$175 workbench -top to leg connection?

[Kevin Guarnotta]

Not sure if this is the right branch of the forum, so please direct me elsewhere if I'm mistaken...

I am planning on two workbenches for my shop. I thought I would do one sort of as a warm-up to a nicer one. I've been studying The two books by Chris Schwarz, and think the first one I'll make will be a slightly modified version of his $175 workbench. One thing I can't figure from his writing on this bench, is how he attaches the top to the legs? Anyone done this bench, could you direct me to what I am missing?

thanks...

[Jim Matthews]

This is built from Bob Key's basic design.

Go to "Last Steps" in the .pdf - I recommend drilling through the stretchers and attaching the top with lag bolts.
http://picnicpark.org/keith/woodworking/workbench/BobAndDavesGoodFastAndCheapBench-ne.pdf

You can get good results, just using a dowel between the top and the bottom, but loading a corner will lift the top right off.
DAMHIKT

If I were building my first bench, I would emulate Bob Van Dyke's shop bench.
They're VERY flat, durable and much faster to build.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/build-your-first-workbench.aspx

[Kevin Guarnotta]

I think Bob Key said my sentiments exactly - I'll paraphrase - "Anyone who builds a workbench will build a second bench, so make your first one fast and inexpensively so that you can learn what you like and don't like..." Thanks for the tip.

I'll try to drill through the stretchers, that is a good idea, along with some dowels. The bench design seems to be a knockdown bench, without being labeled as such.

I keep reading about different benches, the advantages and disadvantages of each type, and also have seen a lot of beautiful ones on this site, and in books/magazines. I just need to build one-the sheet of plywood on saw horses just doesn't cut it. I also would like to learn some hand tool techniques as well, and I need a solid bench for that.

[Jim Matthews]

There are Creeker with workbenches that look like fine furniture.
I'm not one. I had a look at Bob Rozaieski's The Logan Cabinet Shoppe videos
and revised my work holding requirements - not every workpiece needs to be battened down for tooling.

Before you think too long and hard about your bench design, make a catalog of what you want to make in the shop.
If you're not making large things, your bench need not be terribly long.

I built a pair of sawbenches that take most of the long boards off my bench top.
I built a Moxxon vise that raises most workpieces up high enough that I can sit on a sawbench to do finer work.

The ONLY admonition I would offer a bench maker is to make clamping all the way around your bench possible with smaller "F" clamps.

My bench has a thick skirt along the front that is nearly one inch lower than the benchtop, which makes clamping to that face easy.
It's every other edge (where I really need work holding) that I trimmed the skirt to close to the bottom where clamping is a problem.

If you're making a first bench, I recommend Joshua Finn's modular workbench as a starter. The design makes building the next bench
much easier and it's modular. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzrXuOCEKvU

http://www.woodfever.net/2009/12/new-workbench-starting-box-beams.html