How to Make a Workbench Drawer Episode 1 | Paul Sellers

How do you go about adding a drawer to a workbench? First step is to cut the hole in the apron and then build the framework to support the drawer.
For more information on these topics, see paulsellers.com or woodworkingmas...

[@dyrthos2955]

He speaks as if to an apprentice standing right nexr to him, often using "you" or "your". Thank you for being a teacher i never knew i needed.

[@dakotamax2]

There are so few bona fide craftsmen left in the world. So glad Paul is showing future generations how things were done before we all got in such a hurry.

[@heyninja3078]

There are two things I like seeing when I watch you Paul. One is that you encounter just the same difficulties with awkward grain, jamming saws, misjudgment of angles and accessibility that I encounter in my own (comparatively crude) carpentry but , at the same time you apply the same standards to all your work that you would apply to your work in fine furniture and joinery. Your presentation is completely human and accessible full of wisdom and experience with no sanitising of errors. Your videos are ruthlessly honest and of great value to us lesser woodworkers. I love watching you work and am learning so much. Thank you.

[@Lee-ot2uk]

Brilliant! 😂 When I was in training as a bench joiner, I was told that a "clamp" holds things still, much like a wheel clamp. A "cramp" squeezes things, much like a muscle cramp. By this definition, you were using cramps. In fact, as a bench joiner, I can tell you they were "sash cramps." 😁👍

[@PilotJames3]

Is there anything more satisfying in woodworking than the sounds of a chisel slicing it's way through wood?

[@jubilantyogurt]

I've only watched a few videos, but I just have to say... this is a true craftman at work, who also happen to know how to teach! I'm truly amazed.

[@faheyplayer]

Thank you Mr. Sellers. I'm a beginner. Since you totally inspired me nearly a little over a year ago to undertake woodworking as a serious hobby, I've spent the last 11 months listening and learning from you, gathering all the essential tools and then some, the best I can get, thanks to your masterful guidance and inspiration, for us thousands of other fortunate souls who have benefitted from your sharing. I'm halfway through building my first project, a split top Roubo bench. It is slow work, and accurate, and profoundly satisfying. Thank you for all that you have taught us, maestro. For the ages, really.

[@boozoochavis7506]

As I find myself rewatching these Paul Sellers videos, one thought keeps coming to mind. He is the continuation of a very long and proud tradition of craftsmen (and women also) dating back millennia!! He has built upon what he learned early on and what was passed on from others down through the years. It makes me happy and proud to learn from this man, as we are all carrying on in that same exact way. Thank you for all you and your people do!

[@tritonmemnon5801]

Excellent channel find for the New Year. At 72, watching this work Mr. Sellers, reminds me of the first build we did with our Father years ago. Thank You, The Double Hung Bookcases we built with him are now over 65 years old. We oil them of course but they remain an example of his craftsmanship and our legacy as Woodworkers.

[@bighands69]

My Grandfather built furniture about 100 years ago that is still going strong today and there are even furniture around belonging to his father and grandfather.

[@memeryuag]

Built in a Hurry, Fall Apart in a Hurry. Thank you Mr. Sellers for the inspiration and instruction. Learning to build heirloom quality furniture and things has restored a bit of hope and faith in the future of craftsmanship. Its actually made me rethink my decision to not have kids, now that we have all these things that will vastly outlive us we have heirlooms and a small legacy to pass down. Profound is the effect tradition has on our lives.

[@boozoochavis7506]

Great way to cut a large hole in something with minimal amount of tools. I know Mr. Sellers has a great bit of kit, actually better than most but thanks for doing almost exactly the way the rest of us without a large amount of tools would have to go about it. Thanks for all of these videos!

[@jeepman1961]

I have done this more than a couple times. But I never get tired of watching you Paul. I also recommend your page to many of my friends.

[@MrPod15]

I love the way your 'just eyeball this' is as accurate as my diamond cut stainless steel ruler. Thank you Paul from another old bodger.

[@jonesey1981]

29:40 talk about a perfect friction fit. Superb sir.

[@imortaldeadead]

So many lessons in one video, we now know how to can put a drawer in are workbench as well as other builds in the future Thank you for all the time you have put in to this, and sharing with us all

[@gwenwoodworker]

"now I just have to make the drawer" and a huge big smile to the camera 😁😁😁

[@nathansanders9017]

I appreciate these optional custom features (*cough cough* for those asking why the drawer was not accommodated in the initial design and build). Making decisions about adding features feels like a good intro for designing projects from scratch. Thanks Paul!

[@bighands69]

It shows that you can actually add things like draws later on if you so desire. He could do all sorts of modifications as he pleases. He really done it to show people of lesser abilities that they can build their work bench as they build themselves.

[@jameslynch8466]

Thanks Paul and team. Always enjoy and learn from your knowledge.

