workbench base design? Thinking of finally building one

[Matt Lau]

Hey Neander gurus,

This next year, I finally want to build a *real* workbench.

Previously, I'd unsuccessfully tried to build my own Underhill portable workbench.
Time one: used salvaged wood from under chicken coop off craigslist. Had beetles.
Time two: used construction lumber from reputable woodsource. Had beetles.

I'd settled on a Blum bench pony, which introduced me to the joys of a holdfast.
It was stiff, racked much less than a Sjoberg bench, sort of portable, and could clamp stuff with pipe vises (sort of cumbersome, but work).
Stan had recommended a real bench, but I didn't have the energy at the time and didn't see the need.

Now that I have my ducks in a row, I see that Stan was right...chopping is definitely bouncy...clamping could be better.

How important is the workbench base?

I'm tempted to just use sawhorses for a while, and later build a splayed leg base (like moravian).
Most of the workbenches I've seen in stores tend to rack pretty badly, but I suspect the sawhorses to rack less?
From a mechanical perspective, I'd expect splayed legs to have more resistance to sheer stress? Just an amateur postulating here.
Alternatively, I'd be tempted to put some sort of lift on it...like an electronic or mechanical lift.

As for the top, I have a salvaged loveseat from sacramento.
It's made of solid 1 1/2" timbers that have been laminated to around 18" width.
I was thinking of popping in a few dogholes and a quick-release record vise I have on hand.

Also, I'd love your designs...especially if you've gone off the beaten path.

-Matt

[Prashun Patel]

My workbench has splayed legs. It's on the small side (24" x 60"), so I wanted extra stability. My bench is great for planing. it does jiggle or rack.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?203044-Ash-workbench-progress-pix&highlight=ash+workbench

My only complaint is that because legs are flush with the front of the bench (I wanted a leg vise), the legs fall in the plane of the opening for the tail vise, so it limits being able to hold tall things. If I could do it again, I'd recess the legs at least on the tail vise side, and possibly use a twin screw in lieu of the leg vise. Lately, I've started disliking having to stoop to operate the leg vise.

Bigger legs offer not only mass, but more surface area for the cross pieces to make contact. That all helps stability.

I am partial to hardwood benches. One of my benches has construction lumber for the base and it racks a little. I have built plenty of things with construction lumber, but I can almost always count on a glue line eventually opening up. I suspect some of the joints in my base have weakened. I fully admit this may be making excuses for possibly poor workmanship, but in my experience, construction lumber - even from the better sources, demands a higher level of attention to drying and construction than does hardwood...

[Matt Lau]

Thanks for the tip!

I'm tempted to try to go mostly neander on this build (ripping with bandsaw) and spend a bit more for higher quality wood.
It'll take some fiddling around, but I'm thinking of making an improvised planing beam from a hide-a-horse.

Those Japanese guys really know how to work wood.

[glenn bradley]

There are enough proven designs to meet almost any taste or budget. Pick an already known winner that meets your requirements and enjoy the ride. Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking and Woodsmith magazine all have a bevy of benches. Things to search on and think about . . .

Lon Schleining’s classic bench
John White's New Fangled Bench
Garrett Hack's Trestle Bench
Shaker bench
Roubo bench
Not So Big Bench
Tail, shoulder, front, quick-release, twin-screw, leg and wagon vises.
Lions and Tigers and Bears . . . Oh My.

[Richard Line]

Your getting some good responses from more experienced bench builders. I do have some experience with building a good handwork bench. I have also tried using saw horses with a top for work. The problem I've had is making an easy to do connection between the top and the horses. I've tried bolting them to gather along with some clamps and diagonal braces. Not very successful. The problem is that a considerable amount of shear and bending strength is needed in the joint between the top and the horses. That is why mortise and tenon joints and weight are so good.

For a good connection, I think you would need to get very close to base connections as used in many of the bench design that are out there, including the lower stretchers. This is assuming you want to be doing some serious planning, chopping and sawing on the bench/saw horse combination. For light work (sawing out joints/tenons, drilling etc.) the top laid on or clamped to the saw horses will work - did for me during my bench build.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Splayed legs would offer better racking resistance, but I think this would only come into play if you were trying to build the bench extra light or small so that you could transport it. The traditional heavy bench designs are rack free with 90 degree legs. Splayed legs definitely look cool and would be a fun joinery challenge so don't let me dissuade you if that appeals.

