British Made Workbenches

[wizer]

I just come across this, I'm not sure if it's new or I've just had my head up my ar$e. Traditional workbenches made in the UK

http://www.rm-workbenches.co.uk

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like you'd better buy one Wizer!

Dave

 

[wizer]

I already have!

Just kidding, my workbench is better than all of them

 

[Philly]

Tom
Yes, Richards benches are a fairly new venture - he'll be at the European Woodworking show so you can see them in the flesh (wood).
Philly

 

[Blister]

I got all excited till I saw the price :shock:

mind you , I will make one on my VB :wink:

I was told they can handle BIG projects :lol:

 

[woodbloke]

I got all excited till I saw the price :shock:

Perzactly...with a bit of basic equipment (mainly a tablesaur and p/t) it's relatively easy to run up a decent bench...there have been plenty made on the forum. In my view, the hefty price tag is nice if he can get away with it and some poor (read 'rich') b*gger can afford to pay for one - Rob

 

[head clansman]

Hi

Don't know if i like them or not , PHEW certainly don't like the prices .hc

 

[Night Train]

It doesn't do it for me, I like the bench I have as it has become more then a bench*.

The price is steep but if you added up the hours making your own benches at a reasonable rate and some materials and overheads and company profit it would't be much different and probably lots more for the really nice benches with lots of dovetail drawers.

I guess that is one reason why we make our own.

*I must make a better one sometime though.

 

[OPJ]

Richard's also a member here - I'm sure he'll be along to reply over the coming days. :wink: Having spoken to him about this in recent weeks, I know he's already got several orders on the go with plenty of interest from overseas woodworkers, too.

I agree that, for most of us (doing this part-time or as a hobby), building our own 'bench is the better option. What about the professionals with little spare time on their hands? This would suit them, certainly.

 

[wizer]

If money were no object, I'd buy one. I'm not into making pretty things for the workshop, but that doesn't mean I don't want them

 

[Argus]

.

If you are a woodworker - you should be able to make your own bench.

At the prices shown, it shouldn't be an option.

.

 

[matt]

PM sent.... :wink:

 

[Mr Maguire]

Hi all,

Yes, the benches are a fairly new venture for me.

I'm a bit of a neandethal when it comes to woodworking and I am also a very humble person. I make furniture entirely by hand from start to finish and this gives me my primary source of income, these benches are a side line driven by my passion for traditional woodworking.

As you can see the range of benches that I've created on my website are based very much on historic designs and offer something rather different from from what is currently available for sale. I see that the prices have caused a bit of a stir.... :? Clearly these are not cheap benches but the prices reflect on the huge amount of hardwood that goes in to each one as well as the quality hardware, so I've certainly not set out to rip off any unsuspecting woodworkers! (14 hour work days and back pain that compares to a chisel lodged in my spine... surely there's an easily way to earn money).

I realise that a large majority of woodworkers make their own benches and I do actually agree that it is the best option but it isn't always practical. It takes an awful long time to build benches of this size. I work with very large timber sections as I have chosen to offer benches built to craftsman quality; perhaps it isn't until you see them in the flesh that the size is fully appreciated. With my small set up I can also build benches to any personal requirements on size/ vice layout and there is the added reassurance that they will last for generations.

Anyway, as Philly said I will be taking a couple of benches down to the European Woodworking show in September, so perhaps I can look forward to meeting a few of you there?

I hope that this clears things up.

All the best,
Richard.

 

[TheTiddles]

Well, if you're making them all by hand I'm not suprised they cost a lot, the work involved in squaring up all that material must be horrific, maybe get a machine or two? The design isn't my liking at all but they are certainly fit for purpose

Aidan

 

[JonnyD]

Hi all,

Yes, the benches are a fairly new venture for me.

I'm a bit of a neandethal when it comes to woodworking and I am also a very humble person. I make furniture entirely by hand from start to finish and this gives me my primary source of income, these benches are a side line driven by my passion for traditional woodworking.

As you can see the range of benches that I've created on my website are based very much on historic designs and offer something rather different from from what is currently available for sale. I see that the prices have caused a bit of a stir.... :? Clearly these are not cheap benches but the prices reflect on the huge amount of hardwood that goes in to each one as well as the quality hardware, so I've certainly not set out to rip off any unsuspecting woodworkers! (14 hour work days and back pain that compares to a chisel lodged in my spine... surely there's an easily way to earn money).

I realise that a large majority of woodworkers make their own benches and I do actually agree that it is the best option but it isn't always practical. It takes an awful long time to build benches of this size. I work with very large timber sections as I have chosen to offer benches built to craftsman quality; perhaps it isn't until you see them in the flesh that the size is fully appreciated. With my small set up I can also build benches to any personal requirements on size/ vice layout and there is the added reassurance that they will last for generations.

