I am in the planning stages of my first bench. It’s purpose will be for general use and to promote a healthy understanding of handtool use. I am currently using a workmate and the typical hollow core door bench on 2×4’s. I’m to the point where the frustration now outweighs the cost of a new bench. I chased my workmate around the shop floor while trying to handplane to the point I had to walk out of the shop to cool off. Obviously it is time for change.
I am thinking of making the new legs and stretchers out of 6×6, through M&T, pinned together. The top will be plywood/mdf, so that adds plenty of weight in and of itself. It will be 30/32 in. wide and 6/7 ft. long. I want plenty of mass. I do not want it to move, ever. At least until I decide, and then I’ll hire a boom truck. Do those of you who have built benches find that 4×4 legs and stretchers plenty heavy enough for handplaning and other handtool use? Is the idea of a 6×6 base ludicrous and insane overkill. I read Scott’s Workbench Book about three times and the recent articles on benches, but what are you handtool users out there using. Lagging it to the floor is not an option at this point.
Thanks Dave
Replies
Dave,
Coupla thoughts for you to ponder...especially till you get that perfect bench. Clamp a longish board to that workmate and bump the end of the board up against a wall...as long as your planning in the right direction it works fairly well.
I built a heavy bench with 4x4 and 7"x1.5" strectchers, sled feet and sloted sleds on top of the legs to attach the table top. I store wood in the base so its quite heavy. I should have put another set of stretchers up near the table top..because I can still cause a bit of racking when I'm working on the corner of the bench. Last months issue of Woodworks illustrates a joiners bench which is designed to help prevent racking...
Dave,
I've posted links in a thread above titled something like 'using teak for a benchtop', showing construction detail of a bench that I cobbled together
I use 3x3 and it worked fine.
If I push with full body weight on the end where the tail vice will be (pushing across the bench), then the whole assembly will move about 1/8" across, but I don't see this as ever being an issue in real life.
Aside from this, it's solid.
Cheers,
eddie
Edited 6/25/2004 5:36 pm ET by eddie (aust)
It's not so much the legs that give a bench mass but the top. Look in a few magazines that sell workbenches and you will not see 6x6 legs. I'd scale the legs down a bit (4x4 perhaps) and consider making the top out of solid wood instead of sheet material.
Check out this site:
http://www.user.dccnet.com/cedwards/bench/bench.htm
And this one:
http://tomecat.com/jeffy/ww/bench/
And this one:
http://www.terraclavis.com/bws/beginners.htm
All versions (and the original as well) of the 'famous' bench by Bob Key and his son.
Dave,
My bench has 6 x 6 legs and 6" x 24" x 8' top (red oak) the front legs are attached to the top with a through dovetail that's flush with the front edge of the top, and a 4" long tenon behind that. There's a picture either in Diderot's Encyclopedia, or Moxon's Mechanick Exercises that shows this joint. The top is two 6x12's joined with a 2x6 batten near each end. The battens are sliding dovetailed flush with the bottom surface of the top. The battens extend out the back side of the bench to support a tool tray, and the rear legs are bridle jointed to them. It takes four good men to think about picking it up, and yet I had to attach it to the wall to keep it from walking when I'm hand surfacing a board. Something about the rhythmic vibrations using a fore plane just got it moving. Not enough to see it happening, but after a while I'd realize it was getting closer to the end of the shop. The worst part was trying to move it BACK!
The stouter, the better, in my opinion, but you still may have to fasten it to something to keep it stationary.
Good luck,
Ray
joinerswork,
Coupla suggestions for your walking bench issue....attach it to a sheet of ply and stand on the other 2 feet.....and/or sharpen the blade in your chisel....lol
PS. and all this time I thought my wife was just not placing the bench back poperly after she'd pick it up with one hand to sweep under....lol
Edited 6/25/2004 9:57 pm ET by BG
BG,
My bench now stays in position relative to the shop wall now that I've attached it there. Only need to move the shop back to its proper place on its foundation about twice a year...
How do you get your other half to come and clean up your shop?? Mine comes out only to ask, "Honey could you make...?" ;?))
Cheers,
Ray
Joinerswork,
How do you get your other half to come and clean up your shop?? Mine comes out only to ask, "Honey could you make...?" ;?))
When she walking past the door, throw some change under the bench....you know they can't stand it when we have money...lol
BG,
Lordy! It's been so long since the floor under my bench has been swept, I'd have to throw a $100 bill under there! (And she sees to it there is no possibility of that!)
Har, har,
Ray
Few of us are probably able to get a bench "right" the first time around. Maybe the best approach would be to think of this first bench as a prototype for your ultimate workbench.
I would urge you to go ahead and use MDF for the top for the top,but you might want to consider birch ply with an MDF core -- but only because of its lighter color. If you double up the sheets (for 1 1/2" thickness), that will give you some mass and the holding power you need for dogs and vises. And you can always replace it don the line with something more grand.
