Please show me your workbench(es)

[Frank Fusco]

Jeff, he wanted pictures of your workbench. Not your lawyers conference table. Beautiful.

[Steve Wargo]

Below is the link to my daily user. A totally non-traditional bench. Works like a champ, and weighs a ton (probably closer to a half ton). The top is consturcted of Quatersawn MDF for extra stability (right Alan?). Hope this helps.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...reated+monster

[John Renzetti]

I built this about 8 yrs ago. It's a bit more beat up now.
take care,
John

[Frank Fusco]

Tod, did you make that one? It looks massive, used and cluttered...I like it!

I've seen that bench and shop. At first glance the vices look like massive overkill. But seeing some of the work Tod does, they ain't.

[Allen Bookout]

I love seeing your work benches, all of them seem very practical and some are even works of art. However, one thing that I notice is that they are all quite large and a one even VERY large (tod). Christian mentioned having a small shop which is the case for a lot of us I think and space is at a premimum. I have a small cheap, light, unstable beanch, about 1' 8" by 5' with end and side vises that is not even worthy of a picture. But one thing that I have learned is that I can do most of what I need to on it although shakily.

What I would like to have, and what I think that might be usable for Christian, is a rock solid 2' by 6' bench with a fold down that is also 2' by 6' that I could raise and adjust perfectly flat with the bench top, maybe with some leveling bolts or something, to handle larger stuff and to use as an assembly table.

Has anyone seen anything like this, or have one like this, that would be a plus and not a minus?

Allen

[Frank Chaffee]

Frank Fusco,
If you preview a post with that has pics uploaded to Sawmill Creek, the pics will not be displayed in your post. …Just the way it is.
Frank

[Bruce Page]

Christian, Here’s mine that I built several years ago. I wanted a bench that had a big flat surface with lots of storage. The 36” X 96” top and the 14 drawers, 27” deep gave me that. It is all mortise & tenon construction.
I don’t know what it weighs but it is heavy!

[tod evans]

Tod, did you make that one? It looks massive, used and cluttered...I like it!

yeah steve i built it, all but the legs, a friend gave me the legs years ago,they`re from the burlington-northern engine rebuilding facility that used to be located in spfd. mo. that division was closed in the 50`s so they have some history! the top is 3x9 3 1/2" thick basswood with scrap maple skirt. actually it`s kinda clean in that picture, i snapped it last night when i got in from an install. tod

[Bill Pentz]

I just gave away my bench and my father's bench last spring. My bench was just a big heavy Douglas fir frame with laminated top copying so many others and was replaced with a larger Sjöbergs, but my father's bench incorporated a few things that might be of interest.

His bench base was a large heavy old solid 72” oak dining room sideboard (similar to a dresser but with center drawers and side cabinets). On this he placed a 96”x30” heavy laminated hard rock maple 3" thick top with attached tail, end, and metal vises. The laminate came from an old bowling alley. He and I flattened that top with a router and reference boards. The metal vise was easily removable with three heavy lever screws that locked it in place by tightening into nuts he mounted into the table surface. He swore one day he would put the metal vise on a hinge so it would tuck out of the way...

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hello folks

thanks for your replies. It is a pleasure to see your workbenches. All of them are real beauties so please don’t feel offended if I don’t reply directly to every single post.

@ Michael:
Your workbench comes pretty close to what I had in mind. How thick is the top?
Is the mobile base shop-built? Does the bench move during hand-planing?
Have you ever wanted to stand closer to the bench than the mobile base allows?

@ Jeff:
As others stated, your bench looks beautiful. Way too beautiful for my purposes …

@ Peter:
Nice solution. One or two utility bench(es) is what I’ll probably end up with.

@ Tod:
I don’t think that your bench would fit my shop. But other than that I like it.
BTW, do you collect Milwaukee tools?

@ Jim:
Thanks, I already checked your site.

@ Jeff;
Cool vise. Did you build it or buy it?

@ Jay:
Once again – too big and too nice
How did you laminate the top?
The skirts look great. The curve gives a nice touch.

@ Frank:
No mess – just very well used.

@ Bruce:
Very solid – impressive. Have you ever wished you would have built a thicker top?

Regards,

Christian

[Bruce Page]

@ Bruce:
Very solid – impressive. Have you ever wished you would have built a thicker top?

Regards,

Christian

Christian, The maple top is the only thing that I didn’t build. When I was pricing out the maple, I discovered that I could buy the pre-fabricated top for a little more than half of what it would’ve cost me to purchase the lumber. Do I wish it were thicker? Sure, for appearances only. For functionality, the 1¾” maple is plenty strong enough. I’ve had the very heavy machinist vise on the right end from day one without any sagging.

[Jeff Horton]

@ Jeff;
Cool vise. Did you build it or buy it?

I bought this one. I assume it to be very old but I don't know the history. Building one would be simple and if I ever need another I will build one. Plus it is dirt cheap. If you interested let me know and I will put up some photos of the vise. I really like my vise.

[Jay Knoll]

@ Jay:
Once again – too big and too nice
How did you laminate the top?
The skirts look great. The curve gives a nice touch.


Christian

I used the marble floor in our living room -- it is dead flat having been laid with levels on each tile.

I put down an extra piece of MDF, then put down the first two pieces, one was cut exactly, the other was a bit oversize. Then I piled anything and everything that I had that weighed anything on top of it, 5 gallon pails of joint compound, left over bricks from the yard, etc. I laid out the pattern for the dog holes and used drywall screws to tighten everything up. Once it was dry I used a router and a flush cut bit to trim the edge. Then I did the whole thing all over again for the next layer. Skirt was put on with Miller dowels.

Jay

[Christian Aufreiter]

If you interested let me know and I will put up some photos of the vise. I really like my vise.

Jeff, I'd appreciate more pics of the vise. Thanks a lot.

Thanks for the clarification, Bruce. If I understood the construction of you bench correctly, the top is supported by the carcass apart from the overhangs on the left and on the right. That certainly provides stability.

Jay, thanks for the detailed explanation. How many screws did you invest in the top?

Have a nice day,

Christian

[Henry Cavanaugh]

I am new to this thread. Just watching now. I made my bench by glueing a 1'' and two 3/4 sheets of MDF and thick heavy oak trim. I plan to build a lower assembly table and will look at a IKEA top http://www.ikea.com price for a 96 x 25 x 1 1/8 solid Beech is $79.00 a 73 x 39 x 1 1/8 $129. Other sizes available.