Overview
In furniture design, almost every step of the creation process from design to production happens at the workbench. I designed and created a bespoke workbench that enhances the entire creative and production process and will last for generations.
Role: Designer and Builder
Timeline: March-May 2022
Tools: Saws, chisels, pencil, paper, hand planes, etc
Research and ideation
Unlike UX design, furniture design has been around for thousands of years. One can look at surviving pieces to see which elements of them has lasted through the centuries in order to inform a new design. The key criteria for a workbench are:
1: Extremely sturdy and effortlessly withstand thousands of hefty blows from mallets over the years.
2: Last at least 100 years so that my grandkids can use it. This means every part of the workbench can either be easily replaceable or so solid it will never need to be repaired or replaced.
3: Easily disassembled. If the workbench cannot be easily disassembled and transported it will not last through a move, and consequently will not last through the years.
4: Allows for tools to be organized in a minimalistic and efficient way at all stages of the woodworking process, comprehensively increasing efficiency.
5: No metal screws, nails or fasteners. A skilled woodworker relies on the inherent qualities of wood, as it showcases mastery in working with the natural material.
Prototyping: Design and Decisions
The overall design of the workbench. A sturdy top made from laminated 4x4's, cross braces made with double-wedged through tenons, and two slots in the back for vertical tool storage.
Surface Area: The workbench needs to fit in my limited workspace, but simultaneously be large enough to support a large workpiece and the clutter that comes with using multiple tools. Because of this, I decided on a 32”x 6' rectangular design
Height: For a table, poor design multiplied by thousands of hours of use will result in back pain. A standing workbench provides more power and stability to the user while reducing the risk of injury. After some testing it was apparent that 48" was the optimal height for a workbench for someone of my height.
Reducing clutter: I adapted my design from the semi-traditional French style of the Roubo split-top workbench which utilizes vertical tool storage. I moved this vertical tool storage slot from the middle to the back of the workbench in order to increase surface workspace while still keeping the tools at a very reachable 28”.
Joinery: For the base I used tenons that go all the way through the legs and are held in place with removable wedge. For the tops of the legs I created a custom joint inspired by the western castle joint and japanese style joinery to meet my purposes. More on that
later.
Construction
The frame construction before any of the joinery was implemented. The cross braces are overlapped at the corners with extra wood protruding.
After making the frame I chiseled out the mortises that the legs would go through. Typically this work is done with a machine but I still prefer to do it the old fashion way
Each corner joint is held together with 4 wedges. This style of joint is of my own design and allows for the joint to be adjusted individually. Additionally, the wedges can easily be removed tso the frame can be taken apart easily, satisfying criteria 3.
The top of the workbench half-way through gluing. Constructed with 4x4's glued together.
Wood absorbs moisture over time which causes it to expand and shrink. This means that wood boards glued together can completely fall apart if the right precautions are not taken. To avoid this issue and meet criteria #2 I created a "cap" that holds the ends together.
Here is the joinery used to hold the legs together. No glue, no nails, no screws. Only the friction of the joints is needed to keep everything together. The wedges can be pushed out from the sides and disassembled easily.
The final product. A sturdy, well constructed, functional tool that will last for years.
Conclusion
A year and a half later and I still use this workbench for all of my projects. It took a long time to make it the way I did but the investment was well worth it. Throughout the process I learned a lot about wood, tools, and building tables. In hindsight there are many things I would change about my design, but i'll save them for a future build. It's met all of my criteria except for one, so make sure to check back in 98 years and see if it lasts a full century.
