Thread: The Perfect Workbench?

Originally Posted by MajorPanic

I'VE STARTED A REAL WORKBENCH!!! :eek: :eek:

Well...... sort of started, I've ordered the timber for the top, it may take a few months to get it as it's still standing.

I reckon it'll be 3-4 months till it's cut & goes through the solar kiln.
I'm having the Silver Ash cut in 200 X 75 X 3500mm bitz with a couple of 120mm square pieces for the vice screws.

It'll be a monster @ 3000mm X 1000mm X 970mm, with 2 shoulder vices & 2 tail vices.
I have to find a new timber for the bench base as I've used most of my stock of 100mm square Rosewood on the bench I made for the F.I.L

Oh well... it's been on the boards for 10 years now so a few more months won't make that much difference

I can Not WAIT for the pics :eek: .

Boban, if you thought my sawhorses were nice, they will be crap compared to major's new workbench.

This picture is from the Workbench Book & shows Harold Foss' bench.
Mine will be similar but it will have 2 shoulder vices as well as the 2 tail vices. :eek:

Originally Posted by ryanarcher

I can Not WAIT for the pics :eek: .

Boban, if you thought my sawhorses were nice, they will be crap compared to major's new workbench.

We all wait in anticipation........

Originally Posted by MajorPanic

Mine will be similar but it will have 2 shoulder vices as well as the 2 tail vices. :eek:

Oi Major, 'Ow many arms and legs you got???? :eek: :eek:

Originally Posted by IanW

Oi Major, 'Ow many arms and legs you got???? :eek: :eek:

G'day Ian

I've got somewhere around the required quantity.

Originally Posted by MajorPanic

G'day Ian

I've got somewhere around the required quantity.

Tha's alright then - I wuz just wondering how you can use four vices at the corners of what's shaping up to be a humongous bench, all at once. :confused:

Not being critical, just a bit jealous (ok, a LOT jrealous!) of someone who's got enough room to get at all sides of a bench!
It's one of my lifelong fantasies, to have a bench right out in the middle of a well-lit, well-ventilated area.

Did someone suggest the front yard?
Cheers,

Major

just woundering how your bench is or is not comming along.

Regards

Hagrid

Originally Posted by Hagrid

Major

just woundering how your bench is or is not comming along.

Regards

Hagrid

Hi ya Hagrid,

Well, the bench is somewhat stalled at the moment.

The Silver Ash has been cut & has to do 3-4 months of primary air drying just stripped & stacked.
I'm hoping it'll go into the kiln late September or early October. It should spend several cycles in the kiln as the boards are 75mm thick.
I'm not altogether sure how long a cycle is going to take.
I reckon I've found all the sources for the hardware so I'll order that in September.

I’m currently making my first workbench. I’ve always had a few tools, my dad’s old plane, a saw and a couple of chisels (and enjoyed watching Norm Abram) but I got hooked about a year ago when the local hardware store were selling a cheap router complete with a bench top table.
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I’ve made a few small bits and pieces, the only other large project I’ve made to date is a set of drawers for storage in the garage.
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The workbench is made out of cheap 70 x 44 mm planed timber on sale at the local DIY store.
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I had a number of design criteria which influenced the size and position of the long stretchers.
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1. I needed a 440 high space underneath the bench to store the bench top router table when not in use. That’s why the long stretchers are an unusual orientation with the biggest dimension horizontal.
<BR>2. I wanted a toe space
<BR>3. I wanted space underneath the bench top so I can get at the bottom of dogholes if I wanted to bolt through anything.
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Since the bench is small I wanted a leg at each corner for stability and to maximise underbench storage. However my garage floor isn’t flat, there’s a slight hump against the wall around the edges, so I had to overhang the top at the back of the bench to let me push it up against the wall and keep it level.
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I ended up with a 70 mm laminated slab top, 1360 x 610 mm, with a double front and back stretcher ( two bits laminated together for 70x88) and similar ( again 70 x 88 mm) legs.
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All stretchers are parallel to the top edge and I’ve embedded M8 T-nuts behind a few holes in the top front and end stretchers to allow clamping of vertical boards against the side of the bench or to bolt a planing stop at the end of the bench.
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The top stretcher has a shelf to allow storage of long clamps and to prevent sawdust falling through the dogholes onto the bottom shelf. The top shelf is set below the upper edge of the stretcher, allows me to hook over a sliding deadman board to clamp long items with the face vise.
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Bottom shelf is flush with the bottom stretcher, supported on a lattice made with halving joints.
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End frames are M&T plus glue.
Long stretchers are unglued M&T joints with a through M10 bolt.
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The pics below show the current unfinished state, I’ve still to fix the tail vise jaws and drill the dog holes once I decide how many dog holes I need, plus I need to glue and flush cut 18mm dowel to clean up the top vise bolt holes.
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Top is secured to the base with lag bolts, fixed at the front and in a slotted hole in the top stretcher towards the rear to allow for movement in the top slab.
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There’s no movement in the frame at all, I’ll certainly keep this if I ever change the bench top.
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A stable bench makes things so much easier, trying to clamp and plane on a flimsy folding bench was a nightmare.

Good one Jim, welcome aboard & thnks for sharing.