Thread: Jack-Bench?

Interesting.... piece of art.

I have 4 plasterer's stools, the ones that were $69 each at bunnies. ($79 last time I looked)
They have 3 different height settings & I use them heaps.
I have a big old heavy door that I can lay across 2 of them for more work space.

John - we must all think about adjustable-height benches from time to time (I usually think it is a good idea when bent over double, squinting at something on the bench top through my head-band magnifier!). However, most of the time, I don't think about it, because the bench height suits the jobs I'm doing very well.

Over the years I have seen a few different ideas for moving bench tops up & down. Most of them involved a lot of engineering, in order to make a mechanism that was both sturdy enough & convenient to adjust reasonably quickly. There was one in an old FWW that got me briefly excited, and for a day or three I was seriously considering making something like it. However, knowing myself reasonably well, I accepted that after the novelty wore off I would rarely alter the height, because it is just too much bother to keep chopping & changing. So that idea went into the "Maybe some time in another life...." drawer.

Of course it depends on what you do at your bench, but I suggest it MAY be much more practical to build a couple of different height benches for special purposes (if you have the space). Or build a single-height bench, and have a few aids that make life easier, like dovetailing vises or 'benchtop benches' that can simply be put out of the way when not needed. I'd have a couple more benches, if only I had the room!.

However, all that said, and practicality aside, a bench like the one you refer to above would be fun to make, & would certainly give you impeccable boasting rights! If you do decide to go ahead with it, you will have to do a WIP. Groggy has almost finished his monument, and it will need a mighty project like that to cap his effort!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

...

If you do decide to go ahead with it, you will have to do a WIP. Groggy has almost finished his monument, and it will need a mighty project like that to cap his effort!

Cheers,

Agree a WIP is mandatory

Groggy's got at least 18 months left on his

I was really just wondering! I am going to do a WIP bench...might start it next days off.

Originally Posted by johnredl

I was really just wondering! I am going to do a WIP bench...might start it next days off.

Pushed send by accident!

I found this bench quite interesting, but won't be making it. I think that I'll steal the jacks to lift it and move it around idea tho. I've been thinking if a jack on each end with a board & castors, keep an eye out for a jarrah/mixed HW bench WIP to come. Hopefully I can get ideas & thoughts on manufacturing it.

My existing bench is about 4" too high for planing, etc. It's ideal for cutting joints, so the new bench is for planing, etc.

Originally Posted by IanW

. Groggy has almost finished his monument, and it will need a mighty project like that to cap his effort!

Cheers,

Is this possible? That's quite a bench, I don't think there is anything that he can't hold to that monster!

I'd be happy if mine turns out half as good

Originally Posted by johnredl

....
I found this bench quite interesting, but won't be making it. I think that I'll steal the jacks to lift it and move it around idea tho.

Darn - I wasn't trying to put you off - I would have enjoyed seeing an engineering marvel take shape!

But a moveable bench is a very good thing, in my view - I just haven't gotten around to it, yet - after all, my current bench has only been in service for 25 years. It's on the "sumdayi'mgunna" list, but you can't rush it....

Originally Posted by johnredl

....My existing bench is about 4" too high for planing, etc. It's ideal for cutting joints, so the new bench is for planing, etc.

OK - I have the opposite problem. I made sure mine was just right for planing, which makes it anything up to 200mm too low for some jobs. Fortunately, that is the easier problem to solve with accessory vises and other add-on devices.

I have tried raising it various increments to see if I could strike a compromnise, but it just didn't feel right at anything other than the height I built it (which was carefully chosen based on the heights of its several predecessors). If I only had the floor space, I reckon I could do with at least two more benches. Though I have a sneaking suspicion they would become semi-permanent refuges for piles of junk.......

Cheers,

Some days I am 6ft1, some days I am 5ft2. An adjustable-height workbench could be very useful.

Originally Posted by IanW

Darn - I wasn't trying to put you off - I would have enjoyed seeing an engineering marvel take shape!


Cheers,

Hmmm...anyone who has seen some of my previous threads will see that I change my mind like a member if the fairer sex!! The bench looks like a relatively simple idea & not too difficult. I am getting more interested...

Did anyone see the YouTube video? My concern mainly is - will it be 100 solid? I'm making mybench 4" thick, would be a shame to go to all the effort just to find out that the thing moves under my plane. I'm not built like a bodybuilder, so I need all the advantages I can get!

My current bench seems fine for joinery, but I've found it too low for craft and repairing stuff that the kids break. Additionally my wife is 1 foot smaller than me, so maybe a height adjustable bench is not a bad idea...

Thoughts? (please!) Ta

I quite like the idea of having an adjustable height bench as well as movable.

I would probably put the moving adjustment on both ends as he only has it on one end and if the floor is not too level the feet at the other end could drag.

The height adjustment would be great for an assembly bench when low to a carving bench when high.

If you make the bench like a traditional bench where the top is thick and heavy it should not move under heavy planing.

Certainly food for thought.

I just received a reply to my email to Charlie, the jack-bench designer/inventor. In it I asked him if I can use heavy hardwood to build it, and does it move when you are planing wood. (I have a pile if 100 x 70 jarrah waiting for me . Here is his reply -

"You can make your bench top out of any stable hardwood. Any stable hardwood or softwood will work for the base. So, I think your lumber is quite suitable. The base also requires 3 sheets of plywood.

The heart of my design is the adjustable height base with the built in mobile base. You can attach just about any bench top to the base. The top in my bench and the one in the plans is 1-3/4" thick. The bench dogs are housed in a heavy 3-1/2" skirt around the edge of the bench.

The height range of the Jack Bench is 29" up to about 42". If the bench top is very heavy the scissors jack that is used to operate the bench might struggle at the low end of that range. There would be no trouble at the mid to high range. So, with a 4" thick top you might expect a range from maybe 32" up to 42".

An extremely heavy bench might also affect operation of the mobile base, but this could be worked out.

Unless my bench is raised up onto the mobile base it does not move, not even a little bit!

Thanks for writing,
Charlie"