diff --git a/pungi/linker.py b/pungi/linker.py
index 936f6f1f..d90c4fc0 100644
--- a/pungi/linker.py
+++ b/pungi/linker.py
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ class LinkerPool(ThreadPool):
         self.link_type = link_type
         self.linker = Linker()
 
+    @classmethod
+    def with_workers(cls, num_workers, *args, **kwargs):
+        pool = cls(*args, **kwargs)
+        for _ in range(num_workers):
+            pool.add(LinkerThread(pool))
+        return pool
+
 
 class LinkerThread(WorkerThread):
     def process(self, item, num):
diff --git a/pungi/phases/gather/link.py b/pungi/phases/gather/link.py
index 29921654..4931c6cd 100644
--- a/pungi/phases/gather/link.py
+++ b/pungi/phases/gather/link.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import os
 
 import kobo.rpmlib
 
-from pungi.linker import LinkerThread, LinkerPool
+from pungi.linker import LinkerPool
 
 
 # TODO: global Linker instance - to keep hardlinks on dest?
@@ -61,9 +61,7 @@ def link_files(compose, arch, variant, pkg_map, pkg_sets, manifest, srpm_map={})
     compose.log_info("[BEGIN] %s" % msg)
     link_type = compose.conf["link_type"]
 
-    pool = LinkerPool(link_type, logger=compose._logger)
-    for i in range(10):
-        pool.add(LinkerThread(pool))
+    pool = LinkerPool.with_workers(10, link_type, logger=compose._logger)
 
     hashed_directories = compose.conf["hashed_directories"]
 
diff --git a/pungi/phases/pkgset/sources/source_repos.py b/pungi/phases/pkgset/sources/source_repos.py
index 55aab529..50edb7f5 100644
--- a/pungi/phases/pkgset/sources/source_repos.py
+++ b/pungi/phases/pkgset/sources/source_repos.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from pungi.phases.pkgset.common import (run_create_global_repo,
                                         create_arch_repos,
                                         populate_arch_pkgsets)
 from pungi.phases.gather import get_prepopulate_packages, get_packages_to_gather
-from pungi.linker import LinkerThread, LinkerPool
+from pungi.linker import LinkerPool
 
 
 import pungi.phases.pkgset.source
@@ -52,9 +52,7 @@ def get_pkgset_from_repos(compose):
     profiler = compose.conf["gather_profiler"]
 
     link_type = compose.conf["link_type"]
-    pool = LinkerPool(link_type, logger=compose._logger)
-    for i in range(10):
-        pool.add(LinkerThread(pool))
+    pool = LinkerPool.with_workers(10, link_type, logger=compose._logger)
 
     path_prefix = os.path.join(compose.paths.work.topdir(arch="global"), "download") + "/"
     makedirs(path_prefix)