The excavations at Pompeii have provided so many fascinating insights into the day-to-day life of everyday Roman folk. For me – alongside the depiction of a 2000 year old pizza – this beautiful fresco of a carpenter is one of the most revealing. It shows, in illuminated detail, a craftsman working at his low bench.

It’s certainly not the only archaeological evidence of this type of multifunctional device, indeed, the earliest surviving workbench (below) was extracted from a well in the Roman fort of Saalburg, Germany. It’s of a strikingly similar design and the low bench must have been a truly ubiquitous woodworking aid.

Although it has fallen out of favour in post-industrial western cultures, the low bench is still to be found in regular use across the world, and for very good reason: it allows the user unparalleled clamping and working configurations and without a vice or G-clamp in sight!

This is my third low bench, the previous two eventually rotted away in the woods. Although not as pretty as the others, this one should last a little longer as it’s made from a re-purposed and very substantial metal frame, topped with heavy duty treated-timbers.

As you can see, it’s at a perfect height for using feet, knees, and hands, plus, with a few holes in the top, you can add wooden pegs and blocks for use as stops and jigs.

it’s ideal for sitting on when whittling and carving, having that useful bit of stabilising support. And of course, It’s also great for just perching on and eating lunch!

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