Anyway, as Philly said I will be taking a couple of benches down to the European Woodworking show in September, so perhaps I can look forward to meeting a few of you there?

I hope that this clears things up.

All the best,
Richard.

If you want a few members to test drive the benches for you I am hosting a bash on 22 August at my workshop near Boston and you would be more than welcome to bring one along.

Jon

 

[woodbloke]

.

If you are a woodworker - you should be able to make your own bench.

At the prices shown, it shouldn't be an option.

.

Agreed, the one in the pic is made from 75mm beech all round and is about 7' long, removable tool well, complete with an 'L' traditional end vice. Total cost of the timber some 10 years ago was about £220 rough sawn and it was made using normal workshop kit. All the timber was planed using my current K439 p/t so there isn't really a need to spend this sort of cash on a bench built by someone else:

If you've got the basic kit, you can, and should IMO make your own bench - Rob

 

[Mr Maguire]

Rob, I can see that you feel very strongly about the argument of people building their own bench over buying. This certainly seems to be a controversial subject between woodworkers that gets touched on from time to time with many agreeing that to build your own bench is a right of passage. There was a time of course when us woodworkers would be making many of our tools ourselves as well but we live in the modern world and are very lucky to have a huge range of products available to us that meet all needs and budgets.

As this can be a very passionate craft I notice that the majority of us give constructive criticism with both positive and negative comments to help and support others. There is also a minority like with everything that do jump to any old conclusion without thinking it through which can cause unnecessary upset.
This is a new business built with passion that represents products hand made in England so it seems a shame to me if I can't gain your support. I have a very interesting list of clients to whom I am truly grateful and have always received 100% positive comments. In fact it is always a pleasure to make the deliveries and see their response to my work.

I certainly don't wish to upset anyone with this post but I'm sure you will all appreciate I have a true love for what I do and I will stand by my craft. I can also assure you all that there isn't money to be earned by this, all I achieve by these long hard hours of graft is fulfilment and a greater understanding of my work.

On a more constructive note, I do a lot of research in to the history of our craft and have become somewhat fascinated in the way people used to work wood; the methods they used and ways they adapted their tools etc. This extends beyond benches although these were of course a major tool for our historic counterparts. I'm hoping to set up a blog anytime soon that aims to explore the heritage of our craft... nothing too serious but surely of great interest to many woodworkers today. I'll keep you updated once I go ahead with this and would really appreciate if anyone has any pointers or knowledge that they would like to share with me.

All the best,
Richard.

 

[Anonymous]

Richard,

I wouldn't get into the debate over how much you charge. This forum questions the cost of everything no matter how cheap or expensive. In fact you can't even put something up for sale on the forum without somebody telling you it's worth less.

Your benches look fantastic. Out of my price range but it's good to see quality work rather than some of the rubbish being sold by the big companies.

Look forward to seeing one sooner or later,

Dave

 

[Karl]

Richard,

I wouldn't get into the debate over how much you charge. This forum questions the cost of everything no matter how cheap or expensive. In fact you can't even put something up for sale on the forum without somebody telling you it's worth less.

Your benches look fantastic. Out of my price range but it's good to see quality work rather than some of the rubbish being sold by the big companies.

Look forward to seeing one sooner or later,

Dave

I agree. Beautiful benches. I make my own, but i'm pretty sure that there are plenty of folk out there who would be willing to pay for one.

If making your own was compulsory, Philly would be out of business.

Cheers

Karl

 

[big soft moose]

.

If you are a woodworker - you should be able to make your own bench.

At the prices shown, it shouldn't be an option.

.

at the end of the day its worth what people are willing to pay for it - and compared to sorjberg (which arent individually handmade) these arent that much more.

also when you think of what handmade furniture for the home costs - or what the pros among us charge their clients, or for that matter what we are prepared to pay for well made tools , why should a handcrafted bench cost less - richards prices are certainly high, but they are probably good value none the less - if the bench lasts ten years, then that under £20 per month or less than £1 per day which strikes me as exellent value for money

I also dont buy the _ make your own bench or die _argument, what about the woodworker who is starting out - if he or she can afford it getting one of these would be a lot better foundation than bodging something up, likewise those who have limited shop time might prefer to spent it on projects for the home or for sale rather than on a workbench.

Bottom line I wont be ordering one , simply because i cant afford it, but if I could I probably would - IMO richard should be congratulated for having the courage to start a buisness doing this, particularly in the current economic climate not criticised because his goods are higher priced than some of us can afford