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Work bench ideas and plans
I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own
ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? |
Taunton press but out an excellent book on workbenches. It covers ancient to
new. max I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? |
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I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? SURE! The best: http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bench.html a MASS of links related to your request. Enjoy, but it will take a while to through all of it. BTW these links are related to classic woodworking benches, not garage benches ("I think"). For that I would laminate a bunch of 2x2 DF and sheet over that of plywood, on a basic 2x4 leg frame, or go with "2x4 basics" stuff. Alex |
kosowsky asks:
I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? Google. Insert "workbenches"", no quotes. 393,000 hits. Charlie Self "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln |
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Bernie Hunt is still hosting some plans I made several years back for
someone wanting to make a workbench with minimal tools and low cost materials. You may want something better but the plans provide some construction details that may be of help. These plans were developed from an article in FWW of a workbench that used a 3" thick hard-maple top and all hardwood construction. Estimated material cost was about $600. The basic design is the same as the bench in the article but the construction method and materials were changed to make it more affordable. My own bench is of similar design, it's as solid now as the day I built it and I've had over 500 lbs sitting on the top of it and no wobble. I've added the Twin Screw end-vise from Lee Valley and a 6" front vise to round it out as a real work horse. Bob S. "Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message ... I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? |
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"Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... My own most recent workbench is a stretched Tage Frid design, from his 3rd book. I'm not sure I'd do it again - nice top, love the moving dogs, but I wouldn't do another shoulder vice on my "main" workbench. How would you do it now? More importantly, WHY would you do it that way? Thanks Dave |
On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 16:51:42 GMT, "Dave" wrote:
I wouldn't do another shoulder vice on my "main" workbench. How would you do it now? More importantly, WHY would you do it that way? I'm not sure what I'd do, just that I don't like the shoulder vice. http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/bench.htm It's a good vice for holding bulky half-built things, but it's useless for small stuff. There's a large wobbling wooden jaw, closed by a steel screw two inches below the top level. You can't hold anyhting less than 3" tall, or the jaw just tilts. I'd probably go for the largest and widest cast iron vice I could find, with wooden jaws added. -- Smert' spamionam |
Bernie Hunt is still hosting some plans I made several years back for someone wanting to make a workbench with minimal tools and low cost materials. [snip] It's too bad he doesn't post an actual photo of the bench itself as built, it would be a big help. Anywhere else I can see it? Alex |
I'm not sure what I'd do, just that I don't like the shoulder vice. http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/bench.htm It's a good vice for holding bulky half-built things, but it's useless for small stuff. There's a large wobbling wooden jaw, closed by a steel screw two inches below the top level. You can't hold anyhting less than 3" tall, or the jaw just tilts. I'd probably go for the largest and widest cast iron vice I could find, with wooden jaws added. Here's the best one I've seen, a 3-in-1 shoulder vise: http://pages.infinit.net/perrons/Pau.../woodvise.html I might just do it if I could get it going with the large tapping and threading. Alex |
Thanks to you both. I really like the 3-in-1. I'll look into that a little
more. "AAvK" wrote in message news:Ve8kd.91604$bk1.68217@fed1read05... I'm not sure what I'd do, just that I don't like the shoulder vice. http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/bench.htm It's a good vice for holding bulky half-built things, but it's useless for small stuff. There's a large wobbling wooden jaw, closed by a steel screw two inches below the top level. You can't hold anyhting less than 3" tall, or the jaw just tilts. I'd probably go for the largest and widest cast iron vice I could find, with wooden jaws added. Here's the best one I've seen, a 3-in-1 shoulder vise: http://pages.infinit.net/perrons/Pau.../woodvise.html I might just do it if I could get it going with the large tapping and threading. Alex |
Thanks to you both. I really like the 3-in-1. I'll look into that a little more. Rightious. Alex |
Thanks to you both. I really like the 3-in-1. I'll look into that a little more. I mean it looks really easy and innovative, all you need is front vise hardware, put in a longer jaw that goes off to the right a bit further, tap and thread, have a block of wood as the spacer and you're on all the way. Even then, you might be able to use a shorter bench screw instead of tapping and threading. With that you'd need to be able to remove the face that's on that bench screw. Alex |
