The Paul Sellers Plywood Workbench | Episode 1 

I absolutely love when people think about workbench affordability. All too often do I see workbench plans that take not only 3 months full time to make, but will cost $500 for materials alone. Thanks for your balanced perspective!

Paul is the only person on earth capable of making me go back to facebook and other social networks. I log in only to share his videos in an attempt to try and make the world know about him. Thanks for the videos Paul!

Watching you is both mental therapy and skill building. I appreciate your soft spoken approach to woodworking. You sir are a joy to follow! Thanks for sharing.

Mr. Sellers, You are the Bob Ross of woodworking. I thoroughly enjoy your videos and instructions. Recently I have been gifted a dovetail saw that wasn't quite fit for my taste and with your videos, I have been able to sharpen the teeth and make a new handle that fits me perfectly. It is now my most favorite and one of my truly priceless tools I own. Please, don't stop being awesome! -CD

Thank you Paul. I don't think any wood worker exist in isolation. With your videos, I can be part of a larger community.

No matter how much woodworking one has done, somehow there's always something mire to learn and Paul Sellers is just the man to teach it. Clear and straight forward, always worth watching and listening too.

I don't have any intention of ever building anything that you demonstrate, I just love to watch a craftsman at work and to appreciate your skill and knowledge. Thank you.

Make no mistake my friends, this is a lifetime workbench for under 12 pence a week if you use it for 50 years using the best plywood. Episode 2 will be released on RU-vid Friday 8th March but you can watch it right now at woodworkingmasterclasses.com/videos/plywood-workbench/plywood-workbench-episode-2/

It's very reassuring to watch you have to chase the workmate across the workshop while planing, just like I do!

It is always a pleasure to see you and hear from you in any job you present. Thanks, you and your team.

Thank you so much for this Paul, I started your original workbench a few years ago and got the top planed and laminated, then we had to move and couldn't take it with us so I gave it to a friend. I like this much better for a starter project since it's cheaper, the wood is less knotty, and the wood comes with straight edges. I can't wait to make mine! God bless.

About 20 years ago I made a workbench of a very similar design as far as the legs, trestles, Etc . The top however was three horizontally stacked sheets of 3/4 inch MDF overlaid by hardboard. It has proven to be indestructible. I thought that I would eventually have to replace the hardboard but so far so good. I really enjoy your videos Mr. Sellers and have joined your woodworking master classes.

You are a woodworkers Bob Ross! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

You are such a calm and meticulous craftsman, and a great teacher. Thank you Paul.

Am so looking forward to seeing how well this project works. And looks like one I can build myself. Thank you again for sharing your talents.

This is BRILLIANT ... as usual Mr. Sellers comes up with a winning design and no doubt will go over very well here in the US! Thanks for getting some hand tools in there to show how well they work ... we do love some machines here in the states so maybe that will get people interested by example. Thanks for posting another winner design, these are my favorite videos to watch these days!!

Make no mistake my friends, this is a lifetime workbench for under 12 pence a week if you use it for 50 years using the best plywood.

Thank you for the wonderful start on this work bench. The top looks amazing with all of the plies in the plywood giving a nice textural look to the surface. Looking forward to the next part.

Not just plywood, but 12-16 layer baltic birch plywood.....my favorite albeit most expensive plywood available at my local lumber company. I would guess this workbench cost 2-4 times as much as the pine bench. Whichever way I go, I will enjoy the journey and be forever grateful for the instruction provided by Mr. Sellers.

Paul, you are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for your videos.

Thanks Paul. Excellent project and production, as usual.

I've literally just finished making a workbench with a different design. However, I'm really looking forward to seeing this take shape with a little envy!

Paul, you are a true artist sir. I am very much looking forward to seeing this progress.

Pulls out the old Black and Decker work mate ! I just had flashbacks to my childhood I love it !

I love to see how much you love woodworking! It‘s such a joy to watch! And also my sincere congratulations on you style of filming and cutting! Soon I will be able to build my own woodshop! Can‘t wait to also build my workbench! After this video I start thinking it might be out of plywood 🤓

Always a pleasure to watch and learn from Mr. Sellers.