I would also urge you to build the bench in such a way that you can adjust its height (by adding to or cutting off the legs). Different people of the same height often prefer a higher or lower bench.
Finally, if you're concerned about the bench moving around too much, there is a simple, but inelegant solution: build a compartment (say under the shelf holding the trestles together) where you can place bags of sand.
Good luck.
Dave,
I made my bench with 4x4 redwood post legs, and laminated 2x4 stretchers. I used M&T for all connections (the M&T being 2" square, 2 1/2 inches deep) and pinned the joints with 1/2" dowel. The base's footprint is 60" x 30. The top is made from laminated 2x3 pine studs, is 6 foot x 3 foot, and is unceremoniously bolted through the top into the end grain of the legs. I drilled relief holes so that the lag bolts' heads could be driven below the top's surface.
I make light that my bench is made from contruction grade wood and looks like a buck-toothed mule, but with the bottom shelf weighed down with a mechanic's tool chest and other woodworking weaponry, it just doesn't flinch. There's plenty of mass to hold the bench in place, and the joinery is tough enough to take the pounding.
Cheers,
Seth
Dave
4" x 4" is my choice for legs, strechers, etc.. 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" would be fine. If you plan your design wisely, the bench won't move even without glue.
My X-15 bench is shown below (experimental and #15). It won't move due to the three main components lock each other into one solid unit.
sarge..jt
Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Dave,
I literally destroyed my first bench when I did my first kitchen build. It was made from doug fir legs and and MDF top on a frame. I was strapped for time in replacing it and didn't want to spend alot of money on a commercial one (wasn't sure I'd like it after I'd purchased it) or able to afford the time to glue up my top from stock. I took the most favorable ideas from many places for my bench design, which is rock solid, economical, and if I ever need to break it down to move it, will come apart by taking out 8 lags for the top and 4 bolts from the legs to the stretchers.
I purchased a maple top from an industrial supplier and laminated the legs/frame out of 13 ply birch plywood, using M&T joinery where possible. Most of my members are 3x3. I think my total cost, outside of the 2 bench vises was under $225(not including sales tax), that included drawer units under the top, clamp storage underneath, and a down draft table extension. The total time to build it was less than a day. I haven't modified it since I built it a couple of years ago, but now am wishing that I did a 72" long top instead of a 60" top.
I use power and hand tools and it has been extremely stable.
Mine has very simple 3x3 legs. The secret is not the mass of the legs but using a top tressle and a bottom stretcher. Those two attributes allow me to support a full 2" solid maple top strong enough that a footbal team could stand on it. I also used 3/8 inch threaded rod in both the legs and stretcher to add torsion.
I just finished mine last week. I now need 3 friends to help me move it inside. It is 300 lbs plus.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Dave,
Just want to through an idea out here for you to ponder. You need a heavy top, and you're not hooked on maple, so might want to try my approach. I got two pieces of laminated beam, 5 1/2" thick by 24" wide 7 feet long, for a top that is 4 by 7. If you're curious I'll show you how I hooked them together. I ended up with a top that weighs probably 600 pounds. I built a base out of an old 3" by 6" pine beam and some good 2x6's. Pinned MT joints. Still haven't gotten the twin screw vise built or the dog holes cut, but it is one massive SOB. Not quite a "buck toothed mule" (LOL on that one) either. Best part, the short pieces of lam beam cost $50. Absolutly no wiggles, walk, creep, crawl, wobble or any of that other misbehavior when I'm planing. Have a good one,
Steve, I am very interested in your design. where did you find the beam material and how was it working with the old barn beams? Were they hard as a rock? Can you post pictures? I bet that thing is a Buck Toothed Mule with a toochache. If the top weighs 600 lbs. it must not move at all, just what I want. dave
Dave,
Yup, she ain't pretty, but if a tornado were in the neighborhood, I'd consider taking cover under my bench. The laminated beam I got from a local lumberyard, seems they got some shipped to them by mistake, so they gave me a good deal. It was in a Boise Cascade wrapper if my memory serves me. I bet you could track some down reletively easily, it's pretty common around here anyhow.
The old beam I used for the base was in the rafters of the barn I use for my shop. Been there who knows how long. I scraped the major crud off and was amazed at how pungent the pine smell still was. I bet judging by the accumulation of dirt on the plank, it was 75 years old. It's nice to have built something useful out of that hunk of wood. You're right about the hard, but not as much as I'd have thought. It planed good.
Back to the top, to join the two beam pieces, I cut a rabbet on the top side and bottom side of both pieces, then when the two were butted against each other, I put a hunk of birch (it was handy) in the rabbets, with plenty of glue, drilled for dowels, and presto, one big surface. Like I said, its not all done yet, but I'll get some photos to post tomorrow. Have a good evening,
Steve
Dave, here's a post I did a while back, the bench is under the planes, I'll get some better pics tomorrow, but thought you might interested in these too.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=18170.8Steve
Dave,
Take the time you need and build yourself an heirloom bench. It will be a source of pride and inspiration for years to come.