[@trainlens3789]

These videos are all just so nice to watch. So much good stuff to learn.

[@peterchessell28]

I remember when I served my time the only power tools were three phase thicknessers a bench saw and spindle moulder. no hand power tools all by hand ...got a few now though.

[@SoundsToBlowYourMind]

Another great video! If I knew I was going to put a drawer in while building the bench, I would probably have cut the hole in the apron for the drawer, while gluing up the boards for the apron, but this shows a nice way to retro fit the drawer afterwards.

[@chdnorm]

SoundsToBlowYourMind n

[@moahs5682]

Once again, a masterful exercise in accuracy and skill. One small and unimportant note: At the time stamps 14:20 and 24:35 the vice and other things all move to respective mirror image locations. For example @ 14:20 the vice is to the right of the newly created opening, whilst @ 24:35 to the left. Amazing how that sort of digital thing gets overlooked (and how it changes not a wit on the outcome). Excellent work Mr. Sellers! Joe S - Idaho in the winters and Alaska in the summers.

[@Polar_Ted]

Untill 14:20 the bench was upside down on saw horses.. After he cut the hole he flipped it back over onto it's own legs.

[@rodrigolfh]

Thanks for this video, Paul and Team.

[@Zoso14892]

I know this wasn't the purpose of the video but it was nice to see some footage from behind this time.

[@Thunderhawk2142]

Besides all of the wonderful skills here, what a great video transition at 14:47 because he flips the workbench as well as the screen

[@nightcatarts]

Thanks; good stuff as always. I've taken to smearing superglue along any sliding faces like drawer rails & then gently sanding that smooth. It ensures that things won't bind if the wood swells a little or if you're keeping a lot of weight on it, and it won't wear off the way that wax can.

[@austinjk24]

Hello from the Lone Star State, great video as always. Thank you .

[@Jacob-un3ql]

Paul is like the Bob Ross of carpentry.

[@Ivanhoe52]

Exactly!!

[@mypony891]

Only thing he needs is a squirrel lol

[@thomasarussellsr]

"Happy little wood shavings/curls"?

[@yadabotbingo]

I've done this same cut quick and easy with a Fein oscillating tool and a thick straight edge guide to keep the cut from getting squirrely. Yes, used the cut out piece as the inset face. Cut the back of the drawer face off on the table saw to 1/2 inch thick drawer face. Even after clean up block sanding the wood loss was minimal. Looked as tight and clean as it would if veneered. I did set the glides in a tad too deep, but just shimmed the face to flush and plumb from the drawer box front.

[@yadabotbingo]

Oops, forgot where I was, who's channel I was watching. I guess drilling smaller corner holes to start, then use a coping saw. Keep it tight and you'll already have your perfectly grain matched drawer face.

[@mysss29]

Grain matched drawer face with holes in the corners? (Did I misunderstand?)

[@Redthumb45]

A plunge cut from a power saw works well there. I found it to be easier to build the entire drawer and guide system while the bench was inverted. My bench is a foot longer so my drawer is 24” wide.

[@bighands69]

You would be better doing it by hand to gain the skills. Use every opportunity to build those skills. Practice makes perfect. Use every opportunity.

[@daiprout323]

I've been looking forward to this for ages. Now all I need is someone to help me turn the bench... I may have adopted the axiom"overkill is underrated" when selecting timber for my bench 😂

[@vanessakitty8867]

I just found some red oak rough sawn boards at 4"x12"x12'. I am trying not to go too overkill.

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@vanessakitty8867 color me jealous. Great skirt boards. For the rest of the bench, re-sawn to make the boards you needed?

[@vanessakitty8867]

@@thomasarussellsr I want to make three type of benches with this oak. Low Roman, Moravian and Paul Sellers design.

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@vanessakitty8867 sounds like some plans. Do you video you work?

[@thomasarussellsr]

I'm so glad to see older style drawer supports/guides. It sure seems as if everyone and their grandmother are using nothing but roller glides these days. Thanks for sharing this art that might be lost without craftsmen like you, Mr. Sellers. However, how do I keep chips and saw/sanding dust out of the drawer if I put dog holes through the top? Maybe a lidded drawer with a hinge at the back? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[@bighands69]

Roller glides are fantastic but nothing beats an old style hand drawer that has been perfected fitted.

[@TheNickHorton]

Liked before watching 👍🏻

[@richardanderson4916]

Exactly!

[@alansauer6853]

great looking work bench. You thought it out so well

[@peldiman]

"Gets the heart beating...IF you have a heart..." 😂 gotta love British humor.

[@MARTINA-gc3tq]

Where would we be without a sense of humour?........Germany?

[@richardanderson4916]

👍

[@briarfox637]

@Isaiah Cox Our sense of humor comes across as us being an ass, but in reality, we are quite kind. Lol At least I am.