The front vice and shoulder vice seem to be straightforward and as you
described below. I'm wondering about modifying the shoulder vice so the screw could stay in place and go into a horizontal recess in the tabletop. In use one would simply place the face on the screw and be on your way. Of course the screw would have to come out when long items are in the front vice. I appreciate any thoughts and insight. Dave "AAvK" wrote in message news:od9kd.92018$bk1.10735@fed1read05... Thanks to you both. I really like the 3-in-1. I'll look into that a little more. I mean it looks really easy and innovative, all you need is front vise hardware, put in a longer jaw that goes off to the right a bit further, tap and thread, have a block of wood as the spacer and you're on all the way. Even then, you might be able to use a shorter bench screw instead of tapping and threading. With that you'd need to be able to remove the face that's on that bench screw. Alex |
When I drew up the plans, I didn't own a digital camera and since the
drawings are in dwg, dxf and pdf formats, we kinda thought it was covered. Surely you can view pdf files. If not go to the Adobe site and download the free Acrobat reader. As for anyplace else having a picture of it - no. But if FWW has that original article archived and viewable on-line, that would be the only other choice I can think of...... unless some other readers that built the bench or variations of it took pictures and can post them for you. I know several people in this ng built it because I had several questions from them due to an error on one of the drawings - since corrected. I can't say this is the ugly duckling of workbenches - since after all, it was featured in FWW (author long forgotten) but it also won't win any prizes for being pretty. It offers solid construction, easy to build, can be broke down if needed and can be made from low cost materials. You want pretty, tool trays, drawers and other bells and whistles along with a gee-whiz look for some snob appeal in your shop/garage - then this bench is not for you. Bob S. "AAvK" wrote in message news:wY7kd.91441$bk1.82747@fed1read05... Bernie Hunt is still hosting some plans I made several years back for someone wanting to make a workbench with minimal tools and low cost materials. [snip] It's too bad he doesn't post an actual photo of the bench itself as built, it would be a big help. Anywhere else I can see it? Alex |
The front vice and shoulder vice seem to be straightforward and as you described below. I'm wondering about modifying the shoulder vice so the screw could stay in place and go into a horizontal recess in the tabletop. Hard to picture, but I'd think that would take away area/space when in face mode and maybe limit the tail mode for movement. In use one would simply place the face on the screw and be on your way. Of course the screw would have to come out when long items are in the front vice. I appreciate any thoughts and insight. Yes that's the problem if using a bench screw for the shoulder mode. how does the face attach to the screw's end? No hands-on experience here. Did you see the pictures of the whole plan? I wouldn't include the tail vise part myself because of the space I have. You can see the tail jaws in the top picture. Awesome design altogether. Alex |
When I drew up the plans, I didn't own a digital camera and since the drawings are in dwg, dxf and pdf formats, we kinda thought it was covered. Surely you can view pdf files. If not go to the Adobe site and download the free Acrobat reader. As for anyplace else having a picture of it - no. But if FWW has that original article archived and viewable on-line, that would be the only other choice I can think of...... unless some other readers that built the bench or variations of it took pictures and can post them for you. I know several people in this ng built it because I had several questions from them due to an error on one of the drawings - since corrected. I can't say this is the ugly duckling of workbenches - since after all, it was featured in FWW (author long forgotten) but it also won't win any prizes for being pretty. It offers solid construction, easy to build, can be broke down if needed and can be made from low cost materials. You want pretty, tool trays, drawers and other bells and whistles along with a gee-whiz look for some snob appeal in your shop/garage - then this bench is not for you. I only need to pick-up on trestle ideas for measurements and joinery and figure on how space dog holes. I need to dado-in the holes, then face the boards together and have 3/4" square holes. Most of the top maple has been ripped, one more board to go, then cross cutting to even lengths. It will be a bit classicaly standard and with a trough, in back of that will be slots for chisels and small saws, so, more dado-ing. Alex |
Andy,