For my bench I started with rough sawn white ash that I had cut at a local mill. After drying and surfacing I ended up with 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" legs. Following the lead of the timberframing set, I joined the stretchers with drawbored mortise and tenon joints.
That method yielded an extremely strong and stiff base. I'm very pleased with it.
For the top I laminated 5/4 x 4 ash boards to created a very dense, solid and heavy top. I then had the top thickness sanded to 3-1/2" at a local cabinet shop.
This has worked very well for me and along with some ornamentation that I included has brought many compliments.
One final thought...during the construction of my new shop I installed glu-lam headers above each of the garage doors. Those glu-lams were 5-1/2" thich and can be manufactured in just about any depth and length. They are thichness planed at the manufacturing plant and were reasonably priced. Being made of Southern Yellow Pine they were heavy and dense too. I seems to me that a glu-lam beam, ordered to the dimensions you want your bench top to be might be a very effective way to go.
Good luck to you.
Thats what I made mine out of works well.Steve
To all,
Thanks a bunch for your comments and the time you took to post your pictures. I appreciatte all the feedback.
I came into some free 2x8 yellow pine construction grade that is in good shape, about 200 linear feet, and yeah I'm gonna build it with that. I'm going to glue-lam the them up into 5.5x7. I'll use this for the legs stretchers and crossmembers. I'll MT everything and then drawbore and double pin each one. For the top I am going to use three sheets of 3/4 ply and one sheet of finished 3/4 birch ply. I ordered the 24 in. veritas twin screw vise for the tail.
I do have a question though. Does anyone have recommendations for a really smooth quick-action front vise? I have seen the Tucker and it is a little out of my price range. Any comments would be much apreciatted. I will post pictures when I am done.
Thanks
Dave
It's hard to argue with an heirloom.
cstan,
After my father in law passed away, I was given HIS father's workbench. 12/4 oak top, 12/4 walnut legs, 6/4 walnut stretchers, oak slanted leg vice, walnut and oak tail "box" vice. Unfortunately, he was right handed, and I'm a lefty. Still, does that count as an "heirloom" bench?
Cheers,
Ray
It's an heirloom. Send it to me, I'm right-handed.
cstan,
Ok, soon as I find a big enough envelope, I will!
(In your dreams,)
Ray
Stability will come not only from mass, but also from the geometry of the legs and trestle. Heavy legs that are close together will not be as stable as lighter legs set further apart. Canting the legs outward will also increase stability, if you lack mass (I may misunderstand your post, but a 3/4 think MDF top will not provide much mass. I must be missing something).
You may think that you will never move the table, but some day you might wish you had built the supports using knock down joints. It's your call.
My workbench is walnut on a poplar stand, using 3.5x2 supports for the legs and trestle. It's plenty stable, and I do lots of hand plane work.
See it in https://home.comcast.net/~paulchapko (go to workshop tour)
Good luck,
Paul In TF
Paul,
the top will be three individual sheets of 3/4 ply laminated together, with a fourth layer of 3/4 Birch Finished ply for the surface. The sum total will be 3 inches thick. I'll trim it with a skirt, and the vise cheeks will be maple. I have decided that the bench will be 32 in. wide by 8 feet long. It will stand 34 in. high. The legs and base will stand 24 in. by 68 in. with 14 in. of overhang on each side. There will be stretchers on top and on the bottom on both the long and short axis. I agree that I want it to be broken-down-able.
I can't, repeat, can't, afford hardwood, no matter how much I want it. At least I can't see a way yet. With the base at no charge, the top at around 100, and the vises at least 250-300, I am tapped out at 350-400. I won't wait a whole lot longer for a bench and since I am new to the area I haven't found a ready supply of supercheap roughsawn hardwood. I can't think of a way to do it cheaper that will take the punishment. If someone can, I'm open to ideas.
If anyone has any other ideas please let me know. I am very open to critisizm. I pretend to be no expert. If you think the legs will be absalute overkill I could go two 2x8 laminated together. Remember though, it is just construction-grade yellow pine. It is light as hell in my opinion, so more is better, even splayed out a little. Sometimes I am hogging a lot of material with a handplane. I set a #6 pretty heavy and go at it. I don't mind the sweat, but I hate chasing a bench. I don't own a planer or jointer, so this is my method until the bucks are there. I am not looking to make the perfect bench. This is just to get the juices going. I haven't bought anything yet so the drawing board is still open for ideas and change.
thanks dave
Dave,
I built my own bench with a maple top and white oak base. I too could not afford hardwood, at least thats what I thought. I ended up stopping a the local saw mill and asked about maple. the guy told me he could get a maple log within a week and slab it up for me to 12/4 x 12" x 6'. I bought four slabs for 90 cents a board foot. the tope and base material cost me about $100.
TDF
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