Rex Krueger
Published 10 Dec 2025Join the Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/g3rkmv
Take a course: https://www.rexkrueger.com/courses
Compass Rose Toolworks: https://www.compassrosetools.com/
Get my woodturning book: http://www.rexkrueger.com/book
Follow me on Instagram: @rexkrueger
December 12, 2025
If You Want to Start Woodworking — Build This First
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October 21, 2025
October 5, 2025
Chris Schwarz and the cheapskate workbench builder
Every week, Chris Schwarz republishes something from his back-catalogue of books and articles, generally on woodworking topics. This week, he posted the first half of an older blog post about the six personalities of workbench builders. I especially enjoyed the third segment:
Workbench Personality No. 3: The Cheapskate
My encounters with The Cheapskate could fill a book on workbenches. This is but one short story.
I receive a fax. On the paper is the message: Could you call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX please? I have an important question about workbenches.
Intrigued, I call. My first question: Hey, uh, why the fax?
The Cheapskate: We’re not allowed to make long-distance calls here at my place of employment. But they didn’t say anything about making long-distance faxes.
A cold stone grows in my stomach.
The Cheapskate gets down to business: I want to build a Roubo workbench, but I’m tight on fundage. We’ve got these pallets where I work, and I’m wondering if those will work? I don’t know what the species is – something weird – and the stock is thin and filled with nails and spiral screw things.
I am certified in counseling The Pallet People. So I know what to do.
Question: What sort of sizes can you get from the pallets?
The Cheapskate: About 1/2″ thick, 4″ wide and 48″ long.
Me: So, for an 8′-long bench, you will need almost 100 of those pieces just for the benchtop. You will need to de-nail them, flatten them and glue them together in stages that are staggered – probably about 18 to 20 stages – if I remember right from my Pallet People Intervention Manual.
The Cheapskate: Brilliant! Thanks so much! I’ll do it!
A few weeks pass; another fax arrives.
The Cheapskate: I’m working on the benchtop, and I have a technical question for you. How little glue do I need to use to stick these pieces together? I mean, I’m trying to recover all the squeeze-out, but I’ve laminated seven layers so far and used up a 16 oz. bottle of glue. That’s crazy. Can I get away with just gluing a little bit at the top and bottom of each board – leaving the middle dry?
Me: I explain that glue is the cheapest part of any project. (“Not this one!” he interjects. “So far I’ve spent money only on glue!”) Deep breath. OK, I say, if you use this strategy, once you flatten the benchtop a few times, the top will delaminate.
There is silence on the phone line. (I’ve won!)
Then he answers: What if I put a paste of rice and water in the middle instead of glue? I’ve heard that rice glue was used in Japanese cultures. We have a lot of rice.
I unplug the office fax machine.
The Cheapskate sends me an email: I need to make a face vise and a tail vise, but all I have on hand is all-thread rod from a neighbor’s fencing job – 32 tpi. Can you help?
I am seriously considering counseling for myself when a follow-up email arrives. It continues the discussion of the 32 tpi vises.
The Cheapskate: I’m thinking a quick-release mechanism is the way to go – 32 tpi is really slow. But it’s super precise! So here’s the thing. I have a friend with a SawStop. He set the thing off when ripping my benchtop for me (some of the glue wasn’t dry). The SawStop cartridge has these strong blue springs in it. He was going to THROW THEM AWAY! That got me thinking: I could use those as a quick-release trigger for my vise – holding a bit of metal against the all-thread. Have you ever seen plans for something like this?
Weeks pass, and I hope The Cheapskate has taken up Animal Husbandry, cheaping out on animal condoms or something. But then I get a phone call.
The Cheapskate: I see you’re teaching a workbench class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking.
Me: Yup.
The Cheapskate: I was wondering: Could you get a student to take videos of your lectures and send them to me? Not the building part. Just the part where you explain how to make the thing. I don’t really have the fundage to take a class.
Me: I’m afraid that’s not really fair to the students or the owner of the school. Sorry.
