Vertias Workbench, Time vs Money decision

[Jay Knoll]

Anyone have any experience with the Lee Valley Vertias workbench with the twin screw vise?

I'm going through the old time/money evaluation between buying the finished product or going the kit route.

I'd be interested in anyone who has used this bench. How sturdy? Any racking issues? Is the center trough a good design feature?

I haven't gotten a final quote from LV yet (shipping) but they estimate $200 freight costs.

So and "out of the box" solution with a finished bench would be about $1200.

The kit would be $660, I would have to buy the wood for the base, mill and assemble it, install vises etc.

I've been reading workbench books, looking at the web etc, so I'm aware of other altenative approaches, I'm pretty sold on the twin screw end visein any event, so that is why I got interested in the bench that was especially built to accomodate it.

However if those of you who have the bench aren't happy with it, I'll be starting my decision making over again.

I look forward to your collective advice!

Thanks

Jay

[Chris Padilla]

Jay,

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=12001

Muttle your way through that thread a bit. I talk about the Veritas bench.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I like the new look better although it's not as interesting. Alan

[John Miliunas]

I like the new look better although it's not as interesting. Alan

Ahhh...The miracles of modern day medicine! :) That's one heckuva' plastic surgeon you got there, Chris! :) :cool:

[Chris Padilla]

Paint Shop Pro...works like a charm! :D

[John Miliunas]

Paint Shop Pro...works like a charm! :D

Right on! PSP rocks. I just don't have the time to learn all the schtuff on Photoshop! :) :cool:

[Roy Wall]

Jay,



I've talked to LV about the bench. The one they use alot is about 5 years old (I think) and they say it's very solid. The center tool tray, to me....is not deep enough @ 1.5 inches ( I would rather it hold a plane on its side at least...) - but maybe I'm just picky:cool:
They claim no racking or anything....they have such good CS that if you're not pleased with it - they'd allow you to return it I'm sure.

I think its a great "do anything" designed bench.
I too, believe the twin screw vise is an excellent choice. It would probably cost you $600 or so to build it yourself..

[Steve Cox]

I'll second the twin screw vise option. For my bench I used three layers of PB with masonite top and bottom (very important that bottom part:( ). I have the twin screw vise on the end and four rows of dog holes across the bench top. It is extremely versatile for clamping just about anything.

[Jerry Olexa]

Chris P. Nice new avatar... maybe you should use the Brad Pitt one you gave me

[Steve Swinton]

Jay,
I was in your position about a year ago and decided to buy the bench. Not sorry at all. It's solid and has served me well so far. I didn't think I would like the tray down the middle but it's a handy place to put extra dogs, pencils, notes and sometimes tools. It does accumulate alot of crap that needs to be cleaned out once in awhile.
Good luck,
Steve

[Michael Ballent]

Popular WW mag has some plans on their site for a workbench and it looks pretty good. They used southern yellow pine to save some bucks on the materials and they claim it's pretty tough. Just another option to throw your way :)

[Tyler Howell]

[QUOTE=Steve Cox]I'll second the twin screw vise option. For my bench I used three layers of PB with masonite top and bottom (very important that bottom part:( ). QUOTE]

Steve, Tell us more about the bottom!

[Steve Cox]

Tyler,

The first one I did I just used the masonite on the top. Warped like a pretzel. I really didn't think that 2.25" of PB would do that but everything was flat until I laminated the top on. When I built the second top I put the masonite on the bottom to balance the panel. It has been flat as a pancake, stable, and so heavy it is just held onto the base by gravity. Lesson learned.

[Chris Padilla]

PB = particle board?

[Steve Cox]

Yes, particle board, sorry if my shorthand was confusing.

[Jim Becker]

Since you glued the Masonite (it sounds like, at least) the differences between the hard material and the particle board combined with the moisture of the glue would exhibit the same behavior as veneering would. Putting the bottom layer balanced that out and helped you keep the top flat. Many folks who top their benches with Masonite (or any other brand of tempered hardboard) let that top float so it can be easily replaced. In that situation, there would be no warping. The topper is captured by the aprons and a little thin double stick tape strategically placed will keep it from moving or lifting during use.

[Steve Cox]

I understand the replacability of the top but I have something like 56 dog holes in the top. A little double stick wouldn't keep it from lifting when my dogs and holdfasts go in and out of the holes as much as they do. While that number of dog holes might seem excessive, they are spaced in four rows 1.5" in from the side, and seven inches apart over the 7' length of the top. I keep four dogs, plus two holdfasts on the top along with strips of various lengths that fit over the dogs to make stops that span two or more holes. I can clamp almost anything to the top without reverting to bar clamps that (for me) are almost invariably in the way.

[Jim Becker]

Good point, Steve. The type and placement of the dog holes make a huge difference in this decision!! Most of the benches I've seen done this way use a narrow tail vice with only one row of dogs...and that row is in solid stock that is part of a wide apron along the front of the bench. The "topper" doesn't start until inside the row of dog holes.

