Workbench Top

[MJS]

Hi Folks,
I am, at present, in the throws of constructing my first workbench. The dilemma I have is what to use as the top. My internet research, books etc. lead me to believe that a laminated hardwood top would be ideal.....but I feel this is beyond me at present (not enough clamps, no good flat surfaces). So my question is would a redgum slab do the job ? I have a supplier near my home, and I could get one piece that would fit the bill size wise. I guess my reservation with this kind of timber is would it stay flat ? If anyone has any recommendations as to what I can use I am all ears !
Cheers

[craigb]

Is the supplier going to dimension it for you or just sell you a rough sawn slab?

[Termite]

MJS, I have a strong feeling that a Red Gum slab may have a mind of its own, whereas a laminated top tends to be more stable due to varying grain directions in the individual pieces. Just my opinion of course. :D

[simon c]

I use a solid core door with a sheet of hardboard on top

[MJS]

I want to have it dimensioned and sanded, the slabs are about 50mm thick. I'm thinking of around 1600 x 700.

[bitingmidge]

DON'T use a solid slab if you are concerned about it staying level.

Check out Garrett in Canada's bench in post #13 in the Bench questions thread (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=13725&page=1&highlight=bench+questions)

Simple construction pine frame, a couple of layers of ply for the top (could be MDF) I don't think there's a more economical way of getting a solid flat bench, and at least you won't be wishing you hadn't spent the dough.

Cheers,

P (whose first bench was pine studs and Particleboard Flooring for the top, and lasted 12 years before being sold with the house.) :D

[TassieKiwi]

I really enjoyed doing the hardwood top. Flattening with a plane teaches you a few things! You could do one in pine as an initial top, and a hardwood one later? look here, at the beginners' bench...

http://www.terraclavis.com/bws/

[beejay1]

two or three sheets of ply make a very stable and attaractive worktop and if the surface gets cut up youve got plenty more underneath to chose from. Theyre also cheap. Ive seen too many benches that end up looking like dining tables with beautiful tops and the owner afraid to use it in case it gets marked.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/usert/eunos9

[ernknot]

I used three layers of 20mm MDF, glued, solid as hell , won't move.

[chris_hewett]

I will vouch for the three layers of mdf on pine frame. Solid, strong, and I don't mind if I spill anything on it :)

[TassieKiwi]

Nice bench Chris - very efficient. Do you fond that it is heavy enough not to move about? Also, do you think that the wonderdogs are a bit fiddly in use?

[Wongo]

I agree with both ernknot and chris hewett..

Yes, a laminated hardwood top would be ideal (also my choice) but if it is beyond you at this stage then MDF is the best. :)

BTW Chris I like your workbench. :)

[MJS]

Thankyou all so much for your imput. I think the MDF top looks fantastic ! I think at this stage its the way I will go. I have my Dads old work bench which I will renovate and add the new top.

[LineLefty]

Fantastic Chris,

That bench looks grea. Looks good, simple construction, affordable materials.

Any chance of a few more photos and construction details? i.e are those legs laminated or 90x90?, is it M&T, Butts and bolts?

[Woodlice]

I second LineLefty, a coupla close up photo's of your bolts on the legs would be great.

Cheers
J!

[Sprog]

I made the bench featured in Issue 19 of The Australian Woodsmith.
Very strong and heavy. The top is laminated 18mm MDF. I made the frame from pine, apart from the front rail on the top which is Jarrah to help resist the knocks.

http://www.australianwoodsmith.com.au/backissues.html

Here is a scan of the FC of the mag. My bench is covered with clutter so no point in taking a photo :D :D

[Woodlice]

Woah, another sweet bench. Im really starting to come around to this idea.

J!

[chris_hewett]

Thanks for the interest! Did not think anybody would be that interested in my simple no-frills bench.

The design was lifted from Australian Wood Review No 30 (March 2001). To answer the questions, the construction was simply two 'H' section ends made from laminated framing pine, approx 85 * 65 mm using mortice and tennon. They are then joined with rails using a dry mortice and tennon, held together with bolts (pictured). Top is two layers of 25 mm MDF 1800 * 600 glued together. I screwed some battons to the top rails and then screwed the MDF top to this. The MDF is edged with an unknown hardwood, I think it may be spotted gum. I used some of those screw-adjustable feet to allow for uneven surfaces. Bench dog holes were drilled with a cordless drill and a forstner bit. Vise is a second hand Record 52 1/2 E that I picked up for $20. Finished with a few coats of oil finish. The MDF top is quite heavy, I have absolutely no problems with it moving around. I guess the rubber feet help there also. I do not find the wonderdogs fiddly. I am using them as they are cheaper than an end vise. One small mistake I made was to line up the dog holes with the battons holding the top on. This gives the dog holes a "bottom", so they tend to fill up with junk and I have to vacuum them out every now and then. Overall quite happy with it and have not felt the need to upgrade.

