Hoffman and Hammer workbenches.....anyone have one???

[Travis Chapin]

I'm looking for a nice workbench to get me back into woodworking. I do not have any power tools at this time other than a few handheld tools. I'm not sure making a nice bench is an option. Mostly I just want a place to plane and build stuff by hand to work on my skills until I can afford a full shop. I read the FWW article highlighting ready made workbenches and Hoffmand and Hammer benches were best value. Any suggestions on ready made benches?
Thanks......:p

[Rick Erickson]

I have their large one. It is a great bench for the price. I can't speak to the build vs. buy debate. I don't get a lot of shop time as it is so I bought my bench. I got mine at Highland Hardware in Atlanta. It is a heavy sucker. I think you will be pleased if you go that route (at least with the large one - I can't speak to their smaller benches).

[Pam Niedermayer]

Looks like a nice bench, but the vise on the front left is not a shoulder vise.

Pam

[Jim Koepke]

I am amazed at the cost of benches. I have had mine a few years and it cost about $250. It is a Sjoberg that looks to be about $450 now.

It is nothing great, but it works. My next project is to add a tool tray to help rid it of clutter. Plan to build a bench of framing 2X4s in the not too distant future.

jim

[Rick Erickson]

Pam, if there is one thing I would/could change on this bench that would be it. I wish it had a shoulder vice. There is nothing wrong with the vice on it but the shoulder vice would have put it over the top.


Looks like a nice bench, but the vise on the front left is not a shoulder vise.

Pam

[Jim Foster]

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?cat=535

Pricey, but should be very good quality. I'm partial to the Roubo myself :)

I would also check on the thickness and weight of the benches you are interested in. The LN benches mention thickness, but I did not see weight. (might have missed it)

[Stephen Reid]

Pricey is an understatement:eek:$4000 for a bench!I'm sure they are great but geez that bench costs as much or more than all the other tools in my shop combined.I think I'll stick with my spruce 2x lumber bench.Disclaimer : I have been told that I can be cheap!

[Mark Roderick]

I would definitely recommended making your own SIMPLE bench. It's very inexpensive and not very hard (I'm not talking about a bench with complicated dovetailed shoulder vises and so forth), and the result will be a heavy, sturdy bench that can last the rest of your lifetime. And with the money you save, you can buy some really nice tools to build it with!

[Jim Koepke]

At a little less than $10 a pound, the Roubo bench at LN looks a little pricey, until you start pricing out the 4 inch top. How much is the shipping?

Still I do not think you are cheap Stephen. You are frugal.

With the cost of benches, all my future benches will be home made. Unless of course a winning lottery ticket comes along. Guess you have to buy 'em to win 'em and we haven't been buying.

jim

[Narayan Nayar]

If you can spare the time to make one with good materials, that's the best option. If you can spare the time to make one with cheap materials, that's the next best option. If you can't spare the time, buying one is probably your only option, and at that point you're paying someone for their time. $4000 is not unreasonable for a bench made with quality materials, with quality hardware, and under fair labor practices. As you move down the price ladder, you compromise on one or more of those dimensions.

I try to make everything for my shop. Of course, for a while my hobby was, as a result, more about making stuff for my shop than about making stuff for my house. But you can't really ask for more than an opportunity to try new techniques and learn new skills on a piece you'll be using for years. Even better--if it looks bad, it still works!

[Pam Niedermayer]

...I'm not talking about a bench with complicated dovetailed shoulder vises and so forth...

I can't imagine a vise simpler to make than a shoulder, maybe a simple two-screw long piece of wood, both of which are great for dovetails.

Pam

[Prashun Patel]

I think you can build a FINE bench cheap and with minimal tools. If it were me, I'd build a very basic bench out of quality 2x4's laminated into 4x4's, half-lapped into a basic frame and then topped with a few layers of 3/4 plywood of mdf. You can bolt on your own vice hardware. Such a bench will give you about 80-90% of the functionality of the Rolls Royce benches at about 10% of the cost.