I built a split top roubo out of Doug fir construction lumber. Top is about 3-1\8" thick and legs are about 4-1\2" square. It probably weighs about 250-300 lbs, which is light enough to move around the shop (lifting one side at a time and pivoting) single-handed, but solid enough to stay put when working. I like the thick constant-thickness top, which facilitates clamping to the bench top extremely well, especially with the gap available due to the split top design. I clamp things a lot, but if I had holdfasts this feature may be less important, and a thinner top with an apron might work just as well.

If I had to build another bench, I think I would make a laminated top slab about 3-1\2 thick, without a split (the split is useful sometimes, especially for clamping, but I think overall I would rather have a continuous top). Instead of a roubo base, I would build a heavy trestle base with a couple of 2x8-size stretchers mortised into the trestle uprights and drawn tight with wedges (basically like a scandi-style bench) and just fasten the top down with some lag screws in slotted holes. What I like about that idea is I'd be able to pull up a stool and get my legs under the top without stretchers being in the way (they'd be inset on the trestle base some distance). I like to do delicate work (marking out, careful chiseling, etc., plus drawing and other non-woodworking stuff) seated on a stool, and with the roubo design you have to sit a bit farther away unless you move out to the overhangs. Not a huge deal, but I think for me the utility of that would outweigh the utility of having the legs and stretchers flush with the front of the top, at least with the work I've been doing so far. Although you could always design the trestles so that there was a face flush with the front of the bench top.

Anyways that's my brain droppings.

[Matt Lau]

Really nice input!

I started trying to teach myself woodworking, and was a neander out of desperation (lack of space/equipment/money).

Years later, I find that I'm not a huge fan of power tools.
They are fast and efficient.
They are also loud, spew dust, and much easier to lose a finger to.

Hmmm...I'm not sure what I'd use the wood slab for then?

My ideal workbench at this time is something:
-relatively small (18-24" x 40-60"), so I can work around it. Mainly for guitars.
-sturdy, so won't wobble when sawing/planing
-clamps stuff quickly with minimum fuss. Holdfasts a must!
-can be wheeled to be a table saw extension.

For logistical reasons, I have to limit the size to no longer than 60" timbers (since it won't fit in my car).



ps. so what I hear is:
Hardwood base, preferably similar to top
Around 3-3.5" is preferable for top
Keep things simple, but with very well done joinery.
Angled legs are good for racking, but more harder to do.
Mortise connection to top.

[Todd Stock]

If joinery is adequate, and the same distance is maintained between floor contact points, there's no difference in stability between various schemes. Heavier bases help keep things from skating around the shop, and can still break down further to a couple stretchers and frames. Racking on even lightly built bases can be addressed with light weight diagonals.

368757

[Mike Holbrook]

I am working on the lumber I bought to build a bench several years ago. It got soaked when a water pipe broke. It is finally stable again and I am back at it. Looks like I will end up with a 7'x20" bench instead of an 8'x 24", once I get my lumber straight again. I am thinking about building a simpler bench for my first bench as many posters here find their needs/preferences change, particularly after they work on their first bench for a while.

You might check out the Benchcrafted "Classic Workbench" plans. These large scale plans are available for purchase ($18) and there is a free download explaining the techniques. This plan uses all mortise and tenon joints made with drawbored half-laps. Benchcrafted offers a number of free workbench articles. Chris Schwarz and Will Myers (the Moravian Bench guy) have a new video "Build a Roubo Workbench With Hand and Power Tools". This video shows you how to lay out and make the needed joints both with hand and power tools. They even suggest that the wood used can be relatively "green".

