Thread: New, Small Workbench

Still using tennons. I wanted the skirts to be wider to clamp against. Maybe I'm using the wrong term. Skirts = outside board of the top.
Legs will still be tennoned into the top.
Can anyone see a problem with building the frame this way. I need to move one leg down to install the vice but there is not a huge amount of top to support the overhang. Rails will be tennoned and drawbored.

Frame.jpg

It you are using the vice to support a piece that you are going to chop down on, would it not be better to have the edge of the bench fully supported?

How big is the vice face?

The vice is 220mm across. I wanted the vice to clamp all the way to the edge. I wouldn't chop down on the vice. Anything I was pounding on would be supported on the bench.

So the vice takes up quite a bit of the bench top, I just don't know if the position of the legs will be ok for this work bench.

I tend to agree with Christos about the legs. On a longer bench you could get away with it but that kinda looks to be unstable. The wood chop can be larger than the metal vise jaw so still get you clamping right to the edge with the leg at the corner. Every wood vice I have ever had was fitted with a chop longer than the metal jaw.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Maybe I'm using the wrong term. Skirts = outside board of the top. I think that's the Apron isn't it?

Can anyone see a problem with building the frame this way. I need to move one leg down to install the vice but there is not a huge amount of top to support the overhang. Rails will be tennoned and drawbored.

Frame.jpg

Originally Posted by orraloon

The wood chop can be larger than the metal vise jaw so still get you clamping right to the edge with the leg at the corner. Every wood vice I have ever had was fitted with a chop longer than the metal jaw.

John tends to agree with Christos, and I tend to agree with John.

Surely you are going to face the vise with timber anyway? Of course you are. So I'm going to suppose some dimensions for the sake of argument.

Lets say that to mount the vise jaw flush with the end means that the outside of the bolt heads are 50mm from the edge. The leg is 100mm wide, so needs 50mm more clearance (plus a bit so the spanner can tighten up the bolt). So call it 58mm more clearance required to allow for a washer under the bolt head.

Then, have a chop in the vise that is, I dunno, 35mm wider on each side (and I reckon it can easily be 50mm on both sides), so the extra clearance req'd is now 58-35=23mm. I would be inclined to rebate into the leg to get that extra 23mm clearance, much rather than to have the leg offset. Technically the leg will be weaker, but it's nasty red Euky maaaate......

Looks potentially unstable to me, and it also means that the two front legs will be pretty close together for clearance of other purposes.

For a wide chop you could consider sanding or planing a very slight concave belly in the chop, say 2-4 thou so that the edges are always tight against the apron.


You could also consider making a new leg, and rotating just that one leg 90° which would yield ~20-25mm in clearance. If you hadn't already done the mortise then you could still use the current leg (unless it is still long enough to sustain being cut down).

The 'apron' is the fixed portion of the chop. The other jaw will be lined but not excessively wide. I think it is 25mm larger than the vice jaw on either side. I put the vice as close to the edge as I could to keep the leg nearer to the edge.
These photos may give you a better idea of what I'm planing. Move the legs out to be flush with the 'apron'. Legs will be morticed through the top, with tenons wedged, and connected with morticed and tenoned rails. The tenons drawbored.

20180409_150036.jpg20180409_150050.jpg

I would put the legs opposite each other accomodating the vice.
can you include a bottom shelf to allow you to add some counterweight to stop It tipping / racking etc
Page 30 shows a method of building a shelf https://www.fine-tools.com/pdf/roubo...bauplan-en.pdf
means you would be cutting stretchers which would mean more weight

I see. The bolts are as wide or even wider than the face of the vise - that makes it tricky!

Maybe the thing to do is attach the first three legs (as in final), and then clamp that one in place and see what the balance is like. Sit the vise on top of the bench so the weight is correct, and see if it wants to tip at all.

If it does (want to tip) then you could attach a boat anchor to the diagonal corner underneath.

Offset leg on this one Benchcrafted Blog
3A88A3A1-BBD2-4678-A6A1-FAAC7EF0C134.jpeg

I thought about adding the diagonal stretcher if it feels unstable but I can do that after the legs are in or dry fitted at least.
I was planning on putting a shelf underneath. Handy spot for storing a few items. The bench is roughly the right size for a couple of rows of Festool systainers.

This little drill press I restored (more cleaned up than restored really) is awesome.
I levelled the bench top then lowered the whole head down to just above the bench.
Mortises drilled, perfectly perpendicular, in no time at all.
20180414_135334.jpg20180414_135338.jpg20180414_135348.jpg20180414_135420.jpg

The mortises are done. Not 100% happy but not too bad. Couple of small gaps
I think it will be nice and stable once the stretchers go in and the legs are wedged. I'm using loose tennons for the stretchers.
Had a small mishap though, was cutting the stretchers and didn't notice that the blade on the drop saw had worked loose. (the reducing ring managed to wiggle itself out against the arbor nut and the blade was off center. I fixed it by packing it with another reducer) but it cut one piece undersize. I now need another bit of timber.
I've marked out for an angled stretcher for the offset leg.
Will have a go at cutting it by hand but my sawing skills may not be up to the task. We'll see.
20180415_175343.jpg

Lots of 4x3 here, but I can't guarantee a colour match

Did you get a feel for the stability with it clamped up?



Edit: oops

Originally Posted by NCArcher

I think it will be nice and stable once the stretchers go in and the legs are wedged.