You can build this kind of bench with a circular saw and a drill/driver and screws.

[Mark Roderick]

I think you can build a FINE bench cheap and with minimal tools. If it were me, I'd build a very basic bench out of quality 2x4's laminated into 4x4's, half-lapped into a basic frame and then topped with a few layers of 3/4 plywood of mdf. You can bolt on your own vice hardware. Such a bench will give you about 80-90% of the functionality of the Rolls Royce benches at about 10% of the cost.

You can build this kind of bench with a circular saw and a drill/driver and screws.
You are absolutely correct!

I built my bench with dimensional lumber, 2x4s laminated side-by-side for the top, and 4x4s for the base, joined with through mortise and tenons. I then bought two of the big, iron vises and bolted them on.

The result is a fantastic bench. The top is so heavy I didn't even have to attach it to the base. Even with the most vigorous hand planing on the toughest materials, simple friction keeps the top from budging.

To top it off, I've built three cabinets that rest on the bottom frame of the bench, again without being attached. Except for the absence of a shoulder vise, it's really hard for me to imagine a better woodworking bench than the simple bench I built myself.

[Jim Foster]

The Roubo is pricey, but they have other benches that are closer in price to benches the original poster mentioned.

The original poster also mentioned that he does not have any power tools at the moment, so making a bench from scratch could be a significant chore.

PS: My Roubo is being made out of lumberyard Douglas Fir.


Pricey is an understatement:eek:$4000 for a bench!I'm sure they are great but geez that bench costs as much or more than all the other tools in my shop combined.I think I'll stick with my spruce 2x lumber bench.Disclaimer : I have been told that I can be cheap!

[Travis Chapin]

I think you can build a FINE bench cheap and with minimal tools. If it were me, I'd build a very basic bench out of quality 2x4's laminated into 4x4's, half-lapped into a basic frame and then topped with a few layers of 3/4 plywood of mdf. You can bolt on your own vice hardware. Such a bench will give you about 80-90% of the functionality of the Rolls Royce benches at about 10% of the cost.

You can build this kind of bench with a circular saw and a drill/driver and screws.

I think you are right on here. I just bought the Schwarz book and I imagine I could build a simple bench with an MDF or equivalent top and incorporate some of the fixtures he suggests........I do think the LN benches are amazing but I think I would prefer a cheaper option to be able to stock up on nice tools and someday build the bench of my dreams....Roubo style or similar. Thanks

[Joe Close]

You can get a basic bench up and functional pretty cheap.

Buy a maple bench top from Grizzly, about $275 for a 72"x30"x2.25". (Other sizes are avalaible). Or another source of your choosing. Buy some doug fur from borg, along w/ some steel L-brackets, and screws. Buy you favorite vice. Build a base/legs w/ the doug fur L-brackets and screws. Mount the vice to the bottom of the maple slab, recessed and fitted to your needs. Flip right side up, align to base and attach base and slab w/ L-brackets and screws. Mark and drill 3/4" holes for bench dogs, configured as you see fit. wha-la!

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Nicholas and welcome to the Creek.

There is a Sawmill Creek Classifieds for listing items for sale. It is only available to contributors, imo a well spent $6.

It also gives email abilities for private messages so you can exchange information without sharing it with the whole world.

Not sure if you found this thread through a search. That is my story, searching many years ago for information on Boiled Linseed Oil.