Schwarz's, obcession with workbenches has produced lots to choose from. He recently updated his classic book on building workbenches, which contains plans for making 4 different workbenches. Schwarz recently completed a new book "The Practical Workshop" which talks about benches in relation to your shop. Schwarz has a DVD "The Workbench, How to Design or Modify a Bench for Efficient Use. Schwarz's latest research involves Roman Workbenches for which there is a free downloadable article. Robert/Bob Lang, who has been known to post on SMC when people discuss his plan, has a DVD "Build the 21ST-Century Workbench. Our own Derek Cohen offers information on how he built his bench in a series of articles "In The Woodshop".

If that is not enough suggestions I have more....

[glenn bradley]

P.s. My top sets on large rounded tip dowels. Gravity is my friend.

368760

This thing hasn't budged in the two years since I made it. It has steel elevator feet setting in steel cups (to distribute weight) on concrete.

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[William Fretwell]

I designed my bench starting with the bench dog. My minimum requirement was to be able to make a full size door (because I like doors!). That dictated the length. For the most flexibility the Tage Frid/Scandanavian bench offered the most clamping options. The classic design however had a couple of things I did not like. The tail vise end protrudes past the supporting leg some distance; this is not as supporting as I wanted and leaves the leg in your way for most planing tasks so it has to be recessed.

I doubled the length of the tail vise and moved the leg to the right past it's maximum opening. While the leg is still recessed somewhat I added a front row of vertical dog holes that are flush with the edge of the bench, and a row of recessed hold down holes next to it. I can now work leg free fully supported at the tail vise. I can hold a board on its edge easily or a full size door to plane the sides.
The base of my bench is 4x6 white oak legs, through mortised and tenoned wedged. The legs have a 10" cross brace which removes any chance of wracking for the next 300 years. The stretchers are a full 10" deep and 2" thick, each weighs 43 lbs in ash with through wedged mortise to apply the force fully in the right places.

I have noticed a lot of benches have a spindly look to the legs and I wonder how years of wracking forces will take their toll. Most stretchers are woefully inadequate and in the wrong place, not half way between the bench top and the floor. People do this so they can add drawers and cupboards. I will be able to add two rows of narrow drawers over some distance sitting on the stretchers and keep the floor area open for cleaning. My base is massive, over 200lbs and solid. The wide leg at the shoulder vise provides great stability without getting in the way at all. The third smaller leg is very worthwhile, I tried it without; it eliminates all small vibration.

The large tool tray I added at the back was a learning experience, that back support on the breadboard ends of the bench is ideally placed to stiffen even a massive top, it widens the leg stance and stops chisels rolling on the floor. It is an essential addition if you have room as the bench top is only 20" wide.

The devil is in the details as they say. A real challenge was moving the bench top dog holes so their edge was 2" from the bench edge. This means a board 5" wide is fully supported and held in the middle by the dogs. The classic tail vise design (sliding frame) and the screw just allowed this. The rectangular dogs can be raised a full 2" for clamping and they lean in at 2 degrees to apply force at the top of the board to hold it down. I added 3 dogs at the back of the bench (parallel to the front dogs) to hold panels and allow thin full width planing strips.

You can build a simple bench to see what you like, as a learning step it works but you already know it's not going to last. You can use it to build your 'real' bench. Working with massive timbers in a bench it's easier to hold them on a simple bench top than smaller pieces so don't let that put you off.

You don't need plans or a book, just a concept of what you like to make. The classic designs are classic for a reason. They are SERIOUSLEY more classic than any other bench. Most modern style benches are predicated on some expensive vise hardware that compromises your bench right at the start. Inexpensive screw hardware gives you freedom.

Paul Sellers bench as a quick starter bench is fantastic but the videos of his school in the Welsh castle showed the room littered with Scandinavian benches. Tage Frid's pupils would build their Scandinavian bench in their first week of their course!!!!!!!!

One day when you are ready to build your 'final' bench, that is without peer and will never leave you wanting, look at the Scandinavian bench. Modify it anyway you want, you will find it enormously rewarding to build.

So to answer your question: Yes your base should be massive, and well designed.

[Matt Lau]

I'm sort of tempted to just buy a Lee Valley cast iron leg set, or a Noden adjust-a-bench set.
They both have great feedback, and minimal mucking around.
I have maybe a few hours of workshop time each month.

