I am about to build a sorely needed new workbench. Any thoughts on starting with the top as 1.5″ maple butcherblock? This I can buy fairly inexpensively (6 foot by 25 1/2″ for $177). Is 1.5″ thick enough? Will it stay flat? I would just glue one up, but my planer is only 20″, and I sort of prefer a 24″ plus tool tray width.
Second question: I would like to be able to adjust the heighth of the bench. 34″ or so for the day-to-day, and lower for when I’m assembling a piece which is too tall for my rather low ceilinged basement. I was thinking of building the base with 4 legs and strectchers (M&T) at the lower heighth, and then 4 free standing, full height legs, which would be through-bolted to the shorter legs when I wanted it full height. I have some 5/4 cherry with much sapwood, so was thinking of just using it up by laminating it for the legs. 3 1/8″ square (the limit of my table saw) enough? Cherry sapwood OK?
Third issue: Bench dogs. I was thinking of just drilling through the top a series of 1″ or so holes, and then fashioning the dogs of wood by using a long 1″ plug or tenon cutter on the drill press, stock mounted vertically. I have done this before for round through tenons, wedged, on the ends of bench legs and that worked well. That way I could have dogs “free,” and with various heights.
I have a pretty heavy sliding (split-ring?) 12″ vise, that I would mount of the end, with a large 3″ or so, full width maple jaw. Would be a breadbord style of mounting.
Any help or comments would be appreciated.
Replies
I built my workbench 2 year ago, and have not looked back. I went through looking for pre-built benchtops, bases, etc, and combined all of what I found into one.
I went with a 3" thick top by laminating together maple that I bought at the local supply store (most pre-made had 4" edges, with 1 1/2" middle thickness). I only have a 12" planer, so I figured out how wide I wanted it, and figured that I would have to do it in 3 pieces to fit my planer. After laminating, I planed all 3 sections to thickness, used the drill press to drill the holes for the bench dogs, and then glued all 3 pieces together.
I was able to get them close enough to flat in the final glue up that a little planing on the final sections was enough to make the top perfectly flat. And, by doing it in 3 sections, I was able to get the bench dog holes where I wanted them because I didn't have to worry about the depth of the drill press. The extra thickness of the bench top will provide bulk and weight so that it doesn't move when you push against it.
Good luck!
jc
s4s, im going out on a limb here, but dont use maple. use something soft, white pine, basswood, alder,poplar, whatever. this avoids your bench marring your work. use flatsawn 8/4 stock ripped to say 3" and laminated on edge. this effectively gives you a quartersawn benchtop which cuts down on movement and warpage. the 3 piece planing tip was right on the money also that way you can make it as wide as you please. having worked with and without toolwells i gotta say i like benches without, easier to clean, less clutter etc. and glue up a dog run for the front edge from hardwood so your dogs dont mash the softwood top. however you do it youre in for some fun and every time you use your bench youll be pleased you didnt get a cookie cutter bench from woodcraft. regards jc
Joiner,
That is a limb you are going out on - a very softwood limb.
I've had softwood (fir) workbenchs. No thanks. Maple is just fine. Workbench mar the work? no way. A softwood top just seems to promote less of a feel of quality in the work (to say nothing of the bench).
If cost were a factor and softwood were the only affordable way to go, well OK. But that's not the question here.
My 3 cents.
Rich
There have been several previous threads on shop built workbenches. The most common advice is for hardwood bench tops and I think that's what most of us prefere. Mine is american beech with persimmon jaws on the end vice. I love it. My dogs are round dowels, very tight fit. With a dog in every hole, I don't hafta spend time moving them. Just whack 'em up or down with a hammer. And no danger of knicking an edge tool on an iron dog.
BJGardening, cooking and woodworking in Southern Maryland
Hi s4s
If you're planning to use handtools in a serious way, then mass and stiffness become important attributes for a workbench to have. This usually means a rigid support structure topped with a very solid working surface. Getting adequate rigidity while at the same time achieving an adjustable height by the method you propose could be a problem for you. Additionally a solid timber work surface fitted with underslung vices can be seriously heavy. Mine needs two people to lift it! I solved the headroom problem in my shop by constructing a much lighter half-height "assembly table" which simply "clips" lean-to style on to the end of the main bench. I can take it off when I don't need it. It works well for me.
