The smallness of the Chinese bench would make sense to you if you considered how outrageously big modern Americans are with their mostly-occidental genes and their high-protein diet, compared to original users with their oriental genes and their low-protein diet.
Dear Rex, don't ever change. Your curiosity is your superpower. People without the space for a stand up bench could make this, and use it with hand tools. I'd like to see more of this style of wood working.
Another thing about the bare faced tenon. On a splayed leg, the load on the bench will always want to rack the leg to the outside, never the inside. So a shoulder on the inside of the tenon will never see a load, and is therefore unnecessary. So you get more strength in the joint by putting one large shoulder on the side that needs it. Great vid Rex!
Chinese woodworker here in Beijing! let's say if you want to have a good practice on chisel work or you want a more stable bench, what you can do is making the legs splay to both width and length directions of the bench just like what you do on your roman and traveler bench, then add an extra pair of stretchers at the length direction, just like John Zhu's Chinese peasant stool:ua-cam.com/video/5cTlj3DnUcs/v-deo.html For the double splayed bench and splayed mortise here I found you a pretty decent tutorial, with English subtitle! ua-cam.com/video/V6tTdVfcb0k/v-deo.html I really appreciate how you keep exploring different tools, skills and working philosophy of different cultures, especially when you came up with the wedging tip short video few days ago which you were cutting with a Chinese frame saw. In fact the saw you have in hand is usually made for cross cutting on a bench or bench hook alike, the blade is fixed on the far arm and the arm is almost level with the blade edge so that it can cut all the way down without being blocked by things on the workbench. The rip saw however, the far end of the saw blade would be connected with pins, that way you can tune the blade angle as your need like a turning saw so that you can adjust the horizontal clearance between the blade and stretcher when you need to cut wide board.
one thing youve probably seen on those photos or grandpa amu's videos, is the workholding strap thats used, you just take a loop of cord , thread the bench through it, the top goes over your work, and you step on the bottom keeping tension, feels a bit like a chairmaker's vise
another channel you might find interesting is XiaoXi's culinary idyll, he makes loads of stuff using traditional chinese methods, and has some nice woodworking projects. Its honestly impressive the variety of skills he has.
That's a really good idea, thank you. I use a strap to stop a small workbench running away when I'm planing and to hold down rounded timber if making a kayak paddle but it's quick and useful for so many more things too. Thanks.
In Hong Kong this bench is called a "kung fu chair". Kung Fu is a broad term for craft, skill, stuff that takes effort to learn basically. Interestingly, the angle of the frame saw is similar to the angle of the wrists when using an EZ-curl bar. I guess it's just an ergonomic angle. Hand planes weren't common in China until partway through the Ming Dynasty, which started within a few decades of Columbus' journey. Before that, they used spear planes and something called a chan, which is kind of spatula or paint scraper shaped. This is mentioned in Curtis Evarts article "Traditional Chinese Woodworking Tools", online for free.
Also because they featured prominently in early Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao films -- I think there's some great examples in Prodigal Son. Earlier than that, I'm pretty sure Kwan Tak-hing used a couple in one of the first Wong Fei-hung films.
I came to love low work benches from my days living in an apartment. I built the top with laminated 2x4s that sat on some Japanese style low saw horses. It had so many uses ranging from wood working, assembly, to things I discovered like a work out bench for all sorts of exercises, or expanded outdoor seating at parties. The beauty of it was the top would slide under a love seat, and the saw horses paired with a scrap 2x10 section to form a step stool.
This channel is pure gold for any beginner, i wish i had access to all these different styles when i build my first bench that was sitting next to my bed in my 14sqm room. Also my next Bench certainly will be build with what i learned here. So THANK YOU for all of that!
Hi Rex, I have done a few Chinese benches after watching the UA-cam filmed in China. These benches have compound angle legs. The ones on your bench are only angled sideways. The compound angle legs are more challenging.
I have been browsing to see if anyone would mention this. A highly important component of horses and benches, be they western or eastern, is that element of kickout in the legs, in addition to their splay. As time, load, and moisture cycling do their work to loosen joints, that kickout adds resistance to forces along the length of the saddle like planing or pushing. A right angled leg will just want to topple over, with gravity assisting, but the kicked out leg will require the saddle and the work to rise, which is resisted by the very forces of gravity and bearing down on the tool as a kind of self-correcting weakness. Another feature it provides is support against gravity along the entire length of the working surface. Try standing on the end of the horses illustrated here. Can you give any pointers on searching out that "UA-cam filmed in China"? I am interested! Thx.
The angled mortises would have been a lot easier if you had set up your angle guide, then used it as a reference to bore out the waste with bit and brace. Keep the bit aligned with the angle, bore halfway, flip and repeat to remove the other half. Then just clean up with a chisel. This is exactly how we did the angled mortises on Moravian workbench legs when I took a class with Will Myers. We were able to get clean, accurate angles through 4" thick shock with no problem.
I've been watching your videos for two years now--you make everything easy to understand, entertaining, and approachable. It's given me the confidence to do lot of other non-woodworking projects too, because you show that with a little learning and self-confidence to start off nothing is impossible to make or fix.
I have been fascinated by Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other "Asian" styles of furniture since I got into woodworking. They designed things to function without glue, so their joinery is like a jig saw puzzle. Nice project!
Long time fan, going to watch the vid tomorrow but the thumbnail raised my curiosity, so gotta say this: I've made two Paul Sellers style saw horses, those two have been my workbench for most of the stuff so far. Very useful sawhorses, with some thin rubber mat and clamps, you can do ton of stuff. Been planing on them, sawing, chiseling, glueing... gluing.. however that is spelled, etc :D And the other sawhorse has a simple planing stop, and the rubber mat ofc is for friction/to keep piece in place more easily. I'll say it again, mostly for the other people: if you don't have a proper joiners bench or such with proper vices, don't let that stop you. Also: thinking of doing this style of bench too, before I do proper joiner's bench.
Glad to see you finally visit this. Made a number of these style benches over the years and the layout gets more intuitive as you do it. I wrote a recent post about the layout of you want the link.
Dude, to me, your low benches and saw benches are your best projects. I built your travelers bench a long time ago. I only use that bench for all my work. It is really cool to see a new vid about another low bench. Thanks bro. And hey, what happened to the catchy ska jingle and the clever intro? I miss the whole "Rex has an Idea" thing. I don't know, I guess I'm a bit nostalgic these days. I have watched you for a while. God bless you brother. -Painter-
Coincidentally, I've recently been wondering when you are going to introduce another new bench. I can't even remember how many you've unveiled to date but it must be one of the largest and most eclectic ranges on UA-cam - and I have no doubt that more will follow. Well done Rex, keep it up.
