Building the Jay Bates Workbench / WOODWORKING HOW-TO

I made a traditional woodworking workbench with just over $100 in materials. This is a plan from Jay Bates, and it is a very sturdy, solid wood workbench made for chisel work, hand planing or anything else.
Plans I used from Jay Bates:
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#workbench #traditionalworkbench #jaybates

[@TheEveryMaker]

Very cool, I'm glad to see it finally all come together! What do you think of the bench being made out of the softer wood? How do you like the height of the bench? It looks a little shorter than I woudl expect, but then again, when you have stuff on top working on it, that might be a huge benefit. It loosk awesome!

[@BruceAUlrich]

There is an age old debate about using a softer wood or hardwood. I fall on the side of...I think this will be fine. ha. Sure, it'll get some dents, but the thought is that your workpiece will not so easily dent and the workbench will take the abuse instead. I like the height of it so far. It is a little short if I were to be doing some drawing or something like that, but for something that I'll have on there that I will be planing, I think it will be about right. I made mine about 1.5" taller than Jay's plans called for. I'm almost 6'4" so I needed to bring it up a little. It's at 35.5" from the ground.

[@TheEveryMaker]

@@BruceAUlrich I know Jay mentioned his hickory bench had a lot of bounce back and his pine bench was softer when chiseling, which i like the sound of. I'm 6'3" so I'll have to keep that in mind for the height of the bench as well. I was also planning a smaller moxon style bench top bench that I can clamp down on top of the bench for when I'm working smaller things or just need to bring it up a bit, but getting that base height can be tricky. Thanks for the info, I loom forward to seeing your toolwall set up and many years of use of that awesome bench!

[@BruceAUlrich]

@@TheEveryMaker Many places recommend that if you put your hand down by your side, the first bend in your index finger next to your hand is about the level your workbench should be. I'm about 1/2" too high for that, but I think I'm still within the range. I didn't even think about the bounceback from a harder bench.

[@jameskoehn4331]

@@BruceAUlrich I always go by a rule of thumb stand straight up arms straight down bring hands straight out horizontally palm pointing straight down have someone measure the height floor to palm . I've found this to be very comfortable.

[@BruceAUlrich]

@@jameskoehn4331 Interesting. That's much higher than most recommendations I've seen.

[@ligngood3787]

Great video! It turned out amazing and good for you for moving forward and fixing as you went and not getting stuck in over-analyzing!

[@BruceAUlrich]

I got hung up for a bit, but I was able to press on. Thanks for watching!

[@zavoina]

Having built the same bench, I understand the struggles of that build. The video looks so much easier than actually flipping that top over and over as it is leveled and mortised. Good work. I've added a shelf to the bottom of mine, a power strip and a vice as well as retractable casters for mobility and holes for bench dogs - which I have found useful. Looking forward to the next video which may inspire more enhancements to my bench. Keep up the good work.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Hey Andy! Thanks! Yeah, this thing is heavy to flip over a bunch of times. I know it took me forever to build off and on, but I’m quite pleased with it overall. I definitely like the idea of the retractable casters. I was thinking about getting some kind of jig to help me drill dog holes at a perfect 90 degrees with a drill. Wait until you see the wood I’m using for the leg vise!

[@RobertJKeller]

Came out awesome, nicely done!!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Robert! I'm quite proud of this goofy thing.

[@jacobnorman9492]

Good work ole boy! Came together nicely!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Jacob! Appreciate it!

[@athmostafa2462]

gorgeous !!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much!

[@uknowulikethat4042]

nice work Bruce, that will last for a long time

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much!

[@YouCanMakeThisToo]

I bet it feels great to have this thing getting along! Also love what you've been doing with your editing.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Yeah, it feels great! Thanks so much for saying that, Caleb!

[@CarolinaFarming]

Nice bench. Thanks for sharing it. I've the same project on deck for this summer. A local sawyer cut the southern yellow pine for me and it's been drying for two years. Wish me luck.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Good luck! You're going to love having that thing in your shop

[@texmjm5018]

What I like about this bench is it's accessibility to woodworkers of any level and can be easily made wider, longer, etc.

[@BruceAUlrich]

I agree. That’s what drew me to it also! I made mine taller than Jay did his.

[@MrDBT85]

Having just today listened to the podcast where you talk about doing this it was nice to finish the day and sit down to actually watch it happen. Woring my way through the back catalogue and got 3 or 4 done today while sorting the garden!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Awesome! Thanks for listening and watching! Glad you're enjoying the back catalogue.

[@EthanCarterDesigns]

Finally got a chance to watch this and it did not disappoint! Really great video and build, Bruce! That looks like one sturdy workbench...can't wait to see all the great things you're going to make on it!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much, Ethan! I’m loving it!

[@bytesizedengineering]

Bruce this turned out beautiful! I've been looking forward to seeing this for a long time. 6:37 It's okay, I find discrepancies in my legs all the time.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Ha ha ha. Thanks, Zach!