With respect to benchtops, I made mine by laminating 3" x 1.5" Australian hardwood house framing (probably similar in hardness and strength to American Oak). I squared and thicknessed each laminate and used biscuits to hold alignment while gluing and clamping. I used glue with a reasonable "open time" and spreading glue and assembling it piece by piece, had no trouble putting together about 20 laminates (benchtop is 6'0" x 25" x 2.75"). The end result was quite accurate - just as well as I then had to handplane it flat, a process that sounds like hard work but actually isn't too difficult at all (you need an accurate straight-edge at least 3' long, a sharp handplane and allow yourself a one hour workout!).
I used Veritas brass dogs. For ease of drilling I predrilled all the holes in the appropriate laminates using a drill press before assembly. I used a Record steel vice at one end and a Veritas twin screw vice on the tail.
The whole lot is on a solid hardwood framework. I laminated the legs from 4"x 2" building grade timber. My only regret is that I didn't make it years ago!!
Good luck with the project.
Ted
Thanks for the help. I am gathering that no one thinks that 1.5" butcher block is sufficient; so be it. A glueing I will go.
Unfortunately, my basement is not large enough for a second assembly table; hence the need for the adjustable height. My wife has firmly rejected the suggestion that her laundry be relocated to the detached garage. I am choiceless.
If that's the way your wife feels about it, build an assembly table top that fits over the #$%%$# washer and dryer! Seriously, I agree it will be very difficult to get the appropriate stability from an adjustable leg rig.
Another suggestion, maybe you don't want dog holes at all. I didn't (small parts and tools drop through, so does dust and waste making a mess on my jigs and fixtures stored underneath), so I rigged a clamping system instead. A 1" mahogany facing board runs the 8' length of the bench extending about 2" below the front of the top. U shaped stops, sort of like a thin bench hook, slip over the facing board and are held in place with a small quick action clamp. The asymetrical top of the stop, of 1/8" masionite or 1/4" ply, extend out over the bench top and, used in conventional conjunction with an end vice, form stops for plaining, carving, or whatever. A short 2" lip on the U's bottom keeps the stop from riding up.
Like another respondent to this thread, I too don't like tool treys. They just accumulate stray tools I should have had the disclipline to hang up after their part of the job is done. I prefer long wide open space!
A final point, I recommend natural (color) Watco Oil as a finish. It takes wax well and is easily renewed with Watco renewer without the necessity of removing the wax. This combination has kept my maple topped bench in (almost) new condition for over 15 years.
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll put lots of TLC into the job and be very happy with it.
Wes
Those wives can be so insensetive...bet she dosen't appreciate all that fine sawdust your making either...gees!
I share your space constraints and put my workbench on wheels which dosen't work well when I need a stable base. I did make a 24 inch high assembly table...with 2x4's moticed legs and 2x10's for the top with 4 inches between the two boards. I can stand that up in the corner most of the time....and it is very handy. Also, I have an old interior flush door which i can put on top of the table to handle larger peices. Granted, it's not the best situation..but it does provide the suport I need and keeps the workbench freed up. Good luck
I would recommend taking the time to build the bench you want to live with for many years if you feel like tackling it. I am almost finished building the Traditional Cabinet maker's bench from the article in The Workbench Book (Taunton) by Klausz. I've learned more about woodworking in the past month and a half than I have in the past two years I've been dabbling in this hobby.
I built the base out of Poplar and the top is a combination of Maple, Cherry, Walnut, and Mahogany. The Cherry I got at a great price (16/4). The Maple (12/4) and the Poplar (16/4) I had to purchase, but I'm a member of the GA. Woodworkers Guild, so that knocked a couple of $$ off. The Mahogany I had left over from some trim work on my small sailboat.