Hey Rex, I had watched a heap of your videos years ago, and built the tressels for the joiners bench, maybe 3 years ago. Then I got into quite a rut, and that whole project languished. I sold a lot of my less used tools. We moved house. I changed jobs.The tressels went to the back of the storage shed with my tool chest, and were forgotten about. Yesterday, when the rain was pouring down, I went into the storage shed, grabbed my handsaws and impact driver... And I rage-built most of the joiners bench from memory. Hopefully i haven't goofed anything too bad! I had canibalised the stock for the top of the bench, so that's not present as yet... But I'm back.
You are, quite literally, the best. Thanks! Thanks, for being a great motivator and for just sharing the entire build in video format on an open platform.
This will be a fun and informative series. One of the Granpa Amu work holding methods he uses on his bench is a simple belt loop or loop of rope as a hold down strap using foot pressure to hold items in place for mortising. It's a brilliant method in its simplicity and effectiveness
Rex, as someone mentioned, the bench you built isn’t a comment workbench in China. Traditional workbenches in China have four legs and angles in four directions. Therefore, here’s why Chinese carpenters prefer such a workbench: they used to carry their tools to clients’ houses for work, so a small bench like that was easy to maneuver around. They do have a proper workbench like Western carpenters in their shops, though.
Old timers know about this workbench very well. My father, born in 1907, built two of these as his first piece of equipment in his garage. He called them " sawhorses " and they were used everyday for many years.
2 tips for chiseling. If you have a few narrow pieces to cut mortises in, put them together and sit on them so it doesn’t hurt you. If the piece is too short to sit on, put long piece on the end and sit in the middle of the long piece so your weight gets multiplied on the work piece. Since you are right handed, sit on the right side of the bench, with your right foot on the ground, left thigh on the work piece, rest the end of mallet/hammer handle on your right thigh and mallet/hammer head on top and close to your body. This way each swing you are lift less mallet/hammer weight.
Same as my grandfather's workbench, I think it's a 2x6 and 3-4ft long. A V-shape stopper at the end for planing. His hand plane is like the Chinese hand plane but the handle is missing. They also sat on the bench when drinking after a long day of work 😂 I live in the Philippines BTW, must be influenced by the Chinese. I just want to add that we use a foot to press down the material when we're sawing instead of a knee, requires a little bit of flexibility.
I've seen people from China use the foot as well. For someone from Europe (like me) it would be interesting to learn more about how the trades has influenced each other in Asia. We often talk about the Japanese, the Chinese, and the Korean way of woodworking, and how different yet similar they are. But then you have the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
Yes, Western people should simply practice the asian squat. I learned it as a child from a Kung Fu studio. Very good for the legs and back to be comfortable in. I'm old and still work on the squat daily with various iterations. Fantastic for flexibility. Cheers
@@rickobrien1583, early on, my Japanese wife explained to me why she could squat in that flat-footed, stable pose and I could not, as the result of growing up using hole-in-ground toilets.
Yes you are correct as some of the primary jobs for Chinese in Guagua, Pampanga for example wood carving. In fact you will find images of the Virgin Mary wearing Chinese Hanfu from this area for example.
I'm looking forward to seeing you explore more with this bench and Chinese woodworking in general. As we all know, at least a few aspects of Japanese woodworking are fairly well known, but this is the first time in my five + decades that I've even heard about Chinese carpentry.
This bench is perfectly simple and practical, especially for hand tool enthusiasts with small workspaces. I am looking forward to building one just like this as my next project. Thanks for the inspiration, Rex!
Hello Rex: I saw your video and i relly like your explanations about the manufacturing of that workbench. The method of content exposition is very educative. Greetings from Chile.
Put a dowel across the opening of the can of poly when pouring. The poly will flow around the dowel and act like a spout of sorts and reduce the chance of the poly running down the side of the can.
Or use painter's tape across the lid channel from both sides to form a vee. Then paint doesn't accumulate in the channel or run down the can. Peel off the tape when done, voila: clean can & clean lid
I have a 4x6 Douglas Fir timber about eight feet long that I use as an outdoor workbench by setting it up on saw horses. I plane it flat when it needs it, but otherwise I use it very much the same as a Chinese bench. I made a laminated oak stair rail, sitting on the work on the bench and planing with a regular Stanley no. 5. When not in use, it stands in the shop. I need a better place to stash it.
In regards to your comment on how the Chinese craftsman did the angle measurements when they didn't have the modern tools, mainly they rely on memorizing a set of rhythm (like arithy table, but shorter) to define a set of ratios for the legs of a right angle triangle (and hence fixing the slope of the hypotenuse), and used a self made fixed angle "bevel gauge" to do the markings for a given ratio commonly used (usually a 1:5) Most earlier Chinese craftsman didn't receive any education, and rely on mentors to pass down the trade "secrets". The ratio is very easy to understand using decimal based units such as the metric system or the "Chinese foot and inch" that didn't follow the 1/8 partitions. The more confusing part is how to utilize the ratio to draw cut lines on the material, but it is not impossible to learn. There are a few videos and websites that demonstrate how to go about and do that. This is why a majority of Chinese furniture had just a few angle spreads for their legs. Cutting these tenons and mortises are not for the beginner woodworkers as they require a lot of precision cutting using hand tools. But like everything else, practice will achieve good results
Hi Rex, a tip from a newbie! You can add a false lip of masking tape on the inside of the polyurethane tin and pour without filling the rim or dripping down the side of the tin. 😉
Rex, thank you for another terrific video. When I started my woodworking journey a few years ago I built three work benches, all 900 mm high (I'm tall), which now houses various electric tools but I still have plenty of space for hand work. I enjoyed watching you make this Chinese work bench with hand tools (not including the band saw and electric drill); I like its simplicity.
Finally, someone gave us direct instructions how to build it with all the angles! TY Mate. Actually using roman workbench made by your videos, but always wanted to do this chinese bench.
2 місяці тому+2
Just built a little saw bench that was very close in height, just slightly wider on the top, and have been working on it in conjunction with a stump of about the same height for a few days now. It has been a real joy to work on as the foot print of mine is smaller owing to shallower angles for the legs that are also pitched outward along the long axis, threw a shelf on the cross supports with angled edges that match the leg angles to make for a very solid little surface. The only drawback I have found is that it is a bit light when vigorously working with a plane or drawknife during dimensioning, but that is probably because I am a slim fellow.
