Woodworking workbench
Build the bench first — every other piece gets built on it
Advanced template · four styles, vise + dog holes auto-placed, height from your body, bolt-together knockdown
Design highlights
What this template's algorithm handles for you
What this template builds for you
A workbench is not a dining table. It has to be heavy (two plane strokes shouldn't walk it), the front edge has to be flush from top to stretcher (so the vise and clamps can hold long stock), and the top has to be thick enough that a holdfast bites with one tap. Store benches are either too light or can't change size; building your own usually stalls on "how high", "how thick" and "where does the vise go".
This template turns four mainstream styles into one-click presets: the French Roubo thick-top (thick slab, chunky legs with through tenons into the top, H-frame stretchers), the English apron bench (thin top stiffened by a 290 mm apron, bolt-together, the cheapest in material), the Scandinavian tool-well bench (a trough along the back for chisels and planes) and the modern MFT 20 mm grid (plywood top, 20 mm holes on a 96 mm grid). Pick a style, then tune it: top 40–150 mm, legs 60–150 mm, and a top construction choice (wide planks / staves on edge / stacked sheets) that computes piece and layer counts for you.
Workholding is where the template does the most work: choose a 7" or 9" cast-iron quick-release vise and it lands outside or inside the leg automatically, adding a spacer block if the front edge is under 60 mm; a row of dog holes starts at the vise jaw, every 100 mm, Ø19 or Ø20; holdfast holes stagger along the back; a 64 mm planing stop passes through the top. Enter your height and the kind of work (hand planing / machines / fine work) and the notes give a suggested bench height — without silently changing the one you set. It also estimates weight, checks that something resists racking, and warns when an 800 mm deep bench won't fit through a door.
Three-view drawings, part drawings, joinery details, cut list and quote come out together, with every hole position dimensioned. Once it's built, the stools, chairs and desks come next — on top of it.
Who this template suits
✓ Recommended for
- · Anyone who owns planes and chisels but works on the dining table
- · Students building their first proper bench
- · A shop that needs a dedicated hand-tool bench
- · Anyone who wants bench height, vise position and dog holes worked out in one go
× Not for
- · A machine station with an inverted table saw or router (different animal — not this template)
- · Balconies under 1.2 m (minimum length is 1000, but 1500+ is where it gets useful)
- · Benches on casters (mass and casters fight each other; use knockdown instead)
- · Japanese low benches for kneeling work (different height family — a later version)
Parameters you can adjust
The algorithm auto-computes dimensions, joinery, and material usage.
Woodworking workbench common dimensions
These numbers come straight from this template's adjustable ranges and defaults, so they update whenever the template does.
| Dimension | Adjustable range | Template default |
|---|---|---|
| Length | up to 3000 mm (300 cm) | 1800 mm (180 cm) |
| Width (depth) | up to 1000 mm (100 cm) | 600 mm (60 cm) |
| Height | up to 1100 mm (110 cm) | 830 mm (83 cm) |
| Top thickness | 40–150 mm (4–15 cm) | 75 mm (7.5 cm) |
| Leg size | 60–150 mm (6–15 cm) | 100 mm (10 cm) |
| Your height | 145–195 cm | 170 cm |
Main dimensions list only the upper bound: the template has no meaningful lower limit. Values in mm with cm in brackets.
How to pick your sizes
- Workbench height 85–95 cm, set by elbow height: stand upright and let the wrist hang naturally — that is your top height.
- The template's “Your height” field derives the bench height from this rule; just enter your height.
- No joinery skills? Pick “Material style: laminated plywood” — 18mm sheets glued and screwed layer by layer. A 2-layer top (36mm) is a clamping table only (holdfasts will not bite); 3 layers (54mm) handles planing and holdfasts and is the recommended value; 4 layers (72mm) is for heavy planing and chopping. Legs: 3 layers (54mm square) light, 4 layers (72mm) recommended, 5 layers (90mm) heavy duty.
- Plywood stretchers are always 2 layers (36mm) and sit in notches left in the leg lamination, then screwed; the material list shows one piece per layer and the notes estimate the number of 4×8 ft sheets.
Enter sizes, get everything
Six deliverables in one pass — print A4 and walk into the shop.
Real generated output
The screens below are actually generated from the Woodworking workbench template — apply your sizes and they update live.
※ These regenerate live whenever you tweak size, wood, or style
When you'd build one
1500 × 600, 75 mm rubberwood top, 90 mm legs, a 7" vise on the left and a row of dog holes — about 65 kg, just enough not to walk.
Built to the school spec: 1800 × 600, top ≥ 40 mm, whole bench ≥ 80 kg — then practise joinery on it.
Apron bench with bolt knockdown; the cut list itemises the M10 bed bolts and it comes apart into top, two leg frames and a few rails.
20 mm grid bench for Parf dogs and a track saw, top made from two layers of 18 mm birch ply.
5 preset variations
Swap styles in one click — no need to re-adjust every parameter from scratch.
FAQ
How high should a workbench be?+
Depends on the work. Hand planing: top at the height of your pinky knuckle standing, roughly height × 0.49 (about 83 cm for 170 cm). Machines and assembly: about 10 cm below the elbow, roughly × 0.55. Fine chisel and dovetail work: near elbow height, about × 0.60. Enter your height and work type and the notes give the number. Home-built benches in Taiwan mostly land at 80–85 cm.
Can I build it for around US$300?+
It comes down to the top. Southern yellow pine 2×4s on edge (untreated) with a 7" vise comes in lowest; two or three 25 mm rubberwood panels laminated with pine legs sits a bit above that; a beech slab top has to be ordered from a timber yard and costs the most. The quote updates live from your material and size choices.
Is pine too soft for a top?+
Pine is fine if it's thick enough. A soft-feeling top is a thin top, not a species problem: keep a hand-tool bench top at 75 mm or more and pine won't dent. Buy untreated stock — treated lumber is not a planing surface. The template's top starts at 40 mm; only the apron style is meant for thin tops.
What if I can't get it up the stairs?+
Choose bolt knockdown. Stretchers and apron are held by M10 bed bolts through the legs, tenons are left dry, and the bench breaks down into the top, two leg frames and a few rails. The cut list counts the bolts. Depth of 800 mm or more triggers a warning that it won't pass a standard door.
Which vise, and what does it cost?+
The easiest to buy is a 7" cast-iron quick-release vise (around NT$2,200 in Taiwan; 9" about NT$2,900). It wants roughly 60 mm of wood at the front edge; if your top is thinner the template adds a spacer block. A leg vise holds wide boards better but needs a shop-made wooden screw or an imported kit, so it's listed as advanced.
Do holdfasts need anything special?+
Just a Ø19 hole. One tap sets it, one tap releases it, and it replaces three F-clamps — so the template leaves a staggered back row by default. The top must be 44–89 mm for it to bite; thicker tops get a note to counterbore from underneath.
Can I drop a table saw or router into the top?+
Not recommended, and the template doesn't do it. A machine station wants a light, flat, removable top; a hand-tool bench wants heavy, thick and clampable. Build a separate low stand for the machine at bench height and it doubles as an outfeed table.
What is the gap down the middle for?+
A split top lets F-clamps reach down through the centre of the bench. The stop in the gap sits flush; flip it over and it becomes a planing stop. Choose a single slab or a tool well if you'd rather not have the gap.
Can it double as a table-saw outfeed table?+
Yes. Set the height purpose to "table-saw outfeed" and enter your saw-table height; the notes suggest a bench height that is level with or 1–2 mm below the saw. Higher than the saw lifts the tail of the board and kicks back, so the template flags that in red, and it reminds you to keep vise chops and the planing stop out of the 30 cm nearest the saw.
Can I put drawers under the top?+
Yes, 0–3. The cabinet sits on the lower stretchers and its top is kept 210 mm below the bench top so holdfast shanks still reach through; if there isn't room the template leaves the cabinet out and says so. Drawers together with a deep apron leave clamps nowhere to grip, so it asks you to pick one.
How to unlock "Woodworking workbench"
Free template — start building now
Woodworking workbench is a beginner-practice template — on the house from Wooden Ren
- ✓No signup, no payment, unlimited builds
- ✓3D, joinery, 3-views, cut list and PDF — same as paid users
- ✓Only limit: a size cap (fits small practice builds)
You might also like
Same family or complementary templates
Start designing your Woodworking workbench
Free template — no signup, no payment, start now.