# Workbench Tool Well? Yes or no and why.



## planepassion

Hi Guys and Gals,

I've been toying with idea of adding a tool well to my workbench. Something like this:










*My goals:*

1. To keep tools from rolling off the back of the bench to fall to the concrete floor below.

2. To keep tools handy in the middle of a build.

3. To keep tools out of the way while I maneuver wood across the bench top during a build.

*Here's my questions:*
In your experience what are the *pros* *and cons* of having a tool well?

What dimensions would you suggest for a tool well?

What features would you add for a tool well?


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## Biff

I also struggled with that idea when building my bench and decided against it. It was the same reasoning that there are hardly any shelves or counter space in my workshop: If you have a flat surface, you will stack stuff on it instead of putting it away.

I reasoned that if I had a tool well it would quickly be filled with tools, cut offs, glue rags, etc until it was full. By deleting the well I am forced to clean up and put away as I go along, that way I have an uncluttered workspace.

Just my opinion since I work with a little OCD when it comes to clutter!


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## TorqNut

I am a organizational nut - everything in its place and a place for everything. I built my workbench out of a 2-inch, solid-core door; I wanted a large flat work surface. I have never wanted a tool well because of the way in which I organized my working are/shop.


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## donwilwol

When I built my workbench I made a conscience decision to not add a tool well. Here was my reasoning.

-I left a spot above the drawers so I could slide the tools under my benchtop.
*The well would constantly fill up with dust, dirt and shavings, thus hiding any small tools, bits, blades and the like that wound up in there.
-I figured if I built anything with legs (and I often do), one set of legs would always be falling in the well.
-I didn't want to loose that much benchtop.
-I would rather have a rolling cart or tool chest (not the Swartz style, more like a mechanic's box) that I could roll around my bench to set tools on, but I have another bench behind mine that I often set tools on while working with them.

As unorganized and haphazard as I am, I'm pretty good at not pushing my tools off the other side. If it was a problem for me, I'd rather make a sideboard that could be raised and/or lowered. To form something like this style benchtop. The other option, put it against a wall.


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## Cosmicsniper

I will design a tool well into my bench, not just for the utility of it, but also to save on cost. It's a good way to get more working area. A prime example would be if you wanted a 30" deep bench…by adding a tool tray you can build a double layer mdf or plywood bench using only 1 sheet of it.


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## alba

I go with the tool well.

Yes it collects a pile of …... but makes it easy to

clear a flat piece without putting all the tools you

are using. But I'm a slob 

Jamie


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## NiteWalker

No tool well for me.
It will get filled with dust and chips, along with tools. Especially small ones that are easily vacuumed up when you decide it's time to clean the well out.


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## renners

I regret incorporating a well into my workbench. It's a magnet for shavings, chips and other workshop detritus. I don't need the storage space either as the cabinet beneath has a 5" gap between it and the bench top - the gap gives 3 times the capacity of the well, but doesn't fill up with junk.


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## TeamTurpin

I have one. It's unusable work space and a junk collector. I'd rather have work surface.


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## rockindavan

I chose against it on my bench for the reasons others had stated. If you decide to go with it, make it easy to clean the chips out. The incline end it ok, but a open end is better if it is possible.


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## css

I had one in a table saw leaf, collected a lot of dust so, I replaced the bottom with Chicken wire fence. This helped a lot with dust.


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## BentheViking

really glad to come across this topic. I will be building my bench this winter and had never heard of a tool well. At this point I think I would forgoe it based off of others negative reviews, but its a good option to think of as I continue to design in my head.


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## paratrooper34

I do not have one on my bench; never wanted it and will never want one. For a hand tool user, that tool well is not only a magnet for shavings, dust, etc, it is a place where tool edges are going to get ruined from banging into each other and tools getting dinged up. I also use all four sides of my bench for clamping and such. The tool well is detrimental to that.

I have a home for all of my tools. Some of them are sharp and I do not want them to get dull by any other way then usage. Some of them are expensive (or they are restored) and I do not want them banging into other tools. They take their share of nicks and dings from normal use, no sense in damaging them further. I work at the task at hand and then put the tools away. I spent most of the day working in my shop this day (see my blog - shameless plug!). During that time, I think I pulled out and put away my miter box and saw like three or four times. I was finished with it for the time and I put it away. I used a few planes and every time I finished with them, I put them away. I am really glad they are not hanging out in a tool well.


