Narrow hand tool shop

[Paul Sidener]

Hi Oskar, What do plan on building? With space being limited, an 8' bench seems a little large. If you could get by with a 6' bench, it would give you more options.

One thing that would help with storage is a shelf on the work bench.

Moving the bench away from the wall won't make your work any easier. It will be difficult to plane if you move the bench away from the wall. You were thinking of a 2' wide bench, leaving you 3' of space. If you 1 foot from the wall, leaving you 2 feet of space to stand an move. A narrower bench will help, If that would suit the work you are looking to do. Have you considered a Moravian Workbench? It has a narrow top with a tool shelf in back. This would allow you to traverse while planing, without moving the bench away from the wall. The shelf will also help with a little bit of storage with smaller tools.

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, thank you very much for your comment! Good idea about extending the work surface when needed, this I will consider. My plan so far was to keep the bench free standing. I have a sturdy roubo-like construction in mind. This way I can move it if I need to. For example if I want to sleeve something over the end, or occasionally clamp something also from behind. But of course bolting the bench to the wall adds to the stability.

Would you do the "fold-out-part" full length, or just a part in the middle of the bench? Do you think this would interfere with using holdfasts?

Another, higher bench for sharpening and joinery is tempting. I have to see if there is space enough for this. Otherwise I might build a shop stool and/or a moxon/bench on bench for this purpose.

Hi Oskar

I should clarify that my suggestion was just a way to make it easier to build a bench that is attached to the wall and narrower than you planned. I think that you have less space for traversing across a bench than you realise. Traversing forms a smallish part of preparing panels, and adding something that you can flip up or down would maximise your space. A 20" bench along a wall is plenty for jointing and planing faces. My bench is 6'6" long and I really have not felt it was lacking in length. You have a limited amount of space, and more needs to be given to other tasks, such as sawing and joinery.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John Kananis]

Oskar, assembly will be your real challenge (and forget on working on more than one or two projects at a time). How large scale are you looking to work? If small boxes, etc, then no worries. But, when you get to small end tables and larger, you'll find yourself challenged towards the end of the build. I work in a small space (especially compared to my last shop) - not counting the one side of the garage where the power stuff slumbers - and still keep my bench off the wall. I find it 'confines' me less.

[Oskar Sedell]

Hi Oskar, What do plan on building? With space being limited, an 8' bench seems a little large. If you could get by with a 6' bench, it would give you more options.

Oskar, assembly will be your real challenge (and forget on working on more than one or two projects at a time). How large scale are you looking to work? If small boxes, etc, then no worries. But, when you get to small end tables and larger, you'll find yourself challenged towards the end of the build. I work in a small space (especially compared to my last shop) - not counting the one side of the garage where the power stuff slumbers - and still keep my bench off the wall. I find it 'confines' me less.

Paul and John, thanks for joining in, much appreciated!

Until now I've been forced to stay with small projects; boxes, planemaking and the occasional picture frame. Stepping it up with a shop and a workbench I look forward to wall cabinets, benches and chairs, small tables and so on. Nothing really big, but still furniture size. Assembly will have to move out of the cellar, when the projects doesn't fit on the bench/in the room anymore. In "worst" case I have a good friend with a really big shop where I can be for big projects (like the bench build).

The 8' was my idea of saving space. Instead of multiple workspaces for sharpening, planing and assembly I thought it might be a good idea to make one for all tasks, and keep the rest of the room free. I will have to think this over again, and maybe go down to a 6.5 - 7.5' bench.

One thing that would help with storage is a shelf on the work bench.

Moving the bench away from the wall won't make your work any easier. It will be difficult to plane if you move the bench away from the wall. You were thinking of a 2' wide bench, leaving you 3' of space. If you 1 foot from the wall, leaving you 2 feet of space to stand an move. A narrower bench will help, If that would suit the work you are looking to do. Have you considered a Moravian Workbench? It has a narrow top with a tool shelf in back. This would allow you to traverse while planing, without moving the bench away from the wall. The shelf will also help with a little bit of storage with smaller tools.

Yes, a shelf is planned for. Maybe even with a few drawers below, but otherwise close to the Roubo design to make space for using clamps and holdfasts under the top.

Thanks for the idea of the Moravian bench, so far I did not consider this. I'm however still inclined to a bench to free of a tool tray. With just the narrow top I have the possibility to put it against the wall, with a "lot" of space in front, or to back it out when needed. The foot print of the moravian would always be the same.

[Oskar Sedell]

Derek, thanks again for sharing your thoughts. As I've seen what you've built and posted here on SMC it puts it into perspective that you aren't/wouldn't be limited by a 20'' wide and 6'6'' long bench. I will sit down again with paper and pen and try to fit in a higher bench in addition to the planing bench.

[Warren Mickley]

Oskar, as I worked the last two days, I set up a pair of trestles with a long board that was 2 feet and then 3 feet from the bench to simulate your situation. I don't think you will have any trouble with the narrowness of the shop. I would not go less than 7 1/2 feet for the length of the bench; most people with six foot benches use machinery for stock preparation. Also as you also noted the longer length lets you keep tools on the shelf under the bench and even on the bench if the work doesn't require the length. It could be that you will find a better situation (more room) long before you wear out the bench.

I would go easy on the tool purchases as tool storage and access will be a challenge. Four bench planes instead of fourteen, two or four bar clamps instead of twenty, five handsaws rather than 15, etc.