However, I've learned that all I really need is something fairly simple.
I could probably mock something up with screws, and slowly change it to something with proper mortise and tenons...I'll likely need to build a workbench inside my bedroom as well...to work on the workbench. :p

Can you guys post pictures of your benches?

[steven c newman]

368765
Not the best.....it is now serving as a Lathe bench. legs were 6 x 6s. It tended to want to walk around a bit, when I used a plane...
Current bench is best described as a "Work" Bench.....
368766
More for BUILDING furniture, than looking like furniture...
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One of the rare days nothing was on the bench...
Other than the vises, main part took an entire Sunday afternoon to build...

Built for work, not to look "pretty".....

[Jim Koepke]

... racked much less than a Sjoberg bench...

Now that I have my ducks in a row, I see that Stan was right...chopping is definitely bouncy...clamping could be better.

How important is the workbench base?

How important is the workbench base? My experience with a Sjoberg mentioned above is it racks (and dances around the shop) because of having such a light weight base. A few things can be done to mitigate some of this. One solution for me was to cut a bucket to fit over the brace at one end and fill it with cement..

Weight does a lot to counteract the forces of work. In turn this makes more of your work effort go into the work instead of the bench's loose joints.

Of course, next is the joinery. Well executed joinery will do a lot to eliminate wracks, wiggles and walking if it has the weight and strength to impede the forces that cause them.

Of interest in all the above posts are the different benches explained as to how they are used for a particular need.

As important as is the base, it is just as important to consider what will be worked on and how it will be held. After all, a workbench is just the tool that holds the work as it is being worked.

jtk

[Hasin Haroon]

I think you're making a very good decision in building a proper workbench. It'll change your whole approach to hand tool woodworking, make your work a lot safer, faster and easier.

I'm not sure about your question about splayed legs and shear stress, as I doubt any work any of us does would actually cause their bench to shear, it takes a lot to shear a decently thick piece of wood. I don't think splayed legs are necessary. I built my first bench from hardware store softwood lumber in a split top Roubo design, and it does not rack at all - zero. That said I am currently collecting hardware and wood for my next bench, which will be made from hard maple. Not because the soft pine is not upto the work of a bench, but because I'm a sucker for aesthetics and also there were other factors I did not think of when I built my first bench, such as - length of the bench, width and height of the bench, the hardware I used (leg vise with a basic pin that I have to stoop down to change) etc.

I think for a workbench base there are plenty of time tested base designs that you can't go wrong with if you use lumber of decent thickness, don't overthink it and don't use an adjustable system. I'd spend more time thinking about the features and design aspects to make it the most convenient bench to use. Also, hardware store softwood is perfectly fine to use, just take your time picking out straight boards.

All the best!

[James Pallas]

I'm sort of tempted to just buy a Lee Valley cast iron leg set, or a Noden adjust-a-bench set.
They both have great feedback, and minimal mucking around.
I have maybe a few hours of workshop time each month.

However, I've learned that all I really need is something fairly simple.
I could probably mock something up with screws, and slowly change it to something with proper mortise and tenons...I'll likely need to build a workbench inside my bedroom as well...to work on the workbench. :p

Can you guys post pictures of your benches?
Matt I bought a Noden bench a few years back. I bought it because of some disabilities. I wasn't sure that it would provide an answer. It definitely does. After using it for a while I would do it again even without the disability problems. Changing the height for different processes is great and has become just routine. The bench is pretty stable, not like a Roubo but steady enough for most work.
Jim

[ken hatch]

I'm sort of tempted to just buy a Lee Valley cast iron leg set, or a Noden adjust-a-bench set.
They both have great feedback, and minimal mucking around.
I have maybe a few hours of workshop time each month.

However, I've learned that all I really need is something fairly simple.
I could probably mock something up with screws, and slowly change it to something with proper mortise and tenons...I'll likely need to build a workbench inside my bedroom as well...to work on the workbench. :p

Can you guys post pictures of your benches?

