18 August 20263 min read
A workbench that earns its space
Six tools, one surface, nothing else. What we removed from the bench mattered more than what we added.
By Tomas Reiner, Woodwork lead
We stripped the main bench back to six tools last spring: a block plane, a dovetail saw, two chisels, a marking gauge and a steel rule.
Within a week the work got faster. Not because the tools were better, but because nothing had to be moved before anything could start. A clear surface is a kind of instruction.
If you are setting up your own bench, resist the urge to fill it. Add a tool only when a job has genuinely stopped for want of it.
