Workbench Dilemma - What would you do?

[Dustin Brown]

I finally made some good progress on my 21st century bench and I just found out what people were talking about when they said the measurements in the article were wrong. The article showed that the width of the table would end up at 31", apparently the cutlist dimensions for the leg stretchers were wrong and the bench ended up being 34-1/2" wide. This now means that instead of the tool trays being 7-1/2" wide, they would have to be around 11" wide to make up the difference since the 2 tops are just under 12" wide each. The tops are 2-1/2" thick if that makes any difference. The way I look at it I have 2 feasible options.

Option 1 is to live with the wider tool trays, but I'm a little worried about building solid wood boxes or even plywood boxes at that extra width and not having any sagging etc...

Option 2 is to make the tops wider. I have some extra 4/4 hard maple laying around that I could use for this. My plan would be to cut 4 strips and laminate them in pairs, then glue a pair to the inside of each top. Then take a hand plane and bring them flush with the original tops since they are already surfaced and they would then be too wide for my lunchbox planer. This option would allow me to make the tool trays around the originally designed dimensions.

What would you guys do? Any ideas?

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[Joe Jensen]

Can you live with the wider bench, meaning will it work as well or better in your shop than the narrower bench? If yes make the tops wider. If no, make the stretchers to the right length. I would not want 11" wide tool trays.

[Dustin Brown]

I've got room and I don't mind the increase in width. Remaking the stretchers is really not an option as I would have to remake each frame. I think I'm leaning towards widening the tops, seems like the best solution and probably the easiest.

[Michael Moscicki]

Why not just shorten the table top by 3 1/2 inches? Once all is said and done, you could possibly make a butcher block out of the piece you cut off.

[David Wong]

Looks like a version of the "David Charlesworth bench".

[Rich Riddle]

I would definitely widen each of the tops two boards as you suggest. You have better hand tool skills than I when it comes to flattening, and apparently more appropriate planes. There was a design similar to this where the middle section tray could be covered to have a totally flat surface when needed. Is this that bench? Thanks for posting this bench. It might be the ticket for the one I want to build this year.

[Jim Matthews]

A broader tool well made from plywood should not sag a great deal.
If you're concerned about flatness, make a batten to go across the bottom of the opening,
spanning the gap. Fixed at one end, and slotted at the other, it can hold up
a short run of plywood. It could even be made like shed door latch.

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I wouldn't make the front section any "deeper" or you will loose some flexibility in end clamping.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/editors-blog/21st-century-workbench-advantage-no-27

[Brian Tymchak]

There was a design similar to this where the middle section tray could be covered to have a totally flat surface when needed. Is this that bench? Thanks for posting this bench.

The middle trays for the 21st Century bench are designed to flip over and provide a flat surface across the bench. However, if you have something in the tray, it would be pretty cool to be able to slip a cover into a rabbet in the top of the tray... I might have to consider retrofitting that idea into my trays..

Also if you are considering building this bench, it may be of interest to you that in the latest Popular Woodworking, Bob Lang provides a response to a reader's question about if he would have done anything different now that time has passed. Bob's only suggestion was one that he was given by someone else and that is to make the "near" side top wider than the "far" side, keeping the overall bench dimensions the same.

[Dustin Brown]

Michael: The problem isn't the length, its the width of the tops since the base is wider than it should be. Makes the gap in the center 11" instead of 7-1/2".

Rich: This is that design. It's the 21st Century Bench by Bob Lang. PM me your e-mail address, I can send you some info on it when I get home.

Brian: Thanks for the info. I did some more searching around on the blogs and got some good ideas. Especially using stubby dowels to keep the end trays in place.

I'm pretty much settled on making the tops wider, probably the best option and shouldn't impact the design. Try to get started when I get home so I can try and get this things wrapped up this weekend. Thanks guys!

[Brian Tymchak]

Brian: Thanks for the info. I did some more searching around on the blogs and got some good ideas. Especially using stubby dowels to keep the end trays in place.




...hmm... stubby dowels to hold the trays in. interesting. will give that some thought too. Thanks for the idea!

One last tidbit of advice gained from practical experience: The tops will swell with seasonal humidity changes. My 12" tops each swell about a 1/16th in both directions. So, that's not too much of a problem on the outboard side of the top, but if you finish your project in the winter like I did and don't allow for that when you take exacting measurements for tray width, you can end up with stuck trays in the summer.... I figured that there would be enough "play" in the lag bolt holes to allow the tops to shift outward and the trays would fine, but I was wrong.