I’ll admit I rolled my eyes over the clickbait title. Then of course, Rex goes full academic rigor and I’m hooked. Cited sources, photos and illustrations. And I love the practical approach to building the bench vs making everything period/location perfect. It’s more in line with real work instead of trying to make a museum piece. I hope this exploration of Chinese tradition keeps going. I’m completely fascinated now. I also kind of miss sitting above my work on my Roman bench that’s completely covered in shop junk 😂. Sure, I could clean it off. But what if I built a new bench instead!
What a great video and topic! Love these builds with traditional and unknown-to-me workbenches. Thanks also for referencing the book, I'm definitely going to look for that one!
I love this build! I see that the new concept tenon has a built-in brace! Combined with the wedge, adds one more confidence against racking, plus the tight stretchers, makes this almost an indestructible structure! Throw it over a cliff, and it just shrugs itself, and stands back up, ready for the next project! I just love the Chinese&Japanese woodworkers; they learned to build strong without glue, so when you follow their way, you have the freedom to build with, or without glue. Walk into the woods like a bodger, with just your tools, and a skill set; come back out with something to sell!!
This is a fantastic topic and video. Congratulations! I was inspired by your first Roman bench video to make a low bench of my own and I have found this approach to be wonderful. Where previously I would want to put something in a vise, I just sit or step on it or use the strap/rope method to hold it n place. I also find the palm so handy at times. Thanks for all of these! Also, I have watched GP Amu all along. His Long Bench video was especially interesting. I have watched it over and over again to discern whether he puts any rake angle in the legs. It seems that when he cuts the mortises, there is none; only splay. But when he cuts those bear face tenons, I'm pretty sure I see rake. And when he turns the bench upright, don't I see that one side of each tenon sticks out more than the other; and isn't rake discernible in the legs --or is all this just illusion from camera angle? I wondered if working rake into the tenon but not into the mortise could be a thing --maybe a way of letting the wood and gravity work together to tighten the joints, with some gradual compression of wood fibers perhaps. Also, on cutting splay into the mortise, he doesn't seem to go to a lot of trouble to hold his chisel at the splay angle. Does he go straight in partially from the top, then bottom at the appropriate places only later to work out the wedge-like angles between openings to join them (Hard to describe my thoughts in words. Better if I had drawn a picture)? Anyway, I don't mean to turn this into a commentary about GP Amu; I just like learning from both of you, whose abilities I hold in high esteem and do inspire me. Besides, the questions of rake and simple tricks to cut compound angles really intrigue me.
You should make a channel for full length builds, I don't know if I'm the only one but I'd love to see full length builds from you, your voice is very relaxing in my opinion so you doing full length builds would be amazing, and don't get me wrong, I love these kinds of videos but full length builds would be awesome as well. Just an idea, anywho, love the video Rex, been thinking about getting into wood working.
So, my first inclination to secure an unglued joint, is to put pegs through it. That would seem to be especially useful in this case with the "puzzle" assembly,. Once together, drill, peg, and it should stay together and tight due to loading in use. And that seems comparatively quick and easy. In any case, great job Rex!
For the angled mortises, I was taught to use a spacer under the edge of the workpiece to slope it, and then chisel it out vertically. If you’re good at working vertical you can even add a spacer under the end too for a consistent compound angle to the legs.
If I had to guess, the original system for setting the angles was probably just doing it by eye. I've built a series of foot stools and I've cut a different angle for the legs on every build, just experimenting with what angle I like best. (Right now I'm hovering around 7-8°)
I was pondering this when the wood block was used to keep the angle of the chisel consistent. I just imagined it being picked up, looked at from both sides, and scoring where you need to breach the other side.
Hello Rex, I'm a Chinese "couch woodworker" in Illinois. So I won't pretend that I know more about woodworking than viewers of your channel. But there are a couple things which could potentially enhance the bench. Some are already mentioned by others. The front and hind legs can be of different heights to assist the movement of planes if planing is the main activity. The legs should not be merely spread outward. They can be, and should be, spread further to the front and back for the front and hind legs respectively. There should be double tendons for the legs to join to the work plank. The work plank can be a beam rather than a panel to give it weight and stability. Hide glue should be used for ease of taking apart later for maintenance. "Couch woodworker" meaning I just sit and read tons of woodworking material. Doesn't mean I make couches 😅
hate to break it to you but we have known about that Low bench for a very long time we just call it a saw horse. yes we use different dimensions most of the time now but that is because we have mostly moved over to power tools.
I’ve been wanting a small work surface I could move around. I like this concept, I may have to come up with a custom one to fit my needs. Awesome work as usual!
This might just be the ticket for taking on our RV conversion. I mainly use a workbench for leather working and occasional wood working. I would like to take my hobbies with me when RVing, but space is limited. I have managed to condense my tools down, but a useful traveling work bench was eluding my imagination. This could serve as a work bench for the leather working I do, the little bit of wood working I do, AND... also serve as a campsite sitting bench/table, and would easily fit in the RV.
truly interesting piece. I had no idea at all about Chinese traditional woodworking (other than watching Grandpa's videos, he is great), I like the shape a lot, I might build some furniture piece using it as inspiration.
My wife is Thai. When I married her in 2011, I went to her home where she grew up. Her father was many things to include the local loom maker for her village. Silk was a big deal in her area. I was amazed at the basic hand tools he used which included a bench very similar to what you showed in your video. I now wished I took a closer look at it.
It’s interesting that you do a lot of historical methods but don’t use hide glue. Hide glue is pretty common for furniture even in modern furniture because it can be removed non destructively. It also was the only glue available for most of history. It’s neat that you modernize techniques but this is an avenue that would be neat to see you explore.
Tip: put 2" coach screws into the feet of the legs, to stop moister wicking into the legs. Note also that in most of the pictures, the legs are also angled out in the long direction. Compound angles!
These kind of benches are all over the Nordics aswell. My grandpa who was a carpenter here in Sweden made multiple in different heights and lengths. 25 after hes death we still uses hes benches for work around the farm and the occasional festiveness when we set the "Long table" for lots of guest. He never made much marks or measurements either and every bench is unique but still roughly the same. For angled mortises he would simply angle the work piece by laying a plank under one edge then do it straight down as usual.
Great video! I haven't tried such a bench personally (yet), but I think it would make sense to make it a bit bigger than the traditional ones, considering that, on average, chinese people tend to be quite a bit shorter than us western folks. If I make such a bench, I think I'd make it taller at first and then just trim the legs untill it fits just right...
I live south of cedar point. Been following for a few years. I made a shave horse with help from your videos a couple years ago, really cool to know you’re only an hour or so east of me. Hello from north central Ohio!😂
Another good video and build, and a good book recomendation to boot! Nice one! Small tip, if you wanna cut those narrower pieces on a low "sit on the work" bench, just put a piece of scrap of about the same thickness next to your work piece to make sitting on it more comfortable. Doesn't even need to be that close in thickness either.