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## Loren

The tool tray bottom has a structural roll in a skirted bench
with end caps, like my bench.

http://lumberjocks.com/Loren/blog/27597

I've got used to the tool tray. A drawer under the bench
to sweep clutter into would serve a similar purpose. If
all you do on your bench is work with wood and set
woodworking tools, you won't have screws, fasteners, 
switches, capacitor covers, fret wire and stuff like that
cluttering up your bench…. but I usually do and the tool
tray gives that clutter a place to go until I get around
to sorting and putting it away.


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## Mosquito

I am currently building a workbench, and I am incorporating a tool well because the way I have mine designed is with splayed back legs, and a narrower (10.5" wide) bench top. I am also planning on making it so I can put a cover piece over the tool well that sits flush with the top of the bench, so I can have a larger flat surface when I need it.


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## rustynails

I would not build in a tool well but instead make one that slides/attaches under the top. So if you need one you just slip it in and if you don't need it don't attaché it? 
Make the well the same thickness as the top then just attach two long pieces of wood in the middle of the well sticking out the side , then make two pockets /brackets that would accept the long pieces of wood. Slip the well off or on as needed. That way you can clamp any were on the bench.

Good luck


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## KayBee

When I finally get started on mine, I'm adding the trays that turn over. Sort of the best of both worlds thing. Something else to consider.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/49532
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/45812


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## davidmicraig

I have a simple bench and I pretty much turned my back on attaching any storage options to it. I wanted to avoid drawers, wells, trays, etc. The reason is that I wanted to utilize as much clamping, assembly, working, etc. space as I could. Everyone's needs are different. My space is limited and open storage areas like this eventually turn into headaches because it ends up becoming a resevoir for all the tools, hardware, fasteners, etc. that I do not already have a pre-assigned location for. Eventually, that chaos overtakes the bench and then requires me to clean off my bench before I can use it.


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## longgone

I do not have a tool well but I am considering building several slide out trays/drawers that would utilize a strong *wire mesh* bottom as opposed to a solid bottom so chips and sawdust could fall through.


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## mbs

I have a tool well because the benches I looked at before I made mine had tool wells. I can't say that I like a lot though. I probably wouldn't make one with a well again.


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## mojapitt

I am with nitewalker it'll fill with dust and shavings. Also, I need the work space too bad.


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## JADobson

I haven't built my bench yet but I'm planning on skipping the traditional tool well and making a small detachable well that would hang from a french cleat off of the left hand side of the bench for those times when a well would be handy.


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## BigYin

got a tool well, hate it, it has to go.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop

I think wells are a waste. I have a bench with a well and used it. Grew to hate the tool well for the crap it allowed me to not put away… If you include in your build, Mos has a great approach.


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## MNWOODWORKER

I am just getting started building my Roubo and there will be a tool tray. I do not have one on my other bench and always wish I did. I am very much a clean freak, tools will be put away at the end of the day and the tray, as well as the rest of the shop, will be clean. That being said the bottom of the tray will pop out for easy cleaning. I can see both sides of the fence, I just know which side I stand on.


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## HorizontalMike

My tool trays are reversible in that I can turn them over and have additional bench space when the trays are not needed. This is a typical feature of the 21st Century WB design that many of us have built.

Here is mine:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/45812


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## planepassion

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the pros and cons you've stated. The consensus among those that have a tool well is that the cons (collect shavings and clutter, subtract bench-top space, provide an uneven surface) seem to outweigh the pros (able to keep tools at hand during a project, and keep them from rolling off the bench).

I like renners' idea of using the space immediately under the bench top as a "temporary holding area" for tools during a project. While that's not practical for my bench design I'm thinking that when I build my new bench down the road that I'll design in that feature.










...which leaves me with my original issue, tools rolling off the backside of my bench. The garage floor is not flat all the way to the wall. There's a 4" high concrete "lip" at the wall that prevents my bench from sliding flush to the wall. So what I'll probably do is use Don's suggestion to apply a "skirt". But rather than put it on the bench, I'll put it on the bottom of the shelf I'm using to dock my every-project planes. Then I'll snug my bench up to the skirt and walla, no more grinding nicks out of chisel edges


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## toddc

Everyone's needs are different based on the style of work and projects that they build.

After looking at a few workbenches in town I decided not to add the tool tray, the guys that had them expressed regret.

The problems expressed are the same as what other guys have stated before me, the dust & crap that the tray gathers and that legs of projects drop into the hole causing projects to tip alarmingly at time.