Good luck,

jtk

[Richard Coers]

Asian woodworkers work on a beam and two sawhorses, or less. https://covingtonandsons.com/2020/08/19/the-japanese-floor-workbench-atedai-%E5%BD%93%E3%81%A6%E5%8F%B0-by-dominic-campbell-part-2/

[Jim Koepke]

Asian woodworkers work on a beam and two sawhorses, or less. https://covingtonandsons.com/2020/08/19/the-japanese-floor-workbench-atedai-%E5%BD%93%E3%81%A6%E5%8F%B0-by-dominic-campbell-part-2/

My woodworking used to be done on a Black & Decker Workmate. There are a lot of woodworkers around the world who work on the ground. The bench is just a way to hold the work. It doesn't have to have four legs and a vise.

jtk

[Gary Focht]

I built a Nicholson style bench out of southern yellow pine, mostly Schwarz style, but with a bit of Sellers thrown in (wedged leg attachment). Mostly working on saw horses and on the floor. It is rock solid and I can’t imagine needing a heavier bench. Inexpensive also.

[mike stenson]

What are we talking about? ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicholas, this thread is 15 years old. I suspect Travis has either found his workbench or given up hope and settled for something else.

Welcome to the Creek!

[Mark Leifer]

This was the bench I used when I took a class at the Woodwright’s School. Roy Underhill had 10 of them for the students plus one for himself. It was a nice bench to use.

[Jimmy Harris]

Asian woodworkers work on a beam and two sawhorses, or less. https://covingtonandsons.com/2020/08/19/the-japanese-floor-workbench-atedai-%E5%BD%93%E3%81%A6%E5%8F%B0-by-dominic-campbell-part-2/
I'm sure some still do. But I wouldn't be surprised if most, especially the younger generations, haven't gotten away from that. I know it was common to sit on the floor for most things, but since around WWII, they've largely migrated to western style tables and chairs. If you don't sit on your knees often, you probably lack the flexibility to work from them for long periods of time and still be able to get up afterwards. And I know there's some contention with the younger generations not being able to sit on their knees for long periods of time anymore, especially in more traditional and ceremonial settings.

[William Fretwell]

You need to think about the time and effort saved working on an efficient bench. The extra time put into the bench will be repaid with each project. Then there is the pleasure of working on something without shortcuts or compromise.

A shoulder vise is most useful, holding wood vertically for dovetails etc. Its construction is simple yet commercial benches just slap a front vise on. Commercial benches also seem to compromise on the legs and stretchers, adequate perhaps but deep stretchers really don’t move. A tool tray is a huge time saver as is a reachable shelf on top of the stretchers.

The Swedish made benches have front and tail vises with a tool tray but are short.

If you want a bench without compromise you end up building it. Building a bench without a bench requires some working surface and lots of makeshift stops and holding. It does teach you why you need a bench!

When you commit to making ‘your’ bench the extra cost of good wood does not seem wasted. Visiting saw mills they have lots of good wood that is not furniture grade at reasonable prices, you can work with the faults on a bench. My hardwood bench cost $400 Cdn. for the wood, $30 Cdn. for each vise, (Lee Valley sale). Yes lots of time, more than a very simple bench. You buy more clamps. When you eventually drop dead the bench is worth something, people will want to buy it.

[steven c newman]

Seen while out and out ...
Aisle/room #5 ( Blacksmith's Tools Stall)
519127
I was just thinking about how much good Irish Whiskey that barrel could hold...
519128
Face vise...
519129
And a Proper Tool Tray...has square dog holes. by the way..
Got distracted...
519130
When I happened to look to my right...

[Thomas Crawford]

zombie thread!

[Jimmy Harris]

I am amazed at the cost of benches. I have had mine a few years and it cost about $250. It is a Sjoberg that looks to be about $450 now.

It is nothing great, but it works. My next project is to add a tool tray to help rid it of clutter. Plan to build a bench of framing 2X4s in the not too distant future.

jim

$450 for a workbench in 2009 sounds like quite a bargain now!

[Jim Koepke]

zombie thread!

Yep.


$450 for a workbench in 2009 sounds like quite a bargain now!

It is a very basic and light weight bench.

519143

A bucket was modified and filled with concrete to keep the bench from tipping when edge planing longer boards. The bench is only five feet long.

It has held up well and has worked for me while procrastinating on building a bench. Too many other projects have gotten in the way.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Must have been a lack of Sharpening Threads going on?