Essentials for your workbench
Welcome to the WDS woodworking page where we'll give you the low-down on the tools you need to create some of your next finest DIY projects and the parts to create a highly functional woodworking station. There's a number of parts you can purchase from WDS to create your workbench plus any of the station's accessories such as wheels, fasteners like nuts and bolts, clamps, handles and vices. Below you'll find more information about some of our widely used woodworking parts, how to apply them and maybe a video or two for further explanation!
Find the parts you need right here and place your order through the website or our Sales Team on 0333 043 5443. If you need a little more advice, send a message to our Technical team using our online contact form and they'll be happy to help you out.
As well as providing a variety of individual components to create a carpenter's workbench or a small woodworking station, we sell a variety of Spencer Franklin Hydra-Clamps to assist with small, detailed designs. Our hydra-clamps and micro-clamps can be adjusted to provide a 360 degree viewing angle. They're robust, mechanical clamps with the capacity for light, ample work, in essence, ideal for sculpting wooden figures or perfecting the fine details.
We currently offer three variations of the microclamp with the choice of selecting the faceplate as an additional component. The microclamp with faceplate (part number SF-1130A) allows you to securely mount your workpiece to the clamp for easy view from all angles and easily adjust the workpiece for high quality results.
This universal workpiece has been engineered to hold many different shapes and sizes; the broad base on the micro-clamp accommodates heavier and more niche pieces especially those involving a variety of angles such as small, hand-sculpted pieces.
Key Features of the Micro-clamp
- 360° viewing angle
- Easy to secure workpieces
- Perfect for intricate designs
- Range of compatible accessories available
- Simple to operate and manoeuvre
Hydraclamps are a unique but popular 360 degree work bench clamp. The range includes 9 different versions each with a different clamping action and load capacity.
WDS Components sell a variety of vices including the uni-grip machine vice perfect for drilling (WDS 5000) and the light duty machine vice (WDS 5005) ideal for general purposes. Both sides of the latter are machined square with the base enabling rotation onto its side or its base. Our vices are affordable and simple additions to your woodworking station. Check out our full range of vices to find more technical designs with extra features including swivel bases.
Our Moxon Vice kits are the newest addition to our vice family. They come in two styles: handwheels or ball handles (both made from cast iron for extra durability). You can purchase these simple kits in three different sizes depending on the size of your application including 250, 500 and 1000mm if you're working with larger pieces of wood.
This versatile wood clamp can be clamped to any work bench allowing you to raise your workpiece to a workable height. The Moxon Vice is perfect for cutting dovetails, hand sewing tenons and other joints by hand.
We recently worked with YouTuber, John, from Man in Shed who made our Moxon Vice Kit in his workshop using his own wood. He loved the parts and strength of the handwheels (one of the kits' most attractive features). In the video, he shows viewers how to cut down the wood, to what size and where then fixes it together to the steel bars and handles. John's step-by-step video is a great way to learn how to make your own Moxon vice kit using our parts- the best part is he demonstrates how to attach it to your work bench using dog holes too. Be sure to check out the Man in Shed channel for more woodworking hints and tips.
Toggle clamps are very handy parts to have within your work station due to their specialised applications. Some of their best uses include:
- Coping with narrow rails (extra support for the backup board beyond hand strength alone):
- Cutting tenons on-end (safer than pushing wood through a blade freehand)
- Tension-free tapering (inconvenient to hold against an angled leg of the jig)
- Locked-down Miter joints (creates equal pressure either side of the joints)
- Template-routing narrow workpieces (safety prevention and helpful as a guide)
Our hinges can be applied to a number of different components. Whilst the majority of them are applied to doors and enclosures with gates, some of our customers use them for access points, windows and furniture. This includes hinges needed on bar or pub doors, cupboards in a re-modelled kitchen or even the lid of a toy box!
WDS Components supply a wide variety of hinges namely, butt hinges, piano (or continuous) hinges, surface mounted hinges, concealed hinges and others. In total, the range includes nine style variations available in many materials such as stainless steel, aluminium and black glass reinforced plastic. If you're looking for a hinge which you can alter for positioning applications, then check out locking and torque adjustable hinges; they're great for supporting heavier loads due to their rigid design.
The handle range at WDS is extensive. We have an array of styles, colours, materials and load capacities perfect in many woodworking applications. Our bridge handles are a perfect addition to a kitchen drawer or cupboard and they come in stainless steel (ideal for food and beverage environments). Alternatively, you may be seeking new handles for a tool box or a set of drawers within your work station, in which case, our bow handles may be better suited (they come in a bright orange too if you need to colour code your workshop).
If you're looking for hand knobs to fix onto drawers where you can organise your tools or smaller parts then look no further! WDS supply a range of mushroom pull knobs, thumb screws, ball knobs and more which you can attach easily. We supply them in steel, plastic, Bakelite or even stainless steel if you want a more sleek look in your work shop or to your next wood work project. If you need advice on the best material to use, check out our Tech Spec page for the low-down on stainless steel grades, types of plastic and other helpful tips.
We offer lots of tools to help carpenters, joiners and hobbyists create their next project such as the Spencer Franklin micro-clamp or our Moxon vice kits but we supply a variety of parts to help you create a work shop or station too! Whether you're looking for screws, washers and hinges to create the basis of a work bench or looking to bulk it up with accessories such as clamps and handles, we've got your parts covered. Check out over 25,000 parts online or request a copy of our catalogue.
If you work in an area with an uneven floor, levelling feet are a great way to make a stable surface for your workbench. They're adjustable machine feet used to support stations and pieces of furniture, an important safety element if you're working with machines such as vices or hand tools with open blades. We provide both steel and stainless steel levelling feet as well as extended feet and anti-vibration versions to ensure machine vibration is kept to a minimum.
Levelling feet are a great option for a stable work bench but castors are also very helpful for levelling off your station. Placing it on wheels also means you can move the station about and easily re-design the layout of your workshop. We supply light, medium and heavy duty capacity castors depending on the weight you expect to load your work bench with. Predominantly, there are three action types for our castors too:
- Fixed
- Swivel
- Swivel and Brake
You'll most likely want to purchase swivel and brake castors as this allows you to move the station around the workshop and then fix it securely into place, ideal when you're working with open blades such as saws or sanding plates. If you want a combination of machine feet and wheels, adjustable levelling castors are your best option. You can lower and raise the height of your work station for excellent positioning and balance using the rubber pad, adjusting the castor from a flat surface.
This section covers the essentials you need for your workbench: how to create the best station and tools you can get from WDS Components to perfect your woodworking craft. If you would like to place an order, you can do so online using our website or by calling a member of our Sales Team on 0333 043 5443. Our Technical Team are also available to help you should you need more support selecting the right product for you; just fill in our online contact form and let them know what you need a hand with and they'll get back in touch!