Such joy and serenity this video brings to your heart :) Thank you! For now, I have built some "easy way out" benches with 2 layers of plywood on top but at some point in the future, I will try this! Seems like a great challenge and very exciting and satisfying project :D

This is the same way i designed my workbench only i used 2x4s. Used all-thread to clamp the table top. Just starting out so i dont have many tools, just used a chop box. I took advantage of the 2x4s all being the same dimensions so i didnt have to cut any mortise and tenons. cost less than $150 US. In the future if need be i can remove the table top and replace it with a harder wood or maby I will try out a hardwood ply top like the one you have here. Or maby i will get lucky and run across some nice oak from a tear down job i can have :). Thank you so much for the knowledge you share with the rest of us inspiring woodworkers Mr. Sellers! Have a great day!

Hi Paul, I'm currently watching this video as I'm looking to build my first workbench soon. I've just yesterday ordered chisels, bought a secondhand no 4 that I will restore, sharpening equipment and the lot. I'm truly inspired by your passion and skill. I absolutely love making my own stuff and DIY projects. I'm hoping to slowly develop my skills. I've never even attempted a dovetail, didn't have the equipment / set up. I'm just 30 so still have a while to go. I'll most likely be changing the design to fit the small space I have. Hand tools are the way to go for me I think. Power tools won't make my neighbours happy, so I'm not investing in routers and the lot. Even better, I enjoy the journey as much as the end result of stuff I make so I'm certain this will keep me busy for decades to come. Thank you for all you do.

Right. Not everyone has all the tools they need. Best learning is building the tools to build more tools. Very good presentation/production video.

Excellent video and process of merging the traditional and power woodworking methods on building a plywood workbench. Thank you for sharing. I love your building and safety process.

As always Paul beautiful work. You are a true craftsman and artist. Thank you for the great videos.

I have been looking forward to this video. Cheers from Holland

Such a soothing video! Thank you for doing videos in your own style! Appreciate them all

Paul, I love that you remind us of the value and joy of the process. Your videos unveiled what was once an obscure process for me So I recently refurbished my late uncle's hand plane and built my first table top last month. I couldn't believe the feelings of gratitude I had for what that process did for me - how engaging it was to work with (mostly) hand tools, the wonder of refining a technique out of energy conservation, and the feeling of truly valuing the beautiful object I'd made. As materialistic as we deem our present-day cultures, it's a rare kind of "materialism" to truly appreciate something you built with your hands. Thank you for always sharing your knowledge and living the wisdom you sprinkle throughout your videos. And great video production / editing! I'm a fan.

Great idea Paul. Thanks for sharing. I have been wanting to make a workbench and wanted to do one of yours. This one will probably be the one I do.

Thank you, Paul, for showing this method to make worktables. I used the same method to create a table for my radial arm saw, a DeWalt 790. It is very flat and stiff, two requisites for a RAS table. It does take some time to cut the strips, assure they align properly, and have no twist, but in the end it is worth it.

Well done sir, you seemed to have really thought out the build process beforehand. Looks like a great bench.

Thank you as always, for sharing your inspirational ideas.

I love the look of ply end grain polished up

I’ve got a small Record Power bandsaw, at home in the Netherlands very happy with it... use it for lots of things, the bandsaw is my most used electric tool.

The joy that runs through me when Paul posts a video!. But my own projects never look as good after watching him lol... enjoy the journey I guess 😉

The hardest part of this build in the US will be sourcing quality birch void free plywood - the usual stuff from the home center is not the best. Also, on a side note learning to mark the joints with a knife instead of a pencil has revolutionized my woodworking overall. I use a knife when I get the chance now and the joints have never turned out cleaner in my lifetime! Thank you and please keep up the good work - these projects are great.

Love these videos Paul thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Great video interested in seeing the rest of this project. Totally enjoyed it.

As always, a definite awesome idea and a precision in execution that pleases the eye with the artistic endeavour in the project. I love to watch this. I guess this is a new year presentation or should I say a 'new year present' for the viewers ! :)

A joy to watch, thanks Paul.

