Phase one of workbench complete.

[Dan Forman]

Allow me to introduce my first project. I just finished the basic workbench featured in Woodsmith magazine issue #56. Well, almost finished. I will put a hardwood edging around the top (a trimmed down solid core door). Next comes the plywood shelf to sit within the bottom rails, then the three drawers across the top. At least one vise will be mounted after the edging is applied.

The top appears flat across it's width, but there is some question about it's length. I don't have a known straight edge to measure with, and different jointed boards give slightly different results, perhaps a testament to my inexperience with the jointer. At worst, it appears there might be a slight convexity, leaving a valley or two of up to .008". Is this enough to worry about in terms of affecting the quality of neander type work such as smoothing with a handplane? The surface is a very slippery coating over a very thin lamination of maple, which is itself laminated to what appears to be hardboard over particle board, so hand planing the variations out of the top is not feasable. I only have $25 invested in the top, so if it won't work, it's not the end of the world.



Dan

[Jon Toebbe]

I'm interested in the answer to Dan's question, since I'm just getting started on my own workbench -- also with a solid core door (oak over particle board, pretty tatty but only $7 from a surplus warehouse).

My guess (worth exactly what you paid for it) is: no, it won't matter. 0.008" is only a little more than 1/128" -- half a 64th of an inch! That's a pretty shallow depression in my book, especially if it's localized to one or two areas. But what do i know? More experienced hand-planers please chime in.

Jon

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Dan, If it's .008" then I think you're good to go. How are you measuring that? If you don't have any straight edges how about using your table saw fence for a straight edge? They're pretty straight. You can also use the edge from a sheet of plywood or MDF to check. But it looks like you got it. Cool looking bench! Alan in Md.

[John Miliunas]

Dan, I agree. I don't think .008" will cause you any adversity. BUT, leaving that thin laminate "as is" may give you a pain later on. A workbench, being what it is, will get the inevitable scratches, scrapes and possibly even some deeper hits with a low-flying chisel.:) I might consider taking a sacrificial material, such as 1/8" hardboard or similar and tacking it to the top. Then bring your edge banding up even with it. If you scarf it up down the road, tear it off and slap a new piece on. Cheap and quick to do. Otherwise, if you get any deep gouges in your current laminate, you really won't be able to sand or plane down to it, though I suppose a guy could fill the voids with epoxy or such.:) Anyhow, nice looking bench! Once you get a vise or two on it, some bench dogs and maybe a table clamp or two, you'll be totally amazed at how much you'll be using the thing! I simply don't know how I got along as long as I did without a decent bench!:) :cool:

[Bob Noles]

Dan,

I used 2 solid doors gluded together to make my top. I wanted extra heavy and solid but I'm sure that is just the extremist in me :)

Like John said, I used some thin oak ply tack gluded to my top for a work surface and it is easily replacable when the time comes. For extra protection I cut a piece of hardboard to cover about 70% of the top for when I am working on really messy and brutal stuff. This even protects the replacable top..... I told you I was anal :)

BTW.... You have a great looking start of a nice bench going there and your finishing plan sounds really good and well thought out.

[Dan Forman]

I agree it would be a good idea to provide a more durable cover for the top. I am a bit concerned over how slippery the top is now, I can almost see things flying off of it on their own accord. :eek:

Think I will build the edging proud of the top and install 1/8" hardboard, which will be easy and cheap to change when needed. I do have some bench pups and a wonder pup from LV, will also install a movable planing stop on the left side, maybe a couple of flip up stops (pull and push) for crosscutting on the other side.

This is meant to be something to get me going, to use until I have a better idea of what I want in a more permanent, full featured bench (not to mention the skills required to bring it into being). As such, it is remarkably sturdy, should be able to withstand any forces I am able to generate.

Alan---I tried an aluminum yardstick, and two different 4 or 5 foot jointed boards. They each seemed to show a different profile to the benchtop, which would change as they were moved across it's length, so I know that some of the variation is in the top. I used a feeler gauge inserted into the gaps, the largest that would fit was between .008 and .009.

Dan

[Sam Blasco]

looks good. .008" won't affect you in the least (wood can move more than that overnight). hardboard topper is a good idea, or 1/2" MDF is easy to replace and can be turned over when one side gets too dinged up. Just tack screw it down at the corners. MDF finishes nicer than hardboard, IMHO, warmer tones. Base looks good and solid, you are off to a good start.

[Norman Hitt]

looks good. .008" won't affect you in the least (wood can move more than that overnight). hardboard topper is a good idea, or 1/2" MDF is easy to replace and can be turned over when one side gets too dinged up. Just tack screw it down at the corners. MDF finishes nicer than hardboard, IMHO, warmer tones. Base looks good and solid, you are off to a good start.

I agree with Sam on using the 1/2" MDF, which is still cheap, and gets even cheaper when you consider that it can be turned over when one side gets dinged up. Just use 1 brass screw in each corner to hold it in place, and "WHo Knows", the MDF might just lap over the "Dips in the current top" in such a manner, that the .008" Dip disappears. :D This would also give you a little added thickness to better hold Bench Dogs, but you should make a jig to "Carefully drill" the Dog Holes so that they will still match up with the holes in the solid core door, when you DO decide to turn the MDF over for a fresh side.

[Corey Hallagan]

Nice job Dan. I read that article and it is a great bench and very upgradeable. If I had the room I would build one like that!

Corey

[Dan Forman]

Thanks for the additional input. The MDF top sounds like a better way to go.

Hopefully I can get that done over the weekend, and get the vise mounted too.

Dan