Ok, after looking at all the post on here about work benches I went ahead and bought one (pause here for collective groan and teeth gnashing from the build it yourself crowd) for my father for Christmas.
The reasons for this is basically we are still finishing the house/shop we are building and frankly don’t have time to do this right. Add in that I would rather spend the time building a nice piece to go in the house the in the shop. I will defend myself in saying that I go the bench that will allow me to build the storage drawers/units into that work for our needs vs the prebuilt units.
The unit I bought is from Diffenback and is the “Ultimate American” it costs about 1500 plus shipping. The one I ordered has two sets of stretchers (top and bottom sets) so that we will be able to put storage of some sort in between.
Working with the company to get the order out and to make sure it did not get to the house before Christmas was a breeze. The lady I have talked with was very nice and easy to work with.
I have had issues with the shipping company such as they scheduled the delivery for Wed (their Choice) so I had people available to bring the bench in and they never showed up or even called. When I called the shipper they tried to act like it was not their issue. I did eventually get them to help me out a bit and it is supposed to be delivered Saturday between 8 and 9 (it is the only delivery that day for them as they do not normally deliver on Saturdays) So we will see how that works out For 250 I would expect better service from the shippers (Colorado to Michigan)
So you all know I contacted (or tried to anyway) Three companies that sell benches One of them I did not like all that well. The other (my preferred bench maker) did not feel the need to respond to my request for info (they do NOT list the exact price or any info on shipping costs) I can only assume that they are very busy and do not need the work. I will admit that in the email I sent I did ask them why they felt the need to take a bench that I looked at back in May that was going to cost me 1800 and raise the base price to a bit over 2000 in the email I sent but I would have expected that they would at least have sent me back some sort of response but no they did not. Said part if this company has a great rep and I have dealt with them before for other things. I just have to assume that they were having a bad day.
So in short I pretty much had my options limited to Difenbach (they were my number 2 choice over all and being a LOT cheaper then the #1 choice that did not even email me back, they moved up to #1) So far the company has been very nice. I emailed them with my concern about the shipper and they called me back before the shipper did. They also started the ball rolling from their side that resulted in me getting contacted by someone that helped me set up an appointment that would work for me. So I rate the company as ***** (five stars)
When the bench is in our hands and put together I will let you all know what I think of the bench.
(Is it Saturday yet?)
Doug Meyer
Replies
Doug, I would never apologize for having the wisdom and foresight to realize any good project begins with a good bench and you picked a good one. Did you get a chance to read the bench comparison in FW's "Tools and Shops"? I let my brother borrow my copy so I have to go on memory here but the only complaints that the editor had with the Deifenbach were minor and it was rated rather highly. Takes a long time to make a good bench yourself and not all of us have that much time. Have fun with it.
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
Yes I did and from what I recall the things they had issues with seamed to be a bit picky. One thing to keep in mind though is I think they reviewed a lesser bench from them. I seam to recall looking at the web site for the bench and holding the magazine in my other hand and saying "well why did they not review this bench?" But I may be wrong. I looked at so many benches during that two week (well it started last November, and ended in a two week blitz) time that I don't recall all that much about a lot of them. I only recall that I did not like one of them after looking into it more (it started off looking nice but...) and that the one that I started off really wanting had a bunch of issues such as cost, time to get and the fact that they raised the cost over 10% in one year. (And lets not forget they did not reply to me) So I am very happy at this point. I will of course hold final judgement until the bench is in a put together. Once that happens I will post again.
One thing about this bench is that it may be a bit short for my Father and I. My Dad is only 6'-0 but he as a bad back and can not keep bending over so he likes a higher working surface (and he does little hand work other then touch up) I on the other hand am getting into the hand plan bit but I am about 6'-5" or so. Add to this that I have figured out that our table saw and thickness planer are just too short (I get a sore back from bending over) so I wonder what height would be good for the bench?
