Hi Im a retired English Joiner sometimes called a time served (Bench) Carpenter, starting an apprentership in 1975, my first job at 15 was to make a complete bench in this style for my employer, from the start I worked at that bench for the next 48 years, making and assembling bespoke windows and doors for old English houses, "Never is your work a better lesson than surviving to the day you retire". I had to perchase my tools with my wages each week more than 50%, I retired after my employer his son gave me the bench now more than 50 odd years later I still have it and use it regularly.

@vlat

3 ай бұрын

My grandfather was a cabinet maker in Yugoslavia from before the second world war till he passed in the 80's. Im not sure where his bench came from but it sure looked like it could tell some stories! Would be great to see your bench after 50 years of use!

From aged just 15 years, then for the next 5, I was apprentice in a traditional English joiners shop, with no power, and only GAS lighting... The three benches, were circa 12 feet long, with wooden, screw vices on opposite ends. Two joiners worked on each one, they could construct a standard door each without hindering each other. Each bench had a deep central well for tools etc, including a linseed oil pot for making the wooden planes slide like silk. ALL sawn joinery timber was strapped square, straight and out of winding using looong Jack Planes... The sounds of singing super-sharp blades, plus the smell of freshly cut finest Red Deal stays with me today. ....I very pleased to see that you have bedn taught to point your finger whilst using a saw.....brilliant! I was a professional jobbing joiner and then an exhibition joiner for over 25 years..... at 82 I still use my tools and lathe in my tiny 8ft by 12ft workshop.

@WarrenPostma

4 жыл бұрын

TOY MAKER never heard of the linseed oil trick. Got any sharpening tips and tricks?

@JasperJanssen

4 жыл бұрын

So this would have been in the early to mid fifties, still using gas lighting? Huh. I suppose that makes sense, it would have still been city gas and not natural gas at that time, and the old lamps would have hung on in spots... and yet in my mind, the electric lighting revolution was mostly complete by WWII, but it makes sense that it would only be the natural gas transition in the sixties that really killed off gas lighting.

@29jug11

4 жыл бұрын

Jasper Janssen ....Thanks all for your interest.... All of our large rip sawing was done at another yard across the town Main Street... we used an old gas engine connected by a belt to a huge guard-less circular saw... the kind seen in museums and at shows now.... smaller power sawing was done on a tiny petrol engined circular saw, it used to fill the workshop with deadly fumes. This was 1953 to 1956 when 3 phase power was installed.... I was the kid who got his ear clipped for wasting my tools money on a small WOLF power drill....within 3 years, all the joiners had one, plus other power tools. We made ALL joinery from sawn including stairs and cabinets.... as well as MAINTENENCE joinery locally... Sharpening tips ? A jobbing joiner, sharpens, on the hoof so to speak.... every month or so, we were allowed a sharpening morning, for saws and all bladed tools....I still have my wooden and metal planes, plus a shelf full of wooden moulding planes and rabbet planes.

@elephantsmemory3142

4 жыл бұрын

@@JasperJanssen There were a few houses in Leeds that were gas only The last ones were demolished about 1957 My eldest brother got one when he married in 1955 I am 75 now and he is 86

@Finsirith

4 жыл бұрын

As a non-woodworker, I have to ask--what does pointing the finger while sawing do? Thanks.

Everything about the video is great and all, but has anyone ever told you that your enunciation is impeccable.

@rjmills126

3 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha

Watching your videos humbles me. The fact that I got to help you learn the basics of smithing when you had such a deep understanding of woodworking; something I find difficult, if not abhorrent; makes me feel so small. This encourages me to begin again in smithing and I have you to thank for it. My name is Robert Volanski. I was the guy with long hair and a longer beard If that isn't enough I was the guy with a broad, happy face that tried to help anyone with an interest in learning. I will be back in Burton and I hope to see you again. My absence has been far too long. Hope I didn't ramble to much.

"And carefully remove the waste..." *smacks it with a large hammer* I love your builds, Rex. They're always refreshingly honest and informative and a wonderful antidote to the Perfectly Inlaid Dovetail Brigade.

@sailingkiel

4 жыл бұрын

Why are you snubbing Paul Sellers? :)

@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994

4 жыл бұрын

@@sailingkiel I am toying with making the Ply version of Pauls bench and downloaded the Plans but I love don't stress the little things Rex approach. Somewhere in middle is the likely result ;)

@gregmislick1117

4 жыл бұрын

@@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994 Build Rex's joiner's bench, then use it to build Paul's top, shorten the legs on Rex's bench and attach Paul's top right over the 3 planks of Rex's and you should have about the most solid top to a bench as you would ever need....double sided too!

