workbench hardware questions - longish
Hi there guys and gals. I have some questions for ya all, but first I'll give you a rundown on what I am thinking... Any thoughts, ideas and especially experiences will be greatly appreciated. (I have just ordered "The Workbench Book", but it won't arrive for a while)
So here goes...I have a workmate and I'm STILL thinking about my workbench for when I get the small shop built. But I have become stuck in the "thinking too much about it" rut like many others and don't seem to be going any further. I am at a fork in the road. One leading down the Roubo bench road and the other down a hybrid regular bench.
I have decided that with either style, I will go with some drawers and a cabinet beneath so that I can maximise my storage and layout of my mini-shop.
I have also gotten stuck on vice placement and bench hardware. I can go the leg vice and crochet and maximise the length of say a large panel clamped to the front of the bench. But for some reason I like the idea of the LV twin screw vice as a front vice. But if I go with this then it will limit the length of panel or door etc that I can clamp...I have a question later about this so hang on, please.:)
Like I said I am stuck in the "thinking too much about it" rut and I need to have something so I can make things with (especially the doors for my shop/shed/toolbax) and to see how my little shop will work. From reading some of the websites and posts about some people's ultimate workbenches, it takes about two or three years to get the design finalised and then another year's labour to get it finished.:eek: ;) So I have decided to put on hold for the moment my super duper fantastic bench and just build my own cheap model so that I can make some things and so I can see what will work in my situation. But I still need some hardware for it and I want o be able to use it all on the Mark II in the future. So are here are some thoughts and questions on which I would appreciate your input.
With a face vice for a right hander like myself the usual set-up is to have the face vice at the left end and a tail vice or similar at the right. But I found an interesting bench by "Dean J" while surfiing, which has a crotchet at the left hand end and just pegs in the leg and a sliding board jack. And at the right hand end of the bench he has a large twin screw (24" centres) for a face vice. It appeals to me, with the simplicity and the large face vice. He is a right hander, it appears, but his set-up is opposite to the norm. Any thoughts?
But with this set up and my shorter bench it would not leave me much capacity if I needed to hold doors or larger panel or sheet goods for say edge jointing or whatever. So here is my first question..
Question 1.
How easy is it to remove the LV twin screw from the bench and reinstall it later. (just front jaws and screws etc)?
(My thinking...a) install the twin screw for the majority of my work and when ocasionally needed remove it so I can clamp larger (wide and longish) panels against the front of the bench. Then just reinstall the screws and front jaw assembly when done.
b)Also thinking (just thinking at the moment:D ) about having holes drilled in a skirt (rear jaw) for installation of the twin screw vice at each end of the bench bench so that I can change my working set up until I finalise the location.
Question 2.
How long are the twin vice's screws? How far from the rear jaw face do they protrude?
Question 3.
If using the LV twin screw vice for a face vice, (has anyone got this set-up?) do the handles etc. get in the way when face jointing on the bench top itself (say between dogs). How much do they protrude? Is it better to be able to just work along an unecumbered bench edge? Remember I am using a workmate now so I have no idea.
I have decided to go with the Veritas hold downs also rather than the regular holdfasts. And if I go with the twin screw face vice I will need a skirt as a rear jaw. so now to questions 4.
Question 4.
Is there any example of where I would need to clamp something to the top with regular type clamps that I can't use the LV hold downs? (Sorry, brain dead, I can't think of any examples:o )
Bench points:-
Question 5.
How much foot room under the front long stretcher is needed? What is typical?
Question 6.
What is your recommended maximum span between legs/supports for say a spruce top just under 4" thick?
(I plan on getting some 105mm square laminated spruce posts (reasonably cheap from the borg here)) and laminate them together into a top and then I will have to plane it down to level the top so it will be a bit less than the original 105mm.
This is an embarrasing one :o but hey, you aren't born with the knowledge are ya.;)
Question 7.
Are all the racking forces in the longitudinal direction basically resisted by the long stretches only? I was thinking of using the same 105mm square laminated spruce posts for the legs and the stretchers, too.
Or since I am wanting to put cabintes or drawers under the bench anyway, would it be better to just put a ply panel in the back joining the rear legs together. How is a good way to do this if this is the way to go?
I have to decide on how to fix the top. Mortice and tennon the legs into the underside of the slab like the roubo or have end frames on the base with top stretchers (is that the term here?) and then just sit it on a dowel or lag bolt it in the middle so it doesn't slide but mainly just relying on gravity.
OK there you go. A mega post. I hope you can help me out and hopefully all the others like me will be helped out as well.
Robert