Developing our first Woodwork product | The Gecko Bloc set... Bench Critters 2024-12-27 | Welcome to Bench Critters and the development video for our woodworking Gecko Bloc set (patent pending)! This is the first product of ten woodworking products that we have set ourselves a challenge of designing, developing and producing. We are woodworkers and proud of it! We put care and attention into everything we make, but it doesn't always feel like the companies that make things for us always feel that way. So we have set ourselves a challenge of making our own woodworking products, with a focus on thoughtful design, functionality and quality. The woodworking Gecko Bloc set was born out of the need for something that grips and protects your workpiece for all number of jobs and also raises it to 3 different heights when that extra clearance is needed for clamping, gluing etc. We also wanted our Gecko Bloc set to be the simplest possible solution to these problems and we were determined to come up with an innovative storage solution to get things off our workshop shelves and onto the wall.We are Gio & Todd, we're professional woodworkers and luthiers and we hope you'll join us for the rest of our challenge which is to get our 10 products designed, developed, tested and produced. This channel will show the full journey of each product and we're hoping you'll have your say on features, designs and which products we produce next. Everything we produce we're going to make available to whoever wants them through our website https://www.BenchCritters.com
Restoring Vintage Hand Planes | A Walkthrough #woodworking Bench Critters 2025-03-08 | Are you new to woodworking and looking to explore the world of hand planes? In this video, we guide you through the essentials of vintage hand planes. Whether you're just starting out or looking to fine-tune your skills, this video will help you set up, maintain, and get the best performance from your plane.We’ll cover:- The basics of hand planes- Step-by-step guide to setting up your plane for smooth, effective planing- Essential maintenance tips to keep your plane in peak condition- What to look for to ensure quality when buying a plane- Breaking down a vintage plane, cleaning, and removing rust while preserving the patina- Reassembly tips for restoring the plane to perfect working condition- Sharpening Tips for getting the best results from your Plane, including upgrading the bladeThis video is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to properly care for their tools, including buying a vintage plane and restoring it to work like new. With the right setup, maintenance, and a little TLC, your vintage plane will become a Go-To tool in your workshop.Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more tips, tricks, and woodworking tool tutorials, project ideas, tool reviews, etc.Thank you so much for checking out our channel,Gio & ToddLinks:benchcritters.com (Get our products here! and don't forget to sign up for the email list while you're there!)tornelliguitars.com@SweetTGuitars@TornelliGuitars @BenchCritters Instagram - instagram.com/benchcrittersTikTok - tiktok.com/benchcrittersFacebook - facebook.com/benchcrittersChapters - Let's Talk About Planes - 00:04The Stanley #7 - 00:34Where Do We Start - 01:19Breaking Down The Plane - 01:40Lenord Bailey History - 02:21The Parts Of A Plane - 03:21Cleaning & Maintenance - 07:04Surface Rust Removal - 07:48Preparing The Plane Body - 09:04The Story In The Tool - 10:36Final Wipe Down & Assembly - 11:23Preparing a New Blade - 13:26My Sharpening Method - 13:59My Mistake! - 17:04The End Result is What Matters - 18:39Testing the Plane - 19:25Bench Critters Reminder - 21:26Outro - 21:56#stanleyplanes #handplanes #woodjointing
If woodwork companies advertised like tech companies... Bench Critters 2025-03-07 | So we've made a #woodworking product, now what?.... Well, my business book said replicate the advertising success of others. And... I guess nobody is more successful than tech companies at that so here we go...Pick up a set of Gecko Blocs here: https://www.BenchCritters.comAll claims made in this video are, well… nonsense! Enjoy.#benchcookie #woodworking #woodfinish
Tim Sways thoughts on Bench Critters Woodworking Gecko Blocs | Worth it? Bench Critters 2025-03-01 | Tim Sway (@timsway ) has been using our Woodworking Gecko Bloc set! He shares his thoughts, what he uses them for and why they've solved the problems he had with traditional solutions to his common woodworking needs. Our Silicone Gecko Bloc set Grips, Protects and Raises your workpiece and provides a stable and grippy base for you to do woodworking tasks like sanding, routing, cutting, assembly, finishing, polishing, gluing, clamping and much more!...They're 100% waterproof and highly heat resistance and all standard glues, epoxy, adhesive, fillers etc will not stick to them...Oh, plus there's 6 in a set for those larger projects and you get a wall mount included as standard!Get them at: www.BenchCritters.com
