Split Top Work Bench (WIP)

[Clark Harbaugh]

I have finally decided to take the plunge and build a proper work bench for the shop. The decision to do so came about as I have started attempting to use more and more hand tools, and less of the power variety. In doing so, I quickly realized that not having good clamping options really inhibits your ability to properly use planes, cut dovetails, etc. For my bench, I pretty much copied the split top design that Benchcreaft shows on their site, which is very similar to the latest FWW project. I sized it down slightly to fit in my 2 car shop, so it ended up being 25.5"x72". I also had to make it mobile, just like everything else in my small shop (not sure how you guys with 1 car shops and small basements do it...:confused:), I had to make it mobile so it can be shifted about as necessary. For the vise hardware, I ended up using the Lee Valley vise screws. I chose to remove the stock handles and install handwheels that I picked up from Grizzly. I would have loved the Benchcrafted, but could not justify the expense. For my wood choice, I used SYP from the borg store. Why? First, it was cheap; I wanted to make sure I would actually use the bench before investing a large amount of money. Second, the blue box store is only two blocks from the house, so if I screwed up, I could make a quick trip. At the end of the day, I have about $450 in materials invested in this.


Lessons learned, or things I might do different next time:

Use a more stable wood (i.e. maple). It costs more, but it would have saved on the frustration. In trying to cut large boards down so as to be quarter sawn, some of the boards would wrap around the back of the blade. I actually put the stock splitter on my saw (never been used..), and even then there were some boards that I simply could not cut. Those that would, I had to be careful as I approached the end of the cut, as the board bending back around the blade would actually create an outward pressure. The board would break just before completing the cut. All in all, ripping the SYP was not fun. Also, the SYP moves with the weather changes. I have already had a crack form on one of the legs, right along the glue joint.
Spend the money on a different vise screw. Not that the Lee Valley is a bad screw, but the collar at the handle end is simply a machine fit with a washer between the collar and the handle. I have been told that others out there use bearings to smooth out the action.
Practice on hand cut dovetails :) so that the front of my bench looks better.


So, without further adieu, here are the build pics:

The first step was to mill and laminate the legs, which are 3-1/2" x 5-3/8".

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After jointing and planing to size, I started cutting the tenons on the top of the legs that will later hold the top in place. I simply nibbled away, then cleaned up with a chisel.

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Next, you can see I laid out all of the mortises, etc. on the legs. I didn't want to cut them, though, until I had the stretchers cut.
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The next step was to mill and laminate the stretchers. Again, having a lot of clamps came in handy. And my wife said they were wasted money...
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To be continued....

[Clark Harbaugh]

The next step was to cut the mortises. I hogged out most of the wood with a forstner bit, and then cleaned them out with chisels.
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Finally, it was time for some assembly. I glued the legs and short sided stretchers. The long stretchers are joined using knock down hardware; (2) 1/4-20 bolts on each end of each leg. I also attached the workbench casters from Rockler at this time.
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Now, on to the top...
Here is all of the raw lumber. Notice that I purchased 2x10s. After fighting the movement of the 2x6 SYP on the legs, I decided to buy the large lumber. That way I could rib the boards down and end up with quarter sawn pieces.
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I then milled the lumber for the top. Again, the movement of the SYP was an absolute pain. My strategy for gluing the top was to bore a 1-1/8 hole through all boards, except the face board. The drive a dowel through from the back. My thought was that this would a) help keep the boards aligned during glue-up, and b) help prevent the top from moving too much after glue-up. When laying out the boards, I alternated the grain patterns to help movement concerns as well.
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Chapter three coming in a bit...

[Clark Harbaugh]

The pictures below show that I left the face board off on the front section. This way I can cut the dovetails that will help hold on the end cap. Once the dovetails were cut, I glued the face board on. The end cap is held on with the dovetails and two 1/2" x 6" lag bolts.
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I next had to rout out the cavity that would allow for the block for the wagon vise. I must say, the movement of the Lee Valley on the wagon vise is incredibly smooth. I was pleasantly shocked by this.
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Unfortunately, I neglected to take any pics of actually building the leg vise and chop. However, here are some pics of the chain guide mechanism that I got from Jim Ritter over at Ancora Yacht Service. This design rocks, and eliminates the need for a pin. Installation of it was straight forward and only took about 30 minutes. Overall, the leg vise is pretty smooth, though there is some slight slop when not clamped. I have never had a leg vise before, so maybe this is normal. I attribute some of it to the Lee Valley screw collar being slightly over sized. However, it is not enough to really bother me. It runs in and out smooth, especially with the 8" hand wheel. And when clamped, it is stronger than any other clamping mechanism or vise that I have used before. And that is without any chop liner installed yet.
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Overall, I am happy with the results. I still need to build the deadman and the bottom shelf, but at least I have a working bench now!

[Kurt Cady]

You talk about the wood moving... What kind of SYP were you using? Was it kiln dried? How long did it sit in your shop after purchasing? Most KD wood is still somewhere below 19% moisture.

Beautiful bench BTW!! I have about $120 of SYP in my garage waiting for the time to make my bench. I also thought of using hand wheels like you did. Any tips, modifications, pics, etc?

[Hans Braul]

Great job Clark! Very interesting chain mechanism for the vise! Thanks for posting to progress pics.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Clark, did the hand wheels you purchased from Grizzly fit up with the LV screws without a hitch?

