MAKING YOUR FIRST WORKBENCH
You’re learning the basics of woodworking but what more do you need to know to make your first workbench? Below are the 6 basic skills you need to have learnt and the 12 tools you should have and feel comfortably proficient with using and sharpening. The Paul’s Sellers workbench is not an advanced project but essential for you to have to start serious woodworking. So what do you need to get started?
THE 6 BASIC SKILLS YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR WORKBENCH
- Preparing Wood
- Glueing boards together
- Mortise and Tenon joinery
- Housing Dadoes
- Cross–cut and rip–cut sawing
- Using Registration Faces
The 12 ESSENTIAL TOOLS YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR WORKBENCH
- Square
- Knife
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Combination gauge (or marking gauge plus mortise gauge)
- Tenon saw
- Handsaw
- Chisel set ½”, ¾” and 1” (12mm, 18mm and 25mm)
- Chisel hammer or mallet
- Smoothing plane
- Brace and bits (or screw gun and bits to suit)
- Hand Router Plane
The whole methodology of the construction does not rely on dead-on accuracy. The most important thing is to recognise that the bench is the vehicle through which you are going to learn some of the essentials of woodworking. Don’t let the size of the workbench project be intimidating. If you have proficiency in the basic skills above then this is a great beginner project for you.