@michaelstanley6466

4 жыл бұрын

sailingkiel I love those also, just for different things. ;)

Like this guy, he has respect for old style carpentry but he's not burdened by obsessive ways. And this is one of the few times I've seen a brace being use - it all makes sense

@shaddec55

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, hate how augur bits always get away from you on a power drill. Never occurred to me to use a brace! ("Duh"" moment...) Anyway, now I gotta buy one.

@vmitchinson

4 жыл бұрын

The best thing about augor bits is the screw on the business end. It pulls the augor into the wood and the operator of the brace only has to exert enough pressure to guide the and drill the hole. A twist bit requires a lot more pressure to drill the hole.

@xw6968

4 жыл бұрын

Lew Hunt what did he learn from it then?.🤷‍♂️ Then best build a better one.

This reminds me so much of my granfather's work bench. He was a cabinet maker, he started his apprenticeship when he was 12 or 13 in the 1930s - trained here in Adelaide South Australia. Not sure if he was born in England or here in Australia but in that time and place he was definatley trained in the English tradition. His bench was about 3.5-4 metres long and had a leg in the middle front and back for a total of 6 legs. He didn't have diagonal braces accross the front, but he had a shelf about 6inches off the floor, that was built on a frame that was lap jointed to the legs. He kept his long clamps a tool box and some hand held power tools on that. He also had a rough set of drawers between that shelf and the bottom of the front apron, where he kept hardware - nails, brads, screws, bolts, hooks, latches and the like, to the left of the vice. That thing was sturdy. I was forever spoilt by that man. I can never look at a piece of stapled together craftboard "furniture" and be happy with the slop, and the flex in it. Seeing those old benches at the start of this video really bought back some memories of being covered in saw dust and shavings, planing, cutting and hamering away at that bench. Thanks.

I built this bench and am very happy with how it turned out. Very functional and a good project to learn on. 10/10 will continue to build Rex’ projects and watch every video.

I'm so glad I found this channel, it makes the projects approachable without an expensive workshop.

Very interesting. My late father was a joiner here in Newcastle on Tyne UK. He made a bench similar to some of the images you showed of ‘old English joiners benches’ in that it had a recessed/lower plank in the middle. I often wondered why he made it like this and just assumed it was down to the timber he had available at the time although the recess was handy to rest/steady something like a 2x4 when sawing. The bench used to sit out in our back yard and was exposed to all weathers but it still lasted for years. I often wish I’d thought to ask my father about it but he sadly passed away when I was 15 in the mid 70’s. Lovely to watch your video it brought back loads to great memories of making various projects when I was a kid with my dear old Pa. 👍

As someone who is building their own workshop from scratch, i really appreciate your videos, Rex. Every other video I see on youtube requires an already set up workshop to build this stuff, which is frustrating because if I had it, i wouldn't need it!

@Dilophomasnaurus

2 жыл бұрын

"let me show you how to build this workbench for $30! Step one is to use your $5,000 specialty power tool in your fully tricked out workshop and..."

@starshot5172

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, really helpful for learninh the why's and how's for woodworking! I really enjoy the woodworking community in general

@ricardolandgrave2532

7 ай бұрын

I agree completely, this is why I love channels like this and Paul Sellers. Mr Sellers builds a bench also without the need for a bench in the first place.

@dc-wp8oc

6 ай бұрын

@@Dilophomasnaurus I get the same feeling when some YT presenter is using a $500 hand plane, or a $300 bench saw or a calvary of not so cheap clamps, to make wood construction projects. How did our forefathers ever get by?

Oh boy did this ever bring back memories. I was an apprentice in Liverpool in the 1960's and as was usual in large company settings we had an engineering workshop. We just did 'everything' in house. Woodwork, welding, electrics [me] painting. It. Was. Glorious. Honestly. I went to university much later but my real education was with a mixed group of tradesmen and a gang of labourers who were mainly ex-merchant seamen. The first thing I learned was respect. Be polite. Or get slapped upside the head. I spent hours at one of these benches. I enjoyed your video so much, it brought back wonderful memories.. Thank you.

I have my grandpa's old joiner's bench his dad built years ago. It's got a nice rusty Yost patternmaker's vise on it that I'm slowly refurbing as well. I like the idea of keeping the wear and tear on it, but also want something flatter and with more features. This seems like a great nod to the old bench, and would look great next to it.

