The Sjoberg only just missed the best-overall award in our full review. Initial comments were “handsome,” “beautiful,” “massive,” and “well made,” and closer inspection revealed a number of unique and useful features: The front vise can be switched to the opposite side of the bench and the bench rotated 180° for left-handed use; square vise runners almost eliminated racking despite the nearly 2-ft. width of each vise; the legs are flush with the top and fitted with dog holes to allow wide boards to be supported when edge-planing. A heavy bench, the top is 3 in. thick with a 4-in.-thick apron, giving it a very sturdy feel. Uniquely, the front vise was also fitted with a pair of dog holes, which, combined with the holes running the length of the front and back sides, gives great clamping flexibility.

The dogs were round with a large, flat clamping spot, but a little stiff and hard to remove when low in the hole. The only other complaint was the slightly rough and low-luster oil-finished surface, a minor blemish on an otherwise excellent bench.

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