New Bench Build- going a little overboard

[Keith Mathewson]

For years I've built things for others but when it came time to build a new bench I built this one for myself. I'll still use the bench for work but the extra details were built for fun. I've posted so pics of it on this site before but as it is almost finished I'm posting some pics of the details. It is 3' wide by 12' long with a dozen drawers and one door. It has a sliding deadman, leg vise and wagon-wheel vise with square dogs.

[Keith Mathewson]

I veneered the drawers and added banding. The small doors are positioned so that the holdfasts don't interfere with the drawers and makes for a place for the sliding deadman to sit so the drawers won't strike it.

[Tobias Lochner]

Wow! A great looking bench. Well done. Did you make up the banding yourself and is the orange colored wood Padauk? Wish I had the space in my bench room for 12' of bench!!

[Cody Pierce]

Wow, that'd certainly fit the bill for overkill but it's great! Nice work!

[Chris Griggs]

Cool. Looking forward to seeing the completed bench!

[hout slager]

yep, as Chris says - a cool bench and should be a pleasure to work on, keep posting the pics

Karl

[Jim Matthews]

Banding?

Drawers?

Crazy talk.

[george wilson]

Yes,you really need to get that bench moved so you can use the vise.

Beautiful work,but you might be enraged with yourself when you strike one of those drawers with something while working. Nevertheless,a great looking bench.

I'm just as guilty of getting carried away on other things. Maybe you should use the bench for a nice buffet,and start again(As Monty Python says)!!

[Jeff Heath]

My wife's favorite last words when she see's something I'm making for the shop "Is this for the workshop or the house?" Then, I know I've spent too much time on it.

I love what you've done with the place! The bench is great, but I wonder if you'll be able to use that leg vise being tucked in the corner, up against the wall. I run my boards way out that way, and would be smashing into the wall when planing.

Beautiful work, and I look forward to seeing it finished.

[Christopher Charles]

Might be too late to move it off the wall--I bet it doesn't move without a crane

Beautifully done, also looking forward to seeing the completed project--sounds like you've put the time in to deserve a bit of indulgence for shop.

C

[Eric Schubert]

Nice bench! But I have to question your thought process... Is there really such a thing as "going overboard" on a bench?

[Bobby O'Neal]

Beautiful work. I'm sure you'll love using it. Overboard, schmoverboard.

[Keith Mathewson]

Wow! A great looking bench. Well done. Did you make up the banding yourself and is the orange colored wood Padauk? Wish I had the space in my bench room for 12' of bench!!

i made the banding, there are two pics of it and the center is Padauk which will darken considerably in a short period of time.

it is somewhat interesting and unfortunately all too common that people who spend their careers building things for customers seldom build anything for themselves. I've set a goal to build one piece of furniture a year for myself before I retire- now if I can just get my wife to agree on style.

[David Weaver]

It's sort of like the old saying about the mechanics car always being the one in need of fixing.

Mechanic lived next door to my best friend in school. His cars always barely ran, he knew what to do to make them get from a to b in half shape and if he was going to turn a wrench any more than that, it was going to be on someone else's car so he could get paid.

[Keith Mathewson]

Might be too late to move it off the wall--I bet it doesn't move without a crane

C

It doesn't show in the older pics but it was moved about 3' off the wall. I didn't use a crane but I did use the forklift