The Milkman’s Workbench

Giacomo Malaspina makes a portable workbench that is ideal for working in small spaces

Wooden workbench vice for woodworking projects
Table of Contents
Stack of wooden beams on workshop table.
1. The components of the bench, with the exception of the wagon vice, consist of eight pieces: two long crosspieces, three short ones, a buffer board and two thinner strips to be used to close the row of dogs
Woodworking bench vise screw assembly
2. The head crosspiece houses the mechanism that pushes the wagon vice. To have more travel it is better to sink the cylindrical part of the bushing inside the wood. You will need to purchase the screw in advance to size the recess and crosspiece. The screw used in this project is produced by STUBAI (code 331001)

While many have the space needed for large-scale woodworking, many others must make do with cramped spaces often found in domestic environments. The portable workbench featured here is not just a substitute, but a truly functional object. The product I was inspired by is known as ‘the milkman’s workbench’ and was used in times gone by professional carpenters, who were hired to make repairs on-site in the homes of their rich clients. The bench allows you to perform all the typical carpentry operations. It is equipped with two types of vice and a row of dogs for clamping larger pieces. The only difference between the original design and mine is that the dogs are slightly bigger. The main feature of this workbench is that it does not have legs, as it is fixed to pre-existing tables and worktops. This makes it very convenient to put away when the kitchen table needs to return to its main use.

The construction

The portable workbench is made of two-light frames. One of the two openings is a type of wagon vice. The other is partially closed by a massive insert to leave a long and narrow slot across which two or three wooden screws operate. Its construction is simple but requires extreme precision, both in the preparation of the individual components and in their assembly.

PlanDownload
Chisel carving wooden mortise joint with precision.
3. To make a recess for the bushing, drill a hole big enough to accommodate it; a recess is also needed to sink the fixing plate. To streamline the work, you can make several cuts with a saw, and the waste can be removed with a few cuts with a chisel
Woodworking machine cutting wooden planks precisely.
4. The central crosspiece works in opposition to the wagon vice and contributes to maintaining the squareness of the entire structure. Its attachment must be reinforced by means of a tie rod. The passage for the latter is made by preparing two parts equipped with a semi-recess of the appropriate size
Close-up of jointed wooden beam with hollow centre.

The joints for assembly

In total, the construction of the bench requires six classic mortise and tenon joints. Those for the perimeter structure are open and those for the insertion of the central crosspiece are blind. The former are reinforced by inserting 20mm through pins and the latter by means of the metal tie rod. To obtain three identical short crosspieces and to ensure the long pieces are parallel, start with three pieces of the same length (ie the total width of the bench). At the time of assembly, the tenons of the central crosspiece will be shortened.

Person sawing wood in carpentry workshop
5. The beech chosen for this project is an excellent wood for practising traditional techniques. The best results are obtained with a western-style saw for cuts along the grain and a Japanese saw for cuts across the grain. This is the way to make old- fashioned joints …
Cutting wood with a handsaw on a workbench.
Using a table saw to cut wood precisely.
6 … but for quick joints use the bandsaw, which is not affected by the grain pattern
Chisel cutting through wood block on workbench.
7. The best tool for levelling and finishing is the chisel
Workbench with woodworking tools and timber frame.
8. At the first assembly, once the outside structure is completed, you can start defining the two spaces of the frame. One is reserved for the sliding vice and the other, longer one, will be partially closed by the infill and the row of dogs

Continuous monitoring

Using combination square on wooden corner joint
9. The frame houses a sliding part internally. To avoid errors, it is advisable to check the squareness of the structure from the beginning. This check must be carried out at each stage, with the clamps applied so as to have the correct shape

Making the mortises

Carpenter measuring wooden frames with precision tools.
10. Once the dimensions of the two parts of the frame have been established (the screw must be mounted to calculate the length of travel), mark the mortise used to fix the central crosspiece
Hand adjusting woodworking marking gauge on wood
11. You can use the gauge with the measurements set for cutting the tenon to centre it perfectly
Chisel carving a joint in wooden beam
12. Once the shallow mortises have been marked, they can be cut. Their only purpose is to ensure the exact positioning of the crosspiece until the internal tie rod holds it tight. In order not to weaken the long crosspieces, the recesses must be shallow (15mm is more than enough)
Person sawing wooden mortise joint on workbench.
13. The tenons of the central crosspiece must then be shortened to size
Carpenter hammering nail in wooden block
14. To record the position of the tie rod, mount the crosspiece, lower the tie rod from above and hit it lightly with a hammer. The mark left on the bottom of the mortise indicates the point to drill a 14mm through hole; the 2mm in addition to the diameter of the bar compensates for any misalignments

