Show us your Bench

[Leigh Betsch]

How about a "Show us your Bench" thread? Say two pics max, best features, construction materials, maybe list the accessories, vices etc. but limit each bench to one post, to keep people from hijacking the thread and make it easy to see a lot of benches. I know that there is a workbench section in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs but one thread with one entry per bench might be an easier to view and get more benches. And yes this is a bit self serving, I'm planning a bench build.

[David Bridgeman]

This was made from plans in American Woodworker Mag. It basically 3 plywood boxes on a 2x4 frame. Up under the frame are 6 100 lb wheels. It is propped up on hardwood wedges almost all the time unless I want to move it. Trimmed out in oak. The plywood boxes have drawers and doors for storage. I used a solid core door that someone gave me for a top. Trimmed the door (cut to size) in walnut and added a lee valley vice.

[RickT Harding]

Ash, 2.5" thick top, 1.5" thick front apron. Just shy of 8' long. Walnut leg vise and jorgensen quick release on the end. Bench bolts with M&T legs.



Build gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/deuce868/Workbench#

[Thomas love]

Rick T, Really like this bench , one of my favorites.

[Dave Schwarzkopf]

Dave, I went with southern yellow pine for most of the bench w/ rock maple for the end caps and vise parts. She's a little over 8' long and since I don't plan on keeping her against the wall, about 30" wide. I'd have to agree with the Schwarz; if my bench were to live next to a wall, about 24" would do nicely. (sorry for the female references, must be my time in the Navy)

I guess you noticed my tool storage predicament as well. To be honest I'm torn between making my own and buying a largish snap-on rolling cabinet. I move about every 3 years or so and the constant packing/unpacking and having the movers destroy my stuff is getting aggravating.

Leigh, I'll post pics after I get home from work. My woodies are either HNT Gordon or Crown, and I can recommend both without hesitation. They are also a pleasure to deal with.

Rick and Thomas, thanks for the kind words. She certainly was a labor of love, learned a lot in the process, (mostly what not to do....). In the end I would only have done a few things differently, like pay more attention to the leg placement in regards to the wagon vise, and I saw a pic on the Schwarz blog of a fella that hid the rollers to the face vise inside of the jaw, looked cleaner. Ah well, I'm just glad the paralysis through analysis only lasted about 2 years before I got off my duff and just made the thing. Now hand and power tool woodworking is just so much easier.

[Jim Koepke]

She certainly was a labor of love, learned a lot in the process, (mostly what not to do....). In the end I would only have done a few things differently, like pay more attention to the leg placement in regards to the wagon vise…

That would be a good idea for a thread… Things Not To Do When Building a Bench.

Many of us surely suffer from the paralysis of analysis. We often see some of the great innovations and learn from the hows and whys of their facilitation.

Surely many of us could speed our 'analysis' and break our paralysis by understanding the whats and whys of what should not be done.

jim

[Dave Schwarzkopf]

Leigh, as promised:









Jim, if only there was a 'what not to do' thread for marriage. It would have been nice to have a pre-canned response for the question: "Do these pants make my butt look fat?"

On the bench, I would have:

1. Been pickier about my stock. I ended up tossing a few glued up sections because I'd settled for what the BORG had on hand. If I'd have been a little less lazy and more selective, I wouldn't have had to bother with so many knots and trying to work and/or cut around crappy wood. Also it didn't help transporting everything in my hatchback.

2. Started with a thicker top, over 4". instead the outer 4" of the top on either side are beefed up and the center is at about 3.75. No real functional issues, just something that bothers me.

3. Slid the legs to the left to accommodate the wagon vise. Instead one of the legs sits right underneath the opening for the vise; screwed up the mortise/tenon and I couldn't clamp in-between the guide block and bench without using a cutout (see pic).




Just told on myself. Damn.

4. Made the face vise chop to the floor and cut out a hollow for the roller. No functional value-added, but it would clean things up.

[Leigh Betsch]

I know this is a bench thread (I started it) but can you squeek in the dimensions for your big joiner? I have a chunk of mesquite coming so I can build one. I'm thinking 30" long.

[Dave Schwarzkopf]

Leigh,

She's 26" long x 2 3/4" wide. She's taller in front than back, going from 2" down to 1 1/2". Terry Gordon used figured mulga to put it together, and I'm more than pleased. Hopefully that helps a bit.

[Chris Griggs]

Rick T, Really like this bench , one of my favorites.

I second this statement. Love Rick T's bench. Well made, but not overly unnecessarily complex; looks superbly functional. It's like a beefed up version of Chris Schwarz's English Nicholson Bench. You've built the exact bench that I've been envisioning building for myself some day. Awesome!

[Leigh Betsch]

Greg, all that heavy kangaroo wood no wonder Australia drifted down under! Looks like on heck of a bench you have going.

Darnell, sure like those boxes and trays. Gives me some more ideas!

[Charlie Smith]

Dave I was just looking at that bench from American Woodworker! I am pretty sure I will do something like that.

[Tom McMahon]

My latest bench 36 by 123.

[Leigh Betsch]

Tom what's that 4ft timber sticking out the front do for ya. Looks like it's suspended somehow, How you do dat?

[Leigh Betsch]

Ok Tom I see How you do dat. But Why you do dat?