I will say I like HorizontalMike's location of the tool tray if you wanted one, which is in the middle of the bench. The problem of project legs dropping into the tool tray would be abated to some degree if they were able to naturally straddle the void as you work on the project. Many tool trays are set off to one side and if you are working on a project there is not enough surface to the outside edge near the worker to place the legs of the project.

For the most part, most traditional work bench designs are not wide enough for the work that I do. I have a full 4×8 work bench. The size and design of this table fulfills my needs.



















I just realize I need to get more better pictures focusing on my bench.


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## RussellAP

I have not read the comments above, but I couldn't work on a small bench like that after working on a 4×4 bench. Why not just make a bench you can do something on that's wide enough, or is space a considration?


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## HorizontalMike

One thing that I did not mention (above) about having my tool trays in the middle of the WB is that they are completely removable. When the trays are removed I can then have/use additional clamping/clamps and still have "top" left on both sides of the project. And the removed trays can still be used to hold/protect tools elsewhere.


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## chrisstef

Man, so much to think about when building a bench. Ill be venturing into a bench build in the spring i hope. In the mean time ill be reading and evaluating my specific needs. I tend to leave a lot of tools on my bench when i work but i do a lot of hand planing and can see the thought of chips and shavings filling it up. Makes a guy get to thinkin …. good post Brad.


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## JesseTutt

I am in the process of finishing up my bench. I am building a tool well. I plan to build it sturdy enough that I can use it to clamp to. Probably 1.5" maple on the back side and .75" maple on the side next to the bench top. I will use a tongue and groove joint to join .75" plywood bottom. With the ends of the well extending the full depth of the bench I think that I will have enough strength.

I chose to go with a tool well because i am always working on multiple projects at the same time. I need some place to put project A's parts when I have to stop and work on project B.

As far as it being a "collector of junk" I reserve the first 10 minutes of each day to straightening out the shop and figure that I can empty it out each day.

For times where I need the additional surface space I will have a rabbit around the inside edge and I can drop a cover plate over the well.

I sized my well to hold the largest tool I figure that I will need to store in it.

Hope this helps.


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## Smile_n_Nod

With tool wells, it's half of one or six dozen of the other (wait, that doesn't sound right…)


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## Texchappy

I'm still in planning my bench but I'm not going to put in a tool well. I have a thought to build a small rolling saw till/tool tray cart that I can load up and take to whatever I'm going to be working at - shave horse, saw benches, work bench, whatever. (Not that I have any of those things built).


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## planepassion

Thank you one and all. After careful consideration of all your input, I decided to forgo the tool well. Instead, I added a back panel/skirt, to the shelf holding my planes, and I'm using it as a backstop to abut my bench to. No more tools/materials rolling off the back of the bench to be damaged.



















I fashioned the backstop from left over pieces from the wine glass rack prototype that I built. (that's the finished product in the picture)


The overall length is a few inches shorter than the full bench, but that's ok. Don't need every last inch covered. I used a simple butt joint to affix the backstop.










And I used a marking gauge to determine the centerpoint of the thickness of the shelf I was abutting the backstop to. That way, I avoided splitting out the wood when I drilled pilot holes and screwed in the metal screws.


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## mochoa

How did I miss this post? Thats my bench up there in the intro!

I thought about making a "backsplash" that could drop down similar to those planing stops you see people make for the end of the bench. That way you prevent things from falling off the bench but can still move it down out of the way if you were working on a wide piece. But I ended up going with the tool well.

In the end I went with the backsplash because the way I saw the argument is this:
-If you don't have a tool well you have to be organized so things don't fall off your bench
-If you have a tool well you have to be organized because it will fill up with crap

So either way you have to be organized, except with no well you still have the chance for things to fall off your bench. I prefer to err on the side of keeping my tools from falling off the bench and hitting the concrete floor. Imagine one of you prized planes falling off the bench, I would lose sleep over that one.

Also with a tool well you have options, you can have the tool well open, or you can make a filler piece when you need the extra surface. With no tool well you have no options, it is what it is.

I filler piece can be a simple board with feet on it that elevate it to the height of the bench or a rabbet or cleat around the lip of the well that you can drop a board into. Or boxes you can flip over like the examples some folks have posted. Again you have more options.

Also, in building my bench I was determined to work with the materials I had on hand. I kind of like that added challenge.

A well also helps you maximize your materials. It's why so many of the antique benches had them. 4" of top thickness on the back half of the bench is wasted material, you're not going to do any chopping back there!