The Cheapskate: Hey, I totally understand. How about I just come to the class and watch through the window? Is that OK? I won’t build anything. I’ll just be there, like a fly on the wall to listen? That OK?
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July 8, 2025
Paul’s Drawer Tour | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 21 Feb 2025What’s the question? Why did Paul put the drawer in such a dumb place, or what does Paul use the drawer in his bench apron for?
Well, this drawer is pretty much my catchall for all of the small tools and bits of equipment that would definitely go astray in quick-time if I didn’t have it.
The hundred and more pieces and fifty types cannot be housed in any kind of order without my becoming obsessive and compelled. It gives me efficiency and economic ability minute by minute, and to say it’s opened a hundred times in a given day would not be an exaggeration.
Those odd moments of inconvenience when something in my vise stops its use are so well worth it. I love this drawer exactly where it is.
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April 1, 2025
Americans DON’T KNOW about this workbench
Rex Krueger
Published 27 Nov 2024The workbench western woodworking didn’t know it needed.
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February 15, 2025
Vintage Workbenches: Quick, Dirty, and Awesome
Rex Krueger
Published 13 Feb 2025
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January 31, 2024
Don’t RUIN your workbench with 2x4s (use these tips instead)
Rex Krueger
Published 8 Nov 2023
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October 19, 2023
Build a saw-bench: transform your woodwork
Rex Krueger
Published 18 Oct 2023Building TWO traditional sawbenches. Construction lumber. Simple build.
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June 16, 2023
This simple piece of steel is BETTER than a tail-vise. Installs in seconds
Rex Krueger
Published 15 Jun 2023The Compass Rose Ready-Set Planing Stop is fast, easy, and affordable.
Get Yours Today! https://www.compassrosetools.com/stor…
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January 31, 2023
Workshop Tour | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 23 Sept 2022Many of you would have seen Paul go from working in a castle to reducing his workspace and ending up working in a single-car garage. This workshop has evolved over the years and is constantly adapting to Paul’s way of working.
Come and look around the workshop as Paul shows you what his shop entails and how it all aids him with his hand tool woodworking.
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December 22, 2022
The Minimum Timber Bench // Start woodworking for less!
Rex Krueger
Published 21 Dec 2022The Minimum Timber Bench plans are 34 pages of full-color, step-by-step instructions in standard and metric measurements. The plans include a full stock list and cut list. Every image is modeled in 3D and each step includes tips and tricks to make your build easier. This bench is designed for beginning woodworkers and power-tool woodworkers who want to get into hand tools. You can build it completely by hand or with a few common machine tools. Get your plans here: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/mini…
The Minimum Timber Bench Course is eight chapters of detailed build instructions. Follow along as I do each step of the build using basic machine tools (and a few hand tools). I’ll take you from stock selection all the way through to flattening and using the bench. The course is 80 minutes long, fully searchable, and includes the complete plans for FREE! Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/43yfhjwb
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November 10, 2022
Installing a “basic” vise is pretty difficult
Rex Krueger
Published 9 Nov 2022A bench needs a vise. Is this the one for you?
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April 28, 2022
Work ANYWHERE with New Tools and Smart Techniques
Rex Krueger
Published 27 Apr 2022No shop is no problem with just a couple tools & a little ingenuity.
Patrons get all plans for FREE: http://www.patreon.com/rexkrueger
Build the Lightweight Traveler’s Bench & Japanese Sawhorses (Links Below)
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February 17, 2022
Pick the RIGHT vise for woodworking
Rex Krueger
Published 16 Feb 2022Learn how to choose the best vise for your bench! Face vise, tail-vise, or leg vise?
More video and exclusive content: http://www.patreon.com/rexkrueger
Build my Portable Workbench: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/quic…
Take my bench-building course: https://rexkrueger.retrieve.com/g/0G5…
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December 16, 2021
The Portable, Affordable, Quick-Stack Workbench
Rex Krueger
Published 15 Dec 2021Build a bench that breaks down, goes with you & sets back up fast!
Get the plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/quic…
Take the course: https://rexkrueger.retrieve.com/g/0G5…
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