The original pic was of the bench brand new, this is what it looks like after a few years of use.

Cheers...

[Woodlice]

I like the way you have recessed the nuts/bolts. Very nice.

J!

[chris_hewett]

Just a tip - if you decide to recess the bolt heads, make sure you bore the hole wide enough to accept a socket so that you can actually tighten it up (some things you learn the hard way...)

And no - the clamps are not holding the whole thing together :)

[MJS]

Chris,
I think the bench is fantastic and I intend (If you don't mind!) to model my own on your practical and affordable design. I hope you don't mind answering a couple of simple questions, what is the best method to use when glueing the MDF together ? Did you use a contact adhesive or straight wood glue ?
Is bolting the rails better/more practical than glueing ?

Cheers

[craigb]

I made the bench featured in Issue 19 of The Australian Woodsmith.
Very strong and heavy. The top is laminated 18mm MDF. I made the frame from pine, apart from the front rail on the top which is Jarrah to help resist the knocks.

http://www.australianwoodsmith.com.au/backissues.html

Here is a scan of the FC of the mag. My bench is covered with clutter so no point in taking a photo :D :D

So did I but without the drawers and cupboards. That was over three years ago and and it's stood up well.

I made the frame and the top apron out of Tas Oak.

I only wish I'd included a sacraficial layer of 6mm Masonite on top though.

It's one of my "to do" things. :rolleyes:

The way the plan said to laminate the top, was to turn over the top layer of MDF, you then glue and screw the second layer into the top from underneath.

The third layer gets glued and screwed to the second layer.

Hope that makes sense.

Obviuosly you have to ensure that you don't put any screws in the dog hole "zones".

[Dan]

One tip that might be handy when trying to screw sheets of MDF together is to drill small pilot holes first then countersink where the screw exits the first sheet and also where the screw will enter the second sheet. Otherwise the screw can cause a bulge as it exits the first sheet then another bulge as it enters the second sheet and the two sheets will not be pulled together properly (clear as mud?). It's a lot of dicking around but worth it on something like a bench top or router table that needs to be as flat as possible.

[chris_hewett]

Answering the questions,

Using bolts to secure the rails allows you to break the bench down if required. I moved house about 7 months ago but did not bother to disassemble the bench. I suppose that a glued mortice and tennon would be fine if you did not require the bench to come apart. For the MDF, I simply used PVA glue. Glued up on a flat surface and used whatever heavy stuff was lying around to place on top to hold together while the glue dried. Worked fine. Simply used a hand plane to flatten the top out when it was attached to the frame.

If you decide to use screws to pull the pieces together, the correct technique is to drill the hole in the top layer big enough so the the thread does not bite, and drill the hole in the bottom layer to the same diameter as the shank of the screw, so that the thread will only bite in the lower layer. This way when you tighten the screw the two pieces are pulled together. If you drill the same size hole in both pieces, if there is a small gap it will not be closed no matter how tight you turn the screws... Something I find really handy for working out the drill sizes is one of those cheap digital callipers.

A technique used by some speaker builders is to use the screws to hold pieces together for gluing, and then remove the screws after the glue has dried and fill the holes.

Cheers!

[mike44]

A laminated top is not beyond your abilities or lack of clamps.I have built a number of work benches from hardwood or sometimes softwood for some applications. I build them all the same way. Machine your boards an inch or two long. I saw a straight edge,plane surfaces and edges .Using a drill press ( if you have one ) bore holes for threaded rod. One hole 8" from each end, about two foot centers from the end holes.
I use 5/16" rod, bore 7/16" holes, counter bore the outside boards for nuts, washers and make sure the counterbore will accomadate a socket to turn up the nuts.
Glue up three boards At a time, make sure the rod holes line up. Then glue up three more. When you have enough sections to the width you need ,glue up the three board sections. Use the threaded rod and several clamps.
If you are using pva glue ( yellow glue) try to remove the glue when it gets rubbery.Easier than waiting til the glue dries, sharp chisel will peel the glue off.
If you use a glue press ,I use a homemade version of the plano press, you will have very little to plane to flatness.
I posted a picture of the gluepress , check under Plano press question.
The threaded rods will take the place of at least four bar or pipe clamps.You may want to use a glue with a longer open time than pva glue so you are not hurried.

mike

[Redback]

I've in the process of making a benchtop like this.

