Split Top Nicholson Workbench
I didn’t plan to build a Nicholson bench. I had every intention to build one of those beautiful split-top Roubo benches. When I got into woodworking, the Roubo was the latest cat’s meow. It looked like an intimidating thing to build, especially as my first bench.
It was about that time that I came across the Knockdown Nicholson. It was one of those, “Hey, I can build that!” moments. It was simpler in its construction, it was made of softwood rather than hardwood (cheaper!), and it would be easier to disassemble when I move one day.
I didn’t stray too far from the plans included on the Lost Art Press website, but I did make a few small modifications. I went with a split-top, and I made it 7 feet long, but it is basically the one that Schwarz built. I’ll go into more details with some highlights (and lowlights) in upcoming posts, but I wanted to get this out there in case anyone else is interested in a split top design for the top.