New Bench Build: A compact Chris Schwarz

[Chris Griggs]

Well folks, like so many of us I've decided to build new bench. Up until now I've been reluctant to put much time or money into a bench for various reasons the main being that I don't have a shop... just a back patio where my current bolted together bench is constantly exposed to the wet Louisiana elements... (FYI: prepping stock by hand in the VERY humid 95+ degree heat of the Louisiana summer is not something I recommend)

For some time now I've been "joking" to my fiancee that I'm going to put a bench in an approximately 5' by 24" corner of our 950sq ft house (no garage, no basement). To make a long story short, not only did my fiancee eventually say she doesn't mind me doing this, but that she likes the idea of me working on my projects inside near her (AWESOME!).

The bench I'm planning (zoom in on attached image) is very Schwarzian but also draws inspiration from Bob R's (at the Logan Cabinet Shoppe) bench and also Bob Easton's bench.

It's essentially a version of Schwarz's English Nicholson bench, with the work holding of his Holtzapffel, and a few other adjustments.

1. The bench will be compact. 18-20" deep and about 48" long (not counting the vises).
2. The boards that make the top will have a 1/2 gap to accommodate a planing stop (e.g. Bob R's bench)
3. The end vise will be a quick release cast iron vise. I haven't decide which one yet but have more or less narrowed it down to a small or large Jorgensen or a Wilton 78A. This will effectively allow me to increase and retract the length of the top.
4. The front vise will be a twin screw made from the tail vise screws sold by Lee Valley. Right now I plan to only put about 12" between the screws (plenty of space for most of my work) so that I have enough room to clamp 3-4' boards low on the bench for edge planing. I am however, throwing around the idea of making the twin screw vise larger and removable, then just using a crochet and holdfasts for edge planing.
5. The plan is to make the bench entirely out of recycled SYP.

So far I've collected some of the lumber and started straightening the very twisted 4x4s (soon to be 3x3s) I got for the legs.

Now you know what they say about opinions, but check out the attached sketchup images and feel free give me yours. (FYI: Just to give credit where credit is due I should say that I borrowed vise images from some drawings I found in the Google Sketchup Warehouse)

The finished product is likely a ways off, as I'm still in the process of acquiring all the lumber. I will however post as things move forward.

[Bill Houghton]

Looks like a nice bench design. Four feet is short; you might consider building a planing beam - a longer piece of stock, thick and wide enough to hold a board for planing, and held on the bench somehow - that you could have set aside somewhere when you don't need it.

[Chris Griggs]

Yeah it's pretty short. But honestly most my work is pretty small. My current work surface is also only 4 ft and though its not much of a bench, it's short length is rarely what creates problems for me. That said, when I move to a more permanent home I'll definitely build myself an 8 footer. In the mean time, I have considered a japanese style planing beam (I think thats what your describing) that I can bring outside to set-up for when I have a lot of heavy planing to do on long boards. Nothing wrong with having 2 benches...

Your suggestion is definitely a good one.

[Bill Houghton]

When I briefly worked as an auto mechanic, one of the things I learned right away was that the tool cabinet - everyone used a rollaway - needed to have a flat top. You see these rollaway-and-top-chest combinations being sold. No one had one of those, because you need somewhere to set tools and stuff. You might claim a TV table (they show up at rummage sales a lot if you don't already have one) to set beside the bench for setting tools on.

I have this dream that I'll someday have a shop big enough to replicate that layout. While my shop's larger than yours will be (it's 11x11 feet), it's small enough that I can sympathize with your challenge.

[Zach England]

Chris Schwarz looks much taller than 4 feet to me.

[Andrae Covington]

Chris Schwarz looks much taller than 4 feet to me.

lol... ladies and gentlemen, I present... the Mini Schwarz! :p

http://i51.tinypic.com/zvpyt.jpg

[Chris Griggs]

lol... ladies and gentlemen, I present... the Mini Schwarz! :p

http://i51.tinypic.com/zvpyt.jpg

MWha ha ha ha! I was hoping the title of my thread would start some tomfoolery.

Andrae that is friggin HILARIOUS!

[Tom Vanzant]

Now he's too short to use Megan's bench.

[Garrett Ellis]

lol... ladies and gentlemen, I present... the Mini Schwarz! :p

http://i51.tinypic.com/zvpyt.jpg

:eek: LOL!

[Andrae Covington]

MWha ha ha ha! I was hoping the title of my thread would start some tomfoolery.

Andrae that is friggin HILARIOUS!

I thought about apologizing for hijacking your thread with silliness, but apparently you had nefarious intent!:D

[harry strasil]

At least now he won't go around with goose eggs on the head. I worked with a shorty for a time and he was always laughing at me bumping my head into things, so I made him a stool so he could reach things instead of asking me to get them. Learn to work with what God provided you and don't harass others who are different.
End of "Short" message! Pun intended!

[Chris Griggs]

I thought about apologizing for hijacking your thread with silliness, but apparently you had nefarious intent!:D

Certainly no need to apologize, my intents were dual.

