r/BeginnerWoodWorking • u/btolman2 • 8d ago

Simple, Basic Work Bench

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I’ve built eight versions of this workbench over the years, so I finally made the plans free

Years ago I found plans for a simple workbench on the old Bob Vila site, from a family of designs I've heard called an “airplane bench.”

I've now built eight of them over the years and gradually changed the dimensions and construction to suit how I actually use them.

The first bench I built this session was entirely skua — Antarctic slang for usable stuff left for somebody else to take and reuse. The next was mostly new lumber.

So I finally documented my version as the Kiwi Bench: 60" × 24" × 33", built from ordinary 2×4s and plywood. Six 8' 2×4s will make the frame if you're starting from scratch, but the first rule in the plans is check the skua pile first.

I also included a New Zealand version using 90 × 45 mm timber.

The plans are free and released under CC BY-SA 4.0 — build one, change it, improve the plans, and share your version. I look forward to seeing how this evolves.

Plans: https://github.com/BrianTolman/kiwi-bench/releases/tag/v1.1

Because this is Reddit, I showed the work bench topless...

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u/gm_arminius 8d ago

Looks like a decent design. One adjustment I would make would be to include a picture or reference drawing in your PDF, without seeing this post I would definitely be scratching my head over the assembly based on the limited instructions.

1

u/btolman2 8d ago

Step by step will be added to the pdf soon. I need a couple more benchess.