Anyway, that's my reasoning. I'm glad not everyone thinks the same, I enjoy seeing all the variety of benches people come up with. ;-)

Great topic Brad, thanks for posting it. I also like the solution you came up with.


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## plantdude

I am going to put a tool well on my workbench. I don't have much room in my shop and it will be handy to keep my pencil and other small tools close at hand when I am using the bench. Also my bench is a little narrow so it will add some width to it. I am not worried about it filling with shavings. I can just sweep it out when it does.


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## bandit571

Yep, mine does indeed have a tool well….there IS another side benefit..I can hook a clamp down into it, and out over the front edge of the bench. been using the tool well and this bench for over 7 years now….no real issues. 









YMMV….but, this fits the work I normally do in the shop.


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## controlfreak

I built a Moravian bench and usually only keep the tools I am currently using in there. a couple of planes, squares, pencils, etc. Funny that I just and decided it was time to clean all of the shavings out. I put a few things away and placed all the keeper items on the bench top. Tilted the tray up and dumped it and done. That is the beauty of the Moravian, if the tray was fixed in place I may not like it as much but there is always the vacuum too.


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## DevinT

The tool well is very helpful when you want to set your plane down because you can quickly set it over the well (not *in* the well) so the blade is hovering in the air. This is nice because a plane sitting up-right takes up less space than a plane sitting on its side


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## DevinT

I can't think of any cons because usually you would put a tool well on a hand tool bench which you are not going to be reaching very far into the table (so it's not like you're losing workbench space)


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## DevinT

Now, a good compromise is to do a split-top. You get the ability to set planes up-right with the blade in the air to maximize different planes used in a task (I often have 3-4 planes on my bench at any time during a hand planing task) without collecting chips or shavings and also without sacrificing bench space.

*EDIT*: However, a split top would risk dropping my spokeshave. I still give tool wells a positive thumbs-up but that's because I put my hand planes *across* it unless they are too small then I put it *in* the well. For me the whole point is to prevent taking up too much space by planes that I have on the bench without risking them being dropped and to minimize the chance that I might have to re-adjust the lateral due to a bump or from setting it on its side too hastily.

*ASIDE*: Just watch the way Rob Cosman uses his tool well. There are just as many things sitting atop it (bridging the edges) as there are things sitting inside it. You will also see that after he finishes using a plane he sets it over the well where it is convenient to grab the handle, it retains all its settings, and is not sitting on the blade, and is not taking up massive space by sitting on its side.


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## therealSteveN

Had one once, seemed like a place for junk to migrate to. Had a bunch over once. A day or so later it smelled funky. Someone evidently thought it was for trash, there were picked over Chicken bones in it. Thing is I don't remember anyone eating Chicken. Haven't used one since, hardly used it when I had it.

There is just something wrong about Chicken bones on your bench.


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## Loren

Frank Klausz argued for placing planes iron down on wood surfaces. After all, they are made to cut wood. That's what I do.

Anyways, I have a tool well and try to keep measuring tools in it only but it does get crowded with incidental incursions of various stuff. I have a little ramp to sweep it out. I'm used to it but if I were building a bench today I might use a thickness and configuration that worked with Festool or Kreg edge clamping fixtures which are most helpful for sanding.


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## RClark

I have a tool well on my Sjoberg's bench. It collects sawdust, odds and ends, and other stuff. Based on how I work and my experience with this bench, I'll never build a tool well into a bench.


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## controlfreak

Paul Sellers is also not concerned with a plane getting set down on the blade. I decided that stressing over which way to lay a plane on my bench is not important to me. After driving the blade into a wood piece several hundred times I doubt setting it lightly on the bench is going to cause worlds to collide.


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## DevinT

I think you misunderstood me.

I have no concern over damaging the plane blade by setting it down on the blade.

My concern is that setting the plane down on the blade changes the setting I dialed in.

When I stop planing to examine the surface with a straight-edge, I sure as hell don't want to have to spend another 5 minutes dialing in the cut simply because the blade shifted slightly when I set it down on the blade.

Yes, you are correct in stating that setting a plane down on its blade does not damage the blade in any noticeable way. However, I don't like wasting time.

After I have the cut dialed-in, I am very careful with every stroke. I know that it takes just one dive off the end of the board, one bump of the toe, one knock of the side, one hard set-down, or any similar purterbence to shift the blade. So why, being careful to preserve my blade projection, would I set the plane down in mid-use on its blade?


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## Sylvain

If one look at what Paul Sellers uses, one will see two tool wells:
- one which is a little less deep than the workbench top thickness (by construction);
- a second one, more deep, screwed to the back apron.