[William Fretwell]

That's a wonderful picture Warren. Imagine the shavings coming up to your knees before you sweep, talk about being immersed in your work! I especially like it for the trestle leg traditional bench.

[William Fretwell]

If you build a traditional tail vise it can extend 13" thus 'lengthening' your bench a foot when needed instead of the captured vise. A vertical clamp rack on a French cleat can hold many clamps in a small space. You will need the bench off the wall a few inches so you may as well have a tool tray at the back to catch the tools. The extra width will then give your legs more 'stance'. A 20" bench top and 5" tool tray leaves you almost 3 feet to work in which will work. Tool storage under the bench will keep the space over the bench open, a clamp rack on an end wall and you are good to go. I would make a rubber covered thick board to go on your bench for sharpening or as a small shelf in a corner. You can do a lot with very little.

[Oskar Sedell]

Oskar, as I worked the last two days, I set up a pair of trestles with a long board that was 2 feet and then 3 feet from the bench to simulate your situation. I don't think you will have any trouble with the narrowness of the shop. I would not go less than 7 1/2 feet for the length of the bench; most people with six foot benches use machinery for stock preparation. Also as you also noted the longer length lets you keep tools on the shelf under the bench and even on the bench if the work doesn't require the length. It could be that you will find a better situation (more room) long before you wear out the bench.

I would go easy on the tool purchases as tool storage and access will be a challenge. Four bench planes instead of fourteen, two or four bar clamps instead of twenty, five handsaws rather than 15, etc.

Warren. Thanks for taking the time, and thinking about my shop situation. This is very appreciated!

Good to hear your views on bench size. I will do a lot of dimensioning by hand, as hand planes and hand saws is what I have. My bench will be of a knock-down type with tusk tenons. I have to get it into this room, and at some point get it out as well. And yes, one day I might put the bench in a (hopefully) bigger shop.

Tool purchase is always slow for me since money come slow. The planes I use I mostly build myself, which also keeps the number down. I don't see any problems with tool storage. Since I'm about 6'4'' I can comfortably use the walls all the way to the roof as storage.

[Oskar Sedell]

If you build a traditional tail vise it can extend 13" thus 'lengthening' your bench a foot when needed instead of the captured vise. A vertical clamp rack on a French cleat can hold many clamps in a small space. You will need the bench off the wall a few inches so you may as well have a tool tray at the back to catch the tools. The extra width will then give your legs more 'stance'. A 20" bench top and 5" tool tray leaves you almost 3 feet to work in which will work. Tool storage under the bench will keep the space over the bench open, a clamp rack on an end wall and you are good to go. I would make a rubber covered thick board to go on your bench for sharpening or as a small shelf in a corner. You can do a lot with very little.

Thank you William, good to hear your ideas. I use water stones, and I have to come up with a solution for sharpening. Either a small sharpening bench in a corner, or as you suggested, a removable board/tray to put on the bench. A small shelf is not a bad idea either! There is no running water, so it might also be that sharpening, lapping and stone storage has to be located up in the apartment.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

We moved recently, so I have more room than I have ever had. Our last place had a little more space then what you have, but not a lot. I agree with Warren about the length of the bench. I tried to make some larger things on my 6 foot bench, and it is very difficult to get the lumber prepared properly.

For sharpening, I use a dish pan to soak the stones. For sharpening, I use a cookie sheet (a large shallow metal pan with low sides. I put a piece of rubber shelf liner down, and the cookie sheet on that. Another small piece of shelf liner in the pan, which keeps the stone from sliding around. A sink is nice, but you do not need one.

[Peter Christensen]

A suggestion regarding the clamp storage. Since you mentioned your a tall guy, store the clamps horizontally across the ceiling, lengthwise to the room. Two sheets of plywood with full length spacers between will let you slide the bars of the clamps into the slots leaving the heads out. Picture it looking at the end like this IIIIIIIIIII with the bars of the clamps in the spaces. If you mount it lower than the ceiling you would have a shelf above for some storage. With LED tube lights being as thin as an inch and a half you could attach a couple fixtures to the bottom of the clamp rack and not have shadows below. It won't work with short clamps or those with big heads but Bessey K-body types or pipe clamps will. In your tight space you can't rule out the ceiling for storage.

[Jerry Olexa]

Agree with Prashun: Access all around to your bench is to me, Important....One of my best moves in my shop..

[Jason Baker IX]

My shop is 15ft x 5ft -- just a little longer than yours. I have had no problem working on any projects using just hand tools over the past year. My Nicholson bench is 7ft long x 23in wide and it's positioned against one of the long walls. The door to the shop is facing part of the workbench, so it makes the space feel a little bigger. What's nice is that the doorway is wider than a standard door. That lets me move workpieces and materials in and out of the shop easier. My dust collection system is in the adjacent basement room and connected via a hose piped through the wall.

[Oskar Sedell]

We moved recently, so I have more room than I have ever had. Our last place had a little more space then what you have, but not a lot. I agree with Warren about the length of the bench. I tried to make some larger things on my 6 foot bench, and it is very difficult to get the lumber prepared properly.

For sharpening, I use a dish pan to soak the stones. For sharpening, I use a cookie sheet (a large shallow metal pan with low sides. I put a piece of rubber shelf liner down, and the cookie sheet on that. Another small piece of shelf liner in the pan, which keeps the stone from sliding around. A sink is nice, but you do not need one.

Thank you Nicholas! I'm getting more and more convinced not to shorten the bench more than necessary. A cookie sheet is a good suggestion for a sharpening tray. And possibly a bucket of water to lap the stones in.