[@Wordsnwood]

Hey, Bruce! Great to see it all come together!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Art! It feels good to get this done!

[@turkeylegtv2757]

Great lookin table 👍👍👍

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much!

[@PatrickSoriano]

That hand planing process was so satisfying to watch haha. Beautiful table Bruce!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Ha! That was fun. With using hand planes, we were able to carry a conversation so even though it was pretty hard work, it was fun. Thanks, Pat!

[@SouthernGinger]

Wow nice one Bruce!

[@SouthernGinger]

Check out Make it Snappy tools for plug cutters and drill bits.. they're pretty slick!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Zach!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Those were the ones I used. Loved them!

[@dimensionswoodworks]

Good Job Bruce 👍🏻 Look forward to seeing what you build on your new bench!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much! Hopefully, a lot!

[@BearMaked]

Glad to see this thing all together and stood up! Good stuff, Bruce!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Justin! Onward & upward!

[@BedfordJoshua]

The video turned out as solid as the workbench. Great job!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much, Josh! You’ve seen it in person...it’s the real deal!

[@RobinLewisMakes]

Completely agree with the oak plugs. You have a beautiful wood workbench, screw hardware just looks tacky, haha! This is on my list mate, what a beautiful thing!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks for that, Robin! I agree with you about not seeing screws.

[@jameskoehn4331]

Bruce , when I do a mortise ,like that I drill out around the parameter then drill bunch of ,larger holes. I'll use a blunch router then chisel out what I cant get to and to trim. I'll cut some small shims / strips place on the back side. I've also used dowels , counter bored leg bolts and plugs . But as long as you have a tight fit which you did you could also use glue and saw dust to fill any voids .

[@BruceAUlrich]

Good ideas also! There are so many ways to go about this.

[@scottgoodsell8227]

Very cool. Good job on the vidéo

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much!

[@MadebyMitch]

Awesome video bruce! The workbench turned out great.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much, Mitch!

[@byromscustomwoodworks]

Awesome build I know it was a struggle at time but it turned out amazing. And watching you build it has pushed me to finally build one.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks! So glad it has pushed you to build one. It was tough, but you can do it!

[@CuriousCreator]

Great video! I know how hard you've been working on this :) Wow I need to upgrade my terrible workbenches. Great that you persevered and finsihed with something you can be super proud of!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Edward! It has really upped my workbench game!

[@freemanwoodworking1622]

Nice work!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you very much!

[@tharemyhopkins5873]

It's a beast! Well done Bruce

[@BruceAUlrich]

Appreciate it, TJ!

[@jonathanwash4391]

Well done Bruce. Now I need to start mine.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! Yes...do it! What will you use for wood?

[@89310259]

Very Nice Work. I have a question. Why legs are not center in relation the cover? I mean, one side of the cover is longer than the other one

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! This is a common design to have one side cantilevered out a bit. It allows for different clamping solutions and even some leg room if you wanted to sit at the end and do some hand tool work. At least that is my understanding.

[@ChrisBarrett643]

Excellent project

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much, Chris! It was a doozy but I’m glad I made it.

[@tekviper9]

Excellent bench , Thank you for sharing !

[@BruceAUlrich]

Appreciate it, Keith! I’m loving it already!

[@SouthernStyleDIY]

That bench looks awesome!! Fantastic work!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you, David!

[@dmanhaze86]

Came back from lunch and so many videos were uploaded: you, Crafted Workshop, ILTMS, Binging with Babish...Watched you first though! Great stuff, Bruce!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much for that vote of confidence, Darrick! That’s a big list to live up to.

[@makersinthemaking7283]

Great job. Look forward to see the vise on it. It looks great.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! I should have that done soon!

[@texmjm5018]

Nice job!!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much!

[@BookofIsaiah]

Hey Bruce, I just watched one of Chris' videos at A Glimpse Inside and followed his advice to check out your channel. Glad I did!! Great videos! I'm looking forward to watching your future projects!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Awesome! Thanks for coming over and checking out my videos, Matt! Really appreciate that!

[@ACNailedIt]

Awesome video Bruce, I REALLY liked the music choice too. Kinda different compared to the upbeat/EDM style that I've grown so accustomed to. I can tell this was a long project since you're bouncing between long jeans and shorts through the build! Jeans down that far south must mean only one thing. March weather.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Ha ha. You know me too well, AC! Thanks for checking it out!

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work, looking really sweet Bruce! 😍👌🏻👍🏻👊🏻

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks so much, Fred!

[@jawhite531]

Came out great love the video been excited to see it after listening about it on the podcast

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks you! Thanks for listening and following along.

[@southerncustomcuts729]

Great job!!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you so much!

[@heyimamaker]

Awesome work! 🔨 I have been wanting to build a bench forever now! I even have a decent vise to use. Stay dusty my friend :)

[@BruceAUlrich]

Go for it! Build that thing! Don’t put it off like I did. Thanks for watching!

