Before You Build Your Woodworking Bench

Every woodworker needs his own workbench. When first starting out, most of us think that we'll build our own and save a few dollars. If you're thinking that, let me stop you right here. In most cases, it's less expensive to buy a ready built bench or at least a kit than to build your own from scratch. Especially when you start to figure in the time it will take. That's not to say that you shouldn't tackle building your own workbench. There are lots of great reasons to build one yourself, but cost isn't one.

Why should you build your own workbench?

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, why should you build your own workbench? Probably the best reason is that you can build a bench according to your own needs and the type of woodworking you'll be doing. A woodturner and a furniture maker have very different needs. So as you look for plans or design your bench, keep this in mind. Also, if you're 5 foot 2, you don't want to be working on a bench made for someone who's 6 foot five. You want something that's built with your body type in mind.

Building your own workbench is also a great learning experience. If you're a furniture maker or even a general woodworker, you'll use most of the same tools and techniques when building your workbench as you will when you build a kitchen table for example. The difference is, mistakes aren't fatal when building your bench. If you end up with a bench that works for you, but isn't astatically pleasing, you'll be able to learn from your mistakes and avoid them in the future. Remember your work bench is going to get banged around and end up with scares from use that fine furniture won't. A small error in joinery can ruin weeks of hard work on an armoire, but be hardly noticeable on a workbench.

What Goes into the Perfect Workbench

If you're still reading and convinced that you want to build your own bench, here are a few things to remember. First, your bench top must be absolutely flat and level. Get out your level and make sure. You'll never be able attach pieces squarely if your work surface is at an angle. Next, your bench needs to be solid as a rock. You can't have any wobble in it. Again, imagine trying to work on a moving surface. You also need something to hold down your work. This way your bench van be like a third hand in your workshop. Most people add a vice or two to their bench. If you're going to be doing a lot of sanding consider dog ears. These are just some places for you to sick some pegs on the top surface of your bench. They'll keep your workpice from sliding on your bench.

Tool storage is another personalization touch for your bench. If you can, add some storage under your bench. You'll not only have tools in easy reach, but the weight will help stabilize your bench. A pegboard behind your bench is also a handy way to keep your tools in easy reach. Put your most used and lighter tools. When planning on a pegboard, you need to think about the width of your bench. If you have a really wide bench and short arms you'll have a hard time reaching your tools.

How Big Should your Bench Be

Now's a good time to talk about the dimensions of your bench. The three things you need to consider are the size of your workshop, the size of your workpiece, and again your size. If you have a large enough shop, consider a bench that will stand in the middle of the room. This way you'll be able to approach your work from any angle. If it's time to work on the far end of a piece, no need to turn everything around. Just walk around to the other side of the bench. This is great too if you have short arms and are working on a large piece. In general your bench should be wide enough to hold your largest workpiece. If your arms aren't long enough, you'll have a hard time reaching your work if your bench is against the wall. Because we can't all have really big workshops, you'll probably have to make some tradeoffs when sizing your bench.

Just as important as the width of your table is the height. You'll be spending a lot of hours in front of your bench, so you want to be as comfortable as possible. Too tall a bench and you'll be straining to reach your workpiece. Too short and you'll be bending over to do your work, and your back won't be too forgiving after a few hours. To figure out how high your bench should be, try this little experiment. Set up a make shift bench using sawhorses and some plywood or shelf board. Then stand in front of it and pretend to do some work. Then add more boards or take them away until you find the most comfortable height.

You'll find that building your own workbench a rewarding experience. You might even see it as a right of passage. Lots of people feel that you need to build your own bench before you can call yourself a woodworker. But really its not for everyone. You can find plenty of high quality benches for sale and get down to your chosen woodworking a lot faster. But if you choose to build one, you'll find lots of plans for sale that you'll be able to alter to fit your needs.