BenchConnect

Pilot · Kent & London · now taking registrations

Real workshops. Real people. Real space.

BenchConnect introduces vetted makers to woodworking workshops with a spare bench, across Kent and London. By the day, week or month.

I have a workshopRegister your workshop I'm looking for spaceRegister as a maker

Find space

A bench in a real, working shop near you.

Use proper machines

Where the host allows it, after their induction.

Vetted both ways

Makers checked; hosts say yes by name.

Flexible bookings

A day, a week, or a few months.

Two ways in

For workshops

Your workshop. Your rules. Your spare bench.

Two joiners at work in a busy, well-equipped workshop

Most shops have a bay standing empty, a bench nobody uses, or a wall with room for one more. Let it to a vetted maker for a few days, weeks or months, on your terms.

  • You choose the days, the machines and the rate
  • You see every maker before they get your address
  • No cost to you during the pilot
Register your workshopHow hosting works

For makers

A real shop. Proper machines. No twelve-month lease.

A maker planing timber at a bench

Bench space inside a working workshop, with extraction and machines you can't have at home. Book for as long as the job needs, and no longer.

  • Days, weeks or months, often cheaper for longer
  • A deposit holds your dates, refundable with 48 hours' notice
  • No fee for makers during the pilot
Register as a makerWhat you'll need

How it works

Checked on both sides, before anyone meets.

  1. Workshops list their space

    By area, never the address. Each listing is checked before it goes live.

  2. Makers are vetted

    Their work, the machines they're competent on, and a current public liability certificate in their own name. Nobody turns up unannounced.

  3. I make the introduction

    Only when it fits. Nothing goes ahead until the host says yes to that person by name.

The practical bits

Flexible, insured, and written down.

Days, weeks or months
The host sets the shortest and longest booking, and the rates, often with a better rate for longer.
A deposit holds the dates
Usually a week's hire, refundable with 48 hours' notice. Each period is paid on its first day, before work begins.
Insured on both sides
Makers and hosts each hold their own public liability, and hosts tell their insurer makers are on site.
Bench, machining or machines
Each workshop offers a bench only, a bench plus its own machining service, or a bench and named machines after an induction. A short written licence sets out who is responsible for what.

Who's behind it

Built by someone at the bench.

Photo: Lloyd
I know why a workshop owner would say no, and what it would take for them to say yes.

Lloyd Meredith, cabinet maker and restorer with more than fifteen years in furniture making, restoration and conservation.

Curved console table in light timber
Console table
Burr-veneered display cabinet
Display cabinet
Walnut fitted shelving
Fitted walnut shelving
Painted cabinets with fluted timber detail and brass knobs
Fluted cabinetry detail

Questions

The things people ask first.

Do I need insurance?

Yes, both sides. Every maker holds public liability insurance in their own name and shows it before they can book. Every host holds their own, and tells their insurer that makers will be working on site under a licence. Personal accident cover is recommended for makers, but not required.

Who can use my machines?

Only who you say. Each workshop picks one of three listing types: a bench only, a bench plus your own machining service, or a bench and named machines. Makers only use the machines they've been inducted on and signed off for, and every maker gets an induction to your workshop rules.

What if something gets damaged?

A short written licence sets it out before anyone starts. The host decides whether accidental damage to machines is covered by their own insurance or carried at their own risk. Damage from misuse, such as using a machine you're not signed off on, is paid by the maker, starting with the deposit.

What does it cost?

Nothing to register, and no fee for either side during the pilot. Hosts set their own day, week and month rates, and makers pay the host directly. If BenchConnect charges a fee in future, you'll know before you book.

What happens after I register?

I reply personally within a few days. Workshops get a few questions about the space, then a listing to check and approve. Makers get a short application: examples of your work, the machines you're competent on, and your insurance.

Is my address shared?

No. Listings show the area only. A workshop's address is shared with a maker only once the host has said yes to that person by name.

Register

Be part of the first wave.

Two minutes, no obligation, nothing to pay. I read every registration myself and reply personally within a few days.

See the privacy notice for how your details are used.