Workbench critique

[David Gendron]

I think 6' is a good lenght, not the best but better than my 5' one!! I think that a twin screw vise is a realy good choice, as for wooden one, you can check these guys out, http://www.bigwoodvise.com/index.cfm and, http://www.lakeerietoolworks.com.
The second one will be the one I will go with on my next bench!

A till is a place to put tools... I wouldn't have a "hamsters nest" in the middle of my bench! And at 6'2" I like my bench at 24" and it is easy to clamp across it!

Have you read Chris Shwarz book on work bench," Workbenches, from design & theory to construction & use" or The Workbench Book by Scott Landis? You would find a lot of ideas and answers to questions you may have!

Also, in the Nehandertal wisdom, at the top of this page, you will find a thread about benches of different Creekers, A general bench showcase thread.

That is only my $0.02 of cours!

[David Gendron]

Mine is DF and over two years old and doing just fine. I think that well seasoned Poplar gets pretty hard?!? but correct me if i'm wrong! On the janka Scale, Poplar is right there with DF and harder then Hemlock. As for Specific Gravity(weight), it scaled at .42, Df at .48 and Cherry at.50. Not the hardest or heaviest of wood but good enought for a bench!The only thing, would be stiffness, not being realy stiff, the top could sag or flex if the bench was to be long but at 6' and with an apron front and back, I don't see any problems!

[John Sanford]

Overall dimensions are appx 28" x 70"

I'm a "wide bench" guy, so I'm down with the width. I'm 6' with a high ape index and engage in general woodworking (mixed power and hand tools). I worked with a 32" (or was it 36"?) wide bench for about 4 years. Now I'm on a 25", and I'd like to get back a bit wider, 28-30. As for length, yeah, longer is better.

I plan to put a steel vise on both corners, to allow clamping wide panels. I'm thinking a nice Jorgensen on the front side, and a cheaper one down the road on the far side.

Like others, I'd skip on the back-corner vise. That might be a good place though to put a square of dogholes for temporarily mounting a machinist's vise, something I've done.

The top will be made from 4/4 poplar. The stack of lumber I have to use is 1" x 5.5", so the main portion of the top will wind up being 2 3/8 - 2 1/2" thick. The aprons and endcaps will be 4 1/2" thick/wide. aprons are 2 boards (1 1/2" thick), endcaps are 4 boards (3" thick).

Skip the aprons, they're just heartache come clamping time. Make the entire top 3-4" thick.

When it comes time to cut/drill your dogholes, the spacing is fairly important. Space the holes that are lined up with the movable dog in your vise(s) at less than the throw of the completed vise, i.e.with whatever wooden jaws you use already installed.

With your trestle base, make sure that you have sufficient footroom no matter where you stand working on the bench.

I'll echo the suggestion to get Schwarz's book. It is the book about using and building workbenches. It's not as good of a coffee table book as some of the others, but you'll do some serious bench thinkin' after reading his book.

[Clint Barden]

Thanks for all of the suggestions y'all.

I have "the Workbench" by Lon Schleining, but none of the other books. I have researched the subject extensively here and other places on the web.

Yep, the bench will be made of poplar. Not as nice as sugar maple or even hickory, but it's a matter of economics. I could come up with several hundred bucks to buy maple, but there goes my plane budget. The stack of poplar is ready and waiting.

For the tool tray, my previous bench (New Yankee Workshop plan) had one, and I really like it. That's just a personal preference. Check out the video of the 21st century workbench from Popular Woodworking. I think having the tool tray in the center and removable would be a nice feature.

As to the vise arrangement, should I go with the full width end vise, instead of a steel vise on the corner?

I would love to have the whole slab 3.5-4" thick, but that would be wasteful of the stack of lumber I have (1x6). Would it hurt to alternate edge glued boards in the slab?

David, why don't you like metal vises?

[Sean Hughto]

The second row allows for the placement of a board across the bench to serve as a planing stop and also allows a three point hold for things like wide boards, doors, etc.

[David Gendron]

The main thing is you have to keep them oiled or greased, and that eventualy get in contact with your work, not good! The other thing wit oil and grease is that it attract saw dust, making it more maintenence and they are slow(other then the Bench Craft brand). Wood, in the other hand are quiker, they don't mare your wood as easily and you don,t have to oil them, bees wax work great!

As for the end vise, go full width, it is use full to hold large panels for DT work or plane end graine!

[Rob Fisher]

Clint,

I am in a similar situation to you. I am trying to start using more hand tools but still plan on using some power tools. And I have been researching and planning a workbench to accommodate these tasks.

In my opinion Chris Schwarz's Workbenches is an essential read. He does show (with considerable detail) two benches which he believes are the best, but I think the strength of the book is that he lays out what features are essential in a bench, no matter what style you end up building.

