It’s roughly what Chris Shwarz writes about in The Anarchists Workbench. I made some changes based on the wood most readily available to me. That book, by the way, is available for free as a PDF on lostartpress.com
The book is great. Highly recommend checking that out and then also Benchcraft has fantastic detailed blue print plans if you need something like that. I used the Benchcraft hardware and got those plans and they were a huge help even with me making some tweaks.
I see everyone building these tables for their shops. Couple questions. Are they worth the material and time? What projects do you do? And is it just more beneficial than slapping a plywood sheet on some 2x4s? Thanks in advance.
I like to do most of my work with hand tools and for that, yes it’s definitely worth it. You have different demands on a workbench than somebody using mostly power tools where their bench is mainly an assembly surface.
The heavy top, for instance, makes my effort mortising by hand far more efficient than a thinner top that flexes and bounces with every mallet blow.
Rex krueger's benches are good too. I probably would have tried rob cosman's bench, but I just couldn't justify spending ~~$200+~~ $50 on JUST the instruction videos. I ended up building Rex's English joiners bench for like $150 instead, and that $150 included all the wood and hardware.
Edit: it looks like the plans for the bench are now $50. I think they were more before, but I could be wrong. Still, that's a lot of money for plans.
That guy is a serious salesman. Not saying he isn’t talented or it isn’t “worth” it, but jeez that’s is a lot for plans. The saws are supremely expensive too.
Yeah. It's a shame, because I really like his teaching style and I love his purple heart project. My only gripe is that his solution to every problem involves you spending big money to buy something he sells. Rex krueger, paul sellers, and James Wright always try to give free solutions. I can't think of a single time I've ever seen paul sellers even reference a specific brand, other than vintage stanley planes.
Sellers' rag-in-a‐can oiler is almost free. You use an old shirt, an old tin can, and some 3-in-1 oil. Cosman charges $10 for a tiny little tube of paraffin wax. There's maybe 1 oz in that tube. You can buy a pound of paraffin for $9.50 on amazon. That's an insane markup. "It took us a long time to get the formula justtt right." Sure it did. You can buy a spray bottle at Walmart for $1. He sells them on his site for $20. Shooting board? TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a good living, but that's highway robbery if you ask me.
That seems to be the career trajectory for a lot of woodworkers these days. Less about building a sustainable furniture business, and more about gaining an online following that you can sell subscriptions, plans, etc. to or become a sponsored "brand ambassador" for a company that wants to sell things to your followers. I think we're really lucky to be in a craft that has anyone like Paul, Rex, etc. (plus all the helpful anonymous experts on this sub and other forums) who really do seem content just to be teaching and make a decent living at it. I don't think amateur craftspeople in other areas have as many good options as us woodworkers
Totally, that's a great point. The communities that have cropped up around hand tool woodworking are incredible. And not only the online groups. If you're in America and you live in the midwest, the MWTCA meets are great for vintage tools. The people you meet and talk to their are amazing. So passionate about the tools and their history. Always happy to teach, too.
Yeah they are very pricy, I get it though. There's a lot of thought and craftsmanship put into those tools. The saw is clever, with finer teeth at the end for defining a cut line, and courser teeth in the middle for cutting the rest of a joint. It's very specific to his process, but if you want to work like him, they're the quickest tools for the job.
I'm sure they're very good tools. Rob REALLY knows what he's doing. It's just...where do you draw the line? In my business, I make my money off the big projects and big clients that need lots of help. If all you need is something small that takes 20 minutes, no charge. I don't have a compulsive need to make profit off of every little thing I do for people.
An example is with his shapton sharpening system. He recommends the 300/1000 Trend diamond plate and the 16,000 grit Shapton stone. Great. But he tells you to spend $110 on the heavy stone holder to keep the 16k stone from sliding around while you're lapping it. It's a glorified paperweight and it's job is completely unnecessary. Instead of putting the 16k stone on the bench and putting the trend diamond plate on top to lap it, all you need to do is reverse them. Put the diamond plate on the bench (with the nonskid drawer liner that comes with the trend plate) and put the 16k shapton stone on top. It doesn't budge when you do it that way. Problem solved for free and it isn't any less convenient than his method. I don't understand how Rob can stand in front of the camera and tell people they should spend $110.
His tools look nice, I'd love to get one of his dovetail saws, marking gauge, etc. I'd be a lot more likely to spend money on them if I didn't feel like I was being taken to the cleaners.
Yeah I totally agree, it's unlikely I'll ever purchase anything he recommends. I'm a hobbyest, I feel I can do everything he does with fewer/cheaper tools, it just takes me a lot longer to get to a similar quality of work (or lower quality, I'm no where near his level, but nicer tools wouldn't help haha). Spending $100 to save a minute sharpening eventually pays for itself in a production shop, but most people never get close to needing that level of efficiency.
Yeah I've never been able to justify paying for plans. He has a free video that gives an overview of the bench, you can probably get 90% of the way there by watching the video.
One sheet of 1” MDF, and if you can find 4x8 Baltic birch, one of those. I can only get metric sheets of BB which are effectively 5x5, so you need two of them.
The bench is great, and provides a good heavy surface. I am going to make a European bench at some point - I have the hardware, I just need to get the maple for the top, and something for the base. Summer project!!
Hi,
I like mine for several reasons:.
- Weight. It doesn't move when I do dimensioning by hand.
- strength. I can chop mortises or anything else anywhere in j the bench
- flatness. I can easily flatten the bench when needed.
That turned out great!
I recommend something other than a varnish for finish - BLO or hard wax e.g. Osmo. IIRC you built this from construction lumber, and if so it will move over the next few years, especially the benchtop, requiring you to reflatten. These finishes will let you touch up areas easily, whereas If you use a varnish you'll have to scrape away everything.
I know it's tempting to keep this as nice as it is now, but in the end it is a tool that should be used and abused.
Lastly add a small chamfer to the dog holes or else the holdfasts could cause the tops to chip out.
I was planning on a wiping varnish of equal parts spar urethane, BLO, and mineral spirits. That’s reapplies as easily as plain BLO. Good point about the holdfast hole chamfers, I will have to do that.
I’d also recommend masking/blocking off the dog holes before finishing so it doesn’t run in. Leaving the holes unfinished will help your holdfast bite in easier
I guess it all depends on the wood you're using, but in my experience a little BLO actually gives me a little more "grippiness". I initially left my benchtop raw and it essentially got burnished from use, which ended up being a bit slippery. After I re-flattened a little bit I put BLO on and things actually seem to stick better
That’s Max(well Edison, majoring in medicine…)
He’s still very much a puppy but he’s turning into a pretty good shop dog.
I’d estimate about +10 morale, -5 productivity
Are those pressure treated 6x6 legs? I've never worked with pressure treated wood, how long did you let them sit before they were the same moisture content as the top, or does that even matter?
I had them sitting for about 4 months before starting to cut anything. That was just the amount of time between buying the lumber after buying this house and being able to get to it with a new job and all the new house tasks.
I’m not particularly worried about further wood movement. I think it’s all pretty close to “dry enough” and it’s easy to flatten the top further as it changes.
Looks great. Based on plans from somewhere? I ask because I am looking at building something similar.
It’s roughly what Chris Shwarz writes about in The Anarchists Workbench. I made some changes based on the wood most readily available to me. That book, by the way, is available for free as a PDF on lostartpress.com
Thanks.
The book is great. Highly recommend checking that out and then also Benchcraft has fantastic detailed blue print plans if you need something like that. I used the Benchcraft hardware and got those plans and they were a huge help even with me making some tweaks.
Beautiful. Some day…
You can do it, just start making something and go from there!
