, you make a point of having people save money, you choose your words to clearly express that everyone watching can build it with ease while still growing as a woodworker. I have my own benches already, but if I didn't, I'd use the english style you show here - heck, I might actually modify my low bench. Wonderful design. Cheers, Rex!

In my opinion, Carpenter, Joiner, Cabinet Maker, etc., all could benefit from either one - or preferably one of each - of those benches. I like the design of the English bench for onsite carpentry work (especially outdoors), where it would frequently prove invaluable with its sturdy stance, tool tray to keep tools and a radio safe in and - importantly - somewhere to sit at lunchtime. At home for my project work, either would suffice but again, the English has the sawing notch, which is a very nice feature (not that it couldn't be added to the Swedish bench). Large or awkward assembly procedures could also be done on a pair of benches because it would raise a project up to a nice working height, rather than bending down or crawling around on the floor (think installing a hinged top on a six-board chest, for instance, which might be too low on the floor and too high on a workbench). Throw on a couple of scaffolding planks and you have a solid step-up or platform for working at a convenient height, too. All-in-all, a versatile pair of benches - and better still, not expensive to make!

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

Many classically brilliant ideas. 👍 Blessings y'all Crawford out 🙏🔥⚒️🧙🏼‍♂️

You demonstrate a number of valuable general purpose concepts in this video, Rex. I stopped and rewound at several key moments. Thank you for giving so much advice and encouragement to us beginners!

I'm wanting to build either one or both of these, but I can't get this idea out of my head, those round metal stools in auto shops that roll around but when you put weight on them the wheels move up and becomes stable and wont roll. I'm thinking about using gate casters and putting a lighter spring in them and put them on the benches' legs. That way I can roll the benches around easily and can be used as places to simply sit, and I can just push them under a small English jointers bench that I made from your video.

"I'm tall so my legs only needed a little trim." Is a great line. Especially out of context.

Thank you for all the knowledge you share with us amateurs ❤

Great benches that are straight forward to build. Thanks! I can recommend putting the handle hole off center by one inch. That puts the "handle" exactly in the center of the bench, so when you pick it up it hangs straight down instead of canting. I have done this now on several of your bench designs and everyone loves how they can pick them up and easily keep them level when shifting their position without a lot of thumb pressure. All four legs hit the ground together. It seems minor until you try one built this way. No, it no longer looks symmetrical but form should follow function.Thanks for all you do.

@clementm5417

Ай бұрын

If I understand correctly, you can only pick it up from one side, right?

@tommoeller7149

Ай бұрын

@@clementm5417You can pick it up from the other side but it cants more. This could be a plus carrying it down a hall or narrow path. The legs cant much closer to your body so it's less prone to bumping into walls and other obstacles.

Excellent!

FANTASTIC

Amazing work rex and Co. !

Thanks Rex, i think i may make the english version and tuck it away inside the house with a small selection of tools for those small evening projects, i was thinking of making a roman style bench, but i think this will work better with the space i have, i like the little overhang, that will be handy for clamping. If i do a really tidy job and make it look like a piece of furniture my wife may not even notice it... We also need a small step in the house, so i think i'll make the little cricket stool too, once i have made the little bench, yeah, thats how i'll sell it to her... Wish me luck. PS/edit I like these simple little projects with the Shaker and Cali missionary style, our equivalent in the UK which probably inspired the Shakers and missionaries is the Jacobean period in the 1600s and the protestant period after, until the Restoration and Charles II became King in 1660, not there's much of it around in peoples houses these days, most if is probably all in museums etc. i like its simplicity and elegance. Don't get me wrong, i admire the skill of more ornate and decorative periods (eg Regency) but to my eye it looks too busy.

Love the project videos. Always make me feel like building.

Excellent, thanks Rex, I like both designs so thanks for sharing more great content !

Another banger, Rex!!!

Very nice, Rex. Another very useful build.

That sprung joint blew my mind. Why have I never seen that before? Or maybe I have and forgot it?

Oh they fit under your workbenches, great detail.

you could also add a holdfast hole and some reinforcement for it to make clamping stock easier.

My grandfather apprenticed in London between the wars. He was a carpenter and builder by trade, so he wasn't doing fine cabinetry. He remade horses quite regularly as old ones became too beaten up to use. His horses were similar to your English sawbench, but without the stretchers so they could stack.

