I saw this beautiful and sturdy chairmaker’s work bench on AMBROSE VEVERS’ Tumblr blog early this morning and wanted to share it. It is a great example of a purpose-built and appropriate sized benched for a craftsman. Not every bench needs to look like an 18th Century Diderot drawing or Roubo bench. That sets the bar prohibitively high for so many woodworkers, especially those with limited space.
When I first left graduate school, I went back to work as a woodworker-carpenter and I was living in a small apartment. Needless to say, my work space was extremely limited and most of the sawing was actually done on a small balcony to keep the dust outdoors. Prior to this, I shared an 1,800 square foot work shop, and though it was not perfect it was extremely spacious. Moving to the apartment really began my thinking about spaces and portability which has influenced me ever since. I am always on the lookout for workshop solutions and I am a huge fan of recycled lumber.
To see more of Ambrose’s work, head over to his Tumblr page. Here’s his description from the website:
“Ambrose’s workshop is nestled in the Ancient Stannary town of Ashburton, within Dartmoor National Park. Each piece of furniture is skilfully crafted by hand from locally sourced materials.”
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 