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The Woodworking Life

Building a 300 lb. Solid-Maple Workbench

Bill Peck, Shop Manager

9 users recommend

I need a new workbench! My current version is a recycled kitchen island countertop screwed to a couple of sawhorses. It works (sort of) but moves whenever I use real force.

Shop almost complete. My basement woodshop is practically finished though the workbench leaves something to be desired...

My new bench. This is the type of bench that I'll build in a class next week at Bob Van Dyke's Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.

Courtesy of Bob Van Dyke

Power sander. Here are some action shots from the workbench class last year. The students got some help finishing off the tops from huge sanders at Parkerville Wood Products. Go to Facebook for more pictures from last year's class and read my daily reports on building it next week.  

Courtesy of Bob Van Dyke

I need a new workbench! My current version is a recycled kitchen island countertop screwed to a couple of sawhorses. It works (sort of) but moves whenever I use real force.

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My basement workshop has come a long way in the last five years, but one thing it really needs is a decent workbench.

The current version is a recycled kitchen island countertop screwed to a couple of sawhorses.  It has a Wilton woodworking vise on the end and I put some dog holes into the top which I use for holddowns or to capture a workpiece between the vise and a dog.  It's not ideal but it has worked--well, sort of. 

It is nowhere near as heavy as it needs to be and moves when I use real force. That's why I jumped at the opportunity to take a workbench class at Bob Van Dyke's Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking. He invited a FW staffer to join the class and I volunteered.

I'll report on my progress each day and give you the inside scoop on what its like.  I'm really excited about building a real cabinetmakers workbench with Lie Neilsen vise hardware and solid maple construction.

The bench I will be building is similar to the Lie Nielsen bench. Built of solid maple it will weigh about 300 pounds and have an end vise and a front vise.  I elected not to include a tool tray since my bench will be close to my tool wall and a counter right behind me.

So, wish me luck and keep an eye out for my posts next week. For those of you thinking about building your first workbench or a new one, hopefully I can share some inspiration and ideas as well as tips and tricks for you to apply to your own project. For reference, here are some pictures from Van Dyke's class last year on building a workbench.

So what about you? Any workbench projects on the horizon? If so, what type of design are you considering? What type of hardware do you want to use?

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Day 1 Building a Workbench: Benchtops and Bench Dogs

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Comments (1)

308defense writes: Hi Bill:
I just saw this Blog. It's nice that you do have the New workbench. It looks like you have a great place to work. Have you finished the bench and are you working on it?
Good luck.
Monte
Posted: 1:37 pm on October 19th

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