🛠 Members-Only Build Series · Lesson 07
Your bench is the most important tool in your shop. In this complete build walkthrough, you’ll learn how to dimension lumber, cut mortise & tenon leg joints, install a vise, and flatten the top — so you have a rock-solid bench that will outlast you.
🎬 VIDEO BUILD · ⏱ 16 MIN · 🪵 SKILL: BEGINNER–INTERMEDIATE · 🔨 FULL BUILD PROJECT
🏗 The Complete Build Walkthrough
A workbench isn’t just furniture — it’s the foundation every project gets built on. A flimsy, wobbly bench will undermine every cut, every joint, every hour you put in. Building your own means you get exactly the height, footprint, and vise setup that fits your body and your shop.
In this full build-along, you’ll cover material selection, milling rough lumber, cutting the leg joinery, assembling the base, laminating the top, flattening, and mounting a quick-release vise — everything in one session.
| Overall Dimensions | 84″ L × 24″ D × 34″ H |
| Top Thickness | 3½” laminated hardwood |
| Wood Species | Hard maple (shown) or Douglas fir |
| Leg Joinery | Mortise & tenon, drawbored |
| Vise Type | Quick-release face vise (7″ jaw) |
| Approx. Materials Cost | $180 – $420 depending on species |
📐 NEED A BENCH PLAN?
Ted’s Woodworking includes Roubo, Scandinavian, split-top, and portable bench plans — all with full cut lists and diagrams. Perfect companion to this lesson.
Browse Bench Plans →1.4 million woodworkers worldwide
▶ UP NEXT IN THIS SERIES
Lesson 08 · 52 minutes · Intermediate
💡 Pro Tip
Set your bench height by standing upright and letting your fists hang at your sides. The knuckles of a relaxed fist = your ideal bench height. Most people find this is 33–35″.
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📐 Your Bench Is Done — Now Fill It With Projects
You’ve done the hard work — your bench is built, your shop is ready. Now the real fun begins. Ted’s Woodworking has 16,000+ step-by-step plans across every category imaginable: shop furniture, heirloom pieces, garden projects, toys, cabinets, and far more — all with complete diagrams and cut lists.
The library also includes multiple workbench variations, so if you want to build a second bench or a Roubo-style for a friend, the plans are there.
Post a photo of your bench in progress or finished — this is the most satisfying build you’ll ever complete. Your fellow members want to see it.
Rob F. · 1 week ago
Finally finished mine last weekend — hard maple with a Veritas twin-screw vise. Took me four weekends but worth every minute. That tip about drawboring the mortise and tenon joints saved me — I didn’t need any clamps on the base assembly at all.
James W. · 3 weeks ago
Built mine out of construction-grade Douglas fir and it came in under $160 total. 18 months in and it’s as solid as day one. The flattening section is gold — I hand-planed the top instead of routing and it came out perfectly flat on the first try.
Teresa M. · 1 month ago
I watched the specs section three times and adjusted the height for my 5’3″ frame — 32″ instead of 34″. Best decision I’ve made in the shop. My shoulders thank me every session now. Thank you for the knuckle trick tip!
🏠 Now That You Have a Bench…
Your new bench is the centrepiece — now the Ultimate Small Shop system helps you plan everything around it. Tool placement, workflow triangles, lumber storage, dust collection routing — all optimised for spaces under 300 sq ft.
Many of our members rearranged their entire shop after building their bench using this guide — and cut their setup time in half.
See the Ultimate Small Shop System →Works for garage, basement & spare-room shops
💰 Just a Thought Worth Planting
Custom workbenches sell for $800 to $3,500 depending on species, size, and hardware. Once you can build one clean — and you can — it’s a natural first product to offer locally. The Wood Profits blueprint is a practical guide to turning that skill into real income, whether part-time or full-time.
No pressure — just possibilities we thought were worth mentioning.
See the Wood Profits Blueprint →A resource we recommend — no pressure, just possibilities.
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