The newest DVD from Christopher Schwarz and Lie-Neilsen is:  The Workbench “How to Design or Modify a Bench for Efficient Use”.  The DVDs produced by Lie-Nielsen are always of high quality and full of good information.  This new DVD featuring Christopher Schwarz talking about one of his favorite subjects (workbenches) is no exception.

If you have read Chris’s book “Workbenches: From Design And Theory To Construction And Use” or fallow his blog, you know Chris views the workbench as a tool for the woodworker, especially the hand tool woodworker.

When working a piece of lumber on a bench, you need to effectively hold your lumber so that you can work:  the faces, edges and end grain of a board.  Chris points out that many bench designs fail at one or even two of these requirements.  He gives suggestions on how to work around these issues, if your bench is deficient in one of these areas.

Chris demonstrates how you work each surface of a board, on a verity of bench styles.  He also shows several jigs and fixtures you will use with your bench.  He show and explains how a holdfast is used.  The holdfast I feel is the most useful tool you can have on your workbench.  I have a couple of the Gramercy holdfasts.  They might not be the prettiest, but they work great and are not that expensive.

Much of the information in this DVD will not be new to some people, but the DVD does have a lot of good information.  Also included on the DVD are a couple reprints of workbench articles from Popular Woodworking Magazine.

One last thing I will share with you is a quote Chris made, that struck home with me.  I believe he said it was a Japanese saying:  “Don’t fear slow, only fear stop”.  He was referring to his journey in workbench design, but it really applies to a lot of areas.  Being somewhat new to woodworking, the journey can seem long and slow at times.  As long as I never feel like I’ve stopped learning, my journey should be a long and rewarding one.