First Workbench

[Kent Adams]

I have a couple of questions about building my first workbench. I won't be working from any plans, but building on the fly. I'm going to make my top 40" wide, 72 inches long and 3.5 inches thick. It will also serve as an outfeed table and assembly table.

I plan on having my stock planed on 4 sides from the lumber yard (I don't currently have the room in my shop to plane boards this long) and then store in my workshop for a couple of months before building. Should I start lamination immediately after dimensioning?
Does it matter if I start my top first before final plans for the base if I'm confident on the size of top I want? Right now, I'm leaning toward a shaker bench.
I've seen some wagon vices with wood screws. Is there an advantage over a metal screw or is it just a personal choice.
Considering the size of the top, would 4x4 post legs be sufficient or should I go to 6x6. My thoughts are 6x6 would look more proportionate with the top size.
I've not decided on the wood yet, though I have ruled out SYP as I don't like it. I will probably go with Sapele and Maple.
I can't decide on vices. I'm not sure whether to incorporate a shoulder vice, moxon vice, wagon vice or tail vice. What combination would you recommend, considering this is going to be a shaker bench. Since I'm new to hand tools, I'm not sure which vice should be eliminated. I will only be able to access one side of the bench lengthwise and one end side.


Thanks

[ken hatch]

First, you may be overthinking the build in some areas. A 40" slab may be a little wide to work from one side. My advice for first builds is to build it simple, build it quick, heavy, and cheap. One vise, face and Enqlish QR and after using for awhile add as needed or build a new one. Seldom will your first bench fit your needs no matter how much you plan, in fact by over planning you increase the odds the bench will not work.

ken

[Dan Hulbert]

My only comment is on your dimensions. Perhaps it's my short stature speaking, but I find little value in width greater than 24- 30 inches, particularly if you only have access to one side. Just my opinion.

[Jim Koepke]

I have a couple of questions about building my first workbench. I won't be working from any plans, but building on the fly. I'm going to make my top 40" wide, 72 inches long and 3.5 inches thick. It will also serve as an outfeed table and assembly table.

I plan on having my stock planed on 4 sides from the lumber yard (I don't currently have the room in my shop to plane boards this long) and then store in my workshop for a couple of months before building. Should I start lamination immediately after dimensioning?
Does it matter if I start my top first before final plans for the base if I'm confident on the size of top I want? Right now, I'm leaning toward a shaker bench.
I've seen some wagon vices with wood screws. Is there an advantage over a metal screw or is it just a personal choice.
Considering the size of the top, would 4x4 post legs be sufficient or should I go to 6x6. My thoughts are 6x6 would look more proportionate with the top size.
I've not decided on the wood yet, though I have ruled out SYP as I don't like it. I will probably go with Sapele and Maple.
I can't decide on vices. I'm not sure whether to incorporate a shoulder vice, moxon vice, wagon vice or tail vice. What combination would you recommend, considering this is going to be a shaker bench. Since I'm new to hand tools, I'm not sure which vice should be eliminated. I will only be able to access one side of the bench lengthwise and one end side.


Thanks

Kent,

The copy, paste and quote isn't working today. Looks like I can't even post pictures. See what can be done with what is here...

1) I would wait for the wood to acclimate at least a couple of weeks. Some wood will move after being planed.

2) I do not think it will matter if you build the top first. If you build the base first and have stretchers going across the depth it will give you a place to set your top pieces during gluing.

3) Wood or metal screws seems to be a personal choice. Wood screws are cool looking.

4) For the legs 6X6 would also be cool. Some folks glue up legs from 2Xt6 lumber to get a heavier leg.

5) Whatever wood pleases you is the correct wood to use. One of my thoughts is to inlay contrasting strips to make a ruler the length of my bench if I ever get one of those magical round tuits.

6) Vises are like vices, personal and suited to our own taste. (shoulder vise, moxon vise, wagon vise or tail vise) This is something that has occupied a bit of my time and consideration. However, what seems best for me may be totally unworkable for you. The wagon vise seems so cool yet it ends up being too limited for my various needs. A moxon vise is something on my to build list. My understanding is it being a vise that attaches to the top of a bench to elevate the work. A shoulder vise doesn't do it for me. At times it would likely be in my way.

When I bought a bench many years ago I thought the vises were inadequate. After using them for a few years it seem there is only one inadequacy that remains. They open to a maximum of less than 5".

Since today seems to be a day where the Creek needs a touch of maintenance, pictures will have to be supplied with a link to a thread about one of the "inadequacies" of my bench's stock vises:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?183743-Anti-Rack-Spacer-Stack

The tail vise can work like a wagon vise. Either vise can have the jaw and screw removed if something needs to be mounted along the face or tail. Sometimes a project of mine will need a piece longer than my bench planed. A shoulder vise would get in the way of such a need.

Of course in my case there are times when the bench vise needs to hold a shovel, scythe, axe or other tool to be sharpened. They are also handy to hold a large hunk of wood to which a metal vise, saw vise or hand crank grinder has been attached.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

1. Ideally your stock would be acclimated, then rough milled, re-acclimated then final milled. Will gluing up right away save you from wood movement? It may help but, I would plan on at least flattening the top after assembly.