Have had to glue 3 layers of 16mm mdf together.

As Im still new with most concepts was just wondering where the bench dog holes are best situated? ie how far in from the edge of the bench are they?
are how much spacing between each one?.

Are the bench dog holes supposed to be drilled all the way through? (I have only seen the bench dogs on Timbecon website, so not entirely sure how they work.)


Does anyone use those screw up bench stops?, are they good to use in conjunction with bench dogs?

thanks for any advice.

RB

[beejay1]

Hi RB,
The hole positions are entirely personal choice to suit the type of work you regualarly do. Its a good idea however to use the vise/s as a reference point to start with. Front vise for example one or two holes depending on the width of the vise could be placed approx 6" in from the vise in line with the vise stop/s and like wise with the end vise if your using one.Only draw bac with through holes is if you have storage underneath as it will fill with shavings etc.
After that its just a case of equal spacing. If you put the holes all the way through it will offer the advantage of being able to use all manner of hold downs and bench dogs but again the choice is yours.
I would suggest that you do place the holes directly in line with each other as it distributes the pressure evenly and helps when using jigs for assembly and lining things up.
Finally, I would suggest dog holes in the front apron and legs of the bench, you will find them extremely useful for boards and lond timber.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9

[journeyman Mick]

Redback,
hole spacing should be less than the maximum travel of the vice, otherwise you'll have positions that require packers.

Mick

[TassieKiwi]

Also, have a gander at the 'best of the best' forum - I think that there is a couple of threads there on this. Do a search on 'Dog holes' too.

[Woodlice]

Im making a similar trad bench to the woodsmith but with a lam hardwood top and a few other mods. Im gonna go with the cupboard but with a clearance over the top of it (between the bench top and cupboard top) to allow clamping projects.

I have also figured in a removable section in the guts of the benchtop to allow for clamping projects that do not reach the back of the bench. It will want more apron through the guts of the bench, but the gap will come in handy. I'll make it lock down or slide in over a tenon.

Im also going to make a tool well, but I will make a removable cover for that too.

As for dog holes, if you dont drill them all the way through, they will soon fill up with sawdust.. If your not going to bother with the cupboard, then this will allow you to clean up easy. If you are, then allow the clearance between the two so that you can atleast sweep up. To space them, I measured the full open span of the vises and then divided it by two.

J!

[Afro Boy]

Just revising this old thread for one last round!

Chris, I'm curious how you secured the MDF top to the edging? Did you place cleats inside the edging and screw the top to that, or something more elaborate?

Thanks,
Af.

[George Woodie]

I' with beejay1.

I built a work bench to do work. I wanted it to be heavy, big enough, stay flat and be cheap to leave me with more money for my projects.

The frame was made of 4 x 4 inch fence posts. The rails are made of 2 x 6 inch plank. The top is two layers of 3/4 inch plywood with staggered overlap. I did not have clamps to properly hold the two sheets together so I used screws from the underside. After a long period for the glue to properly set, I removed the screws. Next, I used a sheet of hardboard for the top to which I applied many coats of clear hard [floor quality] finish.

The 4 x 4 post legs are four for the corners with two more just outside of the vice location surrounding it, so I would have a sturdy support area for heavy blows.

Inside the frame, I made a shell to hold drawers where I installed my hand tools, router bits and other small items. I put a quick release vice near the left end and a smaller vice at the tail end.

I framed the edge of the table with a strip of hard hemlock. This was screwed into place but first I installed plastic plugs [that will take screws] into the edge of the plywood top since plywood edge is not strong to take screws. I drilled dog holes along the working face side and a double row from the main vice toward the back of the bench.

After the bench was finished, I applied two coats of floor wax and buffed it by hand. Twice a year I clean the top of spills and apply wax. Finish and glue spills are easily removed from the waxed surface but as I use solvent as well to cut my finish and for clean up, repeated wax application is required.

As a final touch, I wired the bench with several outlets in the face rail and one on the convenient end. Then I made a shelf at the wall where the bench was set so that there was no gap between the bench and the wall for items to fall into.

My bench is very heavy so I will have to die rather than move from my present site because it will never move without being taken apart.

Woodie