I made a rule....once I made the purchase of wood, I would not go back and buy more wood until I didn't have a scrap left in my shop. (in one case, I laminated several scraps of Maple, Cherry and Mahogany to make the platform for the shoulder vise.) I took into account some of the wood I had in my shop, but felt it would be better to buy something cheap, but of hardwood for the base (hence Poplar in my case, but whatever you can find that's cheap in your area). The other woods I saved for the top. The only design feature I changed from the plans are the traditional tail vise. I didn't mean to, but I bought the modern sliding tail vise hardware by accident, and decided to hold to my original plan of no returns and no more purchases. No problem since the next article in the book shows how to make this vise. Put's your brain to work. :+)
I've learned how to be creative in my approach. The top is 2 1/2" thick by 19" or so wide. Won't fit in my planer after glue-up, so I had to make sure I prepped everything before glue-up to end with a relatively flat top. I still had to learn the nuances of my No. 7 Jointer Plane to flatten the top. I've learned how to re-saw, make BIG dovetails, how to screw up dovetails and recover (Pins first or tails first..) , how to work with wood that is at the limits of my tools, and past the limits of some of my tools; the importance and pleasure of working with mirror sharp chisels and planes.
I've screwed up a few things, that hopefully only I will notice, but I think those screw ups taught me more about me, my personality, and my occational lack of patience, or something that I thought would have worked better that didn't. And now when I start building "real" furniture, I can look back at my bench and remember the odessey of pushing my skills.
But the real answer to your question...:+) Use a thick top, but don't stress on getting it exactly 2 1/2 inches thick. Mine's 2 5/16" thick. I think 1 1/2 would be too thin. The table height is 30", which I was initially skeptical of, but have since changed my mind. The shoulder vise and bench slave help in getting the work to the height that you need to work, and that table height might work in your basement.
FWIW.
Mark
Mark, Just noticed you were in GA. I also just finished my own version of the Klausz bench. I used a different tail vise and made an enclosed base with twenty four drawers, (actually I'm still working on the drawers) an my bench is a good deal longer than Franks. (10 ft overall) I used a section of old bowling alley for the center slab and maple walnut and lacewood for the rest. I'll post some pics in the gallery when I get the drawers done.
Have you been happy with the woodworkers guild in GA. I haven't joined yet since the meetings are pretty far from me and I didn't know how often I would be able to attend but I have been considering it.
Would love to see some pics of your bench. Did you follow the plan or make some changes to suit your particular work habits.
I haven't attended any of the meetings, either. Time is pretty tight, so I don't know if I'll make many of them. Some of the sponsors offer members good discounts, so that in itself is worth the price of entry.
I'm currently putting a coat of Waterlox on the bench, but I still haven't finished the tail vise. I figured I'd better put a protective coating on it since I'm already starting to use it. :+) I don't really have any work habits, yet, so no input there. However, I did make mine 1 foot shorter due to limited work area. I basically subtracted 12" from the top and 12" from the base rails. In hindsight, I wish I had left the 12" in the base, but it's still pretty stable.
I'll post some additional pics when I get finished. (Probably in another month!:+))
Mark
Thanks for your helpful comments. I think I will build it from scratch. And the book is a good suggestion. The pix were great. But, I'm still going to try to make its height adjustable.
If cost is a factor, you can make the top of 2x4's on edge. After planing off the rounded corners, will still have a top about 3.25" thick. I used round metal bench dogs initially, because I lacked the confidence to try the rectangular dog holes. Last winter I finally separated the top from the legs and ran it through the table saw. With had saw, started the rectangular holes, and then lots of quality chisel time. Made about six dogs out of some scrap purpleheart and can't believe the difference. Always had to shim the metal dogs to keep from marking my pieces. They wouldn't always stay up. And of course had to worry about nicking edge tools.
Two approaches you can take. Unfortunately, many of old workbench discussions reveal that woodworkers often build two or three generations of work bench until they are satisfied. A "2x4" bench like mine (also modeled on the Klaus bench) is a very affordable first generation. But after about 12 years I still haven't had to replace it so I still have a bench long on function but short on looks.
The other approach is to build a beauty, like the one in the previous post. But having invested so much in a first bench, it is questionable whether you would ever be willing to make a second generation that might better fit your habits and needs.