What are the Essential Beginners Woodworking Tools?.. Complete guide to starting smart! Bench Critters 2025-02-21 | What are the essential beginner #woodworking tools? What tools do you need to start woodworking? What are the best woodworking tools under $1500? What woodworking tools should I buy first?.. This video intends to answer all these questions and more! Welcome to our complete guide to essential beginner woodwork tools and all for $1500! This guide goes through the most important tools that you need to start woodworking and improve your woodwork projects. We've also focused not just on the tools but on what woodworking tasks the tools can actually help you to do and discussed why we think they are the most important both when starting woodworking and progressing and improving.0:00 What's the plan today?1:07 How are we going to do this?2:18 What woodworking power tools do you need?4:44 What non-power tools do you need for woodworking?5:00 What are the essential woodwork layout tools?6:18 What measurement tools do you need for woodworking?8:39 What do you need to get straight cuts etc?9:04 What tools for small precision cuts on wood?9:43 What tools for carving wood?11:51 What woodwork tools for clean up of joints/cuts etc?12:28 What clamps do you need for woodwork?13:58 What woodwork tool for smoothing & jointing?14:55 What screwdriver for woodwork?15:19 What safety PPE for woodwork?16:14 Consumables, drill/ router bits etc?16:57 What tools would we spend our next $500 on?19:07 Outtakes!If you would like a set of our Woodworking Gecko Blocs you can get them at:https://www.BenchCritters.com (see channel info)#woodworkingideas #wood #woodworking
Mesh/Net Sandpaper for #woodworking | Worth The Hype? #sandpaper #3m #mirka Bench Critters 2025-02-16 | In this video we explore the benefits of using net/mesh type Sandpaper Discs. It's what we've both ended up using and we believe this represents the best bang for your buck when it comes to sandpaper! Drop us a comment and let us know what you think. Sometimes spending a bit more up front on quality equals better end results and in #woodworking that's what matters!Thanks for checking out the video. Subscribe, Like & Share if you are so inclined and we'll see you soon!Gio & ToddLinks to our Website, our individual channels and out socials:Bench Critters: benchcritters.comBench Critters on Instagram: instagram.com/benchcrittersSweet T Guitars on YouTube: youtube.com/@UCU2eoDFHeR9M157jzyK4wgA Sweet T on Instagram: instagram.com/sweettguitarsTornelli Guitars: youtube.com/@UCgzauIzP89UREtnAhbyxDMg Tornelli Guitars on Instagram: instagram.com/tornelli_guitars
Beginner to Winner: How to use your Jigsaw for Woodwork Bench Critters 2025-02-07 | How to use a Jigsaw for Woodworking? What does the orbital setting on a Jigsaw do? What speed to set Jigsaw? What are the best Jigsaw blades for wood? Is a Jigsaw good for Woodworking? How to cut 90 degrees with a jigsaw? How to cut straight with a jigsaw?.... These are the questions we are answering in this video! Hopefully this video will be your one stop shop to answer these questions. I've used a Jigsaw for woodworking for the past 10 years and it is my 'go to' saw in the workshop. I wanted to make this video to share my knowledge about how to setup and use a Jigsaw with the right blades to get the best results. Hopefully you find this Helpful and thanks for watching!Tools used in this video:Makita 4350FCTJ JigsawBosch T308BOF Hardwood bladesBench Critters Woodworking Gecko Bloc Set0:00 What’s the plan today?0:28 What can you do with a jigsaw?0:50 What Jigsaw blades for Woodworking?1:52 What’s the Orbital Jigsaw Setting for?2:39 What Speed to use on a Jigsaw?3:22 Let’s do some cuts!3:30 How to set up your jigsaw for cutting4:10 How to cut straight with a jigsaw7:00 How to cut curves with a jigsaw8:47 Can you cut angles with a jigsaw?
Woodworking Essentials | Picking the right Grain Filler Bench Critters 2025-02-04 | Welcome to our Grain Filling video where we run through the various woodworking grain fill options and compare them to each other. This video is intended as practical guide for woodworkers to decide which grain fill type is the best option for your woodworking project. We discuss the types of grain filler, ease of application, drying time, ease of sanding, sensitivity to climate and some nuggets of wisdom and experience! We hope this helps by providing you some practical woodworking advice.0:00 Whats the plan?0:22 What does Grain Filler do?0:47 Where to start?1:05 Water based putty style filler3:03 Water based clear gel4:30 Epoxy6:07 Oil based filler8:15 My 2 cents on grain filling#wood #woodworking #woodfinish
Woodworking Gecko Bloc Set | Frequently Asked Questions Bench Critters 2025-01-30 | Our Woodworking Gecko Bloc set could be a great accessory for your woodworking projects. We thought it may be helpful to do a Frequently Asked Questions style video to help you understand whether the Gecko Bloc set will help you with your woodworking projects and what types of wood projects they really add value for. We hope this helps give you an understanding of why we designed the Gecko Blocs the way we did and what woodworkers are likely to find useful about them.0:00 Whats the video about?0:33 Who are they NOT for?1:00 Who are they for?1:28 What are they made of?1:48 Are they strong/what will they hold?2:47 Give us an idea of the strength3:29 What's the 3 heights for?4:03 How stable are they on the side?5:29 Any good for finishing?6:55 Wash before use?7:30 Does Glue stick to them?8:07 Will dust get into them?8:19 Are they tough and long lasting?8:30 Why 6 in a set?9:12 Is the wall mount included?9:28 Where are they available?9:50 Will they do more in future? If you would like a set you can visit benchcritters.com