I circulate a lot of DYI and especially wood working channels and it's such a delight to see how down to earth you make things. You dont use tools regular people dont have and you even make it a point that everything doesnt have to be perfect. Perfect stops a lot of people getting starting doing instead of worrying thinking.

@qualix7

3 жыл бұрын

Yes! Exactly why I love this channel too! "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good"

Just letting you know someone found your videos and it got me excited to start working with wood again!! This will be my first project. Love your style my friend. Your descriptions are easy to follow and keep things basic.

I just love this bench. It solves so many issues. Wonderfully, the low cost does not limit it - this is a professional woodworking bench and it is hard to believe all the things it can do. The Gramercy holdfasts work beautifully. Sanded them per the instructions and the hold is incredibly strong. The crochet is genius, and the layout of the holes for the dowels, dogs, and holdfasts is well thought out. Example: The front hole is offset from the rear one so you can use two holdfasts and wedge a board between them (1-1/2" x 3/4") and you have an instant planing stop or anything you need a solid fence for (or would that be a batten?) Thank you Rex!

Rex, I like your style. I’ve subscribed. I remember building things with my Dad using all the hand tools in this clip. Everything was planed, sawn, and drilled by hand. Gosh I miss that. Thanks

We had benches like this in woodworking class in school (early 70s). I'm in the UK. Can I add that it's a pleasure to see a KZread woodworker holding a hand saw properly.

@RexKrueger

4 жыл бұрын

That's nice to hear. Many of your fellow Englishmen don't feel the same way!

I’m happy I found your video, I’ve scoured the internet for the “perfect” bench for me and I just started my first bench! And it’s this one. Minus hardware, under $100 as expected even with todays lumber prices. Thanks for the video!

Just getting into woodworking at age 55 (built my first cabinet last weekend). Rex- this video was well done and has inspired me to build it. Your explanation and detail was awesome. Thank you! Now headed to your store to get plans, then like and subscribe!!

I'm English and my old house had one of these benches in the garage. I found newspaper lining a draw (it had a drawer in the apron) which was dated to 50's so it was about 65 years old and very useful. The previous owner had added some hardboard pigeon holes above it and a large engineers vice but it was very handy, as far as I know it's still there!

Nice work, enjoyed the video very much reminded me of woodwork in school, one thing though my teacher would have gone ape if we put our planes face down with blade on bench always taught lay them on theirs sides. From 73yr old Englishman, somethings you never forget

What a fantastic presentation . I’ve been teach Design and Technology for 30+ years and this sort of thing still gets me excited. I have a few ideas of my own, but will follow build just as you suggest, I’m going to order my timber first thing tomorrow! Thx Rex.

Thank's a lot for the plans Rex. Can't wait to build one. Respectfully, I'm gonna make the legs a bit taller to accommodate for my 6'3" height & 53 year old back. Other than that modification, I think it should be a killer bench for me. Much obliged for your kindness, Go Easy Pimp!

We had several of these when I was at school in England. Joinery class! Phil

@ytwatch1000

4 жыл бұрын

We had 2 classrooms for woodworking in the 60's - that makes me about 60-something. The College I work at hasn't changed the design either.

Used to make these on site from offcuts. Took about an hour to knock a rough one together. Other tradesmen with fancy folding aluminium benches used to sneer but quite often would end up making their own

@zoutewand

3 жыл бұрын

I feel like it directly shows your workmanship to the customer. Do you give them away to the customers or do you tear them apart after you're done?

@stuartburton1167

3 жыл бұрын

@@zoutewand They often got stolen or used as firewood. Sometimes if I could be bothered I would carry it to the next job

Great explanation on the differences between wood glue and construction adhesive..Nice project. I used to show off my handi work to my first wife and she'd shrug it off even though I spent 2 days building it. My godsend wife volunteers to help me and often times has good ideas but she knows first hand what went into my project. Most people simply can't appreciate what goes into even the smallest project..great video..

Bought the plans and building it this weekend! I can't wait.

Just finished my own version of this bench today. I put a recess down the middle of the bench so I can place my tools down without risking them being knocked off. This thing is a beast of a bench. It easily weighs 200+ lbs, and is crazy secure. Very glad you brought this bench to my attention. I was literally working off an old kitchen table before.

@Stinger296

2 жыл бұрын

Great idea. I'm curious, where is your recess, in that middle spot of the frame? What are it's dimensions?

@Doc-Holliday1851

2 жыл бұрын

@@Stinger296 it runs right down the middle, the whole length of the table. I had to cut away some material from the original plans to accommodate it. It’s dimensions are just wide and deep enough to fit a speed square.