Looks great. I use a "bent" as well

Hey Rex, love the videos! I learn so much from you, it has helped my wood working a ton, can't thank you enough! You should do a book with all of your plans in it, I would buy it for sure!

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

You know what? That's a pretty great idea. I might do that.

As you explained, this is the perfect companion for the english jointers bench. looks like the next addition to the shop. Thanks!

I love these types of video and realised how much I've missed them from your channel

Brilliant work, Rex! Really well made! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

These are classic. Often rip them from plywood when on site. By jobs end covered in cement and peeling from the rain it goes into the skip.

Nice build. I love the idea of using an old bed frame to save money. Cheers Rex.

I was really excited when I watched last week's video, these builds exceeded my expectations. Can't wait to give one of these a crack, your timing couldn't be better!

Thanks

thanks

Best woodworking channel for intermediate maker hands down

Very good plans, thank you so much! I was hesitant to start hobby woodworking with full-sized workbench, and other sawbenches didn't appeal to me that much. These two sawbenches are just perfect - good designs, fairly easy to build, and will take up less space than workbench. Appreciate your work in general, Rex :) Excellent content overall, thank you! :)

nice!

I like wood furniture!

Now I want to see a moravian style sawbench :-)

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

😂😂🎉

Those remind me of short versions of the low Roman work bench you did awhile back.

Rex, this is awesome, but maybe instead of having two low benches (one of the ones of the video and the Lightweight Traveler Workbench) may be you could mix the best of two worlds, and have the corner and notch ability of the Lightweight Traveler Workbench?

@salottin

8 ай бұрын

That's exactly what I'm thinking about building!

@evinfuilt

8 ай бұрын

Another ditto here. Work holding on a saw bench. Or is it easy cutting on a low bench.

Thank you Sir.Just gave ne an idea how to use some left overs.🎉🎉

Nice to see you building something again 🙂

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

I built a fair bit of stuff this year.

@chriscollins9717

8 ай бұрын

@@RexKrueger cool. I've seen all your videos. Just saying I prefer a more even mix of building with the other bits i.e. furniture forensics. But that's just me 😃

I like the point that this is a tool, not a storage surface! -I know myself about that situation. :D

I had a sawbench that I built from Chris Schwarz's plans in PWW after a few years I got rid of it. I use handsaws a lot and it was nice when I needed it, but it took up a lot of space on the shop floor. I'm planning to make a collapsible one so I can get it the heck out of my way when I'm not using it (ideally up on the wall). I don't need another thing to bang my knee into.

Awesome I feel like im gonna build 1 of each for sure ... but I kinda want to try a hybrid as well Swedish style and add rails and shelf !

I have this wooden stool that's built just like that english bench, only it has a square top, and it is completely covered in saw marks because it too is used as a saw bench for the last 20-30 years. Also you can flip it and saw up the branches for firewood, the legs keep it from rolling away. Guess a good design just floats up everywhere.

Well i wish i had seen these benches before i started on the roman bench build. The legs combined with my own need for perfection have caused it to go into a stand-still. I could very well see myself finish one of these. Would take up way less space in my shed too.

Great stuff. Do you thing one could build the Swedish saw bench as a knock down bench?

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

I thought about that, but if you don't glue those joints, the bench quickly gets wobbly. It looks like it would work, but sadly, it wouldn't.

Rex - I have an extension project to this for you. A design and build for two English saw benches that stack (lower bench is wider than upper) so that separately they are the same height but stacked the top surface comes up to your main work bench. When I was a teenager this was in a DIY magazine and my dad got me to build them out of various scrap that was available (e.g. off cut roof timbers from next door's extension). I still have the top half. It even incorporates wooden sash cramp rails each side for Record sash cramp heads.

I've been thinking about how to build a good workbench, and I think these would fulfill almost all my needs. The only thing it needs is a shaving horse. I know that a shaving horse isn't really needed for some types of woodworking, but if you have a need for one, nothing else really comes close. My idea is that it should fit on one end of a bench, and would be removable when not needed. The bench might need a couple of peg holes, but otherwise I think one of these benches should work perfectly.

