Folding Leg Workbench

[Stanley Covington]

I am transferring to Guam from Tokyo next week. The wife is glad to get away from the (non-existent) threat of radiation poisoning. I am happy to get more room for woodworking. My big 600 lb maple workbench is currently in a storage unit near my brother in Las Vegas, and I can't afford to ship it to Guam anyway, so I plan to build a smaller softwood bench for use on Guam, one that I can take back to Japan when the time comes. I intend to build it with a substantial 5-3/4" thick top, but would like to be able to fold the legs for easy storage. Any suggestions for how to achieve this while still maintaining a very strong and rigid bench?

Stan

[harry strasil]

To me 5.75" thick top is overkill 3.5" is plenty heafty, and I would use 3 2by4's glued together with it dovetailed into the outside edge board, and just a straight tenon on the inside with the top setting on the middle board.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/roubo002.jpg

Advantages to this way are light enough to carry and sturdy leg to top joints, plus no mortises to chop, just cut the first and third segments making up the top. And a permanently joined bottom stretcher the short way between the legs, and bolts and captive nuts to attach the length wise stretchers. with shallow mortises in the legs, and short tenons on the ends of the stretchers. To assemble bench top face down, then assemble legs and drop/and maybe drive the leg tops into the top, then flip over. I would also put short 2" long 1/2" diameter Carriage bolts with square nuts glued into the center of the leg bottoms for fine adjustment when leveling. A 1/2" end wrench fits the square under the head. It also keeps the leg bottoms off the floor just a little so they don't draw moisture up thru the long grain.

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

[Greg Wease]

Check out this one. I borrowed some of his ideas when I made a portable bench last fall. I splayed the legs for increased stability.

http://www.closegrain.com/2010/08/portable-workbench.html

[john brenton]

Non-existent? That's like denying the holocaust, AGW, or the infallibility of socialized medicine!! *paging thought police, paging thought police*


I am transferring to Guam from Tokyo next week. The wife is glad to get away from the (non-existent) threat of radiation poisoning.
Stan

[Bob Strawn]

Make a classic trestle bench.
This table,
http://battlering.com/woodworking/images/table2.jpg

Sits on two sawhorses made for the job and is very stable. It has a split center with a well.
This easily breaks down to two sawhorses (http://toolmakingart.com/2008/06/26/sawhorse/) a well and several boards. The sawhorses here are made to grip a 2x like a pair of pliers, and they break down as well.

Bob

[Andrew Gibson]

Here is a link to my bench. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?154348-Work-Bench-Time&highlight=
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162512-How-to-make-your-bench-Just-little-bit-longer.&highlight=

I modified it from the Roy Underhill folding bench which is a bit smaller... http://www.closegrain.com/2010/09/portable-workbench-part-2.html

I have been extrelemy satisfied with the bench. It is very stable and does not walk or move at all under heavy plaining.

[Jerome Hanby]

Not sure about folding, but you could use bench bolts to hold the base together. Then it would knock down into smaller pieces, all the way to individual timbers if you wanted. All kudos to Lee Valley, but I'd buy brass round stock ans a tap and make my own, $30 for a set of four is pricey!

[Stanley Covington]

Check out this one. I borrowed some of his ideas when I made a portable bench last fall. I splayed the legs for increased stability.

http://www.closegrain.com/2010/08/portable-workbench.html

Greg:

Thanks! Excellent post. Great ideas.

Stan :D

[Stanley Covington]

Non-existent? That's like denying the holocaust, AGW, or the infallibility of socialized medicine!! *paging thought police, paging thought police*

Oh my goodness.... I wouldn't want to offend the Thought Police. But then again, may they burn in hell like overdone marshmallows. :eek:

[Stanley Covington]

Here is a link to my bench. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?154348-Work-Bench-Time&highlight=
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162512-How-to-make-your-bench-Just-little-bit-longer.&highlight=

I modified it from the Roy Underhill folding bench which is a bit smaller... http://www.closegrain.com/2010/09/portable-workbench-part-2.html

I have been extrelemy satisfied with the bench. It is very stable and does not walk or move at all under heavy plaining.

Excellent work! I think my problem is solved. :D

[Stanley Covington]

To me 5.75" thick top is overkill 3.5" is plenty heafty, and I would use 3 2by4's glued together with it dovetailed into the outside edge board, and just a straight tenon on the inside with the top setting on the middle board.



Harry:

Perhaps 5.75" is too thick, but using Douglas Fir/Hemlock, I wanted to have a very solid top with very little bounce when chopping mortices. I also thought the extra mass might help stability when planing, and help keep the top a little flatter over time. Am I wrong? :confused:

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Not sure about folding, but you could use bench bolts to hold the base together. Then it would knock down into smaller pieces, all the way to individual timbers if you wanted. All kudos to Lee Valley, but I'd buy brass round stock ans a tap and make my own, $30 for a set of four is pricey!

I can only agree with your logic about cost! The problem with bolts, even if I manufacture them myself, is the time required to assemble and disassemble them when/if I return to Japan and end up using this little bench in a small space outdoors, but tucked under the eaves and wrapped in a plastic tarp to protect it from weather when not in use.

Stan

[Jim Matthews]

I wonder if the Woodcraft people would ship to GUAM?

http://www.woodcraft.com/Resources/video.aspx?id=800

These things are dead stable, and fold flat like an ironing board.

I use two of these, to break down large stock.