I would make the entire top 3-4". You could probably use edge joined boards but I would keep them to as few as possible and staggering joints, probably alternating with full width boards at a min. I would personally not use metal vises as I don't like hitting metal with a hand plane or chisel. Wood for me. And I cannot see where you will need two end vises. I will also have the front legs flush with the front edge of the top to facilitate easier clamping.

Height, width, tool trays and vise types really are a personal choice. I will have tool trays similar to the 21st century bench. And if anything building it higher than you think and cut it down as needed. Like Harry said, its your bench so build it to suit you. It can always be changed, reworked later.

Rob

[Clint Barden]

Ok.... I fold....... off to Woodcraft to get Christopher Shwartz's book.

[Nick Laeder]

Good for you. I read once that no true woodworker only makes one bench. Might as well make the first out of wood you've got available cheaply. I'm making my first one this summer out of some 2x6s that came from an equipment crate. They look like some sort of pine. Will the top get messed up? Yep. Will I build another one someday? Probably.

[Clint Barden]

Good reading so far. I'm definitely sold on not having aprons.

[John Sanford]

Good reading so far. I'm definitely sold on not having aprons.

toldyaso.



I'd already experienced the problems with aprons that Chris explains, I just wasn't sure of the solution until I read his book. And there it is, so darned simple. Just make the top thicker!!

[Andy Pedler]

I would love to have the whole slab 3.5-4" thick, but that would be wasteful of the stack of lumber I have (1x6). Would it hurt to alternate edge glued boards in the slab?

Okay, I have a question for the experts out there. Clint has a stack of 1x6 boards waiting to be transformed into a benchtop and he wants to use it efficiently. He wants the top to be as thick as possible but doesn't want to just rip the 1x6's down to 4" and burn 2" on each board. So what about a compromise?

If the first 4-6 boards on the front and back were 4" thick (inefficient) and the rest of the top was just under 3" thick (more efficient), would that work? If his bench is a Roubo style then the legs would attach to the thicker sections, which seems like it should help stability. It also helps clamping to the front or back of the bench.

Is that a way he might be able to have his cake and eat it too? Or is this a crazy idea from someone who should stick to electrical engineering?

Andy Pedler - Newark, CA

[Clint Barden]

Okay, I have a question for the experts out there. Clint has a stack of 1x6 boards waiting to be transformed into a benchtop and he wants to use it efficiently. He wants the top to be as thick as possible but doesn't want to just rip the 1x6's down to 4" and burn 2" on each board. So what about a compromise?

If the first 4-6 boards on the front and back were 4" thick (inefficient) and the rest of the top was just under 3" thick (more efficient), would that work? If his bench is a Roubo style then the legs would attach to the thicker sections, which seems like it should help stability. It also helps clamping to the front or back of the bench.

Is that a way he might be able to have his cake and eat it too? Or is this a crazy idea from someone who should stick to electrical engineering?

Andy Pedler - Newark, CA

Good question!


Another question... Hypothetically if I were to build a bench similar to the roubo, I already have some poplar 16/4 boards that I was going to use as the legs. Could I just scale the whole thing down a little? Maybe laminate a 4/4 board to two sides of the 16/4 and wind up with about 4.25" legs,, end up with a 3" x 24" wide x 72" long top?

[David Gendron]

Good question!


Another question... Hypothetically if I were to build a bench similar to the roubo, I already have some poplar 16/4 boards that I was going to use as the legs. Could I just scale the whole thing down a little? Maybe laminate a 4/4 board to two sides of the 16/4 and wind up with about 4.25" legs,, end up with a 3" x 24" wide x 72" long top?

Clint, That is a good solution in my book!
I also like the use of a thiker top in the front and back, I think it could work just as good!
A lot of time, people don't think of an other way that does,IMO a realy good top, maybe a little less work, by jointing 4 boards of 6" wide to each others and then making an other one like that, folowing by 2 panels made the same way but starting and finishing with a 3" board( so you get staggered joints) And then gluing these panels together, alternating the panels made of 6" board and the other one, you end up with a top that is 24"x 4" the lenght you want, with less ripping, less waste, and I think less work!

[Dan Sink]

All this is a lot of personal preference and work habit driven. I think I'd lose the end vise at the back corner. I can't imagine needing it. I might replace both of those with a wagon vise or tail vise.

Also, the tool bin is not worth doing, it just catches dust and shavings.

- just dos pesos

Oh and to give you a sense of my biases (most people like what they're used to), here's my bench:



Based loosely on the Fortune Nelson from the Landis Workbench book.

Sean - I hate you. Not "hate" hate, but hate in the same way I hate Andy Roddick for dating Brooklyn Decker. I'm just extremely jealous. ;-)