Here’s some footage that I took a few weeks ago when we first received our video camera and it makes a nice demonstration of our new ‘Little John’ workbench. We had an hour to spare and though Richard was in a rather grumpy mood (see if you can tell!) he decided to knock up a simple box so I could play about with the camera. You’ll see just how solid the workbench is and hopefully enjoy watching all those shavings being made.
Other Project Videos:
- The Wall Cupboard Part One
- Cutting Rebates / Rabbets – The Back to Basics Approach
- Clinching & The Tool Chest
That’s a rather good demonstration of how to do proper hand woodworking – efficient, quiet and enjoyable!
Thanks Andy, and without needing any machines or power tools everyones workshop’s big enough!
Great to watch you at work, you should make more videos! The bench looked more than up to the task as well.
‘make more videos’…. well there’s certainly a few plans in the pipeline, thanks for the encouragement.
Excellent. Hand tools rule, OK 😉
Yeah, hand tools do rule! (except for when cutting 12″ x 6″ reclaimed oak beams… then my chain saw rules 😉 )
A very nice video and a very functional little workbench. It just shows that one does not need to build a 500 lb timber frame barn scaled structure for cabinetmaking. It also well illustrates the great value of a tailvise, something that has gone out of fashion within one vocal hand tool subculture.
Hi Jeff, thanks for your comment. I’ve really been amazed at how much I’ve enjoyed working at this little bench. A lot of the time it’s a misconception that if you just build the heaviest bench possible it won’t move or rack. I think its more important to design it right and build it well. You can certainly work without a tail vice, I did this for many years and still have a bench without one although if you can have one they’re incredibly useful!
I love the fixings you used, can you tell us where they are available from?
Hi James, if you bang ‘hand forged nail’ in to Ebay (of all places) you should come up with something similar. Alternatively most blacksmiths will be happy to make you some but they generally sell them by the pound or kilogram so it can get expensive if you only need a small quanitity and a variety of sizes.
Many thanks.
Thanks Richard, very helpful. You have inspired me to try and produce a box or two.
James, that’s jolly good to hear. Good luck with your boxes and if you take any pics we’d love to see them.
Richard, so nice to see these small projects being made with hand tools, I really enjoy the hole proses.
I’m not a power tool knocker, they do have there place in todays workshop, but hand skills should never be lost.
I love the workbench, I work from home and it looks just right for the projects I make. You have me saving my pennies now buddy, nice job.
Very Best
Ken
Thanks Ken, I’d certainly never knock power tools either and everything works in the right balance. As far as the enjoyment goes though it has to be hand tools for me and there’s really no reason they can’t be just as productive.
As my workshop (aka garage) is all packed up and filled with stuff awaiting a move to a new home, coincidentally in Lincolnshire, I’ve been doing a fair bit of blogging on assorted woodworking channels and found yours a couple of days ago. Every spare moment has been spent on it since. I love some of the techniques you use (e.g. Bevelling the edges of a board to your gauge lines for thicknessing or using the corner of a chisel as a marking knife),simple things I was never taught at school fifty years ago! Of course, for most of my life the internet did not exist and I have always depended on either things I knew or else from books and magazines, so to suddenly find this huge trove of information is quite mind-blowing. Keep the videos coming and I’ll certainly be subscribing to your premium videos when they become available.
Incidentally, who provides the music?