Matt,

Simple is good for whatever kind of work you do, Over the years as I've built and replaced benches each has become simpler. Simple makes an easier build and a more flexible bench to work on. You asked for photographs, here are some I've found:

This was my first bench build, it has served many functions over the years, the last as a sharpening bench.

368842

The first bench build when we moved to Tucson. Made of SYP imported from Houston :) and was a complicated overly fussy bench with leg vise, tail vise and sliding dead man.

368844


The next build was much simpler with only a English QR face vise.

368845

I later added a apron to make the final French/English work bench.

368851

I've built several more benches for friends but the last build was a portable work bench that is now my sharpening bench.

As a work bench.

368852

As a sharpening bench.

368853

Hope these help.

ken

[Doug Hepler]

Matt,

Your last post prompted me to join this thread. Until then, I felt that my comments would be an unwelcome buzz kill. You said that you have but a few hours a month for woodworking. You are interested in making guitars. You might buy cast iron legs. You sound like a practical guy. Here is a drawing of a workbench that will not rack. It cost about $200 to make out of KD Douglas Fir. It took about a weekend to build. The top is birch plywood laminated on a second-hand solid core flush door. If I had not been lucky enough to find the used flush door I might have bought a (damaged) hollow core door and used it on sawhorses as a flat base for laminating sheets of plywood or building a torsion box. 368859

I do agree with earlier comments that a workbench is the most important tool in your shop. It must fit you (physically) and suit the work that you do and plan someday to do. But, it is only a tool. For most of us, a 350 lb. solid beech medieval French reproduction that takes a year to build on the weekends is the woodworking equivalent of commuting to work in an Aston Martin. Lots of fun, lots of prestige, but overkill for most people.

I have used this workbench for about 4 years now and it is entirely satisfactory. I had to add a board jack for edge planing very long boards. I had a similar workbench to this one for 50 years. It served me very well.

I have a writeup on constructing this bench. If you are interested send me a PM with your email address.

Doug

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Doug,

How does that bench do using holdfasts?

jtk

[Doug Hepler]

Howdy Doug,

How does that bench do using holdfasts?

jtk

Hi, Jim.

I have 3/4" round dog holes in the bench and use steel holdfasts from Gramercy Tools. They work fine (1-2 whacks), except in one hole that I somehow drilled a skosh too big. So, the top is thick enough to hold a holdfast securely. I think a thicker top might be more tolerant of that one mis-sized hole. I was confident in this design because my previous workbench top was thinner (2 x 6 larch laid flat) and even it would securely hold the holdfasts. I also have a few dog holes that don't go all the way through the top. I can't use steel holdfasts in those, so I use Veritas Surface Clamps in them.

Doug

[Phil Gaudio]

This design may look familiar: my shameless knockoff of the Lie Nielsen bench. If you lack free time: think about buying one of their benches: they are excellent.

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[Rush Paul]

Paul Sellers bench as a quick starter bench is fantastic but the videos of his school in the Welsh castle showed the room littered with Scandinavian benches. Actually, and just for clarification, I think you may be recalling a Paul Sellers video where he was doing a workshop at someone else's shop. The workbenches in both his workshop at the Welsh castle (Penrhyn Castle) and his new workshop at Sylva Wood Center near Oxford contain only the English joinery workbenches as designed by Sellers. These are themselves a classic design workbench that have preven themselves over hundreds of years, just as are the Scandinavian, Roubo and others. Here's a clip from one of the videos at Penrhyn and all the benches are the English joinery benches.
368879
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyDeCmSsebE at 7:39

[Jim Koepke]

Here's a clip from one of the videos at Penrhyn and all the benches are the English joinery benches.

Those benches do not have any dog holes. At least there are none to be seen.

One point the OP made was:


Holdfasts a must!

The front apron doesn't seem to have any way to support a long piece.

One feature works well for me on my bench. It is the vise being flush to the front. This makes it easy to use a hold fast in a dog hole on the apron to help support and secure long pieces being worked. Mr. Sellers likes his vise out a ways from the front. It seems if one wanted to join the edge of an 8' piece the vise would leave an impression on the work if it was tightened enough to keep the work from slipping. Without some kind of extra holding the board would likely oscillate a bit while being worked.