I built that Frid bench about 10 years ago too and I hear ya on all points. I really don't dislike the shoulder vise, in fact it really fits in well with the way I work. But I do miss a conventional vise sometimes and I've often felt an Emmert clone on the opposite end from the tail vise would be great. Three vises on one bench might be a bit over the top... but still ;) David P.S. Its always good to have a smallish/medium sized machinist's vise mounted on a board that can be trapped in one of the vises on your bench. Very handy! n article , Andy Dingley says... On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 16:51:42 GMT, "Dave" wrote: I wouldn't do another shoulder vice on my "main" workbench. How would you do it now? More importantly, WHY would you do it that way? I'm not sure what I'd do, just that I don't like the shoulder vice. http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/bench.htm It's a good vice for holding bulky half-built things, but it's useless for small stuff. There's a large wobbling wooden jaw, closed by a steel screw two inches below the top level. You can't hold anyhting less than 3" tall, or the jaw just tilts. I'd probably go for the largest and widest cast iron vice I could find, with wooden jaws added. |
On 9 Nov 2004 14:23:00 -0800, Bannerstone
wrote: I've often felt an Emmert clone on the opposite end from the tail vise would be great. Friend of mine has one of these as his only woodworking vice. It's very useful, but a bit of a pain to use. You don't often want to tilt or wedge it, but there's no good "off" position where the wedging cam will sit still with the jaws square. It's a bit slow to work with, as you're always having to tweak it back square. It's nice and wide for an iron vice though. P.S. Its always good to have a smallish/medium sized machinist's vise mounted on a board that can be trapped in one of the vises on your bench. Very handy! I'm a bit wary of that - most of my work is in one of two materials; oak or welded steel. I'm pretty paranoid across cross contamination between them and iron staining. Mainly I use two workshops, 40 miles apart - I think that's enough separation! For cleanliness I keep the small metalworking vice that's in the woodworking shop on my old bench, not the "clean" bench. -- Smert' spamionam |
Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:
I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? Here's the one I built, with the traditional shoulder vise and Veritas Twin Screw vise on the end. Theres a link near the bottom of the page that'll get you to the index for the evolution and construction of this one. http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/...CBbench33.html charlie b |
Here's the one I built, with the traditional shoulder vise and Veritas Twin Screw vise on the end. Theres a link near the bottom of the page that'll get you to the index for the evolution and construction of this one. http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/...CBbench33.html One of the most awesome benches I've seen online, that was made personaly. "DAS BENCH!" Alex |
AAvK wrote:
One of the most awesome benches I've seen online, that was made personaly. "DAS BENCH!" Alex Ten Que Beddy Much. Stop by the shop when you've got an hour and I'll show you all the "features" I cleverly made (read screw ups that got more or less fixed and now called features/enhancments) Here are some OOPS examples while doing this bench http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS1.html fourth and fifth images http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS3.html http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS4.html The through drawers seemed like such a good idea. To date, other than to demonstrate that they can be opened from either side of the bench, I've yet to need that feature in day to day use. To err is human. To not cut on the waste side is dumb! (MARK THE WASTE SIDE! MARK THE WASTE SIDE!) charlie b |
Ten Que Beddy Much. Stop by the shop when you've got an hour and I'll show you all the "features" I cleverly made (read screw ups that got more or less fixed and now called features/enhancments) Here are some OOPS examples while doing this bench http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS1.html fourth and fifth images http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS3.html http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/OOPS/OOPS4.html The through drawers seemed like such a good idea. To date, other than to demonstrate that they can be opened from either side of the bench, I've yet to need that feature in day to day use. To err is human. To not cut on the waste side is dumb! (MARK THE WASTE SIDE! MARK THE WASTE SIDE!) charlie b I understand you, but it is the heavy bulk and thick design idea, the mass of it that makes it entirely substantial to me, Jaaaaa, ist DAS BENCH!! With the drawers it is based on a shaker type design, correct? Already I bought my top maple of 8/4 stock and have screwed-up, 8 1/2" wide boards x 121" long cut in half the distance, 60" and 61", the ends that had some cracking, marked for that 1" cut-off I goofed on one and had to glue and clamp it, last night. When I did the ripping, I was tought to go thirds-up from the lower side, raising the blade 1/3 at a time through that1 3/4" (a donated 12" Fuang Yung table saw LOL), and a few of the boards slightly bowed on me damn it, all on their own. One board came out tapered from 2 1/4" on one end to 2 1/8" on the other for crap's sakes, but it is the up and down width and not the