Back in my woodworking classes at school in the 1980s we bigger versions of these benches and you could get 4 pupils working on projects around them, with square cute holes for stops or planishing moulds. We bought a house 10 years ago with a shed and when I saw the bench in it I realised the shed had been built around it... it is the same with the old case iron vice with quick release mechanism. The top is no longer perfectly flat but it is scored with years of work, when I need a true surface I use 10mm construction plywood fixed in place. This style of bench outlasts them all and mine will need a mechanical devices to move it, six rugby player lost a bet to lift it 5cm. Great to see the modern twist on an iconic bench being made, kudos to you.

Hi Rex, brilliant and very informative. I have learned a lot of the ways our elders assembled and built their workshop tools with your videos. I must also mention that my daughter, the "intellectual" of the family (English university teacher), emphasized to her dad (me) how articulate and literate you were in your productions - and how important it was for her dad (me, the STEM engineer guy) to use proper English like Mr. Krueger with my students. So from both of us, thank you for your great videos and yes indeed, your description of your project is "poetic" and almost sensuous for any English teacher! May Peace be with you, Ciao, L (FoMoCo engineering)

omg... I instantly flash back 25 years to my childhood, my grandparent had the exact same workbench of the last photo... I just realized that I find gold on that old destroyed workshop ❤ thank you so much❤😁

The benches we had in my school were all like these. I learnt all my joining skills on these.

@hikdingle2210

4 жыл бұрын

I learned all my jointing skills behind the school.

I found something similar in my garage when I bought my new house. It is old and wobbly but it works. A couple of extra features that it has are a sort of tool shelf on one end underneath the board overhang to use for tools or clamp holder. It also has a valley, meaning that the centre board is slightly lower, maybe an inch or two, that way your tools will not roll on the floor and longer pieces still have the front and back plank to sit on. Should be easy to add to your design by just taking a notch out of the ribs. Lovely thing!

@wilsoncalhoun

4 жыл бұрын

That center "valley" is also pretty useful for edge work. You can solidly wedge anything in there that'll fit (boards, windows, drawers, etc.) using appropriately sized scrap and it'll stay put while you do whatever you need to.

Hi Rex! I just had to place a comment! I’ve been woodworking for years, basically from 2 saw horses or the top of my table saw. I have a small garage now that I’m setting up as a shop and in a few more weeks will be retiring and spending the majority of my time in there..thank you so much for the inspiration.

Thanks for the plans! This gonna be my first project. I'm very excited about this new adventure building stuff. Thanks again!

The nice thing about the English bench is that it can be created in so many ways. A flat top with two boards on edge supporting the top, with a few cross beams to transfer forces from the top to the side boards is the concept. My old bench was too tall, being more a general project bench rather than an assembly/woodworking bench. Looking around for a cheap extra bench got me the English bench. I built a 4 foot bench and have shallow dados in the aprons to hold the legs in a half lap type connection. Dandy little bench.

Thank you for adding cm measurements to your free plans!

I'm nearly 48 and am only now in a situation where I can start doing this stuff in my own workshop... Can't wait to give this a go, cheers Rex

forgot to leave a comment. i made this bench for myself back when you posted this video. with very little adjustments, and i added the big leg vice to it. stable AF. doesn't move a bit, sturdy, great design. AND, it was an early project to get comfortable with wood working. so thanks for that.

Like the bench; love the crowd source idea more. Just in case i miss out on the fun of the community build, I would like to suggest.... A moxon vise I added a twin-screw moxon to my bench using a 4' 1"-maple dowel ($7), about half of a maple plank ($14), and wood threading kit (~$50). Real easy to install, fun to make, cool to use.

A few years ago, I built a 7'x30" "2 tier" bench/desk combo that I use in my small engine shop. The "desk" end us 4' wide and the top is at 30" so that I can roll my chair under it. The "work" end is 3' wide and 42" so that I can stand comfortably while working on lawn and garden equipment engines. I built it completely from reclaimed lumber and 1/2" OSB from my neighbors home remodeling project. My total investment is about $15 for a couple boxes of torx drive deck screws and a tube of Liquid Nails. I also used a glass top from an old coffee table that someone was throwing away for the desk top.

I just completed my EJB. This was a very fun project, and like you said in the video I learned a ton. Thanks so much for putting this out there.

Great upload I just spent the last 2 days cleaning out and rearranging my workshop will give the bench a whirl hello from Australia

This is my first viewing of the channel, and I've got to say, the matter-of-fact way you build is like a breath of fresh air! It's all well and good watching a master cabinet maker at work, but one is always aware it's just a spectator sport. This however, one feels one can have a go at with a fair hope of success. Thank you! :)

@PWARHOLM

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly!