Rex, while researching benches, I came across designs like your English bench with a slight difference. That is the legs on one side are perpendicular to the bench top and ground while the ones on the other side of the bench are splayed out like in your design. I believe this is intended to give support on the sawing side while simplifying construction a bit. Have you seen this kind of design? Do you think it to be a reasonable modification?

Being the old fart that I am, all my shop furniture is one of two heights. This includes the shave horse, the spoon pony and carving bench, my four assembly cubes and now the English saw bench. I also have a roller equipped pair of saw horses the same height as the "main bench" and metal working station.

@jons2447

8 ай бұрын

Sounds like you may 'bench poor'.

My current bench is basically the Swedish, and imo it looks nicer but is VERY wobbly. Don’t stand on it, be careful sawing. Going to rebuild it as an English bench soon

Rex, thoughts on a knockdown version for those of us crammed into a shed?

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

It's possible. The English design could be knock-down.

Thank you very much for metric measurements! Comment for algorithm.

A foldable version for a small garage would be perfect.

Another great project Rex. I was watching the example of the old bench you refered to as reference. In the picture it looks like the rear legs are not splayed but vertical with no angle? Is this an optical illusion? (I dont think so) or might this be the way it was constructed for some reason? Very curious. Thanx. -- Greg

I made the English version as my second woodworking project - my first was an English Joiner's Workbench. Both were from your plans and both have turned out pretty well. The "EJWb" was rushed in spots and I certainly see a need to measure more accurately and thoroughly- it's surprising how much a slight error can magnify. I am now a better AMATEUR woodworker. The plan was not followed completely - there are always compromises right? Materials are not exactly the same as indicated in the plan: we take what is available and reasonable . My local Home Depot supplies 2x6 stock but it's really 1.75" by 5.5" or something - you know. Same with the Saw Bench - all of my cuts were slightly off - but hand tools can be very useful in allowing you to make slight corrections. My Jack plane is now my best friend - why didn't I use my fancy new shooting board and make the angled blocks more square (that's what it for stupid!) ?? I added work holding (dog holes) to the saw bench and used the same technique as with the EJWb - gluing 2x4 as support under the Top. (a' la Chris Schwartz) - this adds stability and longevity for the Gramercy holdfast. I really appreciate your work here - it's really helping me become a woodworker.

For the storage, adding a saw till could be a neat touch, as well as a place to keep saw files.

@ricos1497

8 ай бұрын

I guess you wouldn't be sharpening the saw at the bench, unless you're sitting on the floor.

@pettere8429

8 ай бұрын

@@ricos1497 you could clamp the saw to the top and sharpen it with the file vertical...

@ricos1497

8 ай бұрын

@@pettere8429 that would be crazy. I like to put the saw handle into my neck, and use the file like a violin bow to sharpen.

If you do detail work at your workbench, you can sit on your sawbench while you do it. That's one less stool you need for your shop.

12:44 - sound like a challenge to me! I'm game.

Hello, Mr. Kruger! Thank you, sir, for another great video. I'm always amazed at your work & how it's well thought-out. I already bought "Stumpy Nubs'" saw bench plans but I like your's a lot. If I hadn't bought "Stumpy's" ... I got his partly because it has some 'practice' features I want to work on. Dovetails, mortises, & tenons, oh my! James Wright's version is similar, but w/ angled ends which I really like, all pointy & all. Your's is a bit simpler so it's faster to build but I'm not in a rush & I really need the practice. I really appreciate your advice RE: flattening & squaring the parts. I think that'll help me, a lot (I need all the help I can get, don't you know?). It is great practice which can be done on most all projects. I'm 68, w/ asbestosis & COPD so I'm just sorry I waited to get started. Thank you for all you do. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

Hmmmm need practice....build one of each from Stumpy, James, and two from Rex ! Then you can do a review on which one's are better for what especially the learning curve 🪝 Blessings my friend Friend Crawford out 🙏🔥⚒️🧙🏼‍♂️

@jons2447

8 ай бұрын

@@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740 Good idea, Crawford. Thank you for your comment for the ALGORITHM! But I'm already planning on building a 'regular' workbench, Rex's "Traveler" bench & 1 sawbench. That may be enough 'practice' but at my age I doubt it. I already know I don't want the 'Swedish' bench. The "Traveler" will do everything the "Swedish" will do & more besides. I've already started doing some 'practice' cuts. I want to make a Gottshall Block next for practice. (I'm tired of practicing on my thumb & fingers, etc.) At least I can sharpen my tools. Now if I just knew enough to know which workbench to build. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

I don't lack project Ideas Rex, I lack time :P

Did I just buy the traveler bench plans, got all set to do it tomorrow and use it for hand planning, only to hear that it’s a little bit off :)?