As a remodeling ( wood butcher ) contractor for 45 years my "work bench" was 2 folding wooden step stools and a plank. Otherwise I generally worked on the ground for things like plywood or long lengths & the miter box.
Is there a reason you were cutting the mortices while twisting at 90° rather than straddling the workpiece? I started woodworking at the beginning of the year after watching people of UA-cam for far too long and have just been using the Perjohan bench from ikea after watching your low work bench videos. The seat and aprons for it are toothed together so they are a bit weak but adding a pair of secondary 2x1 apron has made it work well for me so far. With the price of timber it's unfortunately a fair cheap place to start.
Learned this semester when dealing eith triangles you plug in inverse tan or, tan^-1 (oposite/adjasent), side lengthr from angle your working, with will give you your angle mesurement everytine boss :)
Feels a lot like another entry in the woodwork for humans series, which really jump-started my journey and will forever be some of my favorite videos. I go back and watch them sometimes just for the sheer enjoyment. Thanks for another great video!
Rex, it is too good to be a workbench as I used to see such workbenches in my country of Indonesia .. and also as I earlier had made your quick stack one ..
it never occurred to me to cut a tenon in basically the same shape as i would a half lap joint.... seems interesting and something i might experiment with myself. thanks for the inspiration Rex
I think the reason bench is so small is, back in time, carpenters need to travel to different places for work. The small portable bench can be carried on a long distance travel, along with very minial tools, a plane, a chisel, an axe and a saw. And maybe an oil stone. At least, if my memory correct, I recall when I was a kid seeing different tradesmen visiting and carrying similar stuff looking for work
I commented earlier about John Zhu's splayed tenon layout gauge. He also has two videos about its creation. One titled Half Moon Marking Gauge and the other is called Offset Plate. Less than 10K views for such a useful tool. Darn shame. Hope you enjoy. Maybe a future project for your channel????
Ive been needing a workbench i might just build this one due to the simplicity. On another note glue ups give me a heart palpitation and i dont think that will ever change.
It looks like any ordinary benches used every day life for sitting. You will likely see them in movies showing of the old days. Benches are common chairs for restaurants and for the poor. I probably have sat on a few of those, too. They are still relatively common.
Here in Taiwan, Chinese workbench(作椅)also called horse bench (馬椅) often use thick square timber, about 15cm even more, to give bench stiffness,to withstand hammering mortise. And two pairs of legs will be different lengths to create slope, let gravity help flatting stock.
This kind of bench is also commonly used in Indonesia, although I think it's more commonly used as normal benches in street food shops (called 'Warmindo') or street coffee shops (called 'Warkop'). It's pretty fascinating to see that the bench can be used as a woodworking bench
So I actually discovered this bench a little while ago while watching a great Chinese carpentry YT channel called Grandpa Amu I believe. I built one and it has completely replaced saw horses for me while on site building. Little trick I came up with is: if you need to rip or cut plywood. Since you don't have two horses to pay it across just pay it on its side and lay the ply over it letting the ground support the other side. Amazing. I'll never go back. I made mine with a 2x8 and some ripped 2x4s for legs
Nice job on this Rex. Really enjoyed watching this. I’m so ethnocentric in my woodworking and do kind of ignore Asian styles on purpose because so many others k ow more about it. But it is so fascinating to see how other cultures shape their trades based on many factors. I’m pretty sure Chinese woodworkers didn’t have the raw materials for auger bits as I’ve never seen them in use. I sure did miss an auger watching you chop that angled through mortise.
Shannon!! Always so great to hear from you. I too an very focused on English/American woodworking, but my obsession with making the craft accessible has led me to chinese woodworking. It's compact, like Japanese, but the tools are much more familiar . Thanks for your kind words. I know I'm on the right track if you dig it.
Really cool video. I see an allegory for the narrowness being comfortable with road bike seats. You need to support the "sit bones" and not much else. It's surprisingly comfortable!
I grew up in China and now live in America. I watched my grandpa and dad doing woodworker when I was a kid. One thing I’m pretty sure is they never used the glue. I think the wedge itself is strong enough. I grandpa had this type of bench and it brings me so much memory back. It was made in 50s and now it is in my parents basement as step stool.
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Nice bench! Is the bottom of the stretcher the same width as the top so that they stack easily?
The smallness of the Chinese bench would make sense to you if you considered how outrageously big modern Americans are with their mostly-occidental genes and their high-protein diet, compared to original users with their oriental genes and their low-protein diet.
@@jamesrodgers3132 too busy selling to worry about that
Dear Rex, don't ever change. Your curiosity is your superpower. People without the space for a stand up bench could make this, and use it with hand tools. I'd like to see more of this style of wood working.
My basement has only 1m75 (5'9") ceiling height, so I built a low bench inspired by Rex and now I can really use the basement and work inside!
I'm from Brazil and I've been watching your videos for a long time without understanding, now with translation I understand everything better.
Opa, sou brasileiro também. 🖖😊
Eu tb e tô odiando e não consigo tiraaaaaar haushahshahs
I prefer to build with WoodPrix plans.
Brazil mentioned
Anyone how to disable it? It drives me crazy 😅
Another thing about the bare faced tenon. On a splayed leg, the load on the bench will always want to rack the leg to the outside, never the inside. So a shoulder on the inside of the tenon will never see a load, and is therefore unnecessary. So you get more strength in the joint by putting one large shoulder on the side that needs it. Great vid Rex!
Chinese woodworker here in Beijing! let's say if you want to have a good practice on chisel work or you want a more stable bench, what you can do is making the legs splay to both width and length directions of the bench just like what you do on your roman and traveler bench, then add an extra pair of stretchers at the length direction, just like John Zhu's Chinese peasant stool:ua-cam.com/video/5cTlj3DnUcs/v-deo.html
For the double splayed bench and splayed mortise here I found you a pretty decent tutorial, with English subtitle! ua-cam.com/video/V6tTdVfcb0k/v-deo.html
I really appreciate how you keep exploring different tools, skills and working philosophy of different cultures, especially when you came up with the wedging tip short video few days ago which you were cutting with a Chinese frame saw. In fact the saw you have in hand is usually made for cross cutting on a bench or bench hook alike, the blade is fixed on the far arm and the arm is almost level with the blade edge so that it can cut all the way down without being blocked by things on the workbench.
The rip saw however, the far end of the saw blade would be connected with pins, that way you can tune the blade angle as your need like a turning saw so that you can adjust the horizontal clearance between the blade and stretcher when you need to cut wide board.
Doing what I can to upvote this comment. The link to the splayed leg tutorial is gold. Thanks so much!!