[Paul Saffold]

Nice bench, Clark. I have a split-top and love it. I have a Lee Valley screw for my leg vise and I have the roller supports like the Benchcrafted Glide. It really made a big difference having them. I'm not sure how you could incorporate them with the chain guide you have.
Paul

[Jim Ritter]

Hi Paul, the lower wheel stays right where it is, just the upper inside wheel is removed. It is no longer needed as the chain prevents the beam from swinging in towards the leg just as that roller did.
Jim

[Clark Harbaugh]

You talk about the wood moving... What kind of SYP were you using? Was it kiln dried? How long did it sit in your shop after purchasing? Most KD wood is still somewhere below 19% moisture.

Beautiful bench BTW!! I have about $120 of SYP in my garage waiting for the time to make my bench. I also thought of using hand wheels like you did. Any tips, modifications, pics, etc?


The SYP came from one of the borg stores, however it was labeled to be kiln dried. I would honestly call BS on that. it was very evident that it was not totally dried yet. The wood sat in my shop for about 3 weeks before milling.

[Clark Harbaugh]

Clark, did the hand wheels you purchased from Grizzly fit up with the LV screws without a hitch?

Nope. They come with a small hole predrilled, and you have to bore them out to the size you want. For the LV screw, it took a 25/32" bit. I then have to use a fine grinding bit in the drill press to enlarge it a non-measurable amount (less than 1/128"). I also put this bit in my cordless and smoothed out the end of the LV screw. The last thing you have to do is drill and tap a hole in the hand wheel collar so that you can use a set screw to hold it in place.

[Augusto Orosco]

My strategy for gluing the top was to bore a 1-1/8 hole through all boards, except the face board. The drive a dowel through from the back. My thought was that this would a) help keep the boards aligned during glue-up, and b) help prevent the top from moving too much after glue-up. When laying out the boards, I alternated the grain patterns to help movement concerns as well.
Chapter three coming in a bit...

Great bench! Thanks for documenting it.

I like the idea of aligning the boards using dowels that goes all the way through the lamination. I can see that would allow for gluing each top half all at once, instead of gluing two are three laminations at a time. How did that work for you? Would you recommend the method? For instance, I see you use 5 holes for the 72" length. Did you find that was too many/too few/just right?

[Clark Harbaugh]

Great bench! Thanks for documenting it.

I like the idea of aligning the boards using dowels that goes all the way through the lamination. I can see that would allow for gluing each top half all at once, instead of gluing two are three laminations at a time. How did that work for you? Would you recommend the method? For instance, I see you use 5 holes for the 72" length. Did you find that was too many/too few/just right?

I think the 5 was just right. I still had the do a little flattening, but not near as much as gluing 2 or 3 boards at a time. I did not have a way to clamping the boards all together and boring them at once, so I had to mark and drill each one. Alignment and consistency were key. Even using a glue with extended work time, you still have to work quick. Spread all of the glue, stack the laminations, and then get BFH (big f'n hammer) and pound away on the dowels. All in all, I was happy with the result.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Nope. They come with a small hole predrilled, and you have to bore them out to the size you want. For the LV screw, it took a 25/32" bit. I then have to use a fine grinding bit in the drill press to enlarge it a non-measurable amount (less than 1/128"). I also put this bit in my cordless and smoothed out the end of the LV screw. The last thing you have to do is drill and tap a hole in the hand wheel collar so that you can use a set screw to hold it in place.

Thanks, Clark! I'm taking it that the cast iron was not too tough to drill.

[Rodney Walker]

That's a very nice bench. Nice job building it.
How thick did you make the top and how much waste did you have from the 2x10s?
Thanks,
Rodney

[Clark Harbaugh]

That's a very nice bench. Nice job building it.
How thick did you make the top and how much waste did you have from the 2x10s?
Thanks,
Rodney

The top ended up at just a hair under 4". I had a ton of waste. Consider every board had 4"+ of waste....

[Rodney Walker]

Ouch. I was hoping you got at least 2 good boards from each 2x10. Sounds like you averaged closer to 1. If things go well I may start building a new bench for myself this winter. It'll most likely be construction grade fir to keep the costs down.
Thank you,
Rodney

[Gordon Eyre]

That is a beauty, congratulations on a good build.

[Clark Harbaugh]

Rodney,
I was able to get 2 boards out of some of the 2x10s, but not many. I ticket through the entire pallet yo get the best boards I could. If you can find boards with the pith dead center with straight grain, then you should be able ticket get two usable pieces.

[Kurt Cady]

Ouch. I was hoping you got at least 2 good boards from each 2x10. Sounds like you averaged closer to 1. If things go well I may start building a new bench for myself this winter. It'll most likely be construction grade fir to keep the costs down.
Thank you,
Rodney

My suggestion is to go with 2x12's. You will have a much better time getting (2) 4+" wide pieces. Also, Clatk talks about the pith in the dead center. I went with a lot of radial boards, almost the board in the log immediately on top/bottom of the the board with the pith in the dead center. With SYP, the grain at the edges of the boards with the pith in the center is all wavy and crazy. The radial sawn boards have perfectly straight edge grain. Be selective and only get boards with symmetric grain at both ends