English Workbench Build

[nabs]

oh no! Another workbench build thread!

I am having a go at what has become known as an 'English' style bench - I'm not sure why this term became popular, possibly it is down to Chris Schwartz in his (rather good) Workbench book where he identifies three broad traditions in bench design: French (oblong table with a heavy top); English (thin planks on top, one or more aprons); Continental (French + gizmos).

He is a bit snooty about the English design and, despite the fact that he makes it clear the traditions he identifies are very broad generalizations and cover a complex mongrel history, my patriotism was awakened and I resolved to make one myself. That'll show him, I thought!

Actually he does provide a lot of examples from English literature showing this type of design - most famously the one shown in Nicholson's Mechanical Exercises (1812) - and many of us in the UK will have used something similar at school.

The advantage of the design is it is relatively straightforward and you can make it with inexpensive and easily available timber (and you don't need a lot of it). Finally if, like me, you are prepared to stump up £26 you get to follow along with the brilliant Richard Maquire as he tells you how to make it in his top video series:
http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/new ... workbench/

Having got access to a small pick-up for the near future I was able to get over to the St Albans wood recycling centre last week where they had three boards of 8 1/2'' x 1 3/4'' pine. They were just under 12' ft long - perfect as I only have room for a bench just under 6' (you need 6 lengths - 3 for the top, 2 for the apron and 1 for the top rails). The rest of the bench can be built with 2x4, but I am using a scaffold board I already had.

The pine boards are stamped TR26, which according to the t'internet is some kind of strength grade (>c24). I got a couple of very rough looking 4x4 fence posts also. The total cost was £58 which I thought was good value, at least compared to B&Q prices (is it!?)

I do already have a bench made from plywood in the days when I was still labouring under the false belief that the only way to make things from wood was with machines. It has some limitations that I hope to remedy in the new hand-tool-only bench, the most significant of which is it's location, which is in the darkest corner of the workshop.

It is attached to the wall on two sides, which is both a blessing (very rigid) and a curse (tricky to work with big or awkwardly sized items). it has a small planing stop which I find very useful and will reproduce on the new bench. Perversely, I have also found the absence of an apron very convenient - I had not realized how much I relied on clamps attached to the front lip until I started making the new bench - so using one with an apron should be interesting...

I have nearly finished the legs - only a couple of cock-ups so far, so good progress as far as I'm concerned! will post more pics later.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The pine boards are stamped TR26 ... so they were stolen from St. Ives?

 

[memzey]

Nice start nabs! I love a good bench build thread. I made my bench around the turn of the year and love it. It has made such a difference to my woodworking I wish I'd done it ages ago. Great to have another local member as well. I know the recycling place you speak of in St. Albans as I live about 10 minutes away from it across town. There's another one in Hemel too.

 

[Jacob]

Very misleading calling that THE english workbench, it's just one of many variations.

Schwarze, and Landis, both omit any reference at all to the very best and most common UK bench design; like this but with many variations:

It also happens to be very easy to construct.

Paul Sellers does an excellent version.

https://paulsellers.com/2012/06/making-your-workbench/

I wouldn't bother with the Maguire version - it's a bit OTT and nowhere near as basic or as useful as the above.

 

[nabs]

In Schwarz's defence, he does say there are many variations, but the key shared features are the apron(s) and use of relatively thin timber for the top.

I did watch the Paul Sellers video series on his bench build and he does a very good job of explaining it, and it does indeed look straightforward, but one of the attractions of Maquire's version is that it does not need a laminated top - it is just 3 planks nailed to a series of bearers. I have no idea if this is a better or worse design, but it seems easier to make (particularly as I only have two long clamps!).

In terms of how basic the design is, If I can build it with my very limited abilities then you can rest assured that Maquire's bench is basic enough - we shall see how I get on shortly!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As with all bench build threads you'll get a 101 opinions from 100 people. I for one wouldn't want a bench with either a well or aprons.
That does not make them wrong, of course.

 

[sundaytrucker]

I am also building an 'English' style work bench as per Richard's video series. It is taking forever due to laziness and a lack of time. I chose this style of bench for similar reasons to yourself.

I have had a long break from the bench build, a few mistakes knocked my confidence and my current work space makes a depressing place to spend time. However I aim to get back to it soon as I am fed up looking at the pile of timber in the 'garage'.

Good luck.

 

[Jacob]

As with all bench build threads you'll get a 101 opinions from 100 people. I for one wouldn't want a bench with either a well or aprons.
That does not make them wrong, of course.

Depends what you are used to and what you are making but if it's the usual rectangular frame and or box shape of most joinery and furniture, then the well becomes really useful - the workpiece sits across the well, and tools, screws, shavings, pies etc drop out of the way.
Also having a front 'beam' and a back rail as per the pic above, makes it very easy to level one against the other, whereas a complete single boarded top may be difficult to level. The front beam also gives mass where it is most needed - this is where most of the work gets done, it's the most important bit of the bench. Some Japanese woodwork is done on just a planing beam alone, either on the floor or propped up one way or another.

 

[Jacob]

....but one of the attractions of Maquire's version is that it does not need a laminated top - it is just 3 planks nailed to a series of bearers. ....

Seller's version doesn't need a laminated top either but it's an easier way to get a result, especially if you haven't got a bench to work on.

 

[nabs]

good luck Sundaytrucker - hopefully my hapless efforts will encourage you to get on with yours!

I prepared the wood needed for the legs - the fence posts were very ropey, and this contributed to my first major cock up. I am gradually getting more confident using a plane to get a board square and straight and this part went okay. Maquire is good at explaining which surfaces need to be accurately done, and why some can be left in their rough sawn state and this saved a bit of time.

All the joinery is half lap dovetail joints, which are quick to do particularly if you use a chisel to wack out most of the waste - this is much more fun than sawing, but as I found out you have to be careful looking for knots and defects in the wood that might cause it to split outside your lines .

My inexperience showed itself early on where - despite having noticed one of the fence posts contained a large fissure - it did not occur to me that this would be immediately split the moment I hit it with a chisel. With hindsight this could have been easily avoided by orienting the post to avoid the crack - you live and learn! Sadly I did not have enough fence post left to make a new one, so I glued the broken bit back on (luckily the majority of the broken part will be removed again when I cut the recess for the apron).

The legs are kept square by two rails - I used a bit of the 1 3/4'' timber purchased for the top to make the top rails and an old scaffold board to make the bottom rails.

I got to use my saw bench to rip the scaffold board into two 4'' strips and the split in the top was very handy.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Jacob has a lifetime of experience I can't come close to matching. But on one point I'm definitely with Schwarz: the drawer is a nuisance. You drop the shafts of holdfasts through the top, and it's in the way. It's also in the way for any tasks that make use of the front apron.

I hesitate to disagree with Phil P. too, but mine has a sort-of apron, which I find very useful, especially for planing operations and anythign that involves working on the edges of frames and on long stock..

Mine is my own design and I didn't get it right. It's been good enough for 32 years, but it's definitely on the "Go back and do it again list."

Seriously, if you can get your hands on either of Schwarz's two books on workbenches they are excellent. I've got the blue one, and it's been very helpful (for the eventual v.2).

E.

PS: Nick- it looks like it's coming along fine. You'll probably be surprised how strong those fence posts are. I used one thinner one to make a garden frame a few years back (it keeps a tomato growbag off the ground). All four corner posts (that I cut out of it) are really manky, but they've stood up just fine in all weathers.

 

[nabs]

I have the 2nd edition (blue) Schwarz book too and I agree it is good. His writing style (American Journalistic? Is that a thing?) is not really my cup of tea, but I admire him for his painstaking approach to research.

As an aside, I also think we owe him a debt of gratitude for work he did getting the Woodworker articles republished in book form, and for his part in getting Roubo translated and published in English.

Re legs - Schwartz recommends laminating two clear boards (as does Sellers) to avoid the issues created by the crappy quality that is commonly available as 4x4 - quite good advice I think.