[@TheWoodCrafter1]

You could have cut the mortise on the top of the bench before gluing, using a miter saw with depth stop then gluing the top! This way you could have spared your self all this chiseling and got a perfect mortise 😊 good job though

[@BruceAUlrich]

Now you tell me! Ha ha. That’s a great idea!

[@TheWoodCrafter1]

Bruce A. Ulrich Just saw your video as I am building a work bench for my channel and I used this technique works great. Your bench looks great too

[@jameskoehn4331]

Bruce if you do another one I wood recalculate the legs into the table hidden mortise and tenon so that the end grain doesn't protrude through the top I think it just makes it look nicer when not showing . Other then that very cool I've been wanting to build a sturdy table with this thought in mind . NICE ... KUDOS

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! I hear ya on the look, but I can imagine that it would be much harder to chop out that mortise when it didn’t go all the way through. Also, I wouldn’t have been able to wedge them from the top for a super tight fit.

[@Hatchmade]

Nice. I need to make a bench sometime soon

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! Go for it! You’ll love it.

[@jeffforbes3772]

Pretty damn awesome. Looking forward to the follow on videos.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks, Jeff! They should be out soon!

[@StudioJLT]

Help from the wife, and getting her to wear your shirt - well done! I can’t even get my wife to watch my videos. Something about not liking the “on-air talent” - whatever that means...🤷‍♂️

[@BruceAUlrich]

Ha ha ha. She likes helping when she can. I’m grateful for the hand at times.

[@passionenamorada8188]

Osea viene el joven observa y solo toca la encuesta de la mesa y luego viene la mujer y con ella bajas la mesa y la llevan hacia un lado. No debería ser al revés? Bueno pero te quedó Genial.

[@zacharywestern5017]

An idea for the podcast; feature people who are more or less following but behind, progress wise, your build. I am for example, milling by hand and I feel loads of people would benefit form your, mine and others experiences. Food for thought. Love the build tho. @WesternWoodcraft

[@zacharywestern5017]

Really like the bit where your kid points out the obvious.

[@josephnatoli6336]

hi Bruce. that came togeth amazingly well. I have one question. did you cut a kerf in the leg tenons to put the wedges into? cheers Joe

[@BruceAUlrich]

I actually didn’t. I had some gaps from my not perfect mortises so I put the wedges around the outside instead.

[@josephnatoli6336]

@@BruceAUlrich that makes total sense now. I'm going to be building my first bench soon, but I'm scared of those big mortises, so I might see if I can integrate them into the top (cut them out before I glue the top up).....

[@BruceAUlrich]

That’s actually a really good idea. Yeah, wedged tenons like this allow for pretty big gaps so don’t worry about them too much.

[@ldg332004]

I'm pretty jealous of what you Americans pay for wood, in Canada that many board feet would cost roughly $400-$500.

[@BruceAUlrich]

For pine?

[@ldg332004]

@@BruceAUlrich for spruce a 2x10x12' is 15.50 at a box store.pine only is in stock in 1x boards, not 2x, I dont know what 2x pine would cost at a specialty wood store. ps alot of your sheet goods (osb,plywood) come from Canada,but they cost 2-4x less there than here. Great build,im sure that bench will serve you well for many years.

[@BruceAUlrich]

@@ldg332004 Wow! That is outrageous! Thank you for the kind words.

[@FranksDIY]

I'm going to make a similar build but with an oak top. I wanted to know the way you did the legs are they strong enough to prevent rocking ? I'm still deciding on how to make the base

[@BruceAUlrich]

This thing doesn’t rock at all! I’m actually surprised how sturdy it is.

[@SirBenJamin_]

Great build! .. why does one end have such a long overhang? is that so you can get your knees under while sitting?

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! Yes, that is precisely the reason!

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

I am not sure about the hight of the bench, Should the top be the same hight as your elbow joint. Yours seem very low, are you intending to sit at the bench or something

[@BruceAUlrich]

According to Wood Magazine and most of what I’ve seen, my workbench is actually about 1/2” too tall for me if anything. They say the to should hit at the knuckle of your forefinger where it meets your hand when it is by your side. Mine is very near that.

[@andrewkerr659]

Great job!! How long did it take?

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you! It’s hard to tell. I’ve been building it on and off since March, but I’ve had a lot of other things going on at the same time.

[@charlieh.mcgeeiii5437]

I don't understand why it's necessary to glue the top to the undercarriage tenons. It seems like gravity and your very nice fit would keep it together pretty well. If not glued you could disassemble for easier transport, if needed. As you video shows, even that would be difficult.

[@BruceAUlrich]

You're right, it might be easier to transport to take it back apart, but like you said, it was quite difficult to get together in the first place. ha ha

[@joeshergalis6790]

Please link dado stack for table saw

[@BruceAUlrich]

Joe Shergalis here is the one I have. It has been a good one. amzn.to/3iweWSH

[@hazembata]

Damn your wife is strong!

[@BruceAUlrich]

She is!

[@trickster11300]

Nice work!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thank you!