Hi all,

I made a removable top for a portable clamping table, and it's become a
passable imitation of a real workbench. Just wanted to share. Hope
somebody finds it useful.

http://woodslacker.officeweasel.com/workmatebench.html

Thanks,

Scott

boorite wrote:
Hi all,

I made a removable top for a portable clamping table, and it's become
a passable imitation of a real workbench. Just wanted to share. Hope
somebody finds it useful.

http://woodslacker.officeweasel.com/workmatebench.html

Thanks,

Scott

:-)

I like to think my workbench will not let me down on its legs.

I hate the B&D workbenches...you cant get a good sweep of the hand plane
because the workbench wants to take the plane elsewhere other than the
wood.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

I hate the B&D workbenches...you cant get a good sweep of the hand plane
because the workbench wants to take the plane elsewhere other than the
wood.

That's why I weighted mine with so much geology. Still, if you use hand
tools all the time, especially planes, my bench would only just get you
by in a pinch.

The reason I got the Craftsman instead of the B&D is durability.
Reviews of the B&D tend to note really flimsy packaging that results in
damage, plus some fussy, breakable parts in the clamping mechanism.

boorite wrote:
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

I hate the B&D workbenches...you cant get a good sweep of the hand
plane because the workbench wants to take the plane elsewhere other
than the wood.

That's why I weighted mine with so much geology. Still, if you use
hand tools all the time, especially planes, my bench would only just
get you by in a pinch.

The reason I got the Craftsman instead of the B&D is durability.
Reviews of the B&D tend to note really flimsy packaging that results
in damage, plus some fussy, breakable parts in the clamping mechanism.

In all honesty at some stage or other you will encounter numourous problems
working on it whether you have adapted it to take that platform or use it
as it came.

It looks like you have the room there for a proper workbench but lack the
ingenuity to hang things on the wall high or build a couple of shelves or
even put struts across the ceiling and hang stuff up there. :-)

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

boorite wrote:
Hi all,

I made a removable top for a portable clamping table, and it's become a
passable imitation of a real workbench. Just wanted to share. Hope
somebody finds it useful.

http://woodslacker.officeweasel.com/workmatebench.html

Thanks,

Scott



Nice idea!

On 11 Sep 2006 12:56:21 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

Hi all,

I made a removable top for a portable clamping table, and it's become a
passable imitation of a real workbench. Just wanted to share. Hope
somebody finds it useful.

http://woodslacker.officeweasel.com/workmatebench.html

Thanks,

Scott

Good idea, Scott...
If it gets you through your projects until you can build a bench, it's the
solution to a very common problem..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

It looks like you have the room there for a proper workbench but lack the
ingenuity to hang things on the wall high or build a couple of shelves or
even put struts across the ceiling and hang stuff up there. :-)

Excuse me? You couldn't possibly see that from the photographs; it's
nothing to do with the project; and it isn't true, as I have stuff
hanging all over the walls and ceilings. I can and have built "proper"
workbenches, but there's no sense doing so in a temporary situation
like this. A remark like "you lack ingenuity" is nasty, the smiley
notwithstanding. Apparently you like belittling people.

snip

A remark like "you lack ingenuity" is nasty, the smiley
notwithstanding. Apparently you like belittling people.

Awww just ignore em... I think it's a pretty good idea myself. I have
the B&D version and will probably use this idea. It's fast set up,
easy to move, and relatively solid. Like you said it was a fix for a
problem... some folks (luckily a small number only) tend to forget that
little tidbit... I could pull my soap box out about folks getting high
and mighty, but I'll save that for another time... ;-)

Thanks for the link and pics too. Always good too see as well as read
what your projects are.

mac davis wrote:
Good idea, Scott...
If it gets you through your projects until you can build a bench, it's the
solution to a very common problem..

Thanks. Even when I do set up permanent shop somewhere, I figure I can
keep this thing to carry wherever the work is. I've seen similar things
in WW mags, but far wimpier. I can see using something like this in an
apartment or in a garage that has to be shared with cars. Most people
deal with the latter situation by sticking the workbench against a
wall, which I could do, but I like being able to walk all around it and
have the work hang off both sides and all that. Thanks again for the
feedback.

bremen68 wrote:
Awww just ignore em... I think it's a pretty good idea myself. I have
the B&D version and will probably use this idea. It's fast set up,
easy to move, and relatively solid. Like you said it was a fix for a
problem... some folks (luckily a small number only) tend to forget that
little tidbit... I could pull my soap box out about folks getting high
and mighty, but I'll save that for another time... ;-)

:-D thanks very much. You'd think I'd get thicker skin after so long
online. Hope you do get some use out of the idea.

