My New Bench Plans - Pics and Sketchup Model - Feedback Please

[Matt Sauber]

Hello,

Here is the bench I'm planning on building soon. Any Feedback would be appreciated. And if anybody wants to build this, I've attached a Sketchup model with the cuts laid out and color-coded on 2x10's.

Cheers!

179531

179532

[harry strasil]

looks similar to mine, in length, but mine is pin oak planks laid side to side, 5 ft by 27in, and I just added the 8th vise last night. LOL Or is it the 9th.

[john brenton]

How are you going to hold your stock when planing or chiseling?

[harry strasil]

I have several different options for holding things, different vises for different jobs and 39 dog holes in the top and 36 in the apron, plus several hold downs and a dog and wedge system, I can hold about anything and I recently added a planing stop on one end.

[Matt Sauber]

I didn't show the dog holes in the top and legs. I plan on using holdfasts, dogs, planing stops, etc. all secured via round dog holes.

[Jim Koepke]

Looks like a good start.

Do you have any plans for a tail vise? Mine gets a lot of use. Like Harry's example, even after losing count of how many vises there are on your bench you can still find a need for another.

I also like aprons all around or at least on two sides of my bench. This allows me to clamp a piece of scrap on one end to use as a planing stop. Along the front it allows for some dog holes for hold fasts and other supports. Holding a shooting board or other bench appliance secure comes in handy at times.

A tool tray is something having me going back and forth. It seems like a good idea, then the idea of having another vise or two along the back of the bench seems like a good idea.

I like the idea of a leg in the center of the vice. It will come in handy when working on vertical stock.

I have been working on some long pieces and have been thinking it would be handy to have a pit opening in the floor at one end of a bench to make it easier to cut dovetails on the end of long pieces.

jtk

[Matt Winterowd]

That's more or less exactly how my bench is built. I just added an end vise by putting a skirt on the right end and mounting a medium size front vise there. I agree with the others, I end up using the end vise a lot. More importantly, I'm still not sure I would use a twin screw vise again. Obviously it's really good at holding boards for dovetailing, but then they are a bit low for me. Otherwise, it's big and bulky and in the way more than I expected (especially on a shorter bench), and it's actually not very good at holding narrow stock for edge work. You end up with vertical wracking instead of lateral racking like you get with a regular front vise. When I build another bench, I'll probably go with either the full-on European shoulder vise, or with a regular front vise. Either way, I'll probably end up using something like this for dovetails: http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/Declaring+Victory+With+The+Doublescrew+Vise.aspx

[Matt Sauber]

Thanks for the input everybody. I had a thought. If vertical wracking is an issue with the vise in my first design, would something like the design in these attachments work? The vice screws are more centered than before.

It's just mounting the vice screw "inside" the bench top. If I bored holes all the way through from the front to the back and left some space for the screw guide in the 3rd and 4th laminated boards, would there be any problems? Has anybody done this before?

Thanks again.

[harry strasil]

I tried that with individual screws and had a problem with binding, so I eliminated the screws and just used large dowels and use a couple of holdfasts in the apron for holding power.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/auxfacevise001.jpg

[harry strasil]

But, as I have an auxilary face vise on the other long side by using two bench vises and a 2 by, I will use it for quick things if needed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/auxfacevise.jpg

[David Weaver]

only have one question with it - how will you hold the back end (the end not in the vise) to edge joint long boards?

[Matt Sauber]

only have one question with it - how will you hold the back end (the end not in the vise) to edge joint long boards?

Hello David. I mentioned in a previous post I didn't illustrate the dog holes in the top or the legs. I would hold long boards with the face vice on one end and a holdfast in a leg dog hole on the other end.

[David Weaver]

Oops...sorry, missed that text. I'd put one in the middle before the back leg, too. Maybe it's just me, though - I like to have it a little forward of the back leg, but I don't have a twin screw vise, so that might eliminate it. The pieces that screw me around the most are the ones about 3 1/2 -4 feet long, and with a twin screw, those pieces would probably be well held on both ends.

[Matt Winterowd]

I have read that some people have tried that. Some people love their twin screw vises and wouldn't trade them for anything. You'll never truly know what you personally really need in a bench until you make one, work with it for a while, and find out what's wrong with it. :)

[harry strasil]

I didn't want to hijack this thread with pictures of my bench vises, so I made an Album with the 11, yes 11 different vises in it,
vises 3 & 4 work together to make vise 5, and vise 11 the dog and wedge system can be reconfigured to make any number of different vises as the need arrives.

I did not show it but vise 8 and vise 1 can work together for edge planing long boards.