Workbench Planning

Takeaway

见中国师傅手工很快，想练锯技：机器去大料，手工修配，不必总为少量榫卯做治具。

Notes

A simple Cosman-inspired bench with four layers of 3/4-inch Baltic birch plywood for the top. I want the thickness for weight and hold-down clamps.

I prefer good-quality plywood to MDF. It seems easier to handle than solid maple. Repeated replaning isn’t possible with the thin veneer, and that’s fine.

Reusing the existing legs is possible, but not the priority.

For the legs, I’ll drill through the bar/apron and screw into the legs. Easier than joinery and good enough for me.

Better clamping would be useful for router work. Making the clearance plate was a good example of where being able to secure the workpiece properly would help.

Bench dog holes should be 3/4 inch, not 1 inch. How to make those holes is still undecided.

Drilling reference: YouTube video.

Future chair idea: whole side profiles

This Xiaohongshu post gave me a different way to think about the shape: make each irregular side as a complete unit, then connect the sides through the middle, rather than at the usual leg-to-apron junction.

I hadn’t considered this approach before. I’d like to try it next time I make a chair.