Sir I enjoyed your video! Your hosting , explanation, and manner is very enjoyable. Thanks for your efforts! You are a Gentleman!

I really like the idea of this top. Good job as usual Paul. I really enjoy your videos.

This is a great project, and really interesting to see your take on this project. I was surprised to see the bandsaw since you are a hand tool guy. I assume that it makes more sense for you because it allows cutting curves and shapes, and allows re sawing of rough lumber. I also suspected that thinner kerf would save waste. I will say that a bandsaw accurate and powerful enough for this project is a big investment, so for me, this is a great project for my track saw. The cuts with the track/plunge saw are super clean, and don't need planing afterward. You can lay the sheets on foam boards, either on the ground or a work table, this way the work is always supported, no shifting or balance points changing as you cut. Thanks again for another great series.

Your steering wheel is on the wrong side haha, I love your videos Paul

Perfect for my tiny workplace with some adjustment. Gut the plans, thx.

What a great tutorial! Thanks for sharing this.

This project is, as Mr Sellers promised, a careful blend of hand tool and power tool work, with the best techniques of hand tool work. Now I need to find a source of good plywood!

A true Bob Ross of woodworking

Cool idea, thanks for sharing! I used a similar philosophy to build a large loft bed for my son out of SPF 2x4s...gluing in mortis-tenon joints rather than cutting them. The key was planing all of the pieces to exacting thicknesses using a thickness planer and making accurate cuts with a slide saw (variance ~0.1mm). I had the idea after making a similar bed for my daughter using lap joints that I cut with a router, which turned out to be an enormous amount of work that I didn't wish to repeat (but I anyways liked the result). My son's bed is arguably much stronger, neater, easier to assemble (lots of gluing and clamping, and turned out even stronger (structural members are 3 pieces thick). Later I put together some table legs this way, to support a dining table with a very heavy Japanese elm top. So I've been planning a workbench using the same philosophy, and Paul's plan provides an excellent template (I just downloaded it). It is impossible to find quality plywood where I live (there is only rough construction grade available) so I'll do it with 2x4s again (although lumber prices have gone up considerably and stayed high for a while now).

Paul, I thank you! for many years of great hand tool teaching. But I think this is where we part ways. Since the channel changed it’s not my style . This bench, same as all the others, the bandsaw ... way cheaper to get a table saw , and lastly lol that helmet haha that’s overkill . You put more dust in the air using your hand saw! then the bandsaw with your dust extraction aka shop vac. Paul I love your old videos and I will watch them many more times . I wish you would have listened a bit more to your viewers and starting series about making furniture and how to chose what joint to use for the piece you are making . You have 4-5 different video series about making the same bench . Once again. I thank you for the amazing hand tool videos! And take care

This guy is just amazing.

In a way I used the "leave a gap so you don't have to cut a mortice" for my two by four workbench, I laminated the legs out of three boards with the middle board sticking out about two inches and cut corresponding slots in the top before glueing it all together, the "mortices" were slightly deeper than the "tennon" was tall so that the weight of the bench actually rested on the shoulders of the legs. other than the laminations I held everything together with 3/8" lag screws with washers and counterbores so I could take the bench apart when I move. I will admit, I made a bunch of mistakes, but I'm not too upset, I've learned from them, and the bench served me well, and still does in a way

Hello Friend Long Time No See Waoo Look At Your Work Shop New And Improvement The Last Time I Was Here You Were Teaching How To Cut Dove Tail By Hand.Congratulation To You Great Job Thank You And GOD Bless...

Paul superbe vidéo merci pour se partage

Watching someone rip 3/4 plywood with a handsaw, then giving a legitimate safety brief, while expressing that you should be doing this because it's fun and should make you proud......is truly humbling.

To be honest I thionk this is a wiser use of time and resources than building a pine or spruce solid wood workbench. This one will be harder wearing.

Finally ! Much awaited!

Thanks for this Paul :)

This was awesome. Thank you!

This is Innovation with a lot of creativity. Makes sense as our natural resources are being depleted. Plywood is made from trees which are sustainably grown.