Woodworking Gecko Bloc Set | Grip Tested to Failure Bench Critters 2025-01-23 | Welcome to the video where we grip test our woodworking Gecko Bloc to failure in order to give people a good understanding of the capability of our woodworking Gecko Blocs when it comes to stabilizing your work piece for sanding. Stability while sanding is a fundamental requirement for woodworking Gecko Blocs and this is why we thought we should cover this topic with a video test. It is likely to be most important for those people working on very light and small woodworking projects to get an understanding of whether the Gecko Blocs will provide the kind of value you are looking for. We always strive to explain as well as possible who is likely to see the best value and benefit the most from what we produce, hopefully this is a helpful video for anyone looking to choose our products.0:00 What are we doing today?0:30 What are we testing?1:10 How are we going to test?1:33 Important note for heavy & light projects1:48 How is this going to work?2:10 What bench top?2:40 What sanders?3:10 6kg Chestnut test5:11 3.5kg Sapele test6:38 2.7kg Niangon test8:30 1.6kg Guitar body test (slippy surface)12:01 650g Maple test15:16 360g Black Limba tests16:36 My 2 cents for who these will benefitYou can get a set of Gecko Blocs here:benchcritters.com
Makita Trim Router RT0700C Review | 6 Years of Heavy Use Bench Critters 2025-01-16 | The Makita Trim Router RT0700C has been my 'Go To' woodworking router for at least the last 6 years and here is my unbiased review. I estimate about 1500 hard hours of use on exclusively hardwoods. In this review I discuss the Performance & Reliability, Quality, Refinement & Feel and the Value. 0:00 The Makita Router RT0700c0:30 What do you use it for?1:20 Performance & Reliability2:10 Quality4:04 Refinement & Feel5:00 ValueMakita has not paid for, or sponsored this video in any way. I am a professional woodworker and the tools I use are all selected by me. I'll have many more 6 year plus reviews to come. I hope you find this helpful!#makita #makitarouter, #makitatools
First Batch Of #geckoblocs are on their way! | Thank you Bench Critters 2025-01-11 | #benchcrittersOur Gecko Blocs are shipping now! Get your set at benchcritters.comWe would both like to thank everyone for your overwhelming support. We have tons of content planned for the channel, stay tuned! Gio & Todd
Woodwork Gecko Bloc Set | So Simple...So Useful Bench Critters 2025-01-06 | Welcome to the demonstration video of our woodworking Gecko Bloc set (patent pending).We're Gio & Todd and we're proud to be woodworkers. We are also proud to develop products for woodworkers. We're on a mission to design, develop, test and produce 10 essential woodworking products with a focus on thoughtful design, functionality and quality. As woodworkers we take great care and attention over everything we make, but it doesn't always seem like the companies that make things for us to use feel the same way. That's why we're doing it ourselves and that's why we need the support of the woodworking community. Our Gecko Bloc set is the first of ten woodworking products and a great example of what we're planning to do. The (patent pending) Gecko Blocs feature:- 6 solid silicone Gecko Blocs for woodworking- Integrated (included) wall mountable holder- 3 different height orientations- Super grippy surface- 100% waterproof for easy cleaning- Non stick surface for common glues, resins etc- Super high heat tolerance- One handed operation, simply flip for a new orientationAnd most importantly it is the simplest and most useful possible form to solve the problem of gripping and protecting your precious woodworking project while sanding, routing, finishing, polishing, clamping, gluing and much more. They are available to purchase now on www.BenchCritters.comThanks for watching and thanks for the support. We hope you'll join us for the rest of our products development journeys! Gio & Todd.
Our Woodworking Gecko Blocs are in USA! | #woodworking #woodworkingbench #wood Bench Critters 2025-01-01 | Great News! Our woodworking Gecko Bloc sets have arrived in USA and should be available in the next couple of days. We're so proud to be part of the woodworking community and thanks to all of you woodworkers that have supported us this far, we hope you love the Gecko Blocs and don't forget to head over to the website to be notified as soon as they are available at www.BenchCritters.com.Happy new year and thanks from Gio & Todd
Woodworkers We Need You!.. If this is going to work... Bench Critters 2024-12-13 | Welcome to the first video of our new woodworking channel! This is Bench Critters and we are Gio & Todd. We're proud to be woodworkers and we take great care over the things we produce but it doesn't always seem like the companies that make products for us always feel the same, so...We've decided we're going to make our own woodworking and workshop accessories and we're going to do it the way it should be done, with a focus on thoughtful design and quality all the way. We're going to share the product design and development story as we produce 10 products for woodworkers and we'll share our ups and downs along the way. We're going to make the products available to anyone that wants them and we're going to need all the support we can get along the way!We'd love to use this community for feedback on designs and ideas as we go, so come along and have your say and help us make the best products we can.We hope you'll join us for the ride and thanks for the support, Gio & ToddLinks:Bench Critters Website: benchcritters.com