[Ron Kellison]

I built the LV bench a couple years ago, starting with rough maple. I chose not to install the twin vise simply because of the location of the bench in my shop, but I left the option open for the future in case I ever get a larger shop. Construction was relatively easy, and it's been a rock solid bench. We get some wild humidity and temperature swings in Ottawa, but I've only had to tighten the truss rods once.

[Cary Swoveland]

I owned a LV workbench for a couple of years. I liked it. Plusses were the twin-screw tail vise and the bench's overall sturdiness. One reason for its sturdiness is that it has four threaded rods running the length of the base that can be tightened to adjust for seasonal changes in humidity.

I do not like the front vise. It allows quite a bit of racking and does not have a quick release feature.

I also had a Festool MFT 1080, and found I was using it a lot more than my LV bench. I decided to convert the MFT to a custom, 45"x79" MFT, supported with Noden's adjustable-height base ( www.adjustabench.com (http://www.adjustabench.com) ). Unfortunately, I had to sell the LV bench to make room for the larger MFT.

One significant weakness of the MFT is that it's not really sturdy enough for heavy use of chisels and hand planes. For those activities, I built a small (about 14" x 48"), traditional bench, attached to a wall. It has just a front vise (a 7" Wilton, which I like very much) and dogs.

As someone who mainly relies on power tools, but who still uses hand saws, chisels, hand planes and scrapers, I find the combination of a large MFT and a small traditional bench works very well.

Cary

[Justin James]

Several years ago, I worked for about six months at a shop where I had a Lee Valley as my bench. I spent about 55-60 hours a week, back in my corner, just me and that . . . thing.

On the plus side, the base didn't rack, no matter what I did. And after I stacked a few hundred pounds of weight it the base, it didn't move or bounce when I was working on it.

Um . . . I can't think of any other pluses to it. The top was all wrong for me--too wide, too short, and it had that *%$# "tool tray" down the middle. (I accidentally removed that "feature" one night when no one was looking.) The face vise racked so much I (literally) threw it away and replaced it with a Record. The twin-screw tail vise was a nice idea, but always seemed to be too narrow to hold what I needed it to hold.

But if it fits the way you work, and can live with its limitations (or don't see them as limitations), its not a bad bench. Plan on replacing the face vise though.

[Todd Solomon]

I also had a Festool MFT 1080, and found I was using it a lot more than my LV bench. I decided to convert the MFT to a custom, 45"x79" MFT, supported with Noden's adjustable-height base ( www.adjustabench.com (http://www.adjustabench.com) ).
Cary

Cary,

Your customized MFT with the Noden base sounds interesting, can you share some pictures?

Thanks

Todd

[Cary Swoveland]

Cary,

Your customized MFT with the Noden base sounds interesting, can you share some pictures?

Thanks

Todd

Sure, I'll put some up later today. I'll include a couple I took as I was building it.

Cary

[John Schreiber]

The Fine Woodworking: Tools and Shops from a couple months ago had a review of workbenches. It referred to the Lee Valley as the most loved by some and the most hated by some and recommended that you try one before you buy to see if it for you.

I just noticed that the question was posted in 2004. Hope you've already got your bench.

[Keith Weber]

I've got a homemade bench (made by the previous owner of my house). It has a Veritas Twin Screw and a Tail Vise. The Tail vise I love, the twin screw I hate. If and when I build another, I will not use a twin screw. It doesn't close very smoothly despite lots of grease. It's the only Veritas thing that I own that I don't love.

Keith

[Scott Brihn]

I have no experience with the Lee Valley bench but installed a Veritas Twin Screw on my bench two-years ago. I went with the larger version which in my case means 30"w jaws and 24" between the screws. For the most part I have been pleased with the form and function of this vise.

Installation was a bit of a chore. The directions are good but boring relatively long, straight holes in hard maple end grain took some courage. I don't particularly like the "stock" handles. They are undersized and as a result don't feel solid. The set screws in the handle casting are a nice feature that enables you to quickly slide the handles towards the center to avoid having them hang out beyond the bench. The undersized handles can be easily swapped out by turning your own. The tiny set screws on the drive sprockets have come loose a couple of times but the end caps have access holes. A little Lock-Tite might solve this issue.

My screws turn smoothly and seem to have gotten even better with age. I've tried a number of lubricants with the best performance coming from PG2000 from Pro Gold Lubricants.

Per the instructions I tapered the front jaws prior to final installation. The result is a vise that grips anything from a cabinet scraper (for burnishing) to a panel receiving dovetails to 3/8" round chair spindles equally well.

[Cary Swoveland]

That surprises me, Keith. Have you tried adjusting it? If not, instructions are at Lee Valley's web site: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=45114&cat=1,41637,41652 . Click on "Instr".

Cary