I’ve been reading up on workbenches and getting ideas for a long time. Not too long ago I started Sketching Up a bench. I lean toward Shaker style workbenches because of their design sense and because I am short on space and need to maximize storage. This design is not faithful to any original Shaker design, but I have tried to maintain a Shaker philosophy in it.
I haven’t decided between the two drawings below. The base for one has wide legs at the ends and a toe kick (footprint ~75 x 30). The base for the other is a simple rectangle (footprint ~75 x 20). I’m not sure if the narrower one will be stable enough, but I like the way it looks much better. I want to make sure the bench would be stable while doing some thing like using a drawknife aggressively on a small log held in the end vise.
I’m also not sure about how rigid the case will be without much structure along the front. I figure that I will build the case first and add some full depth horizontal rails if it doesn’t seem stiff enough.
Some of the "special" features are:
1.Overhangs front, back and sides are small, but I think sufficient. About 4 ¾”.
2.Vises built into the case instead of hanging off the sides
3.Front vise with an integrated adjustable spacer on the left of the guide bars to prevent racking. This allows for extra clamping space to the right of the guide bars. (copied from Diefenbach)
4.End vise with full width dog and tilting face in place of a tail vise.
5.Top made of beech countertop from Ikea laminated to 3 3/8” thick
6.Case of ¾” plywood – double thickness for four columns – constructed with shallow tongue in groove reinforced with screws
7.Drawers of plywood ¾” and ½” with lock joints and false fronts reinforced with pocket screws and hanging on metal over-extension slides
8.Tool tray not on the very back and not in the middle to allow working from all sides and possibly adding a wagon vise on the back side.
9.The 2nd drawer from the top in the middle doubles as a writing desk.
10.The base goes to the floor and has torsion box like construction.
11.Size 30” wide x 84” long x 36” high, plus vises. Footprint either 75 x 20 or 74 x 30
Here's a "technical" look at the plans without vises as they stand now for the version with the wide base.
Workbench 13 wide base un-reinforced End Plan.jpg Workbench 13 wide base un-reinforced Front Plan.jpg
I appreciate any and all feedback before I actually start cutting wood.
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