Coming soon: Workbench plans!
On every course and at every show we are asked about our workbenches. We’ve put a lot of thought and a lot of work into them over more than 10 years. Our most recent bench is at least the eighth iteration of a design that is always almost perfect! Just one more tweak…
So it’s time to stop procrastinating and publish the plans. We’re making these available in six different sizes: three in metric, three in imperial, all in the same set of plans. But they’re not just a straight conversion. We’ve designed the imperial and metric benches around the materials most commonly available in different regions and have worked out sensible sizes so that you don’t end up with something silly like a bench top that’s six feet six and forty seven sixty-fourths of an inch!
- 1m/3.5′ – ideal for chairmaking, small and easy to store but rock solid
- 1.5m/5′ – a good sized joinery bench but every piece is manageable when setting up or moving it around
- 2m/7′ – a bench big enough for any furniture project but with a top that’s still moveable by a normal human being
These benches have been designed with five principles in mind:
- Built from easily available materials with basic woodworking tools
- Only very basic joinery skills required
- Easy and quick to set up
- Every component must be light enough to move easily around your workspace
- Rock solid; the fact that it packs down quickly mustn’t make it flimsy in use
The plans will include complete cutting lists for all pieces, a suggested tool list and instructions. Eventually there will be YouTube videos but don’t hold your breath…
We’re setting up a shop page on our website: thequietworkshop.com and when that’s live we’ll send a very short newsletter round. Probably the end of June.
If you haven’t been on one of our courses yet but would like to see one in action then come along to…
Cambridge Open Studios
Every July, for the last 51 years, artists and craftspeople in and around Cambridge throw open their doors and invite you into their studios. It’s an incredible celebration of the creativity of the people in the area. 223 studios and 12 larger venues will be open over the four weekends of July. We’ll be taking part on the 1st, 2nd and 4th weekends: 5-6th, 12-13th & 26-27th.
We’re on page 62 of the guide. We’re listed as number 144 under my name: StJohn Starkie. The number has nothing to do with our workshop address which is 41 High Street, Great Wilbraham! We look forward to seeing you in July.
Shows this year
We had a lovely time at Living Crafts Fair at Hatfield House. If you haven’t been before we thoroughly recommend it; we’ll definitely be back next year. If you missed us there you can catch us at one of the following:
- 14-15th June Cambridge Town and Country Fair, Parker’s Piece, Cambridge
- 5th-6th, 12th-13th & 26-27th Cambridge Open Studios – right here in Great Wilbraham
- 9-10th August Cambridge Country Show, Stow Cum Quy
- 13-14th September The Wonder of Wood Fair, Burwash Manor, Cambridge
- 24-25th October London International Woodworking Festival, LDE UTC, Royal Docks, London
If you think there’s a craft show within an hour’s drive of Cambridge that we should attend please drop us a line. We’re always grateful for new opportunities.
Stools
The simple stool courses are our most popular. This two day course started with the little one rung milking stool but more and more people are asking to build them bigger. When you book this course on craftcourses.com it will default to the smallest stool. If you want to build a stool that works well under a dining table or as a bedside table choose the option to add timber for a 50cm stool. If you want it to work well at a kitchen counter select the option to add timber for a 70cm stool. These are nominal heights for the leg blanks. The seats are actually at about 46 and 64cm respectively and have been designed around long-standing conventions that suit the majority of people and living spaces. But you can always make them shorter!
Adding rungs means a bit more work rounding legs, drilling mortises and cutting tenons so it’s a slightly longer first day but you get a beautiful piece of furniture that fits your home.
As always, if you’re interested in coming on a course and you want to find out more please give us a ring (07778 397328) or drop us an email. You can book all of our courses through the links on our website. If our dates aren’t perfect for you or you want to book for a group give us a call; we can usually work something out.
Enjoy your time in the workshop.
StJohn & Bryony