2. Vise and dog hole positions pretty much dictate my base design. Even on my third and present bench I still ended up with one dog hole too close to a leg area.

3. I cannot comment here due to lack of experience.

4. See number 2 above. If aesthetics are as important as function, I'm sure you can make it work. My legs are "L's" with the wide dimension being about 4-1/4".

5. Sapele is quite open grained and would not be my choice for a top. For the base it would be fine for me.

6. Vise choices are too personal for anyone else to recommend a definite answer for you. I went twin-screw for the front and will probably do the same at the tail . . . jury's still out on that one.

I'm sure you have a definite reason for the 40" dimension but, just in case you don't . . . My recent "next" workbench was reduced in size from the previous one that I over-built. I did find it hard to reduce from the 30" depth and after a lot of trial and error ended up within a smidgen of that after all ;-) The upside is that the things I make will fit on the surface, the downside is that I can barely reach the other side for clamping and so forth. Since I couldn't seem to give up the depth, I rearranged a bit and made working from both sides easier. All just food for thought.

[Daniel Rode]

I leaning the same way. My bench is 20" wide by 60" long. Generally, it's wide enough for my needs. When I build my next bench, I might go as wide as 24" but no more than that. I'll definitely make it longer though. 72" would be an improvement, 84" would be perfect for me.

My bench sits against a wall with an 8" tool tray. The 28" distance is not an accident. I'm 6' 3" and that is the maximum distance that I could reach a tool hanging 7' high on the wall. Common tools are lower on the wall and easy to reach for.

If it were me, I would put thought into what you plan to build and how you prefer to work. That may guide some of your decisions. Also, as Ken said, build a fast and cheap one first and try it on for size.

[Stew Hagerty]

My bench is 24" wide with a 4" tool, and dust collecting, bin on the back side. It is a full 8' long which I really like, and is made from 3" thick hard maple.
I inherited it from my father-in-law, and although I love it, there are a couple of things I would have done differently (and may still do at some point).
It has a wood lined quick release face vise that is flush mounted with the front of the top, but not the legs. It also has a full width, but single screw, tail vise.

I would have preferred the Benchcrafted Wagon Vise at the end:

http://www.benchcrafted.com/TailVise.html

And a 24" Veritas Twin Screw as a Face Vise:
(http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41659)
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41659

(http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41659)I'd also have built the legs co-planar with the top.

[Brian Holcombe]

I agree with everything stated above. A narrow bench is easier to work with than a wide one. If you need an assembly bench then you may want to build some saw horses.

a 40" wide bench is going to be a PITA to keep reasonably flat. I would stick with 20-24".

On my next bench (some years from now) I will make it narrow and long.

You could use a slab, but if you do, it would be best to use 1/4 sawn lumber that is mostly straight grain.

[Gene Davis]

Here is one built with 2x4s and plywood, with a nice face vise and a large wood handscrew functioning as an end vise. I have been using one just like it for close to 20 years. It takes two days to build, and its heft and solidity will surprise you.

When I built mine, I used LSL (laminated strand lumber) 2x4s, which are dead straight and knot free.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/toms-torsion-box-workbench

The web page details out the build and has a materials list.

Mine sits away from a wall so I can get to all four sides. Hang a 12" Kwik-Clamp on each end panel and you are ready to work on large parts and panels.

[Kent Adams]

It would probably be helpful of me to explain how I arrived at my dimensions. My shop is only 24ft. long and 12 feet wide. Because I don't have room for both an assembly table and a bench, I have to choose which one. Because I want the sturdiness of a bench and the ability to use different vices, I have chosen to make the bench wide. The bench will sit back to back with my tablesaw, which I'm not ready to give up. So the bench will be my outfeed table for sheet goods, my assembly table and my hand tool table. I'm currently using a sheet of plywood and some saw horses. This is 48" x 48" and I'm not having any issue getting around it except for that one side that faces the table saw, which isn't really a deal breaker for how I'm using it. Brian's comment about keeping it flat isn't something I've thought about. I suppose I could make the table out of a few sheets of baltic birch and add a hardwood to the top?

[Brian Holcombe]

Kent, A good bench is basically a planing beam with legs.

If you need an assembly table for bigger projects, you are better off to build some nice and heavy saw horses and put a beam or two on them when needed. They can be put out of the way when not in use, and wont require you to take up a big portion of your shop.

Speaking from experience, my bench was multi-purpose and now I'm working to make it single purpose, hence the saw bench and eventually some nice saw horses.

[David Eisenhauer]

Have you had a chance to go through Scott Landis and/or Chris Schwarz bench books? They have some good insight on what seems to work best with what type of work you are leaning towards. They discuss the good/bad of the various bench top/legs sizes, heights and thickness choices, plus the differences and uses for the different type vises out there. The books also include details of the different type benches built by various woodworkers and the reasons why they went the way they did.

[Kent Adams]

David, got one of Schwarz books today.