One must remember that just because a bench works for one or even many persons doesn't mean it will meet the needs of another.

jtk

[William Fretwell]

Thanks for that, the benches are all painted the same so clearly belong to the school. The video I saw certainly looked like his Welsh castle location but clearly had very different benches. Yes that bench is a classic design (not sure about the paint!). It is quick to make and very useful. Part of the reason is the big steel vise, those were made in England for a very long time. The bench lends itself to that vise. My father had a small version of that bench with such a vise.

[William Fretwell]

Very solid bench Phil. I notice your dog holes don't run the whole length of the top which seems strange. How far from the front edge of the bench to the edge of the dog hole? That was a challenge for me, pushing it to 2" and keeping the screw as close to the line of holes as possible to minimise wracking. It ended up working fine even without the back brace of the traditional vise attached. I did attach it of course!
I also notice you have some smaller feet under the main feet as they don't sit on the ground. I imagine that will mark the tile over time.
I have the same rubber mat after dropping a Japanese chisel on the concrete and badly chipping a corner.

[William Fretwell]

There are simple work-arounds for hold downs. Clamping a piece of wood at an end to mimic a dog can work very well as it can made to match your work piece better than a dog. Using a spacer on the front apron to clamp a long piece. Not always as convenient but it can work. The big plus is how quick & easy such a bench is to build.

[Kevin Perez]

I have a smaller workbench that is about 2 1/2' x 5 1/2'. I used Douglas fir "construction" lumber with 4x4 legs and threaded rods set in grooves in the 2x6 stretchers to keep everything snug over the years. It is been rock solid stable for what I do.

[Robert Engel]

Kevin,

I would stay away from splayed legs I just see them getting in the way. I don't think there is anything better for a workbench than a traditional trestle type base and there is a reason why almost every workbench is made this way (sorry, yes this means pinned or wedged through mortises). You will have a rock solid bench and never worry about racking with this type of construction.

For light use like guitar making, a 2" hardwood top and a base with 3x3 legs would be adequate.

Way more massive than you need, but here is one of my benches just to show how the base is made. The long stretchers are attached with bolts:

368907

My attitude about benches is "build it once, build it to last".

Hope this helps.

[Bill Berklich]

Lots of great insights in the previous comments. Couple of additional thoughts as you start. Whatever bench type and features/functions you choose, they need to match your methods of work, techniques, and style. Not everyone needs a Wagon Vise (I do), not everyone wants a Patternmaker's Vise (I wish!), and a Leg Vise isn't always the right choice.

With respect to horses, the Japanese have used them successfully for several millennia. My bench top sat on similar horses to those in the picture (from Popular Woodworking 04/08/2008) for about 6 months. Never had a problem with racking or sliding/skidding. Massive weight is generally overrated. But it can make up for dull tools and poor methods. Best of luck I your choices, elections and build.

[Rush Paul]

As William notes, there are work-arounds for holding material, but Paul Sellers works out of his face vise almost completely, so this certainly fits his working style. He has demonstrated adding dog holes and an end vise should one prefer these. And one can certainly drill holes for holdfasts if they meet your preferred work style. He's also demonstrated extensively how he prefers to work using clamps and the face vice. These Nicholson (English) style benches are quite rigid and very versatile. Richard Maguire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmg1gvqZ2mQ) uses a very similar bench without a face vice and using only holdfasts and batten, as does Mike Siemsen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhn-PAfEW4). Sellers' variation on the Nicholson design is to use a laminated top and H-frame legs that are dado'd into the insides of the apron and then fixed with a wedge so the bench can be disassembled for moving while adding continuous strengthening/tightening of the leg assembly for rigidity. His YouTube series on building one of these benches (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2ZiNs_Wek&list=PLD39949332C7FB168) in his backyard using only a limited set of hand tools is a classic. So, just another variation on workbench design. As William says, it is relatively quick to build using inexpensive materials, yet is very sturdy.

[Chris Fournier]

Kevin,

I would stay away from splayed legs I just see them getting in the way. I don't think there is anything better for a workbench than a traditional trestle type base and there is a reason why almost every workbench is made this way (sorry, yes this means pinned or wedged through mortises). You will have a rock solid bench and never worry about racking with this type of construction.

