Mortise and Tenon Workbench – A Joinery Masterclass

Article 69: Mortise and Tenon Workbench – A Joinery Masterclass

By: A Woodworker Who Believes the Bench Is the Tool

Every serious woodworker deserves a solid bench. This project teaches classic mortise and tenon joinery while producing a heavy-duty, dead-flat work surface.

Materials

• Hard maple or ash: 2×4 and 4×4 stock

• 3/4" plywood for tool shelf

• Bench vise (optional)

• Wood glue

• Dowels or drawbore pins (optional)

Cut List

• Legs: (4) @ 32" (4×4)

• Long stretchers: (2) @ 60" (2×4)

• Short stretchers: (2) @ 20" (2×4)

• Top: laminated maple 60" x 24" x 3"

• Lower shelf: 3/4" plywood 20" x 54"

Tools Needed

• Mortising chisel and mallet

• Tenon saw or bandsaw

• Clamps

• Glue brush

• Hand plane

Steps

1. Layout Joinery

   • Mark mortises on legs and matching tenons on stretchers. Use sharp marking knife.

2. Cut Mortises

   • Chisel cleanly to depth (~1 1/2"). Use drill to hog out waste first.

3. Cut Tenons

   • Saw shoulders carefully. Test-fit and refine with rasp.

4. Assemble Base

   • Glue and clamp stretchers into mortises. Optional: drawbore for locking strength.

5. Attach Top

   • Laminate top separately. Secure from beneath with lag screws or cleats.

Sketch – End View

  ________________________
 |         Bench Top       |
 |________________________|
     ||           ||
     ||           ||   ← Legs (mortised)
   __||___________||__ ← Lower Stretchers and Shelf