@@aganbalangalibun347 I personally don't use the splayed guide method but I'm sure I could make better mortise if I do. that guy's skill is solid.
one thing youve probably seen on those photos or grandpa amu's videos, is the workholding strap thats used, you just take a loop of cord , thread the bench through it, the top goes over your work, and you step on the bottom keeping tension, feels a bit like a chairmaker's vise
another channel you might find interesting is XiaoXi's culinary idyll, he makes loads of stuff using traditional chinese methods, and has some nice woodworking projects. Its honestly impressive the variety of skills he has.
i love grandpa amu
That's a really good idea, thank you. I use a strap to stop a small workbench running away when I'm planing and to hold down rounded timber if making a kayak paddle but it's quick and useful for so many more things too. Thanks.
In Hong Kong this bench is called a "kung fu chair". Kung Fu is a broad term for craft, skill, stuff that takes effort to learn basically.
Interestingly, the angle of the frame saw is similar to the angle of the wrists when using an EZ-curl bar. I guess it's just an ergonomic angle.
Hand planes weren't common in China until partway through the Ming Dynasty, which started within a few decades of Columbus' journey. Before that, they used spear planes and something called a chan, which is kind of spatula or paint scraper shaped. This is mentioned in Curtis Evarts article "Traditional Chinese Woodworking Tools", online for free.
Also because they featured prominently in early Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao films -- I think there's some great examples in Prodigal Son. Earlier than that, I'm pretty sure Kwan Tak-hing used a couple in one of the first Wong Fei-hung films.
Actually there was a hand planes discovered in a sunken boat from Song Dynasty....
I came to love low work benches from my days living in an apartment. I built the top with laminated 2x4s that sat on some Japanese style low saw horses.
It had so many uses ranging from wood working, assembly, to things I discovered like a work out bench for all sorts of exercises, or expanded outdoor seating at parties. The beauty of it was the top would slide under a love seat, and the saw horses paired with a scrap 2x10 section to form a step stool.
I live in England and saw horses are common. I have one that is nearly a century old.
This channel is pure gold for any beginner, i wish i had access to all these different styles when i build my first bench that was sitting next to my bed in my 14sqm room. Also my next Bench certainly will be build with what i learned here. So THANK YOU for all of that!
Hi Rex, I have done a few Chinese benches after watching the UA-cam filmed in China. These benches have compound angle legs. The ones on your bench are only angled sideways. The compound angle legs are more challenging.
他做的根本不是中國的四腳八叉，只有側邊斜。工作起來感覺不穩也是可以理解的。
I have been browsing to see if anyone would mention this. A highly important component of horses and benches, be they western or eastern, is that element of kickout in the legs, in addition to their splay. As time, load, and moisture cycling do their work to loosen joints, that kickout adds resistance to forces along the length of the saddle like planing or pushing. A right angled leg will just want to topple over, with gravity assisting, but the kicked out leg will require the saddle and the work to rise, which is resisted by the very forces of gravity and bearing down on the tool as a kind of self-correcting weakness. Another feature it provides is support against gravity along the entire length of the working surface. Try standing on the end of the horses illustrated here.
Can you give any pointers on searching out that "UA-cam filmed in China"? I am interested! Thx.
@@leehaelters6182
ua-cam.com/video/HCDx2ywFqsc/v-deo.htmlsi=iDGsXnZ8Q7HEqLvp
ua-cam.com/video/s5YOzXEeOI8/v-deo.htmlsi=uCr_X0FsHwvfstJh
The angled mortises would have been a lot easier if you had set up your angle guide, then used it as a reference to bore out the waste with bit and brace. Keep the bit aligned with the angle, bore halfway, flip and repeat to remove the other half. Then just clean up with a chisel. This is exactly how we did the angled mortises on Moravian workbench legs when I took a class with Will Myers. We were able to get clean, accurate angles through 4" thick shock with no problem.
I've been watching your videos for two years now--you make everything easy to understand, entertaining, and approachable. It's given me the confidence to do lot of other non-woodworking projects too, because you show that with a little learning and self-confidence to start off nothing is impossible to make or fix.
That means a lot.
I have been fascinated by Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other "Asian" styles of furniture since I got into woodworking. They designed things to function without glue, so their joinery is like a jig saw puzzle. Nice project!
without glue, furniture is subject to movements, and not stable. I dismantled dozens of our own and neighbours when I was a kid.
Nah, we also use glue, made from fish gut.
Long time fan, going to watch the vid tomorrow but the thumbnail raised my curiosity, so gotta say this: I've made two Paul Sellers style saw horses, those two have been my workbench for most of the stuff so far. Very useful sawhorses, with some thin rubber mat and clamps, you can do ton of stuff. Been planing on them, sawing, chiseling, glueing... gluing.. however that is spelled, etc :D
And the other sawhorse has a simple planing stop, and the rubber mat ofc is for friction/to keep piece in place more easily.
I'll say it again, mostly for the other people: if you don't have a proper joiners bench or such with proper vices, don't let that stop you.
Also: thinking of doing this style of bench too, before I do proper joiner's bench.
Glad to see you finally visit this. Made a number of these style benches over the years and the layout gets more intuitive as you do it. I wrote a recent post about the layout of you want the link.
Well, yeah i want the link!!
@@RexKrueger It's not letting me post the link. Will email it to your website in the contact. Hopefully you get it. No need to respond.
Dude, to me, your low benches and saw benches are your best projects. I built your travelers bench a long time ago. I only use that bench for all my work. It is really cool to see a new vid about another low bench. Thanks bro.
And hey, what happened to the catchy ska jingle and the clever intro? I miss the whole "Rex has an Idea" thing. I don't know, I guess I'm a bit nostalgic these days. I have watched you for a while.
God bless you brother.
-Painter-
you will be making this bench?
Coincidentally, I've recently been wondering when you are going to introduce another new bench. I can't even remember how many you've unveiled to date but it must be one of the largest and most eclectic ranges on UA-cam - and I have no doubt that more will follow. Well done Rex, keep it up.
That's true! The range of benches is impressive!
Hey Rex, I had watched a heap of your videos years ago, and built the tressels for the joiners bench, maybe 3 years ago.
Then I got into quite a rut, and that whole project languished. I sold a lot of my less used tools. We moved house. I changed jobs.The tressels went to the back of the storage shed with my tool chest, and were forgotten about.
Yesterday, when the rain was pouring down, I went into the storage shed, grabbed my handsaws and impact driver... And I rage-built most of the joiners bench from memory. Hopefully i haven't goofed anything too bad!
I had canibalised the stock for the top of the bench, so that's not present as yet...
