Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Jacobsen Workbench (link below). Seems like a great value but hard to know without actually seeing one.
Thanks in advance
http://woodirect.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=W_Workbench&Store_Code=WD
Replies
Even the larger version isn't all that large, and the top isn't very thick. It is made somewhere in the Asia with a no name brand vise.
The company selling it is just an importer, they really aren't a woodworkers supply company, their actual business name is "OrientDirect Trading Company". Taken all together, maybe it is a good bench, but it pays to be cautious.
Also the "Jacobsen" name is a red flag to me, it implies some kind of European connection that is totally bogus and was just tacked on to create a false impression.
John White
Edited 1/30/2008 5:19 pm ET by JohnWW
Edited 1/30/2008 5:21 pm ET by JohnWW
Looks to me like you'll get what you pay for.
I built my workbench. The same configuration of the bench you are looking at but MUCH HEAVIER. Materials cost me about $300.00 with some careful shopping and 'deals' on both of my vises. Beyond that, I've got about 4 months of my time invested. Obviously I didn't work on it full time.
I figure the bench is worth about $800.00 if I had to go out and buy the same quality already built. But nothing I could buy would give me the satisfaction I feel...every time I use it (daily), having built it myself. My bench was my first project to come out of my shop!
Jeff
I love the ones for sell with thick tops and skinny legs. I suppose the person that designs those does not have hand planing in the rough in mind with the flimsy bases that reek with the thought of "rack" when your eyes first see them.
If I were going to chintz, I would prefer a thinner top and larger diameter legs put together with through tenons. Same with stretchers as I feel the base is more important to the big picture than the top. And the one you show has thin top and thin legs.. Hmmm....
Build yourself one. It doesn't have to be maple or beech. You could use soft maple top or southern yellow pine. Same for base... extreme hard-woods are not necessary IMO. But.. rock solid joints are. And by building your own you will end up with structural integrity, a better knowledge of how important joints are and save money over a store bought that is not customized to what you do.
Hope something here helps in some way...
Sarge..
Oops.. was going to add a picture of simple design that was made from recovered Doug Fir beams given to me and ripped. I just laminated them back together for the base. Through mortises with a center beam underneath that spans the length that you can't see. It ties into the end stretchers with saddle joints.
The top is soft maple skirts with a ply insert that sits over face glued soft maple. If it gets dented.. drilled.. whatever.. I just add Bondo and smooth. When it finally warps.. I just replace it. The vises cost more than the bench, but the base will not rack even before the joints were glued.
A work-benches life is simple... it just has blue-collar work to do and it should be able to meet that demand along with the possibility that there is no definite "quitting" time signaled by a whistle or bell. ha.. ha...
Good luck...
Sarge..
I have one of the large ones, they used to cost $99 with a vice. Obviously, you get what you pay for. The field of the bench is random length hardwood 1 1/8" thick, the perimeter is 1 1/2"x2 3/4". The front vice is a quick release import, it works very well. The tail vice works. It's length of travel and the location of the dog holes means you need to use reach blocks for some sizes of work. This type of vice isn't the greatest. The frame has draw bolts. The tool shelf is just a piece of 1/4" hardboard, easy to upgrade. I think it's a extraordinary bargain for the money. It's not a heavy bench but it's perfectly capable of doing heavy duty work. It has a traditional design where the working face is flush from the top down the legs.
Jacobsen has made these benches for quite a few years. Two or three years ago, they went out of business or reorganized. Probably because they were selling the benches too cheap. I see the price is a bit higher now. The competition, Sjoberg, is $100 more without a quick release front vice. If you have seen a Sjoberg, the Jacobsen's are similar. Same stand and construction, same tail vice. I think the Jacobsen has a longer stand, less overhang on the ends, and wider top.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Thanks for the info everyone........guess I'll start milling up some lumber to replace my plywood beast.
