Books - Workbench Design and Construction

[Charles Wiggins]

I am considering beginning to think about possibly planning to eventually design and build my own bench. Which books, articles, or videos do you recommend?

[mike holden]

If you are going to build your own workbench, then there is one book you MUST read!

"Workbenches from Design & Theory to Constuction & Use" by Christopher Schwarz

The only book I know that discusses the whys and wherefores of bench design and use.

It also discusses different vices and which is best for different operations. I discusses holdfasts and crochets etc. Wood varieties and their values for benchmaking. What is the right height for you. All the information you need to make a bench that fits YOU.

You may not make either of the benches shown in the book, but you will know, and understand, why you built your bench the way you did.

Highly recommended. And if you order direct from www & lostartpress & com, you will get an autographed copy and a CD. Lee Valley also shows the CD, but I dont believe that the CD comes with all copies, ymmv.

Me, I am saving up for a trip to Cincinnati to buy some yellow pine for mine.
Mike

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

none. It's a bench~!!

[Charles Wiggins]

none. It's a bench~!!

Not sure if your trying to be funny, or if you don't get the question.

[Gary Keedwell]

I think what he means is that he wouldn't spend the money on a book about a bench.....he has a valid point.

Gary

[John Schreiber]

I'm a big library user and I've read the Landis and Schleining books. The Landis book is excellent and entertaining and I have checked it out of the library many times. The Schleining book didn't do much for me, but is worth paging through.

I asked my library to purchase the Christopher Schwartz book (libraries love to get purchase suggestions from patrons) and it is on order. I suspect it will be excellent because Schwartz's blog link has been excellent.

The other source is web surfing and searching through the old threads here on the Creek. It's also useful to look at the commercially manufactured benches for ideas.

[Michael Gibbons]

Well, considering that the Scott Landis book is the only one that I own ,I voted for that. On the other hand I have perused the books at Woodcraft, Borders and Barnes & Noble and have tried to come away with info that would be benefical to my efforts. Also don't overlook magazine articles. Some are available as back issues that can be ordered online. Just look at the issue list and view the article index. Quite a few ideas came from those.

[Gary Keedwell]

I built mine from a magazine about 8 years ago. It is goes together with wedges. I loaned the mag out a few years ago and never got it back. People ask where I got my plans and I don't remember which mag it was that I copied it from I like my bench alot.
Gary

[Roy Hatch]

Charlie, Earlier today I spotted something that might be worth a look, and its free. Popular Woodworking has a video on the Holtzappfel bench. I've been considering a new bench since mine is the first project I built and I have seen a number of things that I would change.

The link: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/video/ then click on "more videos", then you will see the Holtzappfle.

Not that I've ever had a tailor made suit, but I think that your workbench is that personal. Your size and how you want to work are individual preferences and there countless variations.

Having read only one of the workbench books, it would be pointless for me to vote in your poll. Hope you find what you want. Oh, and you owe us some pics after you build the perfect workbench.

Roy

[Charles Wiggins]

Charlie, Earlier today I spotted something that might be worth a look, and its free. Popular Woodworking has a video on the Holtzappfel bench. I've been considering a new bench since mine is the first project I built and I have seen a number of things that I would change.

The link: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/video/ then click on "more videos", then you will see the Holtzappfle.

Not that I've ever had a tailor made suit, but I think that your workbench is that personal. Your size and how you want to work are individual preferences and there countless variations.

Having read only one of the workbench books, it would be pointless for me to vote in your poll. Hope you find what you want. Oh, and you owe us some pics after you build the perfect workbench.

Roy

Roy,

Thanks for the advice. I've already watched that video - twice. That, and all the posts I've seen lately about benches have got me thinking that I really need to do this. Right now all I have is a small table my dad built before I was born, and it's not even level.

[Charles Wiggins]

I'm a big library user and I've read the Landis and Schleining books. The Landis book is excellent and entertaining and I have checked it out of the library many times. The Schleining book didn't do much for me, but is worth paging through.

I asked my library to purchase the Christopher Schwartz book (libraries love to get purchase suggestions from patrons) and it is on order. I suspect it will be excellent because Schwartz's blog link has been excellent.

The other source is web surfing and searching through the old threads here on the Creek. It's also useful to look at the commercially manufactured benches for ideas.

John,

I've got you one up on that. I'm a librarian!

Actually, I will probably borrow the different books, but once I get into the design and construction phase I usually take so long making decisions and working out the details that borrowing books become impractical. And I don't know if I can talk my boss into making a woodworking purchase in the near future. We don't have a woodworking program, and they closed the carpentry program due to lack of enrollment, and we are flush with all kinds of WW books already.

I'm interested in the Schwarz book the most, but I can't get it on ILL right now. Only three libraries in the country even have it.

[Charles Wiggins]

I think what he means is that he wouldn't spend the money on a book about a bench.....he has a valid point.

Gary

Gary,

Hope you're right, because it wasn't funny. I guess I don't follow that train of thought. If I'm going to invest my time in doing this, I want to build the best bench I can, and not have to redo it in five years because I didn't understand something. I consider a good book and investment in that process.

[Charles Wiggins]

If you are going to build your own workbench, then there is one book you MUST read!

"Workbenches from Design & Theory to Constuction & Use" by Christopher Schwarz

The only book I know that discusses the whys and wherefores of bench design and use.

It also discusses different vices and which is best for different operations. I discusses holdfasts and crochets etc. Wood varieties and their values for benchmaking. What is the right height for you. All the information you need to make a bench that fits YOU.

You may not make either of the benches shown in the book, but you will know, and understand, why you built your bench the way you did.

Highly recommended. And if you order direct from www & lostartpress & com, you will get an autographed copy and a CD. Lee Valley also shows the CD, but I dont believe that the CD comes with all copies, ymmv.

Me, I am saving up for a trip to Cincinnati to buy some yellow pine for mine.
Mike

Mike,

Thanks for the input. I really do want to get a look at the Schwarz book. That probably the one I'll end up buying.

[Mark Engel]

Christopher Schwartz' book is on my Christmas list.

I have not seen it yet, but it has been recommended to me by many friends and other sources.

[Mark Hultzapple]

Whoa! I may have to build a Holtzappfel bench myself. With a name like that how could I go wrong? Although I may have to change the spelling slightly.