Paulk Workbench

**Bernmc** · 12th February 2019, 02:35 PM

Finally completed my Paulk Workbench. You’ve no idea how frustrating it’s been trying to build something straight and square when you have nothing straight and square to work on... ugh! A couple of trestles and a dodgy old floor that’s sloped enough to give an Everest climber a challenge.

I decided on a Paulk bench to get me started on the woodworking bandwagon again - it’s super strong but remains very light as it’s a torsion box design. Ron’s original plans are all 12mm ply, and the bench splits into two halves so it’s very easily moved around and handled by one person.

I decided on 16mm MDF tops so that I had a good, thick surface to create a bench-dog type cutting station. It does add a fair bit of weight, and I’d probably go slightly thinner if I did it again, but it’s still manageable by one person.

I’ve never played with a router, or used pocket holes, so it’s been great to get to use and practice new techniques - all of the side and internal supports are made with a router template guide, as are the trestles, and it’s all joined together with glue and pocket screws.

I used the Peter Parfitt-designed UJK parf guide system to mill the tops, so it’s milled as square as a square thing on a square day. I don’t have a table saw, so I really needed to be able to make something that allowed me to make perfectly square or parallel cuts with my track saw. It made me incredibly happy to run a couple of test cuts and have them come out exactly square. Sadly, I am surrounded by philistines who did not understand the momentousness of the occasion, and threatened an increase in my medication...
She Who Thinks She Must Be Obeyed fancied the look of the Parf system, and I was only too glad to let her get stuck into the second half of the 300 holes that needed to be milled into the top.

I may end up selling the bench at the cost of the materials as my Man-cave plans develop - the two halves are slightly too long to go across my shop when end to end, and I want to replace the rubbish old work surface along the far wall as I need to get the car back into the shop at some stage.
I wanted to build this first project exactly to plan as my inexperience means it’s likely that if I changed any measurements, I’d have missed some implication or the other further down the line, and cocked the whole thing up.

I’ll keep the split design, so it can live as a long workbench along the wall for most of the time, and then come out to form the Big Wide Bench when I need to work with full sheets.
I may incorporate a mitre saw table in it as well. But for now, it does exactly what I need it to do, and I’ll be able to produce some decent wall cabinets and the next version of the bench.

Hooray!

**Wongo** · 12th February 2019, 03:21 PM

Very nice

**solyxius** · 12th February 2019, 03:52 PM

Very nice results Bernmc!

I have just the last few days downloaded the PWB2 plans as well, as a first major project coming back to woodworking after some 30+ years. Wish me luck!

I only plan to make it one piece on a castor stand (Jay Bates style). Any words of wisdom while it's fresh in your mind? What thickness MDF top would you choose if doing it again? What did you finish the MDF with?

Also did you have trouble with Ron's metric measurements not adding up like I'm finding? (e.g. tops differ from bottoms 606mm vs 607mm, internal measurements not equal to width of tops 606mm, 607mm, 608mm, the two tops say 606mm x 2 can't be cut from 1200mm wide stock, therefore material listing incorrect, would have to be 1220mm etc). It's making me check all of the measurements I assumed would be correct!

Struggling to find the Mark II Parf Guide system in stock in AUS for the project - might have to import one. This is the ideal "rental" product.

PS - why the 5 x unchamfered dog holes

?

Cheers
Solly

**Bernmc** · 12th February 2019, 04:38 PM

Gawd. Nothing gets past you lot..!

Solly, those dog holes are all chamfered as of yesterday when I ironed my eyes straight!

I coated the top with a mix of 50/50 polyurethane and Shellite, as recommended by Bendigo Bob in post 14 of this thread.

The measurements definitely take some thinking - our sheets are slightly different sizes, and the straight metric doesn’t always work out. I checked everything about 4000 times, and then went right ahead and did it wrong anyway. Rinse and repeat.

I’d think about 16mm or even 12mm MDF for the top - I’m going to get a small piece of both to mill and see how they turn out. Seems that most Festool table clones go for 12mm, so it’s probably ok, and would be much lighter.

My hot tip is to make it VERY clear which bits you cut, and which bits you leave when marking up. Ron mentions this in one of the videos and I went “pfft. Whateva”. And then drilled the big hole saw holes in the trestle template, covered them over with the track saw track, and promptly cut out all those nicely made curves...

I got my PGII direct from Axminster as I had a big order of other stuff. There were issues with some of the first rulers supplied in the Mark II, and I ended up with one of them - which is why the project has only just been completed. I had to wait for the replacement rulers to arrive (issues have been sorted now). I believe that it may be next month before they’re restocked.

**russ57** · 12th February 2019, 05:03 PM

*need to get the car back into the shop*

Why would you want a car in your workshop? It has its own perfectly functional roof and walls to keep the seats dry...

Russ

**Midnight Man** · 12th February 2019, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by russ57

*need to get the car back into the shop*

Why would you want a car in your workshop? It has its own perfectly functional roof and walls to keep the seats dry...

Only if you remember to wind up the windows... if you don't, then there is an ingress of water.

Mind, only when it rains, which, unless you're in FNQ, is just-about-bloody-never...

Jokes aside, thoughts with our mates in FNQ and hoping things get back to normal ASAP.

Also, that is an awesome bit of work Benmc!

Grats on getting the bench up and running!

**solyxius** · 6th March 2019, 06:18 AM

Here's my take on the Paulk design - 2400x 1200mm single top section and a full base frame with castors.

Went with 16mm MDF throughout the top, no hassles with the pocket holes like 12mm (weighs approx 95kg, but was quite manageable - took two of us to flip easily). Pine in 90 x 45 and 140 x 45 for the frame. 90kg locking (swivel and wheel) castors from Bunnings.

Still need to apply the finish and get hold of a Parf Guide System II (Carbatec should be receiving stock soon) to drill the dog holes.

Happy with the result thus far ...

IMG_20190224_124129.jpg

IMG_20190305_110403.jpg

IMG_20190305_184303.jpg

**woodPixel** · 9th March 2019, 12:38 AM

solyxius, that's a very nice bench!

I've been painting today, so too busy.... Will answer your PM now...

**woodPixel** · 9th March 2019, 01:45 PM

solyxius, is that 90x45 pine laminated?

Where did you get stuff like that? (I buy a LOT of pine and MDF and always on the hunt)

**solyxius** · 9th March 2019, 03:34 PM

Updated shot, I think I'm happy with the finish after 3 coats of straight F&W wipe on poly - how many coats is enough, is there a test?

(Silly me thought I'd save $10 on a 1L tin of F&W clear varnish ($47) to create a 50/50 with 1L shellite ($9) only to realise the wipe on poly ($37) is already diluted 60% hydrocarbon and I've paid $37 a litre instead of $28 a litre making my own ... live and learn

).

IMG_20190309_150956.jpg

@woodPixel - good eyes! Yes, these are laminated baltic pine GL10 studs I stumbled across at Fyshwick Builders Suppliers after turning around to take a break from trying for ages to find half a dozen straight lengths in their untreated pine stack. Not blue, cheaper at only $4.21 a metre than the green store and 8 out of 10 also dead straight - come in 2.7m lengths, they're great. A newer item Joe has started to stock, which keeps flying out the door. He might be getting 140 x 45's and other sizes in the future too as a result. If you happen to use ply, then they also have a new supplier whose C/D I'd say is closer to B/B - at least the stacks I saw. Turners were the only ones I found who had 2 x 6's (140 x 45's DAR).

I have a bit of a list going of Canberra pricing for Turners, FBS and Bunnings for Birch, Hoop, C/D and MDF, if you want to compare notes, just PM me ...

Cheers
Solly

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