But I'm back.
Welcome back. We've missed you.
You are, quite literally, the best. Thanks! Thanks, for being a great motivator and for just sharing the entire build in video format on an open platform.
tears of happiness are rolling down my face. I cannot wait to build one. Thanks Rex!
This will be a fun and informative series. One of the Granpa Amu work holding methods he uses on his bench is a simple belt loop or loop of rope as a hold down strap using foot pressure to hold items in place for mortising. It's a brilliant method in its simplicity and effectiveness
Rex, as someone mentioned, the bench you built isn’t a comment workbench in China. Traditional workbenches in China have four legs and angles in four directions. Therefore, here’s why Chinese carpenters prefer such a workbench: they used to carry their tools to clients’ houses for work, so a small bench like that was easy to maneuver around. They do have a proper workbench like Western carpenters in their shops, though.
Old timers know about this workbench very well. My father, born in 1907, built two of these as his first piece of equipment in his garage. He called them " sawhorses " and they were used everyday for many years.
hmm. sounds sarcastic, but not totally clear to this naive beginner
yeah, carpenters use this here in norway all the time. not to sit on and work. but its the most common quickmade holder for planks
He knows about sawhorses, but this is a bit longer and wider than most sawhorses I’ve seen
@@f0rdgamerthe mechanical concept is the same, essentially
2 tips for chiseling.
If you have a few narrow pieces to cut mortises in, put them together and sit on them so it doesn’t hurt you. If the piece is too short to sit on, put long piece on the end and sit in the middle of the long piece so your weight gets multiplied on the work piece.
Since you are right handed, sit on the right side of the bench, with your right foot on the ground, left thigh on the work piece, rest the end of mallet/hammer handle on your right thigh and mallet/hammer head on top and close to your body. This way each swing you are lift less mallet/hammer weight.
Same as my grandfather's workbench, I think it's a 2x6 and 3-4ft long. A V-shape stopper at the end for planing. His hand plane is like the Chinese hand plane but the handle is missing. They also sat on the bench when drinking after a long day of work 😂 I live in the Philippines BTW, must be influenced by the Chinese.
I just want to add that we use a foot to press down the material when we're sawing instead of a knee, requires a little bit of flexibility.
I've seen people from China use the foot as well.
For someone from Europe (like me) it would be interesting to learn more about how the trades has influenced each other in Asia. We often talk about the Japanese, the Chinese, and the Korean way of woodworking, and how different yet similar they are. But then you have the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
Yes, Western people should simply practice the asian squat. I learned it as a child from a Kung Fu studio. Very good for the legs and back to be comfortable in. I'm old and still work on the squat daily with various iterations. Fantastic for flexibility.
Cheers
@@rickobrien1583, early on, my Japanese wife explained to me why she could squat in that flat-footed, stable pose and I could not, as the result of growing up using hole-in-ground toilets.
Yes you are correct as some of the primary jobs for Chinese in Guagua, Pampanga for example wood carving. In fact you will find images of the Virgin Mary wearing Chinese Hanfu from this area for example.
Thanks Rex, we needed another bench, it's been a while !
We need some more videos on this I think. Especially workholding
I'm looking forward to seeing you explore more with this bench and Chinese woodworking in general. As we all know, at least a few aspects of Japanese woodworking are fairly well known, but this is the first time in my five + decades that I've even heard about Chinese carpentry.
This bench is perfectly simple and practical, especially for hand tool enthusiasts with small workspaces. I am looking forward to building one just like this as my next project. Thanks for the inspiration, Rex!
Hello Rex:
I saw your video and i relly like your explanations about the manufacturing of that workbench. The method of content exposition is very educative.
Greetings from Chile.
Put a dowel across the opening of the can of poly when pouring. The poly will flow around the dowel and act like a spout of sorts and reduce the chance of the poly running down the side of the can.
Or use painter's tape across the lid channel from both sides to form a vee. Then paint doesn't accumulate in the channel or run down the can. Peel off the tape when done, voila: clean can & clean lid
I have a 4x6 Douglas Fir timber about eight feet long that I use as an outdoor workbench by setting it up on saw horses. I plane it flat when it needs it, but otherwise I use it very much the same as a Chinese bench. I made a laminated oak stair rail, sitting on the work on the bench and planing with a regular Stanley no. 5. When not in use, it stands in the shop. I need a better place to stash it.
In regards to your comment on how the Chinese craftsman did the angle measurements when they didn't have the modern tools, mainly they rely on memorizing a set of rhythm (like arithy table, but shorter) to define a set of ratios for the legs of a right angle triangle (and hence fixing the slope of the hypotenuse), and used a self made fixed angle "bevel gauge" to do the markings for a given ratio commonly used (usually a 1:5) Most earlier Chinese craftsman didn't receive any education, and rely on mentors to pass down the trade "secrets".
The ratio is very easy to understand using decimal based units such as the metric system or the "Chinese foot and inch" that didn't follow the 1/8 partitions.
The more confusing part is how to utilize the ratio to draw cut lines on the material, but it is not impossible to learn.
There are a few videos and websites that demonstrate how to go about and do that.
This is why a majority of Chinese furniture had just a few angle spreads for their legs.
Cutting these tenons and mortises are not for the beginner woodworkers as they require a lot of precision cutting using hand tools. But like everything else, practice will achieve good results
Should I build another bench? Why not?
Besides it's for historical reasons....
The same question and answer I give to myself
Hi Rex, a tip from a newbie! You can add a false lip of masking tape on the inside of the polyurethane tin and pour without filling the rim or dripping down the side of the tin. 😉
Rex, thank you for another terrific video. When I started my woodworking journey a few years ago I built three work benches, all 900 mm high (I'm tall), which now houses various electric tools but I still have plenty of space for hand work. I enjoyed watching you make this Chinese work bench with hand tools (not including the band saw and electric drill); I like its simplicity.
Finally, someone gave us direct instructions how to build it with all the angles! TY Mate. Actually using roman workbench made by your videos, but always wanted to do this chinese bench.
Just built a little saw bench that was very close in height, just slightly wider on the top, and have been working on it in conjunction with a stump of about the same height for a few days now. It has been a real joy to work on as the foot print of mine is smaller owing to shallower angles for the legs that are also pitched outward along the long axis, threw a shelf on the cross supports with angled edges that match the leg angles to make for a very solid little surface. The only drawback I have found is that it is a bit light when vigorously working with a plane or drawknife during dimensioning, but that is probably because I am a slim fellow.
really great video, I love hearing about craftspeople's traditions from around the world
I think there is a minor error in the plans (I'm assuming the video is correct): top is 2x8, not 1x8. Looking forward to making this. Cheers
Glad you brought out and featured Chinese woodworking❤❤
I’ll admit I rolled my eyes over the clickbait title. Then of course, Rex goes full academic rigor and I’m hooked. Cited sources, photos and illustrations. And I love the practical approach to building the bench vs making everything period/location perfect. It’s more in line with real work instead of trying to make a museum piece.