[@briarfox637]

Oh yeah I know. I was trying to make a joke. Lol

[@derekstouder7423]

I love your videos. I'm also liking the slight modifications done to the Aldi chisel handles (was planning on doing something similar myself).

[@ulligruber1344]

stab it gently 🤔😆 Thanks Paul. Great video as always!

[@MazMaslin]

I love these videos, but would love to see a series where you build a really high end piece of furniture using hardwoods. Walnut and maple maybe...

[@richardanderson4916]

Just love this guy!!!

[@keithwyles5248]

Paul thanks for sharing this. made mine to your earlier design some time ago. Have a set of drawers on castors underneath it. but was only thinking that the space under the apron is a bit of a waste, so looks like another project for me.

[@billbyrd9845]

So what are the little brown things next to the drawer? I can't find a video for them.

[@arthrurjackson1287]

well done paul

[@bradleyroon7639]

Paul: 'You can leave them short if you want. There's no reason to go all the way to the back.' OCD Brad's tiny little mind screams...

[@davidprangnell5290]

Get’s the ❤ pumping… if you have a ❤!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@pierluigiugolotti]

"Just to check that I'm still parallel... and I am." I had no doubt.

[@davelowe1977]

My favourite part is when you silently cut that half lap joint at 22:00 in about 90 seconds and it fit perfectly first time.

[@bighands69]

Paul can do that because he has decades worth of experience for somebody else starting out they will need to cut and then spend time cleaning out with precision.

[@pyrrhical3423]

I have that framing square and I use it all the time

[@hirsutusi5536]

I see you brought a few pencils back from your sojourn in the US.

[@mm9773]

You can get them in the UK as well, I picked one up at a corner shop once. They’re iconic, so I was quite surprised by the poor quality: the graphite core is massively off center. Perhaps a faulty batch, and maybe that’s why it ended up in a corner shop in London, who knows. Not that I care about pencils that much - but just in case you do, check out the green Faber-Castell 9000.

[@Tom111060]

Great craftsman ... but the sole use of Pozidrive screws instead of Torx makes me shiver ... (besides the ingnoring of the torque funktion of the drill ...)

[@TimothyEdDoran]

Late reply, but are you in the USA? For many people in UK torx screws are a rarity and more expensive than pozi. I would like to think that Paul is using what's available to the shed tinker.

[@chiquinhoavila]

Parabéns ótima aula

[@crm.carpentry]

Paul, how come you’re using a 20v drill? You based in America now? Love your videos! You were the inspiration to leave the cheffing industry and to become a carpenter. I’m doing really well, so I’ve been told lol

[@4vinos]

like always you are the best in woodworking. I have been looking for a rasp similar to what you use but have not had any luch finding one. Would appreciate it if you would provide me with a place where I can purchase one. Thank you in advance for your attention.

[@rjperkins365]

See to see him working on something in the vice at that angle.

[@tabhorian]

Question for you Paul: The top will expand front to back seasonally, and I'm trying to learn to be more aware of that. But you have screwed the bearers to the front and back aprons, and then screwed the runners to the bearers. How will seasonal expansion affect the screws in the runners? Should their holes be slotted?

[@keithwyles5248]

On mine any expansion occurs in the well. The bearers tend not to expand.

[@tabhorian]

Right, but this one doesn't have the well built in, so the bearers aren't touching it. The bearers would expand side to side, and would not affect anything if the drawer has seasonal side to side clearance. I guess what I am trying to say is, since the top expands front to back, and the bearers don't, and the bearers are attached to the aprons, and the aprons attached to the top, wouldn't that tend to cause the aprons to pull away from the bearers in the fall and winter months?

[@keithwyles5248]

Sure that this design does have a well, rebated to allow for contraction. The bearers run across the bench just like the drawer runners. You can see them on the video.

[@tabhorian]

Ah, yes, I had forgotten. I even asked a question about it back then. I need to review those videos. Thanks!

[@bighands69]

@@tabhorian People are over factoring expansion. Most expansion does not look good around joints that are on display but on hidden structures it does not matter as nobody will see it. It can be an issue on doors and panels but those are on display. If you have wood that is not well chosen and is very damp expansion after build can be a serious issue. Something expansion is a real issue and others it is not.

[@rhhutchins194]

Yet another wonderful video. Thank you, Paul! I've learned so much from your videos. I think might learn even more from your books. Are they still available? What are the ISDNs?

[@hydewhyte4364]

I was 10 minutes into watching this when I realised it wasn't the plywood workbench

[@rick91443]

Looks good. Enjoy your videos. Do you think James Wright would understand your humor? cheers...rr from Normandy...

[@marktitlover]

I find myself asking, if using an electric drill, why not use a jigsaw?

[@mypony891]

Were you always this patient when you first started 50 years ago?

