I built my first woodworking workbench about 6 years ago, and it has served me well with two exceptions–1. I made the top out of  MDF and 2. I made it too short.  The MDF top was fine till I needed to use holdfasts, and when I drilled ¾” holes in the top and pounded down my first holdfast, the MDF deformed and the holdfast slowly came loose and would not hold–very frustrating.

I built the bench at a height of 31″ using one of several “time tested” methods for determining bench height–”stand with your arms relaxed at your side and your palms facing the floor.  The height of your palms is the ideal height of your bench.”  Yeah, right.  I’m 5’10″ tall and long waisted, and this was too dang low for me. I raised my old bench up to 37″ and found it works well for me.  So, don’t always trust the time tested ways.  Do what works for you.

I’m basing my bench on the ones I used in Lonnie Bird’s School of Fine Woodworking, and most of the benches in Lonnie’s shop are 36″ tall, including his own bench.  Lonnie’s bench is also very simple in design–a single cast iron vise, a planing stop on the left end, a 3″ thick top with no apron around it, four legs held together with mortise and tenon joinery and nuts and bolts–no glue.  Two long stretchers on either side are held in place with ⅜” threaded rods, top and bottom.  The bench top is 8′ long and 24″ wide.  That’s it.  No tail vise, no bench dog holes, no tool tray in back.

My bench will very similar to Lonnie’s.  About the only exceptions are the height (37″), the top will be 26″ in width and I’m burying the back jaw of my vise (Lee Valley Quick Release Steel Vise) in the bench top so the back jaw is even with the entire front of the top.  So, I’ve begun the process by milling up some of the 115 board feet of 8/4 German Beech into leg blanks.  I’m hoping to have the frame pieces all milled by the end of the weekend.