Hand tools & Torsion box question

[Dennis McCullen]

I've reviewed many inquiries on torsion boxes and found noinfo relating to this particular type of bench build. I built a general useworkbench (assembly and outfeed) some time ago using a solid core door with ahardboard top. The frame for this bench was built torsion box style and it isvery heavy and solid. I used a very old solid core door on top and usedhardboard for a sacrificial top.

I am hoping to start a true hand tool woodworking bench verysoon and want a 2' x 6' solid top made of SYP 3" thick. This will be myfirst hand tool bench and I want heavy and strong. I have a few vises (and willchoose two) for this build and have a couple of ?? for those with relevantexperience.
Q1. Is it necessary to access the underside of the top fromthe ends of the bench? Reason = I'd like to build torsion boxes (heavy dutyones) for the frame ends of this bench. My idea is to have the front and rearlower stretchers enter the framing of the torsion box sides ( as a tenon wouldenter a mortise). Having torsion box sides makes them a solid surface andrestricts reaching under the bench top from the sides. The frame will be onlyabout 3.5' long to allow for a face vise front left and a tail vise on theright end. Please visualize each leg made up of 3 layers of 2 by 6 materialbefore the outer plywood layer is applied for extra strength and weight.

Since the vises are mounted outboard of the ends, theysomewhat restricts reaching beneath the bench from the end anyway. Lowerstretchers (doubled 2x6) along with the 3" thick top should providestrength in the lengthwise direction (think hand planning), but the ends wouldbe easy and economical to make massive using dressed construction lumber and3/4" plywood. Rather than build simple legs for the bench ends thesetorsion boxes would lower any reservations I have about putting a floor jackunder an end, inserting a furniture dolly, then using the jack on the other endwhen and if I need to move the bench. Everything else in my shop is on casters,but I want the bench on the floor when in use.
Thanks for your knowledgeable input!

[Robert Engel]

I don't see the need for what you're describing.

A simple trestle design of 4x4's will work. The top is self supporting. You should have no problem moving it.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Torsion boxes have some strengths and some limitations. They are easy to make and are very stable, but as you note, do limit what you can do under the top. If you want to experiment, Google "Workbench in a weekend" and "Tom Caspar" and you should be able to find plans for a simple torsion box bench (including the top) that you can make quickly at minimal cost. My advice is to put one together, and see what you think.

There is a lot of personal preference in a bench. Before I knew much (not that I am an expert now), I used to think I wanted a continental style with all of the shoulder vices, but actual use makes me more and more inclined to simple benches, like the Nicholson for example. If you watch Mike Seimsen's Youtube video, he does a lot with storage and things like that under the ends, which would be blocked if you were using torsion boxes for the base.

[jack duren]

I build several torsion box tables a year for the restaurant industry. We finished up one on Friday that is 30"x144"x42" tall. If interested I'll upload the drawing Monday to show how we build them...

[Thomas Schneider]

Yes please!


I build several torsion box tables a year for the restaurant industry. We finished up one on Friday that is 30"x144"x42" tall. If interested I'll upload the drawing Monday to show how we build them...

[Gene Davis]

I use my Tom's Torsion Box Workbench for every project I build. http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/toms-torsion-box-workbench

Builds in two days, easily.

The plans don't call for it, but you can readily place a few holes in the top for holdfasts. These are less than $15, so buy a couple.

http://www.rockler.com/4-1-4-reach-hold-down-clamp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PL&sid=V9146&gclid=CjwKEAjwtNbABRCsqO7J0_uJxWYSJAAiVo5LvaBy7pBP X_jKmHsNrhzOfVUZadHL6ACzd-PGTVRIbRoCyzjw_wcB

[Dennis McCullen]

Thanks Nicholas for the reference. I viewed the video and feel I can deal with the shortcomings, albeit few, of a base with solid ends. I think building the top first, then the base to match the width will be the best approach. I'm committed to a solid wood top.

[Patrick Chase]

I use my Tom's Torsion Box Workbench for every project I build. http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/toms-torsion-box-workbench

Builds in two days, easily.

The plans don't call for it, but you can readily place a few holes in the top for holdfasts. These are less than $15, so buy a couple.

http://www.rockler.com/4-1-4-reach-hold-down-clamp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PL&sid=V9146&gclid=CjwKEAjwtNbABRCsqO7J0_uJxWYSJAAiVo5LvaBy7pBP X_jKmHsNrhzOfVUZadHL6ACzd-PGTVRIbRoCyzjw_wcB

You can also "fill" selected cells in the torsion box with a lower-density solid wood (poplar works well), provided you orient the grain vertically and leave some strain-relief space along the edges to allow for expansion in the horizontal axes. You can then put conventional dog holes through those cells. Doing so can also deaden the benchtop for hammering etc, though obviously you'll pay a weight penalty.

[Curt Putnam]

Check out Rockler's workbench casters. They allow the bench to sit flat on the floor and jack it up far enough to wheel it around. I'd skip the torsion box stuff and make the top you want of SYP and then tenon the legs into the top. Benches got built the way they did for a reason.

JMO & YMWV

[Gene Davis]

I built mine from the plans that appeared in Woodwork magazine, well before the plans got published later and put into wider circulation. While the plans today call for the top box to have a single internal member in addition to the perimeter, the original build had crossmembers. See my sketch, in which I show the parts mine has highlighted in pink. I put a 3/4" hole in the middle of each.

As you can see, there are a whole lot of places one could bore through and make a holdfast mount, particularly if you add the members I show.

Mine is built using engineered lumber 2x4s, denser than framing SPF, and it is very very heavy. The legs and back stretcher are a pain to handle, and the top cannot be moved without a dolly.

[Dennis McCullen]

Check out Rockler's workbench casters. They allow the bench to sit flat on the floor and jack it up far enough to wheel it around. I'd skip the torsion box stuff and make the top you want of SYP and then tenon the legs into the top. Benches got built the way they did for a reason.

JMO & YMWV

Thanks for the tip on Rockler's casters, Curt.