Been trying to settle on a bench design, and I think this will do for a start. And I love the NE Ohio basement shop. I was raised in these small shops watching my grandfather and dad build in a 10x10 space next to the Xmas decorations. Thanks, I enjoy the videos.

Love your channel. Just ordered a bundle to support your work AND to build my first table!

Just finished this bench about a month ago. It's been so useful to everything I'm trying to do. Thanks for the video on how to make it

Every woodworking classroom in England had those work benches in them. At least till I left school in 84 anyway. Had them in the shop fitters I worked at as well.

@thomasrooney6909

3 жыл бұрын

Same in New Zealand, I used benches like those in the early 2010s for my word working class.

Almost identical to my old man's bench. He was - you guessed it - a joiner in the 1940's working in England.

@linetiilikainen2755

3 жыл бұрын

Did your dads bench have a toolwell?

@jeffadams111

3 жыл бұрын

@@linetiilikainen2755 memory suggests a relatively shallow central channel. I'll ask him. He's still with us.

@linetiilikainen2755

3 жыл бұрын

@@jeffadams111 Thank you. Im in the process of coming up with a design for my own bench. Could you be so kind and ask your father why the toolwell is always in the center on the english joiners benches? Where they designed to be used by two workers? Would be interesting to know. Here in sweden they are always at the front of the bench.

@dannydethanos6994

3 жыл бұрын

@@jeffadams111 my best guess would be something like a spot to place trim when finished or a unique shape of cut that’s easier to shape or cut with a small drop off. I’m so excited for the answer though I always love that epiphany that happens when you hear how ingenious a lot of these designs really are.

@jeffadams111

3 жыл бұрын

@@linetiilikainen2755 well, there were some thoughts that you could clamp work across the channel to give clearance for tools. Either that it's for your lunch, but the most likely is that it is simply for tools that might otherwise have rolled off or got lost. Apparently no cunning plan was intended. I guess when working on site, there was no guarantee of a flat floor.

My Grandfather has this same bench that his grandfather used back in the early 1900s. It's amazing that a bench that is 100+ years old is still in fantastic working condition.

It's funny I've been a carpenter for years. In the past year I was working on a timber framing crew. Doing that gave me a whole new appreciation for joinery and stuff which has now led me to being obsessed with Woodworking and building my own shop. So to me building a workbench like this is a no brainier. It's framing. Loving the channel man! Thanks!

"I built this whole thing for about $100" well that aged like milk.

@rockdog2584

3 жыл бұрын

NO S**T! I was just down looking at lumber...and they wanted eight-n-a-half bucks for ONE 2X4!!! I ended up paying over $5.50 just for TWO-by-TWOs!!! Can't imagine what a whole house worth of lumber would cost these days!

@robinsonkaspar3395

3 жыл бұрын

@@rockdog2584 price of a house has apparently gone up by $30k just for lumber! I’m scrounging like a maniac here. Salvaging some abandoned wood and hoping for the best

@Pun_Solo

3 жыл бұрын

For real!!! I just built a much smaller crappier bench for $100. Would cost NUTS right now! It's gotta stop at so.e point.

@DavidWCoulter

3 жыл бұрын

I got my lumber when prices just started to climb. Cost about $125 I think. Now, it’s way nuts.

@joesliva3772

2 жыл бұрын

Bought 100 4x6 timbers at eight feet long last spring. Returned the majority of them 5 per week and made 300% on my investment

Wow this is my first of you videos I have watched. You are brilliant. You are a great teacher.

@RexKrueger

4 жыл бұрын

Appreciate that!

Rex, thanks for the great video and the free plans. I built this bench this week and it's rock solid! Now I need to make the vise to go on it.

My Dad was a very skillful "hobby" carpenter (machine toolmaker by trade) and built himself a bench like this in our outhouse - shed for Americans, except that our northern English outhouse was solid bricks and mortar on a thick reinforced concrete base with a thick reinforced concrete roof. WWII had only recently ended. I also had six years' "woodwork" lessons at school, with a great Scottish teacher-carpenter, Mr Goggins. Another kind and gently strict inspiring man, like my Dad. When you got it wrong, they made you believe you could do it better, and showed you how to find out how. Good men for a boy to look up to. The bench at home, and the benches in the school woodwork shop all had the well in the middle, which your, Rex's, one doesn't have here. That well is very useful for not losing tools, but also for squaring things up. Thank you for the inspiring video. You do a grand job.