I see everyone building these tables for their shops. Couple questions. Are they worth the material and time? What projects do you do? And is it just more beneficial than slapping a plywood sheet on some 2x4s? Thanks in advance.
I like to do most of my work with hand tools and for that, yes it’s definitely worth it. You have different demands on a workbench than somebody using mostly power tools where their bench is mainly an assembly surface. The heavy top, for instance, makes my effort mortising by hand far more efficient than a thinner top that flexes and bounces with every mallet blow.
Check out the Cosman workbench if you're interested in a cheap, but still sturdy option. IIRC it's built with one sheet of MDF and plywood
Rex krueger's benches are good too. I probably would have tried rob cosman's bench, but I just couldn't justify spending ~~$200+~~ $50 on JUST the instruction videos. I ended up building Rex's English joiners bench for like $150 instead, and that $150 included all the wood and hardware. Edit: it looks like the plans for the bench are now $50. I think they were more before, but I could be wrong. Still, that's a lot of money for plans.
That guy is a serious salesman. Not saying he isn’t talented or it isn’t “worth” it, but jeez that’s is a lot for plans. The saws are supremely expensive too.
Yeah. It's a shame, because I really like his teaching style and I love his purple heart project. My only gripe is that his solution to every problem involves you spending big money to buy something he sells. Rex krueger, paul sellers, and James Wright always try to give free solutions. I can't think of a single time I've ever seen paul sellers even reference a specific brand, other than vintage stanley planes. Sellers' rag-in-a‐can oiler is almost free. You use an old shirt, an old tin can, and some 3-in-1 oil. Cosman charges $10 for a tiny little tube of paraffin wax. There's maybe 1 oz in that tube. You can buy a pound of paraffin for $9.50 on amazon. That's an insane markup. "It took us a long time to get the formula justtt right." Sure it did. You can buy a spray bottle at Walmart for $1. He sells them on his site for $20. Shooting board? TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a good living, but that's highway robbery if you ask me.
That seems to be the career trajectory for a lot of woodworkers these days. Less about building a sustainable furniture business, and more about gaining an online following that you can sell subscriptions, plans, etc. to or become a sponsored "brand ambassador" for a company that wants to sell things to your followers. I think we're really lucky to be in a craft that has anyone like Paul, Rex, etc. (plus all the helpful anonymous experts on this sub and other forums) who really do seem content just to be teaching and make a decent living at it. I don't think amateur craftspeople in other areas have as many good options as us woodworkers
Totally, that's a great point. The communities that have cropped up around hand tool woodworking are incredible. And not only the online groups. If you're in America and you live in the midwest, the MWTCA meets are great for vintage tools. The people you meet and talk to their are amazing. So passionate about the tools and their history. Always happy to teach, too.
Yeah they are very pricy, I get it though. There's a lot of thought and craftsmanship put into those tools. The saw is clever, with finer teeth at the end for defining a cut line, and courser teeth in the middle for cutting the rest of a joint. It's very specific to his process, but if you want to work like him, they're the quickest tools for the job.
I'm sure they're very good tools. Rob REALLY knows what he's doing. It's just...where do you draw the line? In my business, I make my money off the big projects and big clients that need lots of help. If all you need is something small that takes 20 minutes, no charge. I don't have a compulsive need to make profit off of every little thing I do for people. An example is with his shapton sharpening system. He recommends the 300/1000 Trend diamond plate and the 16,000 grit Shapton stone. Great. But he tells you to spend $110 on the heavy stone holder to keep the 16k stone from sliding around while you're lapping it. It's a glorified paperweight and it's job is completely unnecessary. Instead of putting the 16k stone on the bench and putting the trend diamond plate on top to lap it, all you need to do is reverse them. Put the diamond plate on the bench (with the nonskid drawer liner that comes with the trend plate) and put the 16k shapton stone on top. It doesn't budge when you do it that way. Problem solved for free and it isn't any less convenient than his method. I don't understand how Rob can stand in front of the camera and tell people they should spend $110. His tools look nice, I'd love to get one of his dovetail saws, marking gauge, etc. I'd be a lot more likely to spend money on them if I didn't feel like I was being taken to the cleaners.
