The Anarchist's Workbench

by Christopher Schwarz

“The Anarchist’s Workbench” is – on the one hand – a detailed plan for a simple workbench that can be built using construction lumber and basic woodworking tools. But it’s also the story of Christopher Schwarz’s 20-year journey researching, building and refining historical workbenches until there was nothing left to improve. Along the way, Schwarz quits his corporate job, builds a publishing company founded on the principles of mutualism and moves into an 1896 German barroom in a red-light district, where he now builds furniture, publishes books and tries to live as an aesthetic anarchist. “The Anarchist's Workbench” is the third and final book in the “anarchist” series, and it attempts to cut through the immense amount of misinformation about building a proper bench. It helps answer the questions that dog every woodworker: What sort of bench should I build? What wood should I use? What dimensions should it be? And what vises should I attach to it? These questions are answered with the perspective of 2,000 years of workbench history. Surprisingly, the way we immobilize pieces of wood to work on them hasn’t changed much in the last 700 years. But what has changed are the raw bench-building materials available to the modern woodworker. Gone are the massive slabs of oak, maple and beech that built the Western workbenches of our ancestors. In their stead, we have very expensive hardwoods, plus inexpensive softwoods used for residential construction – yellow pines and firs – that (when used thoughtfully) can produce workbenches that are as heavy, tough and useful as historical examples. “The Anarchist's Workbench” also seeks to open your eyes to simpler workbench designs that eschew metal fasteners and instead rely only on the time-tested mortise-and-tenon joint that’s secured with a drawbored peg. The bench plan in the book is based on a European design that spread across the continent in the 1500s. It has only 12 joints, weighs more than 3

Genres: Woodwork, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Philosophy

323 pages, ebook

Published July 7, 2020

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now have the physical copy of this book in my hot little hands, I do appreciate high quality hardcover books. The PDF is available for FREE!!! Forever under a Creative Commons license. So if you are thinking of a new bench, pop over to the Lost Art Press site.

Schwarz has 20 some odd years of building workbenches and more than half of the book covers his past benches and what he considers success and failure. A useful synopsis, he's written several prior books on the subject, some which may appeal more to some than the bench in this book.

The last third of the book covers building a durable bench made from laminated 2x material from the lumberyard. The top is laminated from roughly 2x6 material I've made two thinner tops like this, one for me and one for a friend who accidentally dropped a V8 from 2 feet above my bench and nothing broke. He was impressed. This top will work.

He builds the base with classic mortise and tenon joinery that he simplifies with the lamination process. I've done a simpler version with lap joints bolts and lag screws so I can take it apart, however as Schwarz points out, in the over 30 years and several moves, I've never broke it down. All that somewhat expensive hardware is wasted. So when things get a bit more normal, I will build it using joinery and not hardware.

[Radoje · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to those who, like me, are unsatisfied with their ad-hoc workbench and are aiming to build a proper bench for themselves. A good blend of history and personal anecdote, you are brought to understand how workbenches in general "work" (they are merely tools after all), and Mr. Schwarz's distilled experience with a variety of types of benches.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been watching YouTube videos on making a workbench. I was afraid of doing something wrong and regretting it for a long time. I am sure Schwarz has helped me get over my fear of doing something wrong as he talked about the different forms the workbench has taken, the strengths and weaknesses of each, what he has tried, and what worked and did not work.

I loved the frank, no-nonsense way he talked about the classes he taught in making workbenches and the do-what-works-for-you attitude in the book. He did not give a hard and fast, this is what needs to be done, instruction. Instead, he went over the best ways he found to get a workbench from idea to workshop. I really like the descriptions of what everything is used for. I just wish I could get my hands on some yellow pine without driving a thousand miles and paying an arm and a leg for it in these COVID prices.

[Dave N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part history of the workbench, part autobiography, part philosophy, this book went above and beyond anything I expected. Schwarz writes with such a great sense of humor and humility. And although he makes the case for him knowing more than you about all this stuff over and over again through his erudite knowledge of workbenches and his countless builds, he never discounts other people's opinions when they differ from his and he never proselytizes about materials or design (or Anarchism, for that matter). All in all, this is just a delight of a book. Even if you never plan on making a workbench, or have no need of one to begin with, this book will make you want to start buying yellow pine and setting it aside to dry.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

For woodworking interested in the history of workbenches, the author's history of making and working with various benches and pros and cons of said benches and instructions on how to make the ultimate workbench this is the book to read. Very select audience but the author is humorous and makes what would a appear be a dry topic to most people very enjoyable to people with at least a passing interest in woodworking.

[Jonathan Baughman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid read. The author has a real knack for words, and it turned what could have been an incredibly dry subject into an interesting book.

I got this as a way to help me plan my workbench - it's a big item, and a poor bench can be frustrating to deal with. I've got a Harbor Freight special up on a 4x6 sled in my shop to increase the height, and between the bench itself racking and the unlevel floor, sometimes hand planing can make the bench wander several feet across the floor. It's less than ideal.