I think it’s worth thinking about where the vice is going as it’s easier to fit while you are building the bench, than when it’s completed.

This fits the bill for me and I plan on making one. Thanks for sharing your work. Great resource!

Very nice work including the IT work! What a pleasure to watch a Master at work using hand tools who can also explain things well! Thanks for all the great videos. jim

Rex, I knew I liked woodworking, but after I found your channel, I have grown to love it. Your style and content are exceptional. For some reason, hand working wood is the bees knees....power tools are cool, but overall, hand tools just speak to me. Thanks for all you do. Keep it coming!

Thank you Rex for continuing to fight woodworking snobbery! I'm on a few facebook groups including a workbench builder group and I'm off to post this video there 😁😂🤣 Let the fires burn!

@richardwebb2348

4 жыл бұрын

Craig - fighting 'snobbery' with willful ignorance and lack of historical knowledge is not instructive.

@clappercl

4 жыл бұрын

Ah, the snob army appears and fires their first shot. 😂🤣😂🤣

@leehaelters6182

4 жыл бұрын

@@richardwebb2348, I see nothing in his post that demonstrates "willful ignorance" nor "lack of historical knowledge".

Big Rex. I got the plans. Thanks so much for the WW for Human series. My self esteem can take only so much of Rob Cosman.

@leehaelters6182

4 жыл бұрын

Adam, I am pretty sure that you are only poking fun at yourself, but I gotta be certain: yer not bad-mouthing Rob, are you?

@adambogart7216

4 жыл бұрын

Lee Haelters ... Rob Cosman is a condescending tool.

@leehaelters6182

4 жыл бұрын

@@adambogart7216, I am with you in appreciation of Rex Krueger, but I think your characterizing Rob Cosman as condescending is very odd. Have you had some personal interaction with him?

Thank you for sharing the experience, analysis of issues, and options to solve them. I'm studying options for building my first workbench, and find your notes quite important. Particularly the one on bench width: it's quite inobvious that the wider is not the better generally. I'd like to mention planning for future support devices installation too. It was another inobvious detail for me. Very informative video in general too. Many thanks.

i just made one this week. it was a lot of fun and i learned a lot as a newbie. thanks for the instructions!

2:33 oh sorry don't mind me, Ive just been here for about 10 mins having a mid life crisis about how I've been using a tape measure completely wrong.

@micheledaddariomoser9676

3 жыл бұрын

Same thought.

@TheBigBruski

3 жыл бұрын

Ya, that was a real doozy!

@paulcook7986

3 жыл бұрын

If you don’t retract your tape carefully, eventually the tip will come off or the tape will snap.

@holdintheaces7468

3 жыл бұрын

@@paulcook7986 $20 max, i'll take my chances

@banacek60chord43

3 жыл бұрын

@@holdintheaces7468 Letting your recoil tape measure fly back on its own is extremely bad form and will wear the little rivets on the stop so ruining the accuracy for.how long will your measurements be 'off' before wasting another $20 ?

These were the standard design for schools in the UK during the '70s. When I was at school, woodwork and metalwork were part of the curriculum. This style of bench is what all of the woodwork shops had in them. It would allow two students to work at the bench on opposite sides with the tool/work well in the centre.

I can’t wait to get going on this - I found a weathered old slab that weighs a ton ( well, probably 250 at least ) and I needed a really solid base for it. I like the way this one looks, super sturdy. Thanks for your vids, you’re a great instructor 👍

I love your use of non-powered hand tools. It makes things more accessible. I frequently build with only hand tools since they are portable and controllable. Most things can be built with only simple hand tools since they were made that way by our predecessors.

Let me put in my two-cents working in a modern Joinery factory (that's making doors and windows every single day) with Joiners from 43 to 70. ALL of them use this pattern of bench, they've built themselves at some point with offcuts from stock for windowsills, doors, etc. Right now I'm building myself a Roubo style bench for my home shop, and so I asked my coworkers (only been working here for a year) about their benches before I started designing mine. The main reason, as you mentioned in passing on the video, was the ability to modify and change their bench depending on what they needed out of it. Some of them had 'inherited' benches from people who used to work there and added/ removed things they felt were necessary. One even showed me the side of their bench, where you could see six layers of mdf glued and nailed to the bench top with a matching apron each time. He in particular never makes traditional doors, and so was more concerned about how banged up his bench top was than clamping doors into his vise. Some are on castors, others are bolted to the floor, the real #thejoinersbench

@gregmislick1117

4 жыл бұрын

You should get some pictures ( bench owner's permitting) when the shop is done for the day... those would be awesome to see!

