Musings

Workbench Wednesday – Shannon’s Bench

This is the rare occasion where Workbench Wednesday features someone else’s workbench.

In my years of serious woodworking I have seen three fundamentally new workbench forms come on to the scene.

First is the torsion box which, to my knowledge, was popularized by Ian Kirby.  I have employed that technology in my first and still favorite workbench, and in another larger bench built for my friend Tom, and is the basis for my ultimate portable benches, now entering their fourth generation.  The torsion box is an elegant high-performance idea, and I am glad I know of it.  It has certainly served me well.

Second is the workbench/modular working system by trim carpenter Ron Paulk, whose mobile workshop is a wonder of ingenuity.

But the focus of this post is the idea I find the most exquisite and innovative of all, Shannon Rogers’ “apartment” or “joinery” workbench.  I saw an early prototype in 2009(?) and was immediately captivated by the concept.  The final version is downright seductive in its genius and capability.  Ever since seeing it in its final glory at a regional SAPFM meeting in 2011, making it has been on my “to do” list.

I’m not sure exactly when I will get to making one, but you can be assured that the day is coming in the not-too-distant future.

Thank you, Shannon, for unfurling your creative power and unleashing this brilliant design on the rest of the world.  I simply cannot think of a better solution to full-spectrum woodworking in such a small footprint.  The video is an excellent tutorial of the set-up’s capabilities.