An automatic assumption with most is that hardwood plywood with 15 plies as is the case with this bench costs more than just using solid hardwood like maple, ash or oak. Of course, you miss the point entirely if cost is considered before makeability. It's really the method that makes this doable in that you need no more machines and actually you can get away with just using hand tools you most likely already have at home. It is also a bench that bridges the gap for those who might want to go from all machine work to adopt hand tools as part of their woodworking strategy moving forward. So using hardwood ply is not more costly than solid wood. Here in the UK, at least four oak legs will cost you £200. Oak sufficient for a laminated top will cost you £125 and then you have two aprons at £90 each. Oak is probably our cheapest available hardwood. You still have rails and other parts to add in. This is double the price I paid for my birch plywood. As to the rest, yes you can use lower grades of plywood but longevity and density would be the issue long term.

I've never seen you work so fast on that glue up. :>) Thanks, Paul!!

A tip when drilling plywood: Any spelching-out (splitting around the exit hole) can easily and quickly be tidied-up by drilling a shallow countersink on the underside.

Fantastic!

New to your channel. I appreciate your skill and your clean workshop

Man this video makes me want a track saw even more than I already did

Bom trabalho amigo 👍

It's nice to see you using an Aldi drill and inexpensive screws like us mere mortals.

Waiting for the episode 2. 😀👍🏼

great video!

Awesome. I've watched the promo at least 10 times.

@0:23 beautiful British weather! 😂

looking for episode 2 mr paul 🤔👍 thanks for cheering .

The most surprising part of this is believing your local wood supply shop's panel saw can cut a straight line.

looking good

magnetic hold downs are all that is needed with all of those screws in the top.

What is it about Paul's approach and demeanor that draws me in? Is it as much to do with Paul as it is my own life and experiences?

Thanks!

This is such a great idea, Paul. I’ve really been looking forward to this.

Awesome.

interesting concept

HYPE TIME BOIS!

Very nice

Putting two strips of wood over the two horses and under the piece of plywood and moving them as you cut, makes the motion easier as the board doesn't pinch the blade as much or at all.

Great.

I am just amazed that your plywood is not full of voids everywhere. Most plywood I have access to is about 1/8 air pockets.

G';Day Paul,As usual,another fine film, My only Whinge is why a Band saw,,A Circ saw most of us have,Not hard to find a couple of clamps and a straight edge,But thats me,,, Thank you once again,always some thing new to learn,,

He's the bob ross of carpentry

Great bench project Paul. I would love to build one, trouble is the link you provide only gives a cutting list and materials for the original timber bench NOT the plywood version. Any chance we could all have access to the ply version please?

travail de rigolo!!!

Great project, Paul. I have some solid poplar 4x4's and some poplar core plywood that's been taking up space. Might just have to give this a go. Love all your videos, can't wait for part 2 of this one. Thanks for sharing.

Pretty impressive work. One more subscriber. Love your way of story telling. Cheers from an other record power using guy from germany. cheers Arne from #kreith32

Please don’t get me wrong, this is a great video made by a craftsman and the outcome is a marvelous WORK BENCH. But it’s just a WORK BENCH. This bench could be the STAR EXHIBIT in a classic Hollywood scene where the lawyer is reading the deceased’s will and every member of the family are frantic wondering WHO WILL INHERIT THE WORK BENCH. I made my bench from 2 sheets of 3/4” plywood I picked up at my local garbage collection station, I glued them together and then added screws. Then with a pile of carefully selected 2X4s I constructed a very solid base for the bench, total cost about $20. Now some people have commented that you need a very firm and solid top to stand up to HAMMERING. Have you ever tried to destroy 2x3/4” sheets of plywood glued and screwed together BY HAMMERING, WELL HAVE YOU. Good luck. So the question you must ask yourself is this, do you want a workbench that will act as suitable platform for VIRTUALLY ANY WOODWORKING PROJECT YOU CAN IMAGINE. OR, do you want to spend hours and hours of hard work producing a work of art that EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY WOULD FIGHT TO THE DEATH TO INHERIT. If my wife says to me “I would like a new dining room table that will make every one of our friends green with envy when they come to dinner”, I WILL BUILD THIS WORK BENCH FOR HER. BEST WISHES.