Just found out how much a proper workbench can change your joinery

I was reading this old book from the library, 'The Workbench Book' by Scott Landis, and it said something that really got me. It talked about how a workbench that weighs under 300 pounds is basically just a table, not a real bench for hand tool work. I always thought my 150 pound homemade bench was fine, but I was fighting it all the time with planing and chopping mortises. The book explained that the mass soaks up the hammer blows and keeps the bench from walking around. I tried adding some sandbags to mine as a test, and the difference in how solid my chisel felt was crazy. It's not just about being heavy, it's about that solid connection to the floor. Has anyone else had that lightbulb moment after beefing up their bench?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_black1mo ago

Come on now, a magic number from a book? My first bench was an old door on sawhorses and I built plenty with it. Sure, a heavy bench is nice, but calling a 150 pound bench "just a table" is a bit much. Sometimes I wonder if we overthink this stuff. A couple clamps and a stop block can solve a lot of problems without needing to move a small car into your shop.

ryanc711mo ago

Nah man, that door on sawhorses would walk all over the place when I'm planing. My bench is 300 pounds and it barely moves. For me, that weight is the whole point.

simonk981mo ago

Ever try to plane something on a door and have it chase you across the garage? Because I have... @ryanc71 is right about the walking, my old setup had a real need to explore. My bench is just a glued up slab on lag bolts, maybe 200 pounds, and it still shimmies a bit. Makes me wonder if I should have just built the thing out of concrete blocks.