I hope this exploration of Chinese tradition keeps going. I’m completely fascinated now. I also kind of miss sitting above my work on my Roman bench that’s completely covered in shop junk 😂. Sure, I could clean it off. But what if I built a new bench instead!
What a great video and topic! Love these builds with traditional and unknown-to-me workbenches. Thanks also for referencing the book, I'm definitely going to look for that one!
Nice work Rex, interesting sounding book. I built a low roman bench and it fits my workspace perfectly, and is very versatile. I use it all the time.
I love this build! I see that the new concept tenon has a built-in brace! Combined with the wedge, adds one more confidence against racking, plus the tight stretchers, makes this almost an indestructible structure! Throw it over a cliff, and it just shrugs itself, and stands back up, ready for the next project! I just love the Chinese&Japanese woodworkers; they learned to build strong without glue, so when you follow their way, you have the freedom to build with, or without glue. Walk into the woods like a bodger, with just your tools, and a skill set; come back out with something to sell!!
This is a fantastic topic and video. Congratulations! I was inspired by your first Roman bench video to make a low bench of my own and I have found this approach to be wonderful. Where previously I would want to put something in a vise, I just sit or step on it or use the strap/rope method to hold it n place. I also find the palm so handy at times. Thanks for all of these! Also, I have watched GP Amu all along. His Long Bench video was especially interesting. I have watched it over and over again to discern whether he puts any rake angle in the legs. It seems that when he cuts the mortises, there is none; only splay. But when he cuts those bear face tenons, I'm pretty sure I see rake. And when he turns the bench upright, don't I see that one side of each tenon sticks out more than the other; and isn't rake discernible in the legs --or is all this just illusion from camera angle? I wondered if working rake into the tenon but not into the mortise could be a thing --maybe a way of letting the wood and gravity work together to tighten the joints, with some gradual compression of wood fibers perhaps. Also, on cutting splay into the mortise, he doesn't seem to go to a lot of trouble to hold his chisel at the splay angle. Does he go straight in partially from the top, then bottom at the appropriate places only later to work out the wedge-like angles between openings to join them (Hard to describe my thoughts in words. Better if I had drawn a picture)? Anyway, I don't mean to turn this into a commentary about GP Amu; I just like learning from both of you, whose abilities I hold in high esteem and do inspire me. Besides, the questions of rake and simple tricks to cut compound angles really intrigue me.
I've got a bunch of your plans on my Christmas list! My main workbench is like your roman-style low bench. Thanks for your work!
Exactly, Rex. Good presentations. I love the bench. Enjoyed the build video; it was fun. I need one.
It is always a pleasure to watch you. Why? Because you are honest about what you do and do not sell yourself as the expert. Thank you.
You should make a channel for full length builds, I don't know if I'm the only one but I'd love to see full length builds from you, your voice is very relaxing in my opinion so you doing full length builds would be amazing, and don't get me wrong, I love these kinds of videos but full length builds would be awesome as well. Just an idea, anywho, love the video Rex, been thinking about getting into wood working.
Honey!!! Rex put out another work bench video!!! :D :D :D
Beautiful work, Rex! Nicely done!!! 😃
But yeah, you could easily make a sitting bench like this!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
So, my first inclination to secure an unglued joint, is to put pegs through it. That would seem to be especially useful in this case with the "puzzle" assembly,. Once together, drill, peg, and it should stay together and tight due to loading in use. And that seems comparatively quick and easy. In any case, great job Rex!
For the angled mortises, I was taught to use a spacer under the edge of the workpiece to slope it, and then chisel it out vertically. If you’re good at working vertical you can even add a spacer under the end too for a consistent compound angle to the legs.
If I had to guess, the original system for setting the angles was probably just doing it by eye. I've built a series of foot stools and I've cut a different angle for the legs on every build, just experimenting with what angle I like best. (Right now I'm hovering around 7-8°)
I was pondering this when the wood block was used to keep the angle of the chisel consistent. I just imagined it being picked up, looked at from both sides, and scoring where you need to breach the other side.
Great video. I really like this format with the build.
Hello Rex, I'm a Chinese "couch woodworker" in Illinois. So I won't pretend that I know more about woodworking than viewers of your channel.
But there are a couple things which could potentially enhance the bench. Some are already mentioned by others.
The front and hind legs can be of different heights to assist the movement of planes if planing is the main activity.
The legs should not be merely spread outward. They can be, and should be, spread further to the front and back for the front and hind legs respectively.
There should be double tendons for the legs to join to the work plank.
The work plank can be a beam rather than a panel to give it weight and stability.
Hide glue should be used for ease of taking apart later for maintenance.
"Couch woodworker" meaning I just sit and read tons of woodworking material. Doesn't mean I make couches 😅
Also, I've seen Grandpa Amu strap his work with rope tied to his feet
hate to break it to you but we have known about that Low bench for a very long time we just call it a saw horse. yes we use different dimensions most of the time now but that is because we have mostly moved over to power tools.
This is wonderful, Rex! I might do a pair of these in place of the European sawbenches...
10:10
This is brilliant. Black bear is my spirit animal. Still helping me along!
I’ve been wanting a small work surface I could move around. I like this concept, I may have to come up with a custom one to fit my needs. Awesome work as usual!
This might just be the ticket for taking on our RV conversion. I mainly use a workbench for leather working and occasional wood working. I would like to take my hobbies with me when RVing, but space is limited. I have managed to condense my tools down, but a useful traveling work bench was eluding my imagination. This could serve as a work bench for the leather working I do, the little bit of wood working I do, AND... also serve as a campsite sitting bench/table, and would easily fit in the RV.
truly interesting piece. I had no idea at all about Chinese traditional woodworking (other than watching Grandpa's videos, he is great), I like the shape a lot, I might build some furniture piece using it as inspiration.
My wife is Thai. When I married her in 2011, I went to her home where she grew up. Her father was many things to include the local loom maker for her village. Silk was a big deal in her area. I was amazed at the basic hand tools he used which included a bench very similar to what you showed in your video. I now wished I took a closer look at it.
It’s interesting that you do a lot of historical methods but don’t use hide glue. Hide glue is pretty common for furniture even in modern furniture because it can be removed non destructively. It also was the only glue available for most of history. It’s neat that you modernize techniques but this is an avenue that would be neat to see you explore.