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

Yeah, I'm just using chairs for this kind of stuff. I never thought much about it, my body just figured that out somehow long time ago. And because I'm just a WW, I get by :-)

Looked like a new more compact shooting board. How are ya liking it?

Hi Rex. Whats the saw called that you cit your notches with ? . Many thanks

At the 10:30 mark, you screwed about 12" of long grain against 12" of cross-grain. While they weren't directly glued to each other, wood movement will definitely stress those screws. Let us know how the bench feels six months from now.

Is there a reason you couldn't easily add a shelf to the Swedish saw bench? Or is the draw of the Swedish version its simplicity?

In regards of the comment about the legs sticking out on the light travel workbench (2:18).would it be practical to use the same type of legs than the ones used on any of these saw benches?

I've got limited space in what I would like to be my mixed-use workshop (including for hand-tool woodworking). I don't have a workbench at all, although I have some old desks which I can use as a makeshift workbench. I also wouldn't mind buying one of those portable workbenches just to have something to start with. What would you say would be the best route from having no workbench to having a good workbench + one of these. At some point I thought of going Japanese saw horses -> low Roman workbench -> English joiner's bench but this would leave me with no space for the low Roman workbench. I was wondering if there's a better route with the end goal being that I have a nice full size workbench without too many intermediate steps. Also, would you still recommend the English joiner's bench or do you think there's a better revision?

Why not cut a notch in the Swedish bench, too?

@Clark42EoC

8 ай бұрын

Probably because of the flared legs but I'm guessing. I wondered the same thing.

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

You totally can, I just didn't.

Is there a way to combine the travelers bench with the English saw bench?

What is the purpose of the hole in the middle of the bench and the triangular cut made between 6:10 and 6:35?

07:34 context is everything, folks 😂

Would you say its a good idea to make the english style bendch as the first woodworking specific workbench?

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

Maybe, but it's pretty limited. It's not a workbench.

@igreshi

8 ай бұрын

@@RexKrueger it doesn't look that much different to your traveler workbench though. If I made it a little longer but kept the same leg design as the English saw bench. With one end the same as the L shape on the traveler's bench it could be something usable, no?

Careful, before you know it you will be adding bench stop holes etc to enhance it. That's what happened with my shave horse. 😉

Thanks Rex! How do you like the BA#9?

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

I love it

@SteveAugust7

8 ай бұрын

@@RexKrueger Me too! It's amazing how much more control is afforded by the finger recesses in the grip. I find myself reaching for it more and more. Thanks again for another awesome video!

Handy as a pocket on a shirt

You underestimate my ability to pile junk on flat surfaces, even better if it's hidden out of sight under something else

In the spirit of Halloween, would you please consider building a Toe-Pincher coffin?!?!?

Do you do the plans in metric too for people who live outside of the USA? Not that I see why you would need plans to build them!

@RobertSmith-jl4yw

8 ай бұрын

Yes he does - both systems on the same plans.

Rex, how about using pull saws?

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

It's not made for those. I suggest Japanese sawhorses.

@amentet

8 ай бұрын

@@RexKrueger thanks for the reply

You significantly underestimate my ability to pile junk on things, even if those things are under other things

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

@christ9359

2 ай бұрын

Amen.

That comment about flat surfaces collecting junk really hit home.

Didn’t you cook this meal before?

Why not put a handle cut on the Swedish Bench?

When you are old with bad knees it is better to make the bench higher and clamp the wood down

@ricos1497

8 ай бұрын

Or keep a knee pad on the shelf at all times!

@andrewbrimmer1797

8 ай бұрын

@@ricos1497 it's the bending at 70 lol

Try add vise to saw-bench.

@brucelee3388

8 ай бұрын

The Romans did - square notch in the long side and wedges. You can also put dog holes in the top and use wedges between the dogs to hold work.