I was thinking that if I raised it up and bit (This will be determined after we play with it for a while) it may better fit us. IF we do this I was thinking that I could use some solid cherry on the bottom of the legs/feet to increase the height. The reason for this is I assume that we will not be able to match the wood/finish of the basic bench so go with something contrasting. Also when we get around the the storage unit we were thinking that the use of cherry my be a nice contrast to the color of the bench itself. (and we have a LOT of cherry as this is what we used in a lot of the house and the whole kitchen)
Well that is about it for now. so until the "You bought a bench instead of building it?" crowd shows up out front with the pitch forks and torches I guess I will just have to wait until it shows up. I know my dad was VERY disappointed that it did not show up Wed. as he had his hopes up. (Ever see a 75 year old acting like a kid waiting on Christmas morning to open a gift? Strange sight let me tell you)
Doug Meyer
(looking around for pitchforks and torches) :)
"A riot is a bloody dangerous thing and it is good and about time we had one!" (The constable in the movie "Young Frankenstein" or at least as close as I can make out over his bad accent)
Doug,
Just to play Devil's Advocate:
WHAT??!! You BOUGHT a bench instead of building it like any self- respecting woodworker would????? Sacrilege!!!!
Just kidding -- sorry, I couldn't resist. BTW, real nice bench to have gotten for your Dad!! I hope that two of you enjoy using it!Beste Wünschen auf ein glückliches und wohlbehaltenes Neues Jahr!
Tschüß!
Mit freundlichen holzbearbeitungischen Grüßen aus dem Land der Rio Grande!!
James
Doug, I commend you for well thought out purchase. Someone has said that it takes a bench to build a bench.
One way to discover the suitable final height for the bench is to place different thicknesses of plywood under the feet. Work at that height for a while and then try a different height.
Another method is to place the plywood in front of the bench and to work while standing on it.
Monte
Yeah playing with the different heights is the plan at this point. As for the build vs buy it was really a matter of time I have so many things to do now that I may never live to see them get done (in this hobby as well as others) and I am not what you would call old (only in my mid 30's)
Doug Meyer
DougMeyer,
You may want to consider a 'Bench on Bench' with all those scraps...it'll relieve your back ...and conscience(lol).
There was an article and design in FWW about 18 months ago. I made mine about 10" high and its great for so many tasks..especially sawing dovetails, mortising with router, planing thin stock and holding odd shaped pieces.
Doug,
WHAT, YOU BOUGHT A (no contentious shouting there - The Taunton anti-naughty-postings police).
I just built one, although it stopped me making furniture whilst I did it, so sometimes I wish I'd bought one instead. Still, it was good fun and I got exactly what I wanted for a lot less than an equivalent bought-bench. But this to the side.
One thing I diiscovered is that the customary "hands flat on the bench top" method of setting the height results in a bench too low for me. That method gives 34 inches but mine is much kinder to my old back at 39 inches. I am under 6 feet tall so you may want to consider an even higher top.
It isn't clear where the traditional method of determining a workbench height came from; but I notice a few comments in various current woodworking publications along the lines of: "I like mine taller, now I've tried it. It saves my back....".
Lataxe
Lataxe
I agree with you. My bench is at 40" (I'm 6'1"), and I like it at that height for most things. It's a bit rough for assembly, but that's what the assembly bench is for, right?
Hunching over with this bad back is definately the hard part.
Happy New Year,
Jeff
The rule of thumb I went by when building my bench was the height should be as high as of the palms of your hands as they would be on a bench. Better the bench be too short then too tall. Can you imagine cutting those legs down or having to work on an elevated platform?
It must have thrilled you to see your dad act like a kid again.Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
Don't worry about having bought a workbench.
What's important about woodworking is what comes out of the shop and not what stays in it.
I've seen exquisite work come out of literal dumps.
I am not worried about it I just figured judging by past post that someone would come after me for it. The point of this post was more of a review to let others know what the bench is like. I may even try to load a photo or two of it up to here after we get it and my dad lets me near it.
Doug Meyer
It's cool.
A bench is a tool like any other. If you build every tool you ever need then you'll build nothing else.
It's funny you should say that. I'm constantly working on things that never leave the shop. My wife notices that too and she asks why I have a shop to build a shop. It's an interesting problem.
Doug - I built my own probably only because I couldn't afford the one I wanted. Theres really no shame in buying one ;). (I don't have a pitch fork so thats the best I can do.)
Hey...enjoy working with your dad. Time passes quickly, don't waste it.
TDF
I'd love to have that bench! A lot of the people who say build your own are the same folks w/ all the time to rebuild old (and, yes, good quality) tools. I simply don't have the time and will spend my $ on LN or Veritas planes vs flee marketing and fixing up.
I look fwd to your review of the bench.