There's not much to comment on about the bench at this point anyway since, I haven't really started building it.

I just hope the Schwarz reads this thread and gives his input on your silliness :D (and the bench too I guess).

[Andrae Covington]

At least now he won't go around with goose eggs on the head. I worked with a shorty for a time and he was always laughing at me bumping my head into things, so I made him a stool so he could reach things instead of asking me to get them. Learn to work with what God provided you and don't harass others who are different.
End of "Short" message! Pun intended!

I'm a little over five feet tall, so I have a license to make short jokes.;)

Somewhat more seriously, one of the great things about woodworking is the ability to make things that fit you (or someone particular) in contrast to the one-size-fits-none of mass production. Whether it's something to fit our height, or the size of our hands, or just the space available, we can make it happen. Most people have to settle for whatever they can buy from a store, or do without.

[Mike Patrick]

I emailed it to him, he said at least i'm not a woman in this one.:D

[David Keller NC]

Chris - You might consider purchasing Chris'es new book on workbenches - there's a fair amount of discussion/plans on shorter/compact benches.

[Chris Griggs]

Took another trip to salvage yard today. Found some a couple of 7ft 4x6 beams that I'm going to use for the legs. I already had some salvaged 4x4s I was going to use, but they were treated (which I hate) so I was keeping an eye out for an alternative. I'm not sure what the beams I found today are made of. I started drilling, chiseling a pulling out a few remaining nails today and the wood seems softer then SYP. I suppose it could be cypress given that this is New Orleans, but the sawdust is fairly red so now I'm thinking they're cedar.

Anyway I'm pretty happy that I found such big beams. My bench is going to be small but I still plan to over build it as much as possible.


Chris - You might consider purchasing Chris'es new book on workbenches - there's a fair amount of discussion/plans on shorter/compact benches.

Also, just ordered the book. It was only a matter of time...

[Andrae Covington]

Using recycled wood is great... once you've pulled all the nails and screws out. I used old-growth douglas-fir 2x4's for my bench. I cut down some old 2x6's and glued pieces together to make the legs. Having timbers the right size to start with would have been easier.

By the way, most of the woods we call "cedar" are members of the cypress family anyway.

[David Keller NC]

Using recycled wood is great... once you've pulled all the nails and screws out. I used old-growth douglas-fir 2x4's for my bench. I cut down some old 2x6's and glued pieces together to make the legs. Having timbers the right size to start with would have been easier.

By the way, most of the woods we call "cedar" are members of the cypress family anyway.

Actually, at least for the eastern red cedar variety, they're junipers - eastern red cedar is Juniperus virginiana, what Chris has certainly looks like Eastern red cedar.

You're right, though, about about almost all of the rest of the trees that have the common name "cedar". Western red cedar is a member of the cypress family (Thuja plicata, family cupressaceae (cypress family)). Same with Port Orford Cedar - it's chamaecyparis lawsoniana, famliy cupressaceae). Atlantic white cedar is also a chamaecyparis (chamaecyparis thyoides).

Oddly enough, there are only 3 species of true cedar that are trees (Lebanon cedar, Atlas cedar, and Deodar cedar). And man, o man would I ever like to get a hold of some large beams of true lebanese cedar. I think there's a reason that they almost went extinct in ancient times - just about every ancient wooden building around the mediterranean was built from it.

[Chris Griggs]

I had to drill pretty deep into the wood to get some nails out this morning. I pulled the drill bit out and the smell that came out told me its definitely cedar of some kind.

David, it certainly does look and smell like eastern red cedar.

I still can't help but wonder if its actual cypress, since all the old new orleans homes where built of that. However, every time I've seen cypress it has more of a yellow honey color. Don't know if that changes with age. I really don't know enough about the cedar or juniper families to say for sure. So I think I'll just say its cedar and leave it at that.

Anyway, I'm getting back to pulling out the nails. My goal is to have the legs to to their rough length and squared by the end of today.

[Chris Griggs]

I finished the flattening and squaring of 2 of the legs for my new bench today. Even though my goal was get through all four I'm pleased with my progress. I don't think I've ever planed so much in one day. The cedar planes oh so easily,but man am I exhausted.

I decided to start with the beam that was in rougher shape and a bit smaller. That way I could very quickly get an idea of what the final dimensions of my benches legs will be. Once I got everything adequately square and coplanar the legs came out to be about 3 1/8" by 5 1/8". I'm still a relative novice at dimensioning so by the time I get everything flat and square I have typically taken off more then I originally intended.

The beam that the other two legs will come from is actually about 4 1/2 by 6 1/2. Thats a lot of wood to hog off if I bring it down to the dimensions of the first two legs. I might just get one face and one edge flat on those legs, then run them through my table saw to bring them down to the dimensions of the first two.

Anyway, here's a few pics if the squared legs. One of them seems to have been chewed up by temites so theirs some large voids in the face (see closup pic). Haven't decide if I'm just gonna leave it like that or fill it with something.

More to come...