Christopher Schwarz - The Workbench Design Book: The Art & Philosophy of Building Better Benches

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The Workbench Design Book. Copyright 2010 by F+W Media, Inc. Printed and bound in the United States. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Popular Woodworking Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 2890963. First edition.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schwarz, Christopher, 1968
The workbench design book / by Christopher Schwarz and the staff of Popular woodworking magazine.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4403-1040-9
eISBN 13: 978-1-4403-1132-1
1. Workbenches--Design and construction. I. Popular woodworking. II. Title.
TT197.5.W6S338 2010
684.08 dc22

2010031526

Editor: Megan Fitzpatrick
Designer: Linda Watts
Production coordinator: Mark Griffin
Interior Photographers: Al Parrish,
Christopher Schwarz, Glen D. Huey and Robert W. Lang
Cover Photographer: Al Parrish
Technical Illustrators: Robert W. Lang and Louis Bois

Metric Conversion Chart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher Schwarz is the editor of Popular WoodworkingMagazine and is a long-time amateur furniture maker and hand-tool enthusiast.

He began working with wood at age 8 when his family members built their first home on their farm outside Hackett, Arkansas, using hand tools because there was no electricity. After studying journalism at Northwestern University and The Ohio State University, Chris became a newspaper reporter but studied furniture-making at night at the University of Kentucky and joined the staff of Popular Woodworking Magazine in 1996.

In addition to his duties at Popular Woodworking Magazine, Chris writes about hand tools for The Fine Tool Journal and has six DVDs on traditional hand tool use produced and sold by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. He teaches handwork at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Kelly Mehlers School of Woodworking and other schools.

He lives in Fort Mitchell, Ky., with his wife, Lucy; two daughters, Maddy and Katy; and four cats.

READ THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE

To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind while you work. Use the safety guards installed on power equipment; they are for your protection. When working on power equipment, keep fingers away from saw blades, wear safety goggles to prevent injuries from flying wood chips and sawdust, wear hearing protection and consider installing a dust vacuum to reduce the amount of airborne sawdust in your woodshop. Dont wear loose clothing, such as neckties or shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry, such as rings, necklaces or bracelets, when working on power equipment. Tie back long hair to prevent it from getting caught in your equipment. People who are sensitive to certain chemicals should check the chemical content of any product before using it. The authors and editors who compiled this book have tried to make the contents as accurate and correct as possible. Plans, illustrations, photographs and text have been carefully checked. All instructions, plans and projects should be carefully read, studied and understood before beginning construction. Due to the variability of local conditions, construction materials, skill levels, etc., neither the authors nor Popular Woodworking Books assumes any responsibility for any accidents, injuries, damages or other losses incurred resulting from the material presented in this book. Prices listed for supplies and equipment were current at the time of publication and are subject to change.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

What started as a bit of grumpiness has blossomed into what sometimes feels like an unlikely crusade. I never set out to write a book on workbenches, or a second book on workbenches, two DVDs on workbenches or a blog that covers workbenches. But here we are, about 30 years after I built my first bench and 10 years after I started writing about them.

And Im still not happy with many of the commercial workbenches out there.

Luckily, there have been lots of people who have agreed with me and made the world a better place for people who dont want to work on a table that sways like a wet noodle. Manufacturers such as Thomas Lie-Nielsen, Robin Lee and Jameel Abraham have devoted significant amounts of energy to make benches and hardware that is worth buying. Without vises, benches are just strong tables.

The staff of the magazine has endured my endless prattle on benches and have followed me into the abyss by building their own workbenches for our shop. Their work is featured in these pages as well as mine.

Ive also been aided by a number of people who have helped me research old benches, including Gary Roberts, who runs the excellent Toolemera Press web site (toolemera.com) plus hundreds and hundreds of readers who have sent me photos, dimensions and drawings of benches they have discovered in all corners of the world. Without their assistance, this book would have taken many more years and trips to compile.

Without Linda Watts, the senior art director at Popular Woodworking Magazine, this book would be ugly. And without Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick, all the words would have one syllable and many would be mispelled.