Regarding the two heights idea, what type of tools are you planning to use? Hand tools, such as planes and saws, require lots of horizontal muscle power. If you've ever worked on wobbly sawhorses, you know how much of that muscle power is lost to horizontal motion of the support (sawhorse, workbench, or whatever). The Klaus and similar styles of workbench are made of big beefy tops and legs, with stout joints and fasteners, to minimize lost muscle power, time and frustration.
A solid core door or 3'x8' torsion box, covered with Formica or similar, makes a first class assembly table. Supports for that can be sawhorses, so it can be broken down to save space. If you want to pursue hand planing and chiseling, another option is a narrow slab workbench, perhaps 3" x 18" x 6', at normal height along a wall. There are a number of very clever mechanical clamping and stopping aids that are not as convenient as vises but skads cheaper. If space is a real premium, perhaps some extra stout commercial door hinges and removable legs to let your bench fold down against the wall when not needed? Again, not as effective at husbanding your muscle power when planing, but perhaps stout enough until better opportunity? Like insulating and heating the garage? For years I worked in a drafty, unheated barn and had to assemble either when the weather broke or down the hill in our basement, which had a short ceiling.
Ted,
Just doing the same at the moment - 1930's house got demolished and I retrieved sufficient timber to build the bench, mix of messmate, myrtle and river red gum.
Ended up squaring all timber (rough sawn) by hand and doing most work by hand.
Dowelled top, approx 24" by about 7' x 3" (haven't measured it, that's an eyeball measurement).
Apparently, eucalypt works like hickory, according to some here.
Cheers,
eddie.(who is currently picking the UF glue from the benchtop lamination off his hands)
Eddie
Doing all the planing by hand sounds like serious hard work but doubtless very satisfying. Well done. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the end result.
Cheers, Ted
I built the top for my bench out of 16/4 poplar. Wood choice was mainly economics and thickness availablity. I had the mill cut the board to size, plane them through the same setting, and joint the edges. I laminated them at home with two rows of dado'd bench dogs sandwiched in between with bread board ends (this was modeled after one of the benches in The Workbench Book). Popular is very far from a "hard" wood but has served me well. I built it two years ago and it is still very flat. Dents and dings, yup...have a few of them....adds character, right??
The adjustable height is going to be tricky. If you do any hand planing, a little wiggle in the bench will drive you crazy. If you have the space I would make a seperate assembly/finishing table. Good luck.
Dan in Connecticut
Hi S4S,
You can get away with 1 1/2" stock, by laminating one on edge vs one on flat, so it looks like this in cross section:
xxxxooooxxxxooooxxxxooooooooxxxxooooooooxxxxooooooooxxxxoooo
xxxxooooxxxxooooxxxxooooooooxxxxooooooooxxxxooooooooxxxxoooo
xxxxooooxxxxooooxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxoooo
xxxxooooxxxxooooxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxoooo
Ie: sort of incorporating the torsion box design
I'd aim 3" thickness/width for the ribs
Cheers,
eddie
edit:
I'd seen plans for an adjustable height workbench somewhere and googled to see if I could find them.
Here's a quick list of what I found:
http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bench.html
http://www.shopnotes.com
http://www.freeww.com/workbenches.html
Not there (I don't think, but If I see it in the next few days I'll get it to you)
Double edit - just noticed date of other postings and confused as to how this got displayed as one of today's messages. All is now well and truly past now, I hope.
Edited 10/8/2003 1:51:36 AM ET by eddie (aust)
Edited 10/8/2003 6:15:50 AM ET by eddie (aust)
Eddie,
The bench was built, and posted in Feb., I think. 3" maple top; fixed height. It is in the gallery as "Just another workbench" or something like that.
A fellow named Noden, from Trenton NJ, makes steel legs, set of 2 wide ones, which are adjustable in height. I saw them at a sho, and while th are terrific for a wheelchair woodworker, I did not think they were solid enough for hand planing, and were not particularly attractive. A bit spendiy, as I recall.
Alan
posted last nite on "new-fangled" workbench in the tools forum, consider checking out restaurant auctions, prep tables can be had fairly cheap, $25-40 for my last two, the tops are usually 3"+ thick, 2' deep and 6' long, laminated maple is pretty standard as the material, just add a row of dog-holes down the side and you're in business-js
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