Real Benches used for weekend projects

[Rich Riddle]

I covet many of the woodworking benches seen on the Internet. Many of you likely have the kind that are the right height, walk around, and vise friendly. Hopefully this year will mark the year of an improved bench in the garage but nothing like many of you have. So before we embark on the weekend honey-do list, I thought it would be good to see the real benches people are using. Here's the one in the garage. The left portion is an avionics bench from a decommissioned aircraft carrier, quite heavy. The right portion is a simple tack on. When one top gets ruined, a piece of hardboard replaces the ruined one. The combination has four vices, but I am more of a handyman than woodworker. As you see, it also serves as a crud catcher:

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So what benches are you using this weekend to build your projects?

[John Lanciani]

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I can't stand clutter so my bench looks like this whenever I'm not actually using it. This bench gets used for everything from building furniture to potting plants so it's not just a showpiece, either.

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

Did you build that bench or buy it, John.

[John Lanciani]

Built it. About 100bf of hard maple, roughly 400lbs.

[Danny Thompson]

It's Spring Cleaning, early, as I try to squeeze at least one car into my 3 car workshop and garden center. Anyone need a sturdy, not completely flat, 3' x 7' rolling workbench?

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[David Nelson1]

maybe where are you ?

[steven c newman]

Built this one a while back, even has a large bench kook to do some hand plane work..250869250870250871Cost? One pipe clamp I'll have to replace, some screws and nails I already had, and a stash of old barn wood...Mainly to use my handplanes on, but it has been used for other items. Getting a bottom shelf for next.

[Stew Hagerty]

Here's mine. I inherited it from my Father-in-law. So far I have only changed the face vice. It was mounted 1" proud of the front of the bench. I recessed it back so that now it lines up flush. I had some 8/4 Jatoba left over from a project so that's what I used for the new jaws. I also lined the outer chop with leather.

I still want to do something about the tail vise. Right now it's just like a face vise, except of the end of the bench. While it does have dog holes, I have to deal with racking by finding the right size spacer for the other end. I would like to retrofit a Benchcrafted Tail Vise into it. Right now, I'm using a Veritas Surface Vise much of the time.

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[David Nelson1]

I like what you did with the end vises outboard jaws. What Vise is that? Looks like a Record.

[Rich Riddle]

Steven, your bench reminds me of many from childhood recollections. Many of the others in the thread remind me of articles from woodworking magazines. They would be like working on a kitchen table. I am envious of some of them though.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Steven, your bench reminds me of many from childhood recollections. Many of the others in the thread remind me of articles from woodworking magazines. They would be like working on a kitchen table. ...

Surely I'm not the only one who has repeatedly used the kitchen table as an assembly table?

[Rich Riddle]

Surely I'm not the only one who has repeatedly used the kitchen table as an assembly table?

My wife would let me utilize your kitchen table for woodworking, but not hers.

[James Nugnes]

Some nice looking benches folks

[Clint Olver]

I have a European woodworking bench that I inherited from my Grandpa. I use my table saw outfeed table for glue-ups/assembly. Then i have a 10 foot long bench on one wall with my SCMS built in. The left side is a down draft table, the right side is just another flat work surface.


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[Danny Thompson]

maybe where are you ?

Location updated.

[David Nelson1]

Location updated.

Ah yeah I might be a bit to far away :D