Reader's Gallery

Hickory and Red Oak workbench

comments (4) May 16th, 2010 in Reader's Gallery

bluesbreaker bluesbreaker, member
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The finished bench with Veritas end vise,sliding front vise, and patternmakers vise. The end panels are drawbored together and hold the raised panels in mortices
Other than the vises, there are no metal fastenings in the bench. Shown here are the tusk tennons which secure the stretchers across the front and rear of the bench
Top glueup almost complete
The patternmakers vise had to be recessed into the top to be flush to the front and top. This took lots of work with holesaws, chisels and routers, not to mention scrapers and sandpaper!
A view of the vise cutout prior to installation
The finished bench with Veritas end vise,sliding front vise, and patternmakers vise. The end panels are drawbored together and hold the raised panels in mortices - CLICK TO ENLARGE

The finished bench with Veritas end vise,sliding front vise, and patternmaker's vise.

The end panels are drawbored together and hold the raised panels in mortices
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When I finally decided to build a real workbench in 2008 I bought all the popular books on the subject. I took a little bit from all of them, but Chris Schwartz' Le Rubo design made the most sense to me for the way I work and the projects I take on. I bought the hickory for the top from a sawmill in Southeastern Massachusetts and made the legs from a Red Oak that the top blew off of in my backyard. I stickered the hickory to dry in my basement for a year prior to jointing and glueing the top. The legs sit in mortices in the underside of the top and are not pinned or glued so that the bench can be taken apart. The total weight of the bench is in the 400 lb range. I use an automotive floor jack and a pair of skateboards to move it when necessary.


Design or Plan used: My Own Design - David Bond
posted in: Reader's Gallery, WorkBench, red oak, hickory, Le Rubo, Tusk Tenon, Patternmaker's vise
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Comments (4)

Aphyosemion Aphyosemion writes: I wish I could find the time and patience to make an awesome bench like this. I am still working on a bunch of 2x4s screwed together for a bench.
Posted: 1:34 pm on June 23rd

DBWoodworks DBWoodworks writes: Nice work. Something that will last for generations.
Posted: 8:16 am on May 22nd

bluesbreaker bluesbreaker writes: The Pattternmaker's vise is one of the new copies, This one came from Highland. Works fine for me.
Posted: 8:04 am on May 17th

SpottyDog SpottyDog writes: Nice looking bench. Where did you get your patternmaker's vise? Is it an old one, or one of the new ones? I've been looking to get a patternmaker's vise, so any comments would be appreciated.
Posted: 10:18 pm on May 16th

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