My sister makes jewellery and to help here I built a modified version of my own workbench. When I made mine many years ago what I needed was space to build and leave stuff part built without clearing away after every sessions. If there's one thing that stymies progress for modelmakers, it getting everything out and putting it away at the end of the evening. It's just easier not to start, whereas if the project can be started immediately you have less of an excuse.
My bench is 4 feet long and was designed to be luggable between desk top and bed. Not a long distance but I needed the desk space for studying. While I was doing this, the bed was unoccupied , except by a cat occasionally, so a suitable resting place for the board.
My sisters version is smaller, about 3 feet long, and made of MDF rather than the plywood I used. The sides are an offcut strip found at the wood shop and chopped to suit. The shelf is another off cut. Everything is glued and pinned together. The nearest I got to cabinet making was the edging around the shelf which is quarter round strip cut neatly using a cheap mitre saw device.
A couple of coats of varnish later the board went off to its new owner who is very happy with it. I reckon anyone could make one of these. If you work on a table that needs to be cleared at a moments notice then it's an invaluable tool. It might even allow you to do some work in a more sociable area of the home rather than tucked away in the attic.
And yes you can buy these things in kit form but isn't it more fun to make it yourself ?
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