Some things I do like about the B&D are the big hold-down step and
large work surface. I have heard some things about plastic parts in the
clamping mechanism. Does anything like that seem like a problem to you?
I ask because I've still got my eye on 'em. Just being wary.

boorite wrote:
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

It looks like you have the room there for a proper workbench but
lack the ingenuity to hang things on the wall high or build a couple
of shelves or even put struts across the ceiling and hang stuff up
there. :-)

Excuse me? You couldn't possibly see that from the photographs; it's
nothing to do with the project; and it isn't true, as I have stuff
hanging all over the walls and ceilings. I can and have built "proper"
workbenches, but there's no sense doing so in a temporary situation
like this. A remark like "you lack ingenuity" is nasty, the smiley
notwithstanding. Apparently you like belittling people.

Wasn't belittling you,merely pointing out that safety in the workshop is
paramount to ones health.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
boorite wrote:
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

It looks like you have the room there for a proper workbench but
lack the ingenuity to hang things on the wall high or build a couple
of shelves or even put struts across the ceiling and hang stuff up
there. :-)

Excuse me? You couldn't possibly see that from the photographs; it's
nothing to do with the project; and it isn't true, as I have stuff
hanging all over the walls and ceilings. I can and have built "proper"
workbenches, but there's no sense doing so in a temporary situation
like this. A remark like "you lack ingenuity" is nasty, the smiley
notwithstanding. Apparently you like belittling people.

Wasn't belittling you,merely pointing out that safety in the workshop is
paramount to ones health.

Turning such an innoccuous remark into an insult takes talent.

Remember, it is not a good pitch unless jealousy rears its ugly head. Ok, I
am jealous of the idea, so I think I will steal it. Nice bench.
Ps Do not let the idiots get you down. Oak trees have to grow from
something.
______
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com
"boorite" wrote in message
oups.com...

bremen68 wrote:
Awww just ignore em... I think it's a pretty good idea myself. I have
the B&D version and will probably use this idea. It's fast set up,
easy to move, and relatively solid. Like you said it was a fix for a
problem... some folks (luckily a small number only) tend to forget that
little tidbit... I could pull my soap box out about folks getting high
and mighty, but I'll save that for another time... ;-)

:-D thanks very much. You'd think I'd get thicker skin after so long
online. Hope you do get some use out of the idea.

Some things I do like about the B&D are the big hold-down step and
large work surface. I have heard some things about plastic parts in the
clamping mechanism. Does anything like that seem like a problem to you?
I ask because I've still got my eye on 'em. Just being wary.

Scott,

I made something like this as well to put on my B&D Workmate but I have
to confess, yours is leaps and bounds better than mine! I used a 4'x4'
piece of old 3/4" plywood and slapped a 2x4 underneath to lock into the
table after I took the middle piece out. It works OK but it is heavy
and unruly. I would think your solution is way better.

Don't let other people's comments hackle you too much. I also do not
have the time nor the space for a nice, big bench. I do have a bench
in the back of the garage but it is dark and dingy back there and there
are times when I would like to have the bench right in front of the
garage doors.

I agree with the statements that this bench is not going to perform
well with things like hand planes but I would not use it for such work.
I can think of oodles of time this would be simply perfect.

In fact, I am going to build me one of these and scrap my old monster.
It has done me well for 15 years--I just wish I would have thought
about actually having it be a workbench and not simply a work table.

Great idea! I hope you post some more ingenious things like this in
the future!

ray

Darrell Feltmate wrote:
Remember, it is not a good pitch unless jealousy rears its ugly head. Ok, I
am jealous of the idea, so I think I will steal it.

I was hoping someone would!

wrote:

In fact, I am going to build me one of these

Thanks, that made my day!

In article .com,
boorite wrote:

http://woodslacker.officeweasel.com/workmatebench.html

Nice, Scott. I'll be adding it to my wooddorking links page
http://balderstone.ca/Wooddorking_links.html on the next update.

Nice idea, Scott. I'm sure there are a lot of garageshop ww'ers who
would find this useful.

I have the top of the line B&D that I got at Sears about 20 years ago.
I like it a lot. I bought a bunch of those fasteners that hold the
removable top to the bench with the idea that I would build some
attachments (namely to turn it into a router table), but I never got
around to it.

Mike

wrote:
Nice idea, Scott. I'm sure there are a lot of garageshop ww'ers who
would find this useful.

I'm not a garage-shopper, but I like the portability of it.