@danlay3126

4 жыл бұрын

@Dixie Ten Broeck ^

Looking forward to this series and I think I'm going to build his bench. Thanks BTW, I really needed a series of videos that was not "watch me build a $20 dollar box with $10,000 dollars worth of tools". Good stuff!

Rex, I would love to see you come put with more build videos, you don't do enough of those. I learned a lot from you. Please build more furniture. Your awesome!!

as some one with no interest in wood working i would like to say thank you for making this video. as i may build this bench in the future for things other than wood working.

The driving power of a brace and bit is tremendous.

@andymckenzie8031

4 жыл бұрын

Yup. My brace produces a LOT more torque than my drill or impact driver.

@xavier1964

4 жыл бұрын

@@andymckenzie8031 That is actually wrong, modern drivers have way more tourqe than you can get with a brace. The reason it feels like the brace has more tourqe is because when hand drilling holes your body is applying force from multiple directions which makes it feel like it takes less.

@JohnRodriguesPhotographer

4 жыл бұрын

I have a brace I'm not even sure how old is. It could be between 50 and 80 years old.

@capnskiddies

4 жыл бұрын

@@xavier1964 so the body can apply more torque with a bit & brace than the driver, but the driver uses just a wrist so it can't keep the bit from camming out?

I love this channel so much. Never done woodworking ever in my entire life and I never plan on it, but this guy is so easy to pay attention to

It was refreshing to see you 'bang this together' without a lot of faff with power tools. I like the use of basic construction timber too; I built my workshop bench out of scaffolding boards which has turned out as solid as a rock. I think I'm going to look around for a good second hand brace; I hadn't seen one used since woodwork classes in school 50 years ago!

Fantastic inspiring. New energy to my projects here in Trondheim. Thanks a lot for videos.

This guy is brilliant! I'm a joiner/carpenter and just by watching him and the subtle tricks he uses I can tell he knows what he's doing! Aside from the large hole milling, just use your dewalt 996 or 997 in 1st gear and gently pull the trigger. It'll go as slow as that (bigger than your power drill) manual drill... But he obviously enjoys building with old fashioned tools. I don't, I build using the latest tech available. Though occasionally it's more convenient and aesthetically pleasing to use your elbows.

Thanks for the free plans. Will upload my bench when I finish it. Wish me luck! :D

I've got a very old, German made bench that I've had for 40+ years. It was old when I got it. I like the design. Heavy beech construction. Wooden side & end vices with steel hardware. Square holes run the length of the bench with spring loaded bench dogs. Tool tray along the back edge with sloping internal ends to allow easy sweep out. I've added supports on the legs so long parts can be clamped in the side vice, on edge, and be solidly supported. The key to its usefulness are the vices and bench dogs. Nice video!

Wow, this bench looks like a fantastic project for a beginner wood worker to learn some solid basic skills, and at the end of it I will have a top shelf work bench to continue learning and making on. Win win!

I remember standing for hours at these benches at school in the UK in the 70's-80's most had a shelf underneath to put your bag on.

@networkbike543

3 жыл бұрын

60s as well

@bighands69

3 жыл бұрын

@@networkbike543 My father was using them in the 1940s at his school.

Great video 👍 planning to watch it several times. I did order ur free plans great big thank you. Not that I'll ever b able to build it ,as I'm disabled, but I plan on doing my best to do so.

Man... I just love this fellas videos. So motivating... always an alternative way to do a job than pay big bucks. Thanks.

I love the idea of coming together and collectively pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps... for a bench. That's great and I wanna see this bench succeed. Thanks for the free plans!

Wonderful; I really liked how you described the "how's" and the "why's"

your bench is the same ones we used in our high school wood work classes back in the 70's

I just built this from free scrap, im about 90% done and I'm really happy. It's my first workbench! All i need now is a vice :) Thanks!

Hi, Rex, nice bench! It looks like a lot of fun to build the bench. Looking forward to seeing more of what you do!

@RexKrueger

4 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks!

This kind of bench is quite common here in India. Carpenters use it for onsite work from what I have seen. Maybe the English passed that down to our craftsmen and that's been there since. I haven't finished the video yet just recognised it instantly.

@richardchristie1293

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe, but it's probably just as likely that, around 250 years ago in Bengal, an amateur carpenter in the East India Company spotted one of these and said "mind if I nip off with that for a bit?"