[@wadetitcombe9971]

I have to ask a question, do you find the key hole saw like you used to be made of bad steel, not able to hold an edge and subject to bending if not very carefully used? I have one that I don't even try to use anymore.

[@richardanderson4916]

Paul Sellers for US Senate 2020

[@evodawg]

Wondering why you don't use Japanese saws?

[@brabhamfreaman166]

evodawg Wondering why you do? Neither's better - they’re just different

[@jonwhittaker5365]

What is this handsaw I've been seeing you use recently?

[@1959Berre]

Just one tip Paul: better use torx srews, they don't slip.

[@T.A.C.S.94]

"gently stab at it"

[@Ryan6.022]

I think I'm gonna wood burn that onto the side of my cutting board

[@BobBlarneystone]

Hmm, sawing a board while it's held tilted in a vise usually doesn't give good result for me. Why not use a bench hook?

[@jamesgarner4968]

It seems to be Paul's preferred method for cross cutting short pieces of stock. Personally I'd prefer to use a bench hook as well... it feels ungainly reaching around with my left hand to support the off-cut.

[@dontspamkoth]

I believe Paul doesn't use a bench hook because he doesn't have to. If you want to use a bench hook, go for it.

[@kitmcconnico7487]

1. Because he’s Paul f’in Sellers. 2. He sometimes does things with his right hand reaching across with the left so we have a better angle to see.

[@johndickie8085]

Why not take your skill saw out and Plunge cut the hole, clean the corners up with a hand saw? You have made this a major project !

[@samerbouez3905]

Gonna raise funds to buy this guy a jigsaw, he could use it in many of his videos.

[@a.v.k.2852]

04:49. Thank god there is a jigsaw machine.

[@CafeenMan]

I'll bet those runners last at least 104 years. Don't undersell your craftsmanship.

[@richardanderson4916]

Can't find the hole? LOL!

[@Siminfrance]

Using an electric drill! How dare you :)

[@loola456]

Why not use a Jigsaw?

[@rupert5390]

So ni e to hear someone from the mother land speaking in the old money measurements - four inches just rings so much better than 100mm doesn't it, one foot, had an inch - bloody much betterer.

[@davidblalock9945]

Why not just use a sawzall?

[@rimmersbryggeri]

For this one I dont see the reason for not using a power router since the time it takes to use the power drill is abuot the same as it would take to finish the job with a router. just glue some scrap wood on with light duty hot glue as a router guide. A router is no more a power tool than a drill.

[@red58impala]

It might be quicker, but is also very dusty and noisy. From what I have gathered from Mr. Seller's blog and videos, his goal is not to show others how to use corded tools in general and there are plenty of ways to do what he did to cut the opening in the apron. Regarding using the cordless drill, he could have just as easily drilled those holes with an egg beater drill, though a good bit more slowly. He has shown some power tool use such as a band saw in his mallet making videos. I do believe he showed a video using and electric lathe as well. However he did have to put on PPE to do so. I don't want to have to wear PPE to enjoy a hobby, hence the desire to learn how to use hand tools for me.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

PPE? Ear protection? You should really be using that while baning with hammers and mallets if you were to be pedantic and that could mean wearign them all day some days.

[@RueFondary]

There are many alternative ways to cut the drawer hole (e.g. track saw, jigsaw, plunge router, etc.), but not everyone has access to these tools or can use them (e.g. dust issues). Paul's method relies on very commonly available tools whenever possible.

[@mysss29]

Yeah, basically, putting a drawer in your workbench should not require you to buy a router.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

More likely to allready have a router than both types of saws. A router or an electric jigsaw. (The latter of wihich would probably cost less than both of the handsaws.)

[@matthewtarver5416]

37 min video on cutting a hole and putting a runner in .........? And it's on a work bench dude get on with it! Not even made a draw for it! 37 mins.

[@petervanwinkles]

Matthew Tarver I mean it’s called an instructional video...

[@terrapin52]

This is for professionals, not for dolts with crooked, broken rubbish in five years

[@Lyndalewinder]

Matthew Tarver - I think part of the problem is trying go add something like this to a completed project rather than designing and building it in from the beginning. However, many tradesmen find themselves in exactly this position when undertaking work for their customers. You work with what you are given!

[@matthewtarver5416]

I'm not saying it's not a well made bench or that Paul is not a good craftsman. He is exceptional! I'm saying it's a long video for what he is achieving. If you have built this bench yourself then you should have most the skills covered by now.... marking out, chesieling and so on. So just give us more of an over view. 37 mins is a long video

[@anthonyboudreaux3675]

@@matthewtarver5416 don't watch it! If you are watching this for anything other than enjoyment of the trade with the chance to pick up a little knowledge then you are watching for the wrong reasons. If you can't slowdown long enough to watch this maybe hand tools are not for you.