I remember an article in FWW some years back that highlighted a Japanese woodworker who did amazing work. His work bench consisted of a single block of wood about 6x6x24 with a tatami mat in front of it. Makes you wonder whether you need an uber-bench to do good work or to look good.
Well we got the bench in this morning and opened it up. Looked good in the box. Then we pulled it all out and put the legs together that was pretty simple. Then we had the joy of picking up the top. Man, this thing list out as 305 pounds shipping weight. IF that is the case the lags must not weigh anything because I swear the top was 300 pounds buy itself! Once we got that moved to where we wanted it. (and took a second to recover) we lifted it up onto the legs and looked at it for a bit (while recovering) then we eased it into place. Over all it was pretty easy to put it together but it took took people.
Next we put the front vise on and attached the stop. That was a bit of a pain as it is hard to get to the bolt that holds the stop in place on the guide post the one on the screw is easy but the guide post one was a bit harder. Still over all I think it went together in about 15 min or so. The over finish is nice and the fit seams good. I did notice a little bit on the tail that needs to be smoothed ever so slightly. Also the front vise needs to be lubed. (What do all of you use for that? The company suggested white spray grease)
Only thing I have a problem with so far is that the handles for the vises are a joke. They are short and they have a recess in them to take the balls on the end (with a dowel) they also are NOT smooth. So I am thinking I need to replace them. Do any of you have any ideas on where to get new handles? (No I don't have a lathe so turning them is out)
I am posting photos of this bench (assuming I can figure out how) so you can look at it. So far with out using it much it seams very nice. The photos will show an over all. A close up of the vises and one of the bench with my dad under it working on the stop (it is his bench after all) Ok maybe I will up load the photos latter they are huge (2 meg each, I guess that is the down side of a 6megapixel camera)
Well I will take some more latter that are lower res so they up load a little faster
Doug Meyer
neet bench although I see that you assembled it in the wrong shop, I will be by next week to pick it up;) All jokes aside have fun and good luck with your future projects.Troy
Funny thing that I must be having issues with getting it in the correct shop. The guy delivering it said much the same thing and so did the neighbor that helped unload it.
IF you are real brave feel free to try an get it away from the old guy but i would not count on it. I think he is planing on sleaping on it for a while.
Doug Meyer
All this talk about bench height made me go down and measure mine. I'm 6'2", bad back and all, and I made mine 36".
That height works well for me. I put a pad down in front of it to insulate and cushion me from the concrete floor, and I have a cheap wooden stool that I "adjusted" to allow me to sit at a comfortable height at bench and work when I'm there for a long time.
Mike D
Does sitting down really work for you?
I do this in my other hobby (model railroad building) when I am at my work bench in the basement but while I have alwas had stools in the shop I have never tried to sit while doing anything.
Doug Meyer.
I sat while drilling all the holes in the pin blocks for my hammered dulcimer. I tend to sit when putting frets into a guitar neck. And generally I sit when marking dovetails. Somehow, sitting seems appropriate to small, repetitive tasks.Rp
Oh little delicate stuff. Most of my stuff I build tends to be a bit bigger for some reason.
Doug Meyer
Ok, spent a bit of time with the Bench the other night. Used some lubricant on the vise parts. Ten clean them all off to get the crud that was on them off. Then a light lube to keep them moving and they seam to work very well.
Only real issues is that the front vice seams to be rubbing the wood a little where the screw goes though the front vice face. So I may have to take it apart and either adjust it or open the wood hole up a bit. But it is close so I will have to see if it is really rubbing or just really close.
Still I think the handles on these are a joke. They need to be longer and they need to be smother and the need a better end. So this is something that I will have to look into.
For those of you wondering it only took about 10 or 15 min. to get the two vices working well, and only the front vice was much of a problem. (Mostly because you have to crawl under the bench to work on this. as the screw does not come out all the way.
So in short my father and I are very happy with this so far (then again he was not climbing under the bench to clean and lube the vice :) )
Doug Meyer
Very good, I actually have a bench that I am happy with but I am glad you got yours in the right shop:)Happy new yearsTroy
Well the right shop is debatable a lot of people seam to think it landed in the wrong one! :)
Of course at this point We are working on some stuff for the house that is not the type of work that you need a nice bench for (it figures) but still it looks nice and with luck we will get to use it soon.
Doug Meyer
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled