Every woodworker's first project
is their own workbench
Get a bench that takes a plane, holds a board and won't walk across the floor — then every stool, chair and desk after it gets built on top. This template is free: enter your height, pick a style, and 3 minutes later you have your own plans.
No login, no signup, no payment · opens the editor directly
I want more people to start woodworking
In over a decade of teaching, the thing that stops most beginners isn't skill — it's not having anywhere to work. Chopping mortises on the dining table, sawing on the balcony floor: two tries and they give up.
A workbench you built yourself is where woodworking starts. It's heavy, it's flat, it holds your stock — and it's the first piece you'll actually use every day. Finish it and you have your own workspace; whatever you want to build next has a place to happen.
So this template is a gift, in the name of getting more people into the craft. No account, no payment — draw it, buy the lumber, start.
— Wooden Ren
Five bench styles, one click loads the whole set of dimensions
Not sure where to start? Pick the slab-top bench. Short on space or lumber? Pick the apron bench. Every style can then be tuned: top thickness, leg size, vise position, hole spacing.
Slab-top bench (French Roubo)
Thick top, stout legs with through-tenons, front vise plus a row of dog holes. The classic hand-tool bench — heavy enough that planing won't push it around.
Apron bench (English Nicholson)
A thinner top stiffened by tall aprons, bolted so it comes apart. Uses the least lumber — first choice for apartments and frequent movers.
Tool-well bench (Scandinavian)
A trough along the back of the top so chisels and planes stay put and the work surface stays clear.
20mm grid bench (modern MFT)
Plywood top with 20mm holes on a 96mm grid — works with track-saw guides and MFT-style clamps.
Double-sided classroom bench
Two people face to face, each with their own vise and row of dog holes — the bench in the Wooden Ren Academy classroom.
Laminated plywood: buildable without cutting a single mortise
Top, legs and stretchers are stacked from 18mm plywood, glued and screwed; the stretchers drop into notches left in the leg lamination, so there is no joinery at all. Pick your own layer counts — top 2/3/4 layers (36/54/72mm), legs 3/4/5 — the menu tells you which is strong enough. The cut list gives you sheet count and screw count.
Bench height from your height and use
Enter your height and choose hand planing, machine work, fine joinery or table-saw outfeed; the notes give a recommended height — and never silently change the one you set.
Vise, dog holes and holdfast holes placed for you
Choose a 7" or 9" cast-iron quick-release vise; the template mounts it outside the leg and adds a spacer block if the front edge is too thin. Dog holes every 100mm at Ø19 or Ø20, holdfast holes staggered behind.
One click gives you a full set of plans you can build from
Three-view drawings
Front, side and top views with full dimensions, every hole position marked.
Cut list
Length, width, thickness and count for every piece — take it straight to the lumber yard.
Part drawings
One sheet per part with tenon, mortise and hole dimensions.
Stock layout
Automatic nesting that shows the most economical cuts and how many boards to buy.
Draw your workbench now
Don't overthink it — open it with the defaults, then change the height and length to yours.
No login, no signup · square stool + pencil holder + workbench always free