I'm planning to take some elements from the bench, but scaled down - my shop is quite small (at least the room that I plan to put my bench in), and I think the plans here are overbuilt. I might build a larger one and move it into the main room of my shop and put it on the type of casters that lift the whole bench, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Guess we'll see.

I did like the discussions on vices, I won't be giving up my tail vise, but I've been doing some hand work on the edge of boards and it is a pain without a face vise. Not sure if I'll do a twin screw vise or a leg vise, but the pros and cons of each have given me something to think about. Might do a leg vise with a Moxon twin screw, which would let me keep the bench lower than the one I have now which is too high for some tasks but perfect for handplaning. Anyway, that's rambly, and the takeaway from the book from anyone looking to build their own bench is that there's a lot of discussion about what works and what doesn't, and tradeoffs between different types of benches, that has given me a lot of food for thought.

I did want to touch on the philosophy as well - I'm not going to be leaving the corporate world because I value the consistency more, but there is a lot of community-oriented thought here that I appreciate.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd and final book in Schwarz' anarchist series was an enjoyable one,. highly recommended for anyone interested in woodworking or furniture making. He's offered the eBook for free (see the link to his publishing company's site below). It is a mix his personal journey to build designing workbenches, and plenty of practical guides for building one yourself. There's also a bit of workbench history and vernacular mixed in to give you a full picture of how we arrived here in 2020.

For a brief summary of the series as a hole, I'll just leave this quote from the final chapter: "These three books say what I think is important: Buy good tools, build a simple workbench and build everything in your home." Each of the 3 books focuses on one of these points

Here's a link to his blogpost about making the eBook free:
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2020/06...

Also, for anyone curious (or even bothered) by the author's use of the term "anarchism" here is brief explanation by the author...it's a 2 minute read that I highly recommend: https://blog.lostartpress.com/2016/01...

[Noah Langenwalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 14, I carved a wooden dowel into a lightsaber on a built-in garage workbench. A few years later, I turned a 2x4 into a scabbard for a sword using a Black&Decker Workmate. Apart from these brief and superficial experiments, I am not a woodworker. Before this book, I was not particularly interested in woodworking.

Now, I yearn for the simplicity and self-sufficiency of a life lived according to Shwarz's succinct advice: "Buy good tools, build a simple workbench and build everything in your home."

This book gave me an understanding of and an appreciation for woodworking that I didn't know I needed.

[Kevinch417 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Schwarz has a style of writing that I really enjoy. Like his first book in the series, the Anarchist’s Tool Chest, I could not put the book down until it was complete. It’s a niche topic for sure, but you’d be surprised how much there is to say about a good woodworking workbench. While I don’t intend to build this particular bench for quite some time, it hasn’t made the book any less enjoyable a read.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I must admit I was a little put off by the word Anarchist at first Christopher Swartz uses this word in his own way. His meaning is to make most of the things you need in your home and workshop. And, if you must buy something, buy it from the person who made it, or grew it.

This book had been on my bookshelf for a year or more before I pulled it down to read it. His use of drawings, photo images, and words are eloquently written. He is clearly an experienced writer and woodworker/craftsman.

I will be building this workbench to enhance my woodworking odyssey.

The books he publishes are also a work of art.

[Cyberbiker Deitrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of woodworking work benches over the past 400 years. This is followed up by a down to earth approach to a reasonably priced but very practical bench on which hand tool based furniture building can be done comfortably and efficiently.

[Matt Diller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schwarz is an absolutely wonderful writer, who just happens to use woodworking as his preferred subject. Excellent, clear, and well-written discussion of the history, design, and use of workbenches, coupled with a summary of his design and use of his own.

[Enzo Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surely already a seminal text. Do yourself a favor and just read it; it’s free as a PDF, so there’s no excuse! Build yourself a low Roman bench to get started and then use it to build yourself a Roubo or Moravian bench later.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear survey of all that one might consider when building a workbench for furniture making. It's the only book you need.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

well researched and presented by a guy who clearly knows his stuff. schwarz's writing is also engaging (and pretty funny).

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris does a masterful job of sprinkling humor within a meaty book of substance and useful knowledge. Easy to understand and read, this is a must for any serious hand tool woodworker.

[Richard Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun and educational. I read this as a free download but will buy his other books.

[Jasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great look at workbench styles and a good story about a woodworker

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, well reasoned, and full of practical information. If you're only going ro read one book on workbenches, this should be the one.

[Matt Pelto · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting to read the distillation of Christopher Schwarz's decades of workbench research and experimentation. His writing is very informative and easy to follow but best of all it is a lot of fun to read. He also presents his findings in a humble and diplomatic way, inviting the reader to evaluate his/her own situation and to diverge from Schwarz's own conclusions. I am looking forward to building a version of the bench advocated for in this book.

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this four stars. I liked some of his other work on wrkbenches better, as they were better illustrated and gave more time to other workbench forms.

Would have liked a more robust discussion of pre Roubo workbench styles here. Re read this on 1/22/23. Still really enjoyed it.

Strongly reccomended.

[ritik · Rating 3 out of 5]

appreciated that the author published the entire book pdf for free and the book reflects their philosophies of how things should be made to last which almost always isn’t the easy way to make things