New Workbench

[Jonathan Spool]

I am going to retire my Harbor Freight Hyd Cart workbench. Concept wise it has been an excellent part of my shop, serving as a workbench, assembly table, and outfeed table for the tablesaw and router.
However, as well as it worked when I had a small top on it, when I went to the 92"x42" bowling alley slab (which I glued down to 3/4" MDF) for a top, it was, well, a little wobbly.

As I have come to love working with an adjustable bench, I will be building another. This time I will be utilizing a Suspa Movotec lifting system, which is basically four hydraulic rams that raise simutaneously.

While I figure out the best approach to construct vertical sliders to stabilize the top when it is raised 12 inches, I am trying to decide on how to design the top.

I plan to drill a multitude of 19mm or 3/4" holes Festool MFT style, so I can utilize the great clamps put out by Festool, Leigh, and Veritas.

I am constantly dealing with cleaning glue off of the bench top. Yellow glues, and CA glues. I have come up with a few thoughts regarding dealing with the mess I always seem to make, even on a nice bench top!

1) Don't be such a slob and work neatly.
Never happen.
2) Construct a rack at the end of the bench that holds a roll of wax or freezer paper. The paper is always ready to be rolled out over the bench when doing any glue work.
Hmmmmm. As long as I actually roll the paper out, this idea can work!
3) Glue a piece of formica to the bench surface, or better yet a 1/4" sheet of black phenolic. It will provide a excellent durability to my bench holes, and I think any dried glue will come right off with a chisel or scraper without dammaging the top.
Maybe good idea, but might be too slick of a surface. Guess I could utilize one of those tacky sheets to hold the work from sliding, and I will have all those bench dogs available.

The traditional look and feel will naturally be leaving an all wood top. After all it is a woodworking bench. But I am shooting for an extremely utilizable bench here, with as many modern features as I can think of to increase its functionality and flexibility. If there is a better surface than wood for the top, I'll consider it. I have a bench with a replaceable masonite surface, but can't say I enjoy working on it as it is only lightly tacked down and has some spongy movement.

Any thoughts out there?

Jonathan

[Pat Germain]

I personally don't understand the need for a hydraulic lift system. But if that's what you like, that's what you like.

I'm going to repeat what many people say when a woodworker wants to build a bench. Pick up a copy of Chris Schwartz's workbench book. Read it cover to cover and then decide. I built the French bench from the book and I'm thrilled with it.

[Jonathan Spool]

Already got it and read it. I like hyd because I don't like lifting 3-400lb workbenches to raise them!

[keith ouellette]

I have a formica top on my work bench. Formica is very durable. I have used it for all kinds of things. Probably more non wood working that woodworking.

yellow glue will stick to it but can be scraped of with out damage. I have even scraped off quick set epoxy. Mine has some wood stain on it but I have not tried to clean it off.

I don't know how high up and down you are going to be lifting this bench. I guess i can see the need to be able to have it it low to stand a dresser on and then high for a short project. If you can afford hydraulics then I say go for it.

[John Sanford]

Glue drips. That's why you work in the shop, and not the formal living room. For me at least, the cleaning of the glue drips is a ritual, semi-meditative (or obsessive, your call) process. Every time I begin to worry about the drips and stains and such on my workbench, I remember a picture of a glorious Shaker style workbench used by a master of our craft, and the article about the bench. The only way you could tell what the top was made of was by reading the article, because it looked like it had spent about 25 years in a Goth art school for children.

If the glue drips bug you that much, use kraft paper in that roll, not wax paper. The wax paper will make things too slippery. (DAMHIKT).

[John Schreiber]

I wax my bench top pretty regularly. Glue just pops off.

Some high tech plastic might work well too.

Being able to change height by 12" if you can do it without loosing stiffness sounds great. I'd do it if I knew how for a reasonable price.

[Tony Bilello]

I use a butcher paper roll.
I use my outfeed table for assembly and sometimes brad nail stuff to it so I cant use plastic laminate. When I had a commercial shop, I used plastic laminate and liked it much better.
Protection of a work bench is not for protection from stains. It is for protection from glue drops. Glue dries hard and will definately scratch a table top.


http://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=97616&d=1222531316

[Jonathan Spool]

I agree. Wax paper will cause problems. Butcher paper of kraft paper is a better alternative. By the way, I am not concerned about glue for cosmetic reasons, hardened glue drops will destry the flatness integrity of any work surface. I read about one worbench where the builder kept the two 3" thick long sections of the top (tool trough in the middle) narrow enogh for his planer, and would run them through every couple years to provide him with a newley flattened surface!

[Michael Parr]

I used the Eureka Zone Power Bench. The nice thing is you use 3/4 shop grade plywood on top of the bench and if you really mess it up then you can just turn it over or just cut a new piece to fit the hole you have between the SME. I beat the crap put of the bench today and im contemplating a redesign and at the end of it it looks like I will only need to cut the wood I currently have to make it to something else.

PS I am such a slob I have 1/3 of the garage filled with tools on the ground (need to make cabinets).