I try to keep things accessible. Hide glue is great, but yellow glue is for everyone!!
@@RexKrueger that makes sense. I was sure you had a reason that I wasn't aware of.
I appreciate all your tips. Thank you.
Tip: put 2" coach screws into the feet of the legs, to stop moister wicking into the legs. Note also that in most of the pictures, the legs are also angled out in the long direction. Compound angles!
These kind of benches are all over the Nordics aswell. My grandpa who was a carpenter here in Sweden made multiple in different heights and lengths.
25 after hes death we still uses hes benches for work around the farm and the occasional festiveness when we set the "Long table" for lots of guest.
He never made much marks or measurements either and every bench is unique but still roughly the same. For angled mortises he would simply angle the work piece by laying a plank under one edge then do it straight down as usual.
Great video!
I haven't tried such a bench personally (yet), but I think it would make sense to make it a bit bigger than the traditional ones, considering that, on average, chinese people tend to be quite a bit shorter than us western folks.
If I make such a bench, I think I'd make it taller at first and then just trim the legs untill it fits just right...
Looking forward to your next adventure, it sounds fun.
I live south of cedar point. Been following for a few years. I made a shave horse with help from your videos a couple years ago, really cool to know you’re only an hour or so east of me. Hello from north central Ohio!😂
Another good video and build, and a good book recomendation to boot! Nice one!
Small tip, if you wanna cut those narrower pieces on a low "sit on the work" bench, just put a piece of scrap of about the same thickness next to your work piece to make sitting on it more comfortable. Doesn't even need to be that close in thickness either.
enjoyed this episode Rex. the legs are supposed to be compound angles into the bench board though in case they were not when you made it.
Happy to watch another detailed, but simple build
Great video. I also went a little crazy buying plans. Thanks. Ha.
Thank you
As a remodeling ( wood butcher ) contractor for 45 years my "work bench" was 2 folding wooden step stools and a plank. Otherwise I generally worked on the ground for things like plywood or long lengths & the miter box.
Is there a reason you were cutting the mortices while twisting at 90° rather than straddling the workpiece? I started woodworking at the beginning of the year after watching people of UA-cam for far too long and have just been using the Perjohan bench from ikea after watching your low work bench videos. The seat and aprons for it are toothed together so they are a bit weak but adding a pair of secondary 2x1 apron has made it work well for me so far. With the price of timber it's unfortunately a fair cheap place to start.
Learned this semester when dealing eith triangles you plug in inverse tan or, tan^-1 (oposite/adjasent), side lengthr from angle your working, with will give you your angle mesurement everytine boss :)
We on this side of the pond have a similar relationship with the horse, saw horse, draw horse, cobblers horse, it's a versatile design for sure
Feels a lot like another entry in the woodwork for humans series, which really jump-started my journey and will forever be some of my favorite videos. I go back and watch them sometimes just for the sheer enjoyment. Thanks for another great video!
Rex, it is too good to be a workbench as I used to see such workbenches in my country of Indonesia .. and also as I earlier had made your quick stack one ..
Who dont know glueup panic?
I do Woodworking for years and even with test fits and so i still have it sometimes😄
Nice to See some hatcheting work.😊 good stuff
it never occurred to me to cut a tenon in basically the same shape as i would a half lap joint.... seems interesting and something i might experiment with myself. thanks for the inspiration Rex
I think the reason bench is so small is, back in time, carpenters need to travel to different places for work. The small portable bench can be carried on a long distance travel, along with very minial tools, a plane, a chisel, an axe and a saw. And maybe an oil stone. At least, if my memory correct, I recall when I was a kid seeing different tradesmen visiting and carrying similar stuff looking for work
No, these benches are very common furniture in China. Most likely every family has at least one.
I commented earlier about John Zhu's splayed tenon layout gauge. He also has two videos about its creation. One titled Half Moon Marking Gauge and the other is called Offset Plate. Less than 10K views for such a useful tool. Darn shame. Hope you enjoy. Maybe a future project for your channel????
Ive been needing a workbench i might just build this one due to the simplicity. On another note glue ups give me a heart palpitation and i dont think that will ever change.
It looks like any ordinary benches used every day life for sitting. You will likely see them in movies showing of the old days. Benches are common chairs for restaurants and for the poor. I probably have sat on a few of those, too. They are still relatively common.
I have a really interesting workbench, that's really sleek and the working surface split in two and works like a long vise.
Excellent video love this great projects
Here in Taiwan, Chinese workbench(作椅)also called horse bench (馬椅) often use thick square timber, about 15cm even more, to give bench stiffness,to withstand hammering mortise.
And two pairs of legs will be different lengths to create slope, let gravity help flatting stock.
Woodworking in Taiwan is AMAZING. I watch all the taiwanese videos i can find.
@@RexKruegerany channels you can recommend? Thanks!
This kind of bench is also commonly used in Indonesia, although I think it's more commonly used as normal benches in street food shops (called 'Warmindo') or street coffee shops (called 'Warkop'). It's pretty fascinating to see that the bench can be used as a woodworking bench
So I actually discovered this bench a little while ago while watching a great Chinese carpentry YT channel called Grandpa Amu I believe.
I built one and it has completely replaced saw horses for me while on site building.
Little trick I came up with is: if you need to rip or cut plywood. Since you don't have two horses to pay it across just pay it on its side and lay the ply over it letting the ground support the other side. Amazing.
I'll never go back.
I made mine with a 2x8 and some ripped 2x4s for legs
Nice job on this Rex. Really enjoyed watching this. I’m so ethnocentric in my woodworking and do kind of ignore Asian styles on purpose because so many others k ow more about it. But it is so fascinating to see how other cultures shape their trades based on many factors. I’m pretty sure Chinese woodworkers didn’t have the raw materials for auger bits as I’ve never seen them in use. I sure did miss an auger watching you chop that angled through mortise.
Shannon!! Always so great to hear from you. I too an very focused on English/American woodworking, but my obsession with making the craft accessible has led me to chinese woodworking. It's compact, like Japanese, but the tools are much more familiar . Thanks for your kind words. I know I'm on the right track if you dig it.
Really cool video. I see an allegory for the narrowness being comfortable with road bike seats. You need to support the "sit bones" and not much else. It's surprisingly comfortable!
I grew up in China and now live in America. I watched my grandpa and dad doing woodworker when I was a kid. One thing I’m pretty sure is they never used the glue. I think the wedge itself is strong enough. I grandpa had this type of bench and it brings me so much memory back. It was made in 50s and now it is in my parents basement as step stool.
Great video! Thanks!!!
Thank you Sir.🎉
Extremely interesting video. Really digging this build.