clamping faces. Maybe I should buy more? naaaaawwwww.... sheesh, wait a minute... maybe so! Now what I need is a layout pattern for dog holes, that work with vises. I have a 7"x4"12" deep woodworker's antique made by American Scale Co. KS, MO, from WAY back, all there except the sliding dog's threaded handle. That should go on the front. Now I need an end vise, I would like a twin screw but can's afford the Veritas one, and Rockler has discontinued theirs. So, do you think two shoulder vise screws can be mounted side by side on the same face of the end of the bench and work well that way? Maybe I could buy two bicycle sprocket gears, have the local machinist bore the centers to fit the shafts and weld them on, whaddya think? (Sorry for SO MUCH text, but I am in serious learning mode here) Alex |
"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" wrote in message
... I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? I did this one: http://www.chornbe.com/newhouse/firstproject/ It's taller than most, not because I'm tall (I'm not!) but because I have back problems and wanted to stand up straight. Since building it, I've added pegboard to the back, a fold-down step (like the ones you find in church pews), sanded and poly'd it (used bowling alley wax on the top!), added another front-to-back stringer down bottom and a deck down there for tool boxes and such, and added a bench vise and several dog holes. It does the trick nicely. It's also about 1 1/2 times as deep (front to back) as most work benches, so I've got tons of room. It cost me... $45? or so, not including the bench vise. I had the poly and wax already here, so that was a previously absorbed cost. |
"charlie b" wrote in message
... Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote: I am about to build a new workbench in our basement. I have my own ideas but would like to get ideas and potentially plans from others. Anybody know where I might find such helpful information on the net? Here's the one I built, with the traditional shoulder vise and Veritas Twin Screw vise on the end. Theres a link near the bottom of the page that'll get you to the index for the evolution and construction of this one. http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/...CBbench33.html charlie b Very, very nice!! |
Andy Dingley wrote in
: http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/bench.htm Andy, I noticed you built the top from oak. While typically maple is recommended in the States, I have a (extremely current, extremely reasonable) source of kiln-dried oak. I am also becoming well aware of the limitations (sturdiness, mostly) of my first bench, built of construction timber three years ago. Would you do yours in oak again? Or Euro beech, or similar? Patriarch |
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:17:16 GMT, patriarch
wrote: Andy, I noticed you built the top from oak. Would you do yours in oak again? Or Euro beech, or similar? I'd think about changing the shoulder vice, but I've no complaints about the benchtop material. I used oak because I was offered it basically for free. I didn't really _need_ a new bench right that minute, but clearly these couple of 2" boards had "new bench" written on them. The only timber I actually bought was the 3x4 thick stuff for the ends. With a year's wear on the top I've put a couple of saw nicks into it but it's holding up pretty well. No impact or surface damage or staining. I don't often use it for assembly, but when I do so I pad the assembly table with a blanket of quilted cheap fleece (printed with little snowmen and teddy bears, which is why it was so cheap !). I don't hold with this idea of "soft benchtops" to avoid damage. I could have had beech. There's a fair bit of 2" beech around, and it's a little cheaper than the oak. If I was paying for it, it's £25/cube foot vs. £35/cube foot for 2" boards.. Maple is unheard of round here. I have a little of it, but it's skinny, lumpy boards. Anything big enough to build a bench would be imported, and the imported timber shop is twice the price of the local guys. -- Smert' spamionam |
Andy Dingley wrote in
: On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:17:16 GMT, patriarch wrote: Andy, I noticed you built the top from oak. Would you do yours in oak again? Or Euro beech, or similar? I'd think about changing the shoulder vice, but I've no complaints about the benchtop material. I used oak because I was offered it basically for free. I didn't really _need_ a new bench right that minute, but clearly these couple of 2" boards had "new bench" written on them. The only timber I actually bought was the 3x4 thick stuff for the ends. snip Thanks for relating the experience, Andy. The material I picked up today has too much character to consider turning into a benchtop. It's got a higher calling... Patriarch |
Andy Dingley wrote:
I could have had beech. There's a fair bit of 2" beech around, and it's a little cheaper than the oak. If I was paying for it, it's £25/cube foot vs. £35/cube foot for 2" boards.. Andy... Your post provides me with yet another opportunity to display my ever growing ignorance... Is wood generally sold by the cubit foot? If sold in metric sizes, what are the most common nominal/actual dimensions? -- Morris Dovey DeSoto, Iowa USA |
Morris Dovey wrote in
: Andy Dingley wrote: I could have had beech. There's a fair bit of 2" beech around, and it's a little cheaper than the oak. If I was paying for it, it's £25/cube foot vs. £35/cube foot for 2" boards.. Andy... Your post provides me with yet another opportunity to display my ever growing ignorance... Is wood generally sold by the cubit foot? If sold in metric sizes, what are the most common nominal/actual dimensions? A board foot is simply another, less generally understood, volumetric measure, is it not? Patriarch |
I could have had beech. There's a fair bit of 2" beech around, and it's a little cheaper than the oak. If I was paying for it, it's £25/cube foot vs. £35/cube foot for 2" boards.. That oak is a sweet find for you! but I am curious about the cube foot, would that measurement be the same as our board foot of 1"x12"x12"? If so I do find myself blessed since I can get Euro beech for $6.95/bf. Your £35 ='s $65! ... which is quite outrageous unless that cube means 12"x12"X12"... then, in our B/F this is $5.41 each. Not bad for here. I paid $4.79/bf for my 32/bf of maple for my bench top. Alex |
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 02:43:10 GMT, patriarch
calmly ranted: Thanks for relating the experience, Andy. The material I picked up today has too much character to consider turning into a benchtop. It's got a higher calling... What higher calling is there? A benchtop is seen, appreciated, touched, and used on a daily basis. -- Strong like ox, smart like tractor. ---------------------------------- www.diversify.com Oxen-free Website Design |
Larry Jaques wrote in
: On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 02:43:10 GMT, patriarch calmly ranted: Thanks for relating the experience, Andy. The material I picked up today has too much character to consider turning into a benchtop. It's got a higher calling... What higher calling is there? A benchtop is seen, appreciated, touched, and used on a daily basis. Figured wood deserves to be seen, not cursed. A bench top needs to be flat. Dead flat. Forever. That function has beauty in itself. And there are better means of achieving it than figured wood with a high tangential expansion coefficient. I'll score some affordable maple soon enough. And I'll coat it with Waterlox, in your honor. ;-) Patriarch |
On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 01:39:09 GMT, patriarch
calmly ranted: Larry Jaques wrote in : On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 02:43:10 GMT, patriarch calmly ranted: Thanks for relating the experience, Andy. The material I picked up today has too much character to consider turning into a benchtop. It's got a higher calling... What higher calling is there? A benchtop is seen, appreciated, touched, and used on a daily basis. Figured wood deserves to be seen, not cursed. A bench top needs to be flat. Dead flat. Forever. Don't you have assembly tables for that? That function has beauty in itself. And there are better means of achieving it than figured wood with a high tangential expansion coefficient. Yeah, that 1.148" diameter 0.020" dip could really screw up a glueup. (If you're one of those who glues on his benchtop.) And it would really warp that 8/4 stock you're flattening with the little 24" plane. ;) I'll score some affordable maple soon enough. And I'll coat it with Waterlox, in your honor. ;-) Bueno, bwana. -- Strong like ox, smart like tractor. ---------------------------------- www.diversify.com Oxen-free Website Design |
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 01:03:09 -0600, Morris Dovey
wrote: Is wood generally sold by the cubit foot? Depends what sort of wood you're talking about. Big stuff, odd trees, logs, waney edged boards, gets sold by the cubic foot (12 board feet). There's a lot of "finger in the air" stuff about how big a particular board measures out to be. Cube foot prices are religiously observed with no haggling, but there's a big variation in how a particular board measures up for wastage allowances, depending on who you are, how well you know the seller and when you last bought them a drink 8-) For buying trees on a small scale (ie not whole woodlands), some people still use the "Hoppus feet" measure. This takes a few measurements off a tree and turns it into an estimated useful volume. at the level I operate (pretty small) it's common to pass a load of logs to the sawyer unmeasured, saw them up and then decide how big it was, the sawyer taking a proportion of the useful timber. Because we've had all our big native hardwood forests two hundred years ago, we're often working with farm hedges and singletons. A lot of the hardwood trees we saw today just aren't predictable for what they yield, until they've been through the bandsaw. Sawn stuff gets a price sticker stuck on the end and you measure a length. No-one knows how that works. Our mass-market retail trade sucks. If sold in metric sizes, what are the most common nominal/actual dimensions? It's still sold in imperial sizes, they're just labelled in metric. There's a lot of 19mm x 38mm around, although man-made sheets are in funny-sized 2440 x 1220mm sheets (that's still 8'x4') but the thickness is now exactly 10mm etc. rather than the old 3/8". -- Smert' spamionam |
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