You might get a copy of Chris Schwartz's new book on work benches or check his blog in Popular Woodworking. In it he describes how he can use the standard lumber from the BORG. He buys 2X6 or 2X8 or 2X10 and finds he can cut out the clean pieces he needs to build the top at a low price. The result is a top that is very thick and legs that are sturdy and large.
Just looking at the ad, two things stand out: (a) fingerjointed top and (b) biggest width is 21". Plus the other things mentioned in the above responses. I think you could spend that money much more wisely. You could even build John White's New Fangled Workbench and have a couple hundred (or more) left over for lumber or somethin'.
Interesting you mentioned the "finger-jointed" top. About 5-6 years ago I experimented with finger-joints as a local acquantance has a business with a finger-jointing machine. I built a top made of 10"-14" soft maple shorts left over just to see what would happen?
I gave it to my BIL who is a machinist at Delta Air Lines as he was just getting interested in WW at the time. The moral of the story is I wish I had it back as the top has not had to be flattened but once (which was recently) in 5 years. And it was only off by about .050 at that point which I would have not been overly concerned with, but he decided to do it to get practice with a new hand-plane.
Granted... it was finger jointed end grain to end grain and then face glued side by side as you woould a traditional top. The top on the Jacobsen I believe is end grain to end grain but glued edge to edge with not much substrate from what Hammer described.
Just thought that might be of interest...
BTW.. I believe I have the bench Hammer mentioned sitting in my back shop used for a scary sharp station and storage of card scraper files.. burnishers, etc. It was $99 at HD and they closed it out for clearance a number of years ago at $69 if my memory serves me correctly. It's acutally a good top for $99 by re-enforcing the legs, but I wouldn't go there for $300 plus.
Sarge..
Edited 1/31/2008 12:34 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
Here's my $80.00 dollar workbench, (which was the cost of the hardware). The wood is pine taken from a shipping pallet or two. This is based on the Frank Klauz version from FWW 53.
I didn't have the time to cut dovetails for the joints or spend the money on "good" wood (meaning maple). This bench replaced one made of 2 x 4's and particle board.
Its' heavy enough, and if it gets dinged up I am not upset. The two vise configuration works well for me. It does the job, I didn't build it to look at it.
As you can guess, I'm not a purist when it comes to woodworking. I make bird houses, cabinets, rocking chairs... When people see what I make they generally say "You made that? They don't ask me what my workbench is made from.
I think (at time) there is too much emphasis on the minutia. One reason I stopped subscribing to FWW was I got tired of people whining about pictures that showed and hand plane sitting on it's sole. ("That could dull the blade" they exclaim).
When I retire I do plan to build a more formal version with dovetails and hard maple. Then I will have the time. Maybe a niece or nephew will claim it when I croak. Hopefully their friends will say "Your uncle made that?
Bill
Ha.. ha... I almost replied with "why" build another as that one looks fine to me, before I realized you are not the original poster. Nice bench and as you don't out-run the size down the road, I personally see no need of maple with dove-tails in the future.
In lieu of spending the money on maple for a bench.. spend it on maple for something functional as you already have a functional bench. BTW.. I have built them from southern yellow pine as most of my base cabinets for mobile tools are built from it. At least the support carcass with some instances of MDF attached and painted.
Southern Yellow is abundant in Ga. and very stable IMO.
Regards...
Sarge..
Bravo!
Function over form, gotta like it. Made this one from a recycled solid core door.
View Image
Ain't purty, but it works for me.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Any chance you could direct me to plans for this? I entered a search for FWW 53 and got plans for a bench but not the same.
This is the article in question: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011053062.pdf
-Steve
That's a pretty darn quick reply! Got it. That's great.
Thanks
any body w/ experience on the "the best $250 bench"?
link
This is a beautiful bench !
Where did you get the vise ? I would like to order one of these - I like the design.
chain drive vises
This is an old thread, Camille. Assuming you are referring to the dual-screw, chain-drive vise, they are available from both Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley in slightly different designs:
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=cdsv
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41659
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled