Bertha was my final piece at Rycotewood after 5 years of study. It was based upon my dissertation that focused on social media within the furniture industry. I had identified that workshop projects were among the most popular content online. Plus, I really needed something solid to work on after leaving Rycotewood.

Thus, Bertha was born!

The workbench is made from Ash and features Walnut accents such as wedges, drawbores, and dovetailed end cap. These dovetails resist the forces of the wagon vice as it clamps a piece of wood and prevents the end cap from ripping off the bench.

Perhaps the most prominent parts of this workbench are the through tenons that attach the legs to the top. These were constructed using accurately machined timber and were built around one another, as opposed to inserting one into the other.

The hardware is made in the US from a company called Benchcrafted and works absolutely beautifully. The leg vice glides in and out effortlessly with the support of the ‘CrissCross' mounted below and has a deadly clamping force.

The video below shows an overview of the entire project. If you wish to see the exact steps in more detail, a nine part video series is available to watch on my YouTube channel.

If you want to see this build in more detail from start to finish, you can Watch Part 1 here.

If you want to build one of these benches yourself, you can buy the plans here.