@ItsMeChillTyme

4 жыл бұрын

@@richardchristie1293 haha that's another possibility you never know really.

@aloysiusjones3985

4 жыл бұрын

I have just come back from India, nothing is square there I find it hard to believe.

I am Today years old when i realized the actual convenience of a tape measure is that you can leave it attached to your hip.

@andrewpitts7036

4 жыл бұрын

yeah but if you "snap" the tape measure like that, you will bend the tip and your measurements will be off. its also obnoxious

@countdublevay7327

4 жыл бұрын

Holy cow! i just.... Me too.

@bc7495

4 жыл бұрын

@@countdublevay7327 haad i not been reading the comments i so wouldnt have noticed that awesome now i know why theres a carabeener mesuring tape ithought it was a pain in the ass to get it off my belt loop now will just leave it on duh lol

@countdublevay7327

4 жыл бұрын

@@bc7495 Yeah! Hell, it was this guys comment that actually alerted me to the idea. i thought (in the video) something looked strange but....

@rocknfan100

4 жыл бұрын

It's TM abuse man !

Awesome Rex, all pieces of your advices build better, I subscribed

Thank you for the free plans!

Had loads of these at school in the wood working shop, some were just like in the pictures, others had cabinets under them. When my grandfather (a cabinet maker) retired and moved home, he made one in his garage to a similar design... except there were no rough joins, it was exquisite, with brass fixtures which allowed bits to move... if i remember right, one whole side was a vice. It also had square holes in it where you could put pegs to brace against. Like the pictures, all the benches i have seen have the lowered centre panel. When i was at school, i always wondered what this was for until i saw my grandfather use long bench hooks and jigs which slotted in there. Sorry, I'm not a carpenter, so my description is probably not very adequate.

@henningventer2917

2 жыл бұрын

Bill you are correct, this was the benches that were in schools. Those benches took a lot of abuse and the tops were replaced when needed. Dog holes were drilled in line with the vices. Remember we had woodwork from about the age of 8.

Coach bolts are a very underrated fastening. Replace a couple of the screws in a shed hinge with coach bolts, can't be undone from the outside. A more secure shed.

@shaddec55

4 жыл бұрын

Use "Nylock" nuts on the inside. You can spin that bolt from the outside for years and never loosen that nut. (Okay: hinge with square holes would be just as effective with carriage-- "coach"-- bolts). Problem with carriage bolts with Nylocks is: they take a lot of force to turn, tend to ream out the soft wood they're attaching to; no way to keep the bolt stationary while attaching nylocks.

@madeleinelily719

4 жыл бұрын

@@shaddec55 if you want to use nylocks with carriage bolts you can pin the head of the bolt in place with a c clamp while you put the nut on

So Glad I found this channel. I love this bench design. fixes all the issues I have with my current bench. liked and subbed. Also, love the way you use a tape measure... Never to old to learn it seems. Gonna be building this.

Every concept explained very well.

Your simple and informative explanations throughout your videos make them ideal for us beginners. E.g. Wood Glue vs. Construction Adhesive

@denniswhite166

4 жыл бұрын

BTW: My skill level is "Monkey with a Saw.

@jockmonque8435

4 жыл бұрын

@@denniswhite166 That describes my skill level too.

I’m English grew up in England an more importantly in this context went to school in England in the 70s. Your bench with the vice and “well” is very familiar to me. EVERY school had a shop FULL of them - enough for a whole class to work one or two boys on each. The well was where we hooked a saw-board that allowed us to cut supported stock without cutting the bench (clever and seldom seen these days). There are several key things about the size and function but those I’d have to recall standing in front of one. Just to say you’ll find the spacing allows all sorts of clamping and holding effortlessly. So schools! ...with a standard bench.

@eddlr8074

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this - what does a saw board look like? (A quick Google only turns up power tool related stuff. ) thanks

Hiya Rex! First of all, Thank You for enabling the purchase of the plans for this bench, which I finished building yesterday. "Any monkey with a saw" you said about making half laps -- well, the first attempt was quite ragged but functional; and by the time I got to the 16th half lap, I was quite proud of the result. I followed your plans to the letter, which led to one interesting problem. The 4x4 ribs are 24" in the plan; but they were one inch too short for my bench. I realized finally that I was using 2" x 10" hemlock that is a full 2" and 10", hence the one inch discrepancy that was easily remedied. My next project is to build the vise that you have built, and then the six-board chest: one for each of my 4 grand-girls. Thanks and Be well ...Paul

Excellent video Rex, just found you while surfing. Superbly presented and it really makes me want to build one. Thank you!