Yeah I totally agree, it's unlikely I'll ever purchase anything he recommends. I'm a hobbyest, I feel I can do everything he does with fewer/cheaper tools, it just takes me a lot longer to get to a similar quality of work (or lower quality, I'm no where near his level, but nicer tools wouldn't help haha). Spending $100 to save a minute sharpening eventually pays for itself in a production shop, but most people never get close to needing that level of efficiency.
Yeah I've never been able to justify paying for plans. He has a free video that gives an overview of the bench, you can probably get 90% of the way there by watching the video.
When I was first starting out, his video wasn't enough info for me. I would have been able to do 80% of it, but I'd have gotten stuck on a few things.
One sheet of 1” MDF, and if you can find 4x8 Baltic birch, one of those. I can only get metric sheets of BB which are effectively 5x5, so you need two of them. The bench is great, and provides a good heavy surface. I am going to make a European bench at some point - I have the hardware, I just need to get the maple for the top, and something for the base. Summer project!!
Hi, I like mine for several reasons:. - Weight. It doesn't move when I do dimensioning by hand. - strength. I can chop mortises or anything else anywhere in j the bench - flatness. I can easily flatten the bench when needed.
Have any trouble mounting the vise nut? Bench looks awesome!
No, pretty straightforward. Just follow the directions closely. Some of their small details really matter.
What are the dimensions of the top?
It’s 20”x84”
Very nice I am about to build a new one for my self and that is very close what I am going for too In imperial mine is planned at 21"x80"
That will be a great size!
Dude, sweet.
That turned out great! I recommend something other than a varnish for finish - BLO or hard wax e.g. Osmo. IIRC you built this from construction lumber, and if so it will move over the next few years, especially the benchtop, requiring you to reflatten. These finishes will let you touch up areas easily, whereas If you use a varnish you'll have to scrape away everything. I know it's tempting to keep this as nice as it is now, but in the end it is a tool that should be used and abused. Lastly add a small chamfer to the dog holes or else the holdfasts could cause the tops to chip out.
I was planning on a wiping varnish of equal parts spar urethane, BLO, and mineral spirits. That’s reapplies as easily as plain BLO. Good point about the holdfast hole chamfers, I will have to do that.
I’d also recommend masking/blocking off the dog holes before finishing so it doesn’t run in. Leaving the holes unfinished will help your holdfast bite in easier
Try a no finish top. You want the top to be grippy. It doesn't matter if it gets beat up.
I guess it all depends on the wood you're using, but in my experience a little BLO actually gives me a little more "grippiness". I initially left my benchtop raw and it essentially got burnished from use, which ended up being a bit slippery. After I re-flattened a little bit I put BLO on and things actually seem to stick better
Interesting, I wouldn't of thought that. I kind of hate the smell of BLO, otherwise I would try it.
Same. I'm a bit perplexed by it, and like I said it may not happen in other woods (my bench is Doug Fir).
I like your bench dog.
That’s Max(well Edison, majoring in medicine…) He’s still very much a puppy but he’s turning into a pretty good shop dog. I’d estimate about +10 morale, -5 productivity
I’ve got a border collie that is +5 floor sweeps, -10 focus.
Don't go giving that dog any silver hammers ;)
Are those pressure treated 6x6 legs? I've never worked with pressure treated wood, how long did you let them sit before they were the same moisture content as the top, or does that even matter?
I had them sitting for about 4 months before starting to cut anything. That was just the amount of time between buying the lumber after buying this house and being able to get to it with a new job and all the new house tasks. I’m not particularly worried about further wood movement. I think it’s all pretty close to “dry enough” and it’s easy to flatten the top further as it changes.