Hi folks — not sure whether this should go in this forum or not, but I am going to purchase a workbench and, after examining budget and space, am considering the Sjobergs deluxe cabinetmakers bench from Woodcraft. I like this bench for a number of reasons — size wise, it’s about right, the top is about 3 1/2 inches all the way through, it’s about 200 lbs., and it looks like it will last. Other reasons include that they have a 10% sale (tomorrow) and I don’t pay any shipping if my local woodworkers club orders it for me. All in all, it’ll cost roughly $1000.
So, my question is, does anyone have anything good or not so good to say about this bench — or do you have an alternative that you think is a better deal? I have read relatively poor reviews of their cheaper benches and I am a little concerned with their quality overall. I wish I could actually look at this bench in-person – I’ve talked with Woodcraft and a few others about it and they all say good things. I appreciate all replies but I’ll have to tell you upfront that I am slowly recovering from a badly botched carpal tunnel operation and I’m not up to handling the construction of a bench at this point. But, I want that bench now!
Thank you in advance for any replies, John
Replies
Woodcraft also used to sell the Ulmia which, in my opinion, is the best. Slightly more money, but heavier with good vises. Several models to choose from. Since it's a big purchase, I'd at least compare the two lines before deciding.
The Ulmia is now sold by Garret Wade at http://www.garrettwade.com/sdx/H24140.jsp. They range from about 11K to 18K - they look great, but just too big for my townhouse workroom. I also looked at the Hoffman and Hammer benches at Highland Hardware, but the medium bench was about 60 pounds lighter than the Shobergs deluxe bench I am considering. The large bench looks very nice but is out of my price range and again, too big. The Veritas bench looks very nice, but I'd prefer the top didn't have the center tool tray.Decisions decisions - I suspect any of these are good benches. I have heard the Ulmia's aren't what they used to be. I've heard good and bad about the Shobergs I want. Well, tomorrow's the 10% sale at Woodcraft and I'm inclined to go for the Shobergs. But thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.--John
I removed the center tool tray from the Veritas and made it wider. Its just a dumb piece of plywood.Regards,
Boris"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
I know what you mean, about Garret Wade, awesome stuff, but a pretty penny; too much to spend for my little woodshop.
B Near
My bench is the Ulmia that Garrett Wade calls the "Professional. When I bought it about seven years ago the price was around $1200 plus shipping. Then Woodcraft started selling it and the other models by Ulmia. As I recall, the price was better than GW, or it was at least competitive. I'd urge you to call the home office of Woodcraft and see if they (or one of the stores in their system) could have one left over from before the Ulmia corporate changeover. Having a hefty bench is a distinct benefit and you'll never notice the cost in a year or so, plus a workbench is a lifetime tool -- I'd say equally important to anything in your shop. At the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, all the benches are Ulmias (don't know about other schools). I have nothing bad or good to say about the others, just that a heavy, professional bench is great to have if you can work it out. Good hunting!
Jim, thank you the advice. I did call up Woodcraft and talked to technical support -- when I asked them if they had any of the Ulmia benches still in stock, the gentleman I spoke with said, "Boy do I wish - you aren't the only one asking me that question." I have heard nothing but good about the benches you use.-- John
I looked at all four (Sojberg, Ulima, Defenbach and Veritas) and picked Veritas, and they were nice enough to sell me an extra slab so I made mine wider.
I think the vises for the Veritas smoke Sojberg. Veritas also has some great accessories. Ulimia and Defendbach were just too pricey. I can't see dropped $5,000 for a frigging bench.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Ulmia used to be under two thousand. Have they increased that much?
Even Garrett Wade only charges $1074 for the Ulmia traditional bench (340 pounds net weight) according to their catalog.
John, I have the cheaper bench, the $400 model. I bought it at Woodcraft, drove it home and assembled it out of the box.
It's not as big a bench as I would like but I'm happy with it overall. Nice and sturdy, good vices, and it has stayed flat after nearly two years.
I wish I'd bought the one you're thinking about. Sounds like a good deal and I would have no hesitation whatsoever about making that purchase.
You mentioned you are still recovering from CTS. You will definitely need help assembling your bench. The mortice and tenon joints are machined tight.. and the benchtop is heavy. I had trouble aligning the top with the base and I think you'll be surprised by how long it takes to get the whole thing assembled.
Good luck and have fun.
