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There are almost as many workbench types in existence as there are woodworkers. Many of the examples on our website, like the one Roy Underhill displays in the above video excerpt, are variations on the Roubo workbench. I’ve seen some pretty awesome portable bench varieties, such as the Paulk bench, elsewhere on the web. And then, of course, there is the combination Workmate-plus-laundry-machine (and whatever other horizontal surface you have). That’s the type I’m still using.
Like purchasing a solid home – another thing I’m working on – developing the right workbench may be a matter of shopping around until you feel comfortable with the plan.
But what I always love about Roy and “The Woodwright’s Shop” is that he throws that type of slow, long-range planning out the window. “Life’s too short” would seem to be one of Roy’s mottos (although that’s not a direct quote).
In addition to 2 full episodes on this Roubo-style bench, season 27 of “The Woodwright’s Shop” includes 2 box-making shows, 4 shop tours and much more. The full season is now available in our store, so buy your copy today and get started on some of the projects.
We are on pace to have almost the entire Roy Underhill collection available in our store by the end of this year. That will be a pretty astounding body of video content. Since I’m not quite as fast as Roy, I’m hoping to have just one proper workbench ready to use by about the same time.
What style of bench do you use?
–Dan Farnbach
