10 Easy Pieces: Wooden Workbenches

A vise is nice for all kinds of jobs in the garden, and that is just one of the many reasons we covet a wooden carpenter’s bench. Wooden shop benches have luxuriously large worktops and a sturdiness that makes them fell like permanent fixtures in your life (and in your garden shed).

Here are 10 of our favorite wooden workbenches with smart features—drawers, dowels, and, yes, vises—for gardeners to covet:

Above: Our inspiration. See Outbuilding of the Week: A Garden Workshop by Rodic Davidson Architects.

Above: At 60 inches long, a Hardwood Workbench with four felt-lined drawers and a shelf is a one-stop potting station. It is made of hardwood and has wooden dowels that could hold rolls of twine. It is $159.99 from Harbor Freight.

Above: A 19th-century Swedish Shop Bench is a one-of-a-kind antique. It measures 82.5 inches long and has a light wash of white paint over natural wood; $2,745 at 1stdibs.

Above: An Elite 2500 Workbench is 93.75 inches long and 25 5/8 inches deep; $2,215 from Woodcraft.

Above: Made of European beech by a Czech bench making firm, a Model N Large Bench ($690) can be customized with an optional Large Storage Cabinet ($139); available from Garrett Wade.

Above: A hardwood Work Bench measures 48 inches long and has two clamping vises and a second shelf for storage. It is $150 from Bon-Aire via Amazon.

Above: From Sweden-based Sjõbergs, a Nordic Plus 1450 Workbench has a beech top and measures 52.75 inches long. It is $550 from Woodcraft.

Above: A Workbench with a solid beech top has a second storage shelf and is 60 inches long; $629 from Home Depot.

Above: A simple wooden folding table can double as a workbench. An unfinished Wooden Folding Table is available in several sizes at prices starting at £101.20 ($146 USD) from UK Educational Furniture.