Bill
Why not build one? You can buy the vises, etc from Lee valley and build a bench that is exactly what you want. I'm going to build mine this summer. Here's a link that may be helpful. You can find some books on workbenchs at the library.
http://www.terraclavis.com/bws/benches.htm
John, I was fortunate enough to be able to afford their big work bench (96"x24").
I love it... It quickly became the best tool in my shop.
No way would I have found the time to build my own this nice. Before I bought it a piece of ply on my tablesaw was my workbench.
R13
The Veritas Bench went from box to assembly in about 1.5 hours and that is a slow, lazy assembly with lots of breaks, and a final wax coating, too. Their wonderful vises are all pre-assembled and mounted. All you have to do is assemble the legs (about 20 minutes, then lift up the slabs and attach them to the leg assembly (about 15 minutes) then attach the other side of the vises (about 15 minutes), move it into the shop and wax it (about 10 minutes). The slabs are heavy and that is really a two man job for about 2 minutes.Regards,
Boris"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Thank you very much for your reply and all the other replies I received on this thread. I know that a number of you do woodworking for a living, so I especially appreciate your finding the time to help me out with this purchase. I am continually heartened by how readily people are willing to share their information and experiences.As to what I've decided to do -- for better or for worse, I'm sticking with my original leaning to go for the Sjobergs deluxe. Despite getting very good feedback on the Veritas workbench as well as the Ulmia and some relatively poor opinions of the Sjobergs. Part of my decision is based on its size, weight, and price, but also that I received several good opinions of the bench from professional woodworkers and I've always had very good experiences with Woodcraft -- I've never had a problem with them. So, I will heed the warnings about the laminated top, and buy the Sjobergs knowing that Woodcraft will take it back if I'm not satisfied.Again, thank you very much for your help and, since there seems to be some interest in this topic based on my search of the archives, I'll post something once I get the bench and get a chance to use it.--John
JP--
I imagine you want to fork out a grand to get a bench that is ready to use in one day. Is that right?
Let me humbly suggest building your own. You will get a better quality bench and learn more about the craft.
Building your own bench can be very complicated or very simple or somewhere inbetween. I suggest building a good bench solid hardwood and at least a front vise. It really is not that difficult. Yes--it will take some time to build, but inthe long run you get the satisfaction of building it yourself and you will increase your skills too.
Good luck and I hope you did not blow the grand yet-- please consider building it yourself.
Thank you,
The Great Marko
I'm in the same situation as jpw -- deciding on a ready-built bench. But I agree with you and wish I were building my own. Problem is, you can't build a bench without already having a bench.
DnB:
I had the same issue and here is what I did. I built a table out of 2x4s and plywood for the top. It took me about 2 hours to put it together. It was not super heavy and was not the best construction. The goal was to build an inexpensive table that could handle a decent workload. This table did not have a vise. Instead I just used a lot of clamps and got creative. This was the best solution in my opinion. It was cost affordable and taught me alot about woodworking, bench making and even improved my problem solving skills.
Honestly, there is no need to blow a grand on a bench, when you can build your own. I think building a bench is a great woodworking project. I have built one bench. It is good. It is not the best. I plan to make another bench that is better in the future. I just can not imagine using a premade bench.
Have fun and do not get tied up in not having a bench to build a bench trap. If you think it about it --- that's only an excuse to buy one. And that's OK if you can afford it and you do not want to build one. There is no law that says you have to build your own bench. I just think it makes sense-- financially and logcially speaking.
Gook luck.
Thank you,
The Great Marko
I have the smaller sjoberg bench and used it for about 4 years. I was
unhappy with the vises. The front vise was particularly troublesome. The left end cap goes from the tool tray to the front of the bench and the front vise covers this end cap. Because of wood movement in the bench top at times of the year one could not close the vise completely
without racking because of the end cap projecting into the vise. Six months later the bench top had expanded so that front of the bench was protruding past the end cap and thus the griping of the vise was shortened. I ended up cutting off a slice of the end cap in the winter as the compromise solution. I would inspect the deluxe workbench to see if it has this same construction. If it does then I would think that the Lee Valley would be the better choice ( although I have never seen it). I ended up making a bench, but it was a major undertaking and I might not do it again even though I learned a lot.
Rod
Better check the ad, that's not the one that's on sale.
edit: well I guess everything is 10% off, but the next level down bench and legs was on sale until yesterday. oops!
Good luck
chief
Edited 2/24/2005 10:14 am ET by chief
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