As Paul Sellers works most of the time in the vise, the right size of his workbench is permanently occupied by his tools.
See here his cleared table .
the planes are on a kind of ramp on the right side.


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## johnstoneb

I have a tool well on my bench and if I was to build another I would build without the tool well. It collects junk and dust, shavings I have sweep out on it that is very easy to pull out still a pain to remove everything and sweep it out. If anything sticks above the top level which it always does you can't use the full width of the bench without moving stuff around.


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## controlfreak

Hey Devin, I never really thought about it like that. Now the question "is that a thing that happens a lot, the plane iron shifting when gently set on the blade?" I suppose there are too many variables to ever find out….until it happens.


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## controlfreak

> If one look at what Paul Sellers uses, one will see two tool wells:
> - one which is a little less deep than the workbench top thickness (by construction);
> - a second one, more deep, screwed to the back apron.
> 
> As Paul Sellers works most of the time in the vise, the right size of his workbench is permanently occupied by his tools.
> See here his cleared table .
> the planes are on a kind of ramp on the right side.
> 
> - Sylvain


Good eye Sylvain, I noticed a few things there. He has one end if not two to allow sweeping out, looks like some sharps are handle up so he has some sort of guard to protect them or people reach under there and the back tray look like a block is placed where a cover or tray can be placed over the chisels on the right.


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## DevinT

> Hey Devin, I never really thought about it like that. Now the question "is that a thing that happens a lot, the plane iron shifting when gently set on the blade?" I suppose there are too many variables to ever find out….until it happens.
> 
> - controlfreak


Try to think less about the setting-down and the eventual "scoot" and now you've also cut into your work table AND shifted the blade


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## DevinT

As an aside, I think most of us have vacuums for tackling dust and shavings that are atop non-flat surfaces, I'm just sayin'


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## Bearcontrare

I had a bench with a built in tool well back in the early 1990s. I learned to hate the damned thing because:
1. The "tool well" is basically a dirt catcher. All your sawdust, ahavings and borings automatically are drawn into it, burying all your tools under them. This defeats the purpose of finding your tools easily. Superior feeling people will glibly state "That's what a shop vac is for" but,
2. Every screw, nut, bolt, small tool or small tool parts all roll into the tool well. This means that they will ultimately get sucked up in the magnificent Shop Vac, which means they have to be fished out of the dirt in the tank. That is not condusive to efficent work in the shop. Even if not, you spend a lot of time looking for them under the debris.
3. Most tools sit higher than the bench top, which means that they are subject to being knocked atround as you move material around on the bench top.
4. Not all tools fit nicely into a tool well, like a brace or a drill with a bit chucked in it. Highly subject to being knocked around and banging into other tools.
After about 18 months I filled in the tool well, and will never have another


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## Bearcontrare

This type of arrangement is infinitely more useful and versatile than a trough. It can be built to suit the tools you use most often and can hold a surprising number of tools at the ready. 
From "The Practical Woodworker" by Bernard E. Jones.


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## fritzer1210

I saw a YOUTUBE with Tommy Mac and his partner building a workbench. Although Tommy's bench has a well, his partner regretted his and added a removable cover over the cavity. Cosman has a video where he added a well to a bench as an after thought.

Personally, I would not have a well for the reasons already stated. I do have a rollable cabinet with draws that has a top surface that acts as a place to temporarily place tools in use. The most important aspect of the top surface is to have a lip around its perimeter to prevent roll off.

Best wishes


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## controlfreak

> This type of arrangement is infinitely more useful and versatile than a trough. It can be built to suit the tools you use most often and can hold a surprising number of tools at the ready.
> From "The Practical Woodworker" by Bernard E. Jones.
> 
> - Bearcontrare


A bench with a raised back would drive me insane, it would always get in the way. I prefer a flat surface with a tool well or not. A wall mounted tool cabinet behind me could work though.


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## pottz

im for no tool well,just fills with saw dust and collects crap.for the way i work it would serve no useful purpose.


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## DevinT

After hearing all the opinions on tool wells-and as an aside, my current workbench has 3 wells which are small, one for pencils and two separate ones for screws-I am thinking how I will design my tool well to avoid the issues stated (I am team tool well, but I want to avoid landing on "regret island") ...

A split-top Roubo with a lower lip to hold pencils and block planes and a removable shallow ramped tool well to fill the split top but the insert to fill the split top can be flipped-over to make a flush surface. That way I can have my cake and eat it too. One work bench, one insert with two functions, making three possibilities-open split, closed split, and tool well. Then I would also have the short lip at my hip for quick access to rulers, block planes, pencils, chisels, etc.

I really really like the little shallow cups on my current workbench to keep pencils and screws below the working surface. In my shop, if something hits the floor, it's Murphy's law that it will roll under something never to be seen again.


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## MrRon

To have or not to have depends on how neat a woodworker you are. If neat, then have a tray and if not then no tray.


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## Sylvain

> 2. Every screw, nut, bolt, small tool or small tool parts all roll into the tool well. This means that they will ultimately get sucked up in the magnificent Shop Vac, which means they have to be fished out of the dirt in the tank. That is not condusive to efficent work in the shop. Even if not, you spend a lot of time looking for them under the debris.
> 
> - Bearcontrare


Maybe invest in one of those magnetic bowls to put screws, nuts and bolts to avoid them being sucked by the vacuum cleaner.
Otherwise a magnet (a big old woofer magnet in a plastic sleeve) might help to fish parts out of the dirt. It might also be useful when such things fall in the shavings on the ground.

+1 MrRon 
I still have to discipline myself.


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## DevinT

I second that … I love those little bowls. I bought a 2-pack from Husky. Very very handy and when I'm not using them they just magnetically adhere to one of the steel posts on my work shelves.


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## DevinT

My second WORX Pegasus arrived yesterday. I don't yet have a work-bench (as previously stated) in the traditional sense, but rather I take the Pegasus and put various tops on it. Now that I have two of them, I can link them together (a feature it supports-no pun intended) to double my work surface. This was needed for a really large piece I am working on which was much larger than a single Pegasus.

Just mentioning it here because the Pegasus has built-in wells though I would struggle to call them "tool wells"-and this is where I get my love of tool wells from (*yes, despite not yet having a proper workbench like a Sjoberg, Moravian knock-down, split-top Roubo, or Scandinavian-all designs I have considered).

No, I'm not pushing my opinion, I actually think MrRon put it very well.

+1 MrRon


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## MakeThings

A tool well is a quick place for me to dump all my tools. I would, unfortunately, abuse it. Not for me.


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## bandit571

hmmmm…









One…Tool Wells do NOT have to be so wide and deep that you would have to station Lassie nearby, in case Timmie should happen to fall in…

Bench Clutter?









Hey….compost happens, alright. I do use an airhose to blow the loose stuff out….now and then….I look at shavings in the tool well as merely cushions to keep any banging around down there to a minimum .

Airhose? Well…how many tools do you think can been flown with a puff of air…..however, shavings and sawdust will fly away with ease.

Also…I have a way to prevent chisels and screwdrivers from just rolling off the top of the bench,,,dogholes work great. Chisel too wide for the doghole? Tain't gonna roll, anyway….when the blade is wider than the handle.

IF round items want to roll off the top of the bench…..level the dang thing. Not enough for it to be "flat" on top..it also NEEDS to sit level. 









Plenty of room…


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## DevinT

> One…Tool Wells do NOT have to be so wide and deep that you would have to station Lassie nearby, in case Timmie should happen to fall in…


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## MrRon

I have had a bench with a tool trough along the back. It kept filling up with chips tools and screws and anything that would fit. Being un-neat, the next bench I made eliminated the tool trough. The type of work you do also dictates tray or no tray. Pictures posted on this thread show a cluttered bench and limited work space. I think a bench should be as big as possible and that there should be places to place tools not being used. A small auxiliary bench with drawers can be used to hold tools and kept near the main bench so as to eliminate clutter. That is how my work space is organized. It works pretty well for me. When I start a project, I clean off the bench and put everything away. By the end of the project, the bench is cluttered and stays that way until the next project.

I know this thread may sound contradictory, but there are too many pros and cons. One bench doesn't fit all.


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## donwilwol

I guess one could make a bench with a tool tray that had a cover for it. I would imagine it would be useful for some projects and an annoyance for others. I like to walk and work on all sides of my bench so the tray would need to be centered, but I've never worked on my bench and though, "gee a tool try would be helpful right now" so I doubt I'd find use for one.


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## plantdude

I am building a new bench that will have a tool tray. My shop is tiny so I need a place to keep my ruler, pencil and other small stuff. I am not worried about it collecting dirt. I am also going to make a cover that will fill the cavity when I need the extra width.


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## DevinT

> I am building a new bench that will have a tool tray. My shop is tiny so I need a place to keep my ruler, pencil and other small stuff. I am not worried about it collecting dirt. I am also going to make a cover that will fill the cavity when I need the extra width.
> 
> - plantdude


A cover sounds intriguing vs what others have done, like making it so you can flip it upside down (but then you have to empty it first)


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## controlfreak

As I was working through a window sash build I paid attention to my tool well use. I tend to place most of my tools on the benchtop as I am working. As I change modes like from planing to marking mortises or assembly test fits I start moving tools into the tool well. They then start to migrate back to the bench top. I use the back rail of the tool well to support wider workpieces. At the end of the day if messy or at the end of the project I gather up all the tools and put them in their normal racks, tills etc. I walk the the back side of the bench and tilt the tray up to dump the shavings out and release. Works for me so far.


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## DevinT

Sounds like you work similar to me. Job is not done until tools are away. Tools don't get put away until project is done. Tools from one stage get pushed to a temporary holding area (to be pulled back out if a touch-up is required) until end of project when they go to their homes.


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## controlfreak

This thread makes me wonder if I get the itch, what will my next bench be like?


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## therealSteveN

My last tool well went away after I had an open house/shop, and after there were 2, not 1, but 2 ham sandwich remains left in it. Junk collection bins should be on the floor.

Bandit looks like pretty soon you'll have to bulldoze that top, or maybe a new bench 

I have made a new bench when the old one was full all the time. A person can't have too many horizontal work places.


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## MikeB_UK

I'm kinda confused that there is such a thing as ham sandwich remains.


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## AMZ

One bench with, one without. My nod goes to having a well.


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## gdaveg

My bench does not have a tool well. At the back left corner there is a 5" x 24" shelf about 4 inches above the top of the bench. I keep a drill index, tape measure, pencils, nail set, razor blade scraper and X-acto knife there. It also doubles as a catch all for drill bits, screws etc when assembling or taking stuff apart.

Work bench is usually full of stuff, a vice, table top drill press and chop saw reside there most of the time as well as stuff that gets dropped there. For me a well would be full of sawdust lost screws, etc in short time.


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## Barkley

I wanted to try the tray idea on my bench so I simply made a tray that rested on a couple of arms that attached to the bottom of the beach. This made easy to take off if I didn't like it and to clean out. If I don't, I've got a nice burn pile I can throw it on. Anyway…..It's been there for years and is used every day so make a nice one.


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## Barkley

I wanted to try the tray idea on my bench so I simply made a tray that rested on a couple of arms that attached to the bottom of the beach. This made easy to take off if I didn't like it. If I don't, I've got a nice burn pile I can throw it on. Anyway…..It's been there for years and is used every day so make a nice one.


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## Sylvain

For some, a workbench is first a vise holder.
Putting the piece to be worked on on the workbench-top only if absolutely necessary.
So the top is available for tools.
See the video in this blog :

You will notice that the resulting table is nevertheless nice and flat.


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## BurlyBob

I'm building a large Roubo with a center tool well. At the moment I've got it sitting on a sawhorse table with the tool well space in place. I'm finding it very convenient. I like the uncluttered work surface and easy access to my tools.


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## Phil32

The primary reason for NOT having a tool well is to keep sharp edged tools from crashing into each other. My main working tools are carving gouges and knives. I keep them on my work surface (bench). If I tossed them into a tool well, I'd spend all my time repairing nicks, chipped edges, etc.


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## Barkley

As far as putting sharp edged tools in the tray, I don't because of the reasons Phil stated above. If you want to use the tray for chisels and other sharp edged tools, put a block of wood with holes to stand them upright. For planes put in a appropriate sized piece of anti skid mat in the tray to protect the cutting edge.


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## bandit571

Seems my tool well is a bit busy…lately..









One of the reasons I do not mind a batch of shavings in the tool well….something for the chisels to land on, instead of something else metal…


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## bandit571

Yet another use for the Tool Well…









Hook a clamp into it…









Helps to hold the narrow parts better…









YMMV, of course…


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## controlfreak

Tool wells, I suppose it are like politics. You can argue about it all night but at the end of the day you rarely move the opposite side to yours. Sadly I will need to build another bench to find out and until the shop expands its not going to happen.


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## MrRon

As a follow-up to my previous posts, I now have 3 workbenches. One large one is used for junk; another is used for everyday projects and is usually cluttered, and my newest bench is dedicated to my hobby, model railroading which I try to keep as clutter-free as possible. That current bench is located in my house, while the other two are out in my shop. Having air conditioning and heat is great to have now. I don't think I have any need for more workbenches. It has been my experience that I build a bench to suit the work I am currently engaged in. I have the luxury of having a 1200SF shop, so space is not a problem, and being a widower (sigh), I have the house to do what I like with.


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## tvrgeek

Thought about it, but no










t yet. I use a tool tray on casters I drag to where I am working. Chisels are under the bench in a cabinet. Saws and planes on the wall.


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## bandit571

The Tool Well is more of a place to sit a few tools while I use them….Not about to chop one mortise, put the chisel away, only to get it back out 2 minutes later…..besides, all that vibration from all that chopping, makes things want to walk over to the edge of the bench….I tend to want the tools I am using to be right where I can grab them….and not have to go looking through this or that tray to find them….haven't the time.

When a task says I am done with a tool, THEN it will get put away….to make room for the next set of tools..


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## controlfreak

> As a follow-up to my previous posts, I now have 3 workbenches. One large one is used for junk; another is used for everyday projects and is usually cluttered, and my newest bench is dedicated to my hobby, model railroading which I try to keep as clutter-free as possible. That current bench is located in my house, while the other two are out in my shop. Having air conditioning and heat is great to have now. I don t think I have any need for more workbenches. It has been my experience that I build a bench to suit the work I am currently engaged in. I have the luxury of having a 1200SF shop, so space is not a problem, and being a widower (sigh), I have the house to do what I like with.
> 
> - MrRon


A small house came on the market across the street that had always bee an eye sore and a problem. I said I can by it for a shop. I got shot down.


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## Dakkar

I have a purchased bench that has a tool trench and I occasionally wanted more space so I made 3 upside down "U" shaped inserts out of Baltic birch ply to set into it. They're only about 18" wide each and I can slide them to where I want them or hide my chisels out of harm's way. The system works well for me.


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## BurlyBob

My big issue for planning a tool well in 'Bruiser, is not dropping my tools on the concrete garage floor I have. "Brusier', like the name implies is going to be a real big bench. 22" working surface on either side of a 7 1/2" tool well. I'm use to working on a plywood saw horse table after all these years so why not add a tool well? Because I want one. It's my shop, my workbench and I can build how ever I want. It's all about personal preference. Nothing is wrong if it suits you, your work and your ascetics. Go forth and conquer!


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## chriscarter

If you have a tool wall directly behind your bench, or if you have cabinets built into your bench, then you really don't need a tool tray. I have neither, just a bottom shelf on my bench where my bench planes live, so not having a tool tray would really suck. That said, the ones along the back of the bench I find to be very limiting because you can't use both sides of the bench, which I find really handy. They are also way larger than I need. So my tool tray is at the end of my bench. In that location, it really doesn't collect a lot of wood shavings and when it does it generally gets the really big long ones that are super easy to pull out. I have all my measuring marking tools in there with dogs, pencil, random things I often need quickly, etc. A rack for bench chisels and some back saws or other things that might come up (carcass saw lives there), and dowel hooks on the back to permanently hold my two primary hand saws, doe's foot, strop and hand broom. I couldn't live without it.


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## BurlyBob

Chris I really like that idea of yours. I had never thought of anything like that. Now it makes me wonder if I should rethink my plans for 'Bruiser'.


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## Sylvain

Chriscarter
Interesting idea.
I could add such a thing to the right side of my bench.
I have a shelf between the two aprons at the left side where I keep my sharpening plates and strop.
The classic tool well has a limited depth (workbench-top thickness minus thickness of the tool well's bottom board)
The advantage of an added tool well is that one can freely choose its depth. (Paull Sellers has a second tool well at the back of his bench).


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## Moai

I got my 9th workbench yesterday, i love VERY old ones, and all I can say is, tool trays, or as you name it "tool well", are just a place to collect dust and junk, that makes my shop and my work feel messy. I rather prefer to have cabinets on the wall or a wheeled cart to keep tools I am using. I love when workbenches look solid, a massive slab on trestle legs. My two cents


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## controlfreak

"Got your 9th workbench" Do you mean are on your 9th or do you have nine?

I can totally get having a rolling cart, if you have the room. I never really thought about it but perhaps the size of the workspace can influence the size and style of the bench. Probably your workflow too. I have always admired Paul Sellers shop layout. Even though it is in the corner of a large studio he tries to limit it to the dimensions of a single car garage, like that of his primary audience.


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