AROUND HOME : The Workbench Book : BY SCOTT LANDIS (The Taunton Press; 1987)

THE WORKBENCH IS the heart of any workshop; in many cases it is the workshop. Landis takes the reader on a world tour of cabinetmakers, artists, boat builders, handymen and lute makers, and shows what benches they use and how they set up (and in some cases, made) their equipment. There are also chapters on vises (shop-made and store-bought) and factory-made benches, plus detailed plans for building four benches, including a beautiful 19th-Century Shaker workbench. ($24.95)