Regarding tool wells, my bench will be up against a long alcove where I can put a small shelf with a lip at bench height - this means I can get some of the benefits of easy access to tools while still having a narrow bench and not so much bother from shavings burying my tools (I actually nicked this idea from Derek Cohen who has the same arrangement in his workshop)

Other than distant memories from school, I don't have any experience using a bench with an apron so I am interested to see what it is like

toodles

 

[Droogs]

you can get sxhwarz's 2nd bench book for free as part of the kindle unlimited subscription. It is quite a good read and has a good few designs in it with a write of user experience with each bench type.

 

[nabs]

All bar one of the joints can be best described as mediocre - reasonably tight fits but no where near the level of precision as Mr Maquire. Still they are the best I could do. All the small inaccuracies are not really going to effect the end result I think - as Maguire is keen to remind us, it is only a workbench after all.

The only problematic error was a bit of careless sawing on the mortice for the diagonal brace going between the leg and the apron (this is an optional feature to reduce the amount the bench wracks when planing). Annoyingly this bit is intended to make the bench more rigid so presumably it is not a good idea to have a loose fit here - I created a small shim to fill the gap and hopefully this will keep it rigid.

gap and shim:

 

[Jacob]

........crappy quality that is commonly available as 4x4 - quite good advice I think.....

Top quality 4x4" redwood is available from good timber yards. It's kept for newel posts mainly - in very long striaght lengths with no shakes.pith or heartwood - it's split first and then sawn to remove the heart

....
Other than distant memories from school, I don't have any experience using a bench with an apron so I am interested to see what it is like

toodles

This bench is single sided and could be put up against the wall. The typical school bench is much the same but is double sided with a beam on both sides.
The point of an apron is to add mass and rigidity - you don't need braces - the legs are housed into the back of the apron. It's also very good for cramping against with the vice and you can add G cramps or drill holes for pegs, for holding big pieces.

The odd thing about bench threads nowadays is that it's fashion dominated, wood screw vices, end vices, etc - everybody has picked up the same bits of misinformation from just a few same sources - Schwarz, Landis, MacGuire, magazines, all have their own ideas and have talked the traditional bench quite out of the picture, so it's good to see Sellers putting it back in!

 

[nabs]

A bit harsh on Richard Maguire, I think - despite (at the time) running a business making baroque workbenches (which is presumably what his customers wanted), according to Schwarz - who attended a show with him - he spent much of his time trying to dissuade potential customers from buying them, recommending they built their own simple 'English' bench instead! Probably a bit harsh on Mr Schwarz too, since he seems to prefer a 'Roubo' bench, which effectively is a table with a heavy top and a 'crotchet' on the side.

PS Maguire does say that the brace is overkill - I only added it as I thought it would be good practice.

toodles

 

[Jacob]

It's a bit harsh on the poor old trad bench to write it out of history and have it replaced by various fashion trends.
And it's not helpful to anyone who just wants a practical woodwork bench!

 

[El Barto]

I too love a bench build and I haven't yet followed along with this style so I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

I built mine earlier this year (the kind Jacob has been championing and instructed by Paul Sellers) and like others have said, it's made such a difference. Just the fact that you have this amazing tool that you built and that looks great is really motivating, and then of course there's all the practicality that comes with it. I think probably for most of us on here, a bench is a bench and no matter which style you choose; it's going to work and you're going to love it.

 

[nabs]

It's a bit harsh on the poor old trad bench to write it out of history and have it replaced by various fashion trends.
And it's not helpful to anyone who just wants a practical woodwork bench!

for others considering buying the Schwartzmeister's book, don't be deterred by Jacob's comments - in fact he does devote a couple of chapters to discussing the dear old trad English bench. He even builds a couple of them! Admittedly his historical revisionist tendencies get the better of him and he can't stop himself adding a leg vice and a waggon vice. No doubt the kind of mindless frippery that makes Jacob's blood boil!

Mine is just going to have a splendid Record quick release. Made in Sheffield!

Here are the legs dry fitted - including the unnecessary leg brace. Unfortunately it turns out I don't have any nails, so they will be staying like this until I go shopping.

toodles

 

[El Barto]

It's a bit harsh on the poor old trad bench to write it out of history and have it replaced by various fashion trends.
And it's not helpful to anyone who just wants a practical woodwork bench!

I don't think it's going anywhere