Sjobergs 1900 / SB119

[Patrick Krekelberg]

Mitch Peacock has one of the heavier ones I believe, not sure if it's the elite though.
Might be worth seeing if he has any video blogs on youtube about it.

Looks like he has an earlier one similar to the SB119 as well as an Elite based upon this video. Thanks for the reference!

Patrick,

Full disclosure, I'm a Moravian workbench fan boy. I've built a few and have worked on several almost exclusively since the first build. I understand more money than time and if you wish to buy here is a link to a builder https://woodandshop.com/portable-mor...ench-for-sale/ A link to Will Myers who has free plans and sometimes has a Moravian bench for sale https://eclecticmechanicals.com/2018...ch-plans-free/

Unlike some other bench builds, the Moravian bench is an easy, cheep, and quick build. None of the joints are difficult nor does it require any special tools. A hand saw, a few chisels, and a couple of planes will do the job. I can build a finished bench in less than a month while working full time at my day job, keeping Casa Chaos from falling down, and taking care of MsBubba. I've documented several builds here on the Creek and on my blog http://imaokguy.blogspot.com

No real dog in this fight but you can have a better bench for just a little time and a lot less money. Using wood from the local Home Depot and vise hardware from BenchCrafted or Lake Erie you can have a bench that is a joy to work on and will last a lifetime for under $500 USD. The cost will go up if you insist on a hardwood slab but there is no need, I've one bench with a SYP slab that is over 40 years old and the slab just keeps getting better with age.

ken

Thanks for this, Ken - I love the Moravian and its history. We often RV travel to the Carolinas so I will definitely take the kids to some historic sites where the old benches are. We have an old 20x20 gambrel-roof cabin on our property which is just for storage now. But eventually we hope to restore it and use it as a 'historic' shop (it's across the driveway from the modern shop where my office/studio is located). So even if we get a commercial bench, I will plan to build a Moravian in there some day. Right now it would be impossible to justify building a bench. We have a lot of irons in the fire as they say, so I am trying to find the balance.

Considering ultimate cost, the cost of my time arranging logistics considering we are on the home stretch of getting our house finished, and schedule unknowns with anything these days, I think I will keep my order for the Sjobergs Elite 2000. If I had more time and was willing to spend a little more, I'd go for the Benchcrafted STR without question. I am surprised to hear anyone talk of the Sjobergs as not being suitable for hand tools, but they make a lot of different trestle designs, so maybe this is in reference to a lighter weight bench?

[Thomas Wilson]

I am a fan of the Sjobergs Elite. I have both 1500 and 2000. The 1500 is in an entirely hand tool shop. I cannot see any limitation for using hand tools with it. Sjobergs has made some innovations to address deficiencies with traditional designs. The wide wooden clamp faces minimize the chance of marring the workpiece. The square guide bars on the vises have adjustable pads that can be used to compensate for wear so the vises do not rack when loaded on the side. Double rows of dog holes give many different ways to clamp workpieces. The 1” dogs do less damage to workpieces than 3/4” dogs. I have a traditional Scandinavian style bench that I made. I prefer the Sjobergs.

[Jim Koepke]

I am surprised to hear anyone talk of the Sjobergs as not being suitable for hand tools

My guess is armchair woodworkers are the ones making those claims.

My main modification to my small Sjöberg bench was to add 80 lbs of concrete in a bucket to the tail end to stabilize it when planing long boards.

Mortising is one of the more forceful jobs in hand tool woodworking:

Starting 1X2X3%22 Mortise.jpg

Chopping a 1X2X3%22 Mortise.jpg

The age old wisdom of chopping a mortise is, when possible, place the work above a leg.

My Shöberg may have skinny legs but they are able to stand up to this.

jtk