For light use like guitar making, a 2" hardwood top and a base with 3x3 legs would be adequate.

Way more massive than you need, but here is one of my benches just to show how the base is made. The long stretchers are attached with bolts:

368907

My attitude about benches is "build it once, build it to last".

Hope this helps.

Couldn't agree more! Splayed legs? No need. Check out the Scott Landis Workbench book. Pick and choose for your fancy and build it tight, you can't lose!

[Matt Lau]

I designed my bench starting with the bench dog. My minimum requirement was to be able to make a full size door (because I like doors!). That dictated the length. For the most flexibility the Tage Frid/Scandanavian bench offered the most clamping options. The classic design however had a couple of things I did not like. The tail vise end protrudes past the supporting leg some distance; this is not as supporting as I wanted and leaves the leg in your way for most planing tasks so it has to be recessed.

I doubled the length of the tail vise and moved the leg to the right past it's maximum opening. While the leg is still recessed somewhat I added a front row of vertical dog holes that are flush with the edge of the bench, and a row of recessed hold down holes next to it. I can now work leg free fully supported at the tail vise. I can hold a board on its edge easily or a full size door to plane the sides.
The base of my bench is 4x6 white oak legs, through mortised and tenoned wedged. The legs have a 10" cross brace which removes any chance of wracking for the next 300 years. The stretchers are a full 10" deep and 2" thick, each weighs 43 lbs in ash with through wedged mortise to apply the force fully in the right places.

I have noticed a lot of benches have a spindly look to the legs and I wonder how years of wracking forces will take their toll. Most stretchers are woefully inadequate and in the wrong place, not half way between the bench top and the floor. People do this so they can add drawers and cupboards. I will be able to add two rows of narrow drawers over some distance sitting on the stretchers and keep the floor area open for cleaning. My base is massive, over 200lbs and solid. The wide leg at the shoulder vise provides great stability without getting in the way at all. The third smaller leg is very worthwhile, I tried it without; it eliminates all small vibration.

The large tool tray I added at the back was a learning experience, that back support on the breadboard ends of the bench is ideally placed to stiffen even a massive top, it widens the leg stance and stops chisels rolling on the floor. It is an essential addition if you have room as the bench top is only 20" wide.

The devil is in the details as they say. A real challenge was moving the bench top dog holes so their edge was 2" from the bench edge. This means a board 5" wide is fully supported and held in the middle by the dogs. The classic tail vise design (sliding frame) and the screw just allowed this. The rectangular dogs can be raised a full 2" for clamping and they lean in at 2 degrees to apply force at the top of the board to hold it down. I added 3 dogs at the back of the bench (parallel to the front dogs) to hold panels and allow thin full width planing strips.

You can build a simple bench to see what you like, as a learning step it works but you already know it's not going to last. You can use it to build your 'real' bench. Working with massive timbers in a bench it's easier to hold them on a simple bench top than smaller pieces so don't let that put you off.

You don't need plans or a book, just a concept of what you like to make. The classic designs are classic for a reason. They are SERIOUSLEY more classic than any other bench. Most modern style benches are predicated on some expensive vise hardware that compromises your bench right at the start. Inexpensive screw hardware gives you freedom.

Paul Sellers bench as a quick starter bench is fantastic but the videos of his school in the Welsh castle showed the room littered with Scandinavian benches. Tage Frid's pupils would build their Scandinavian bench in their first week of their course!!!!!!!!

One day when you are ready to build your 'final' bench, that is without peer and will never leave you wanting, look at the Scandinavian bench. Modify it anyway you want, you will find it enormously rewarding to build.

So to answer your question: Yes your base should be massive, and well designed.


My Norwegian mentor would smile at your post, and then go back to his Sjoberg.
It sounds like Scandanavian should be on my short list.

In the short run, I may just build a base for my salvaged "loveseat top"...stick a vise, be happy.
After I make more money (if it isn't taken up by future wife or kids), I may buy a nice top.