Just saying this would be a good woodworking for humans video.

Rex how many are your childrens?

Once I built a saw bench I rarely use saw horses anymore.

Always thought these were called a “saw horse”…

@ricos1497

8 ай бұрын

No, saw horses are the smaller ones with only something like a 10cm/4inch top. Used in pairs. Or, certainly, that's the general usage of the term.

This feels like it would be awkward with my Japanese hand saws. Neh?

@brucelee3388

8 ай бұрын

They use something very similar in traditional Japanese wood shops, just its even closer to the floor. They either kneel or sit on the board or for big timbers they tie it to the bench. For some reason the Japanese almost never used screws in anything (so no screw vises or clamps) until after the fall of the Shogunate although they knew of them since the 1500's at least, from the Portuguese and Spanish.

@RexKrueger

8 ай бұрын

Yup. Not made for those.

I wish seeing these advance notices of videos could be turned off. This one will be online while I am putting my son to bed and then it is too late for me to watch it that evening.

@andrewbrimmer1797

8 ай бұрын

Turn your notifications off at his bedtime

@AverageCitizen333

8 ай бұрын

There's a time when it's too late to watch a 13-minute video? This makes me feel like i really need to get my life in order.

@ricos1497

8 ай бұрын

​@@AverageCitizen333if he puts him to bed at 11:47, then he won't have time to watch the video in the evening.

@AverageCitizen333

8 ай бұрын

​@ricos1497 thats the one catch for sure

@riz94107

8 ай бұрын

The point is, it's pretty annoying to be notified of a video you can't actually watch yet. And I agree.

Just noticed that you have a tat on your left hand.

This guy is a goober

@roberthibberd5362

8 ай бұрын

😂

@jons2447

8 ай бұрын

Which guy? Don't you know we can't read your mind?

@jeffspaulding9834

8 ай бұрын

@@jons2447 Probably the only guy in the video.

Serious question here: do US Americans actually order furniture and other woodwork from actual hand workers like you? Who can even afford this? I mean I love love love the Idea. But here in Germany for example everything is disposable throwaway flimsy Chinese IKEA garbage. Ordering handmade furniture would cost an arm and a leg in labor alone 🙏

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

Well you make points. But....if you order his plans.... honestly you can build a whole house full of furniture made by your own hands. Perhaps kinfolk or neighbor would order some from you!!! Blessings my friend Crawford out 🙏🔥⚒️🧙🏼‍♂️

@ArniesTech

8 ай бұрын

@@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740 I absolutely adore the idea. But Rex mentions from time to time that he actually does woodwork for a living and for clients. That made me wonder. Here in Germany older people still have their old oak furniture. We call it "rustikale Eiche". Ages old, massive, indestructible. However, most Germans look down upon this, get rid of it and stuff their homes with IKEA cardboard "furniture" that doesnt even survive until next year. Very unfortunate. Seems to be a cultural difference in mindset.

@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740

8 ай бұрын

@@ArniesTech so goes the younger set to a large extent here in USA. Many craftsman try to disued (-5sp...change the mindset) from IKEA junk bought n rebought to buy once cry once. Not to popular here either. Shame too. Because only the rich in spirit, culture, and pocket book seem to have the money they would have spent rebuying IKEA. Example. My son. 31yo has purchased multiple items bed frames in particular. B4 I knew of these hand tool channels...I used some really nice clear pine n built him a bed frame n headboard. Of course it has some hand forged nicknacks n doodads. Not especially pretty nor of any joinery other than fit together and screwed to dimensional lumber. Since..yes added some lights and a stereo with speakers under the mattress decking....tied to his TV and stereo. I guess one needs to feel the movies as well as watching...lol.

@jons2447

8 ай бұрын

Yah, it is the curse of the young to think everything should be new, like they are. Glad I lived long enough to outgrow such foolishness. Have a GREAT day Neighbor!

@jeffspaulding9834

8 ай бұрын

Young folk and poor folk tend to go more for the IKEA-style furniture. It's cheap and, for most young folk, lasts long enough. Older folk with a higher income tend to buy better furniture, but usually buy it from furniture stores. It's all factory made but with better materials. The type of folk that can afford handmade furniture tend to be well-off professionals, such as doctors and lawyers and such.