For as long as humans have been building things from wood, there has been a need for workbenches to hold each piece as it is planed and sawed to final dimensions. I would guess the use of traditional workbenches peaked around the beginning of the 20th century prior to the widespread adoption of power tools. Today, workbenches are coveted by hand tool aficionados but many antique workbenches are sadly being converted to bars and kitchen islands. If you search Amazon you’ll find a plethora of books on the history, design and construction of these workbenches. The Workbench Book by Scott Landis seems to be one of the more popular ones.