Double drilling without a pillar drill

Person drilling hole in wood plank with drill.
15. On the outside of the long crosspieces, you need to make the recesses for the nuts and washers that keep the tie rod in tension. The fastest method is to drill a nearly through hole starting from the inside. Stop drilling when the centring point of the drill breaks the surface on the outer face of the piece being drilled. That is the point on which to centre a Forstner bit. The uncut wood around the hole provides just enough support for the bit
Wood router cutting grooves in wooden frame.
16. The infill board occupies most of the largest space of the structure. After being cut to size, it must be cut, with the help of a slot cutter, together with the internal side of the frame to obtain three 8mm grooves. These house the same number of poplar plywood strips, which will act as aligners during assembly
Woodwork dovetail joints on workbench in workshop.
17. The row of dogs must be applied on the side of the infill not disturbed by the routing. These are blocks arranged at regular intervals with the use of 20mm-wide spacers. The blocks are cut at an angle of 88° so they are slightly inclined towards the vice
Woodworking glue applied by craftsman on table.
18. While the gluing dries on the row of dogs, the strip that will close the remaining side is prepared. It should be covered in leather, leaving the suede part visible. It will provide the right friction when locking the pieces. The same covering is done on the side of the central crosspiece facing the sliding vice
Wood clamps securing boards in workshop.
19. The sliding vice jaw is made by joining three layers with grain in different directions. Given the considerable final thickness of the piece, it is best to prepare the pieces separately, then bring them to the exact width of the inside of the frame
Carpenter planing wood in workshop
20. After making sure that each individual layer fits perfectly into its place, you can start gluing. For convenience and greater precision, the pieces can be temporarily inserted inside the frame and fixed permanently in that position with clamps
Woodworking tools and materials on a workshop table.
21. Make the guides using a slot cutter. Two pairs of identical grooves are cut on the sides of the jaw and inside the long crosspieces. The guides are then applied to the latter. These are two 20mm-thick beech strips that will act as a track for the opening and closing movement. In the other compartment, you can see the poplar plywood strips that are used to align the infill axis, already glued to the frame
Woodworker using clamps for carpentry project.
Carpenter using ratchet wrench on wooden frame.
22. The final assembly starts from the inside. After having fixed the central crosspiece well, the infill board is added. The vice and the two short crosspieces are then inserted. The closing strip of the row of dogs is positioned last
Woodworking assembly with clamps in workshop.
Woodworking bench with metal tool and fixtures.
23. There are two types of dogs on the bench. The push dogs, associated with the sliding vice, can be made with a brass rod
Wooden workbench stopper close-up view
24. The stop dogs, made of wood, are locked in position thanks to a spring ball system originally used for closing doors
Wooden screw clamps on a workbench
25. The clamping pads of the lateral vice are made by starting from a wooden screw with a diameter of no less than 25mm. The initial and final parts must be dethreaded so that they can be inserted into the knob and the plate. The latter is used to distribute the pressure over a larger surface and avoids dents on the piece to be clamped. An O-ring holds the plate in place and allows it to be removed to be able to move the pad from one hole to another

Threads with the router

The front of the milkman’s workbench allows you to fix medium-long and thin pieces (for example the side of a drawer) by positioning screw clamps. Two are supplied that can be placed in three different positions. I wanted to make the clamps from wood (walnut to be precise). I used a kit produced by Beall (bealltool.com), which uses a router to create the taps. Similar hand tools are available from numerous online retailers.

Woodwork planer with wooden block and shavings
26. The Beall Wood Threader consists of a guide to be attached to the router, which is fitted with a tapered cutter that grooves out the wood

Threads with the router…

Wood threading tool in black base

… And hand threading

Carpenter using wooden threading tool on bench.
27. This manual threading set allows you to cut threads out of solid wood thanks to a small V-gouge inserted inside the die
Person using a dowel-making tool on workbench.
28. Both threading systems share the method for cutting the female thread. A tap with three cutting edges is inserted into a specific sized hole and progressively cuts the grooves for the thread
Red-handled clamp on wooden table edge
29. The system I chose to fix the bench at any level involves the use of two low-cost clamps without a fixed jaw. They are positioned on the end (in line with the dogs) and on the fixed side of the bench. The end of the clamp’s bar is drilled for fixing, using small bolts, to two bushings inserted in the crosspieces. The bushings are expansion plugs for concrete stopped with a grub screw


The bench allows you to perform all the typical carpentry operations. It is equipped with two types of vice and a row of dogs for clamping larger pieces. The only difference between the original design and mine is that the dogs are slightly bigger.

Chair frame assembly hardware and clamp tool.
Woodwork tools and bench with shavings.
30. The milkman’s bench is a versatile tool. Its mass is such that it resists planing and does not reverberate when using a mallet and chisel. The vice’s clamp pads are lined internally with leather and hold workpieces in place with great stability. Longer pieces can be worked by holding them between the dogs or with the two clamp pads on the front. For end work, the pieces can be arranged vertically in the sliding vice
Carpenter shaping wood with hand plane tool.
Carpenter using a plane on woodwork bench
Person sawing wood on workbench.
31. If space is a problem, then this mobile workshop bench can be the perfect solution. It can be combined with benches, sturdy trestles, shelves and surfaces in general. At home, in the garage, cellar and attic it will always be possible to rely on it for good support for cutting and planing work on small and medium- sized workpieces
Person using coping saw on wood bench
Wooden vise clamp tool for woodworking projects

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