Bench Ergonomics

Hi Folks,

I'm about to build myself a nice new "ultimate" workbench. Maple butcher block top (80" x 36" x 2.5"), drawers and cupboards under etc. This is to supplement my existing bench which is a Sjoberg job - very nicely made but a bit bench top area limited for some of my projects.

I have a couple of very nice vises for the new bench and have spent an inordinate amount of time pondering the placement of them. I need help!

Every bench design I can find seems to have the front vise on the left hand end of the bench and the end vise on the right hand side. I'm not sure why, but that's how they all seem to be built.

FWIW, I'm right handed.

I have often found that the front vise is on the wrong end of the bench for me. I have even found myself standing at the back of the bench on the left side just so I can use a saw to cut off a piece of wood. Very awkward indeed.

So, does anyone know why benches are built like this? And, can anyone give me a good reason why I shouldn't build my new bench with the front vise on the right hand side and the end vise on the left hand end?

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Dave Fifield

I had never paid much attention to the set up of most benches. However, once you mentioned it, every bench I have ever seen was set up the exact same way. I can't give you a reason for it. I can tell you this. This is going to be YOUR ULTIMATE WORKBENCH. Just my 02, make it so it is comfortable to you. Mount the vises where you want them, because you are going to be the one to use them.

I have built three joiner's benches, and am in the process of building 10 more, and all 13 are right handed benches, to be configured as you have described. (Maybe I should build a left handed one? What percentage of WW'ers are left handed?) I think there is good reasoning behind this configuration for a right hander.

As to the end vise, or tail vise, this is oft used for hand planing, and while a perfect tail vise would not deflect and would be aligned perfectly 100% of the time, this is of course not the case. When you plane, all of the board, or as much as possible, should be over the dead flat and strong bench top, eliminating deflection from the tail vise. As a right hander, you will be more comfortable supplying the power (your rear hand) with the right hand. Thus, you will plane right to left when possible. With the tail vise on the right, little or none of your board will be over the tail vise. Maybe you could use a block to brace it against the T.V. dog were it on the left, but it just seems like it would feel wrong to me. Plus, you are putting your force against the lead screw retainer screws, which is not great over the long run, I would think.

This leaves the left front corner of the bench for the front vise, by default. But, room permitting, you could put it at the left front corner, mounted on the end, and then it would do what you want in terms of sawing and the like. I wouldn't recommend this, however, becuase the front vise is also used to hold wood, together with a bench slave, for edge jointing/planing, and it needs to be on the long side for this.

If you are truly blessed with shop space, you could mount a second front vise as a "rear" vise on the corner opposite the tail vise, and that would also fill the bill. I think I recall seeing such a configuration on a bench in Lon Scherling's workbench book, which has a ton of pix of different benches, some quite clever.

On my first bench, which I did not build, and when I knew little, I mounted a front vise (the only vise) on the left end, as I described above, for probably the reasons you mentioned, and while sometimes convenient, it often was not.

Your choice, of course, but I favor the traditional configuration.

Good luck on your WW rite of passage journey. Nothing like a great, self-made, bench to raise the level of your work and enjoyment. BTW, the new Grammercy Holdfasts are superb. They are the first holdfasts that I have used that actually work as they are supposed to.

If you plane from right to left as you face the bench the frond vise should be on the left and the tail vise on the right....it is the natural position...a front apron mounted holfast secures the board against the apron

http://www.workbenches.com/images/Be...teAmerican.gif

As other have pointed out, the lefthand placement of the front vise is a "natural" for right handed people. But, as far as ergonomics go thet most overlooked aspect of bench design is proper hight. Assuming the bench is for your personal use it should be high enough that while standing erect you can place the palms of your hands flat on the top surface without having to bend at all or, approximately waist high.

Benches are pretty personal things. I think I'd want a vice on the right end if I did a lot of hand-sawing for lenght, for example...but since I don't, having it on the left has been no problem.

If this is going to be a second bench that also gets used for a lot of assembly, you might consider the Adjust-A-Bench system (do a search here at SMC) to allow you to easily change the height for maximum comfort and versatilty. I love the setup (And it's on my primary...and only...bench)

Thanks for your great replies fellas - most helpful.

My workshop is squished into a fairly small double garage right now, but I have a fairly large (for around here!) property with enough space to build a dream workshop at the back. The plan is to build the new workshop sometime in the next couple of years.

Based on your inputs, I have been doing some more thinking about how I'm going to use this bench. It will be my second bench. The existing one is just like the Ultimate Bench drawing in Mark's reply, so I think I'm covered for planing etc. In my existing workshop, as a temporary measure due to the lack of space, the new bench will mainly used as a stand for my sliding compound miter saw and planer. In my new workshop, it will mainly be used for assembly work. So, I think I'm going to put the front vise on the right and maybe not have any tail vise at all (save it for another bench!).

Thanks all. Pics to follow, of course!

Cheers,
Dave Fifield

My friend's cabinet shop in Santa Monica has a beautiful, custom wood-working bench. I fired a few questions at him about it. Moments later, from a stack of magazines in a bookrack, he produced the shop drawings used to make the bench.

The plans were blueprint sized, and bore a copyright from WoodCraft Supply. I will now use those beautiful plans, cut list, and hardware list, to make my own bench. Buying (I'm lazy) the laminated Maple top.

My friend included his own modifications and enlarged measurements on an extra sheet of paper. I really wouldn't want a bench the size of his, nor the one from Germany sold by Laguna Tools.

As to the placement of vises, he made his set up more comfortable by making a sliding leg vise on the front apron. It can be moved left to right at will. And has holes top to bottom for moveable support dogs that will told the edge of a board clamped in the vise. He worked that feature over a few times to teach me about its use, and it seems to my uneducated eyes that it would add a lot of flexibility. He suggested that a free-standing bench slave off the left side of the entire bench would allow left handers to plane into the direction of the of the vise itself, while holding the wood securely.

Another thing I thought valuable, is a leg vise, mounted the way his bench slave was so that it slides to any position right/left along the front apron.

If anyone wants the plans I have, I'd be glad to send them for the $1.50 Xerox charge at Kinkos. Only problem is, I'm moving this week. Ugh!

Send me an email to extiger@comcast.net.