Work Bench

[ken hatch]

C.S. has been running a series of posts on different work bench build personalities, I expect we all can see bits of ourself and/or our friends in the posts. One of the replies to C.S.'s post led me to google White's new fangled work bench. A result of the google was a video of one man's build. BTW my understanding was the plans came from Fine Woodworking, my only question is: Was it published in the April issue?

Time once again for my workbench mantra: Build it quickly, simple, heavy, and cheap, then go to work making furniture.

[William Fretwell]

I don't find White's design very appealing, light, complicated, and lacking work area. The front 'shelf' to hold wood seems very in the way.
You do need a somewhat quick first bench but remember you may be stuck with it a very long time. There is no shortcut to heavy however. That in itself is no guarantee the whole bench won't wobble when you cut a dovetail! Simple structural design is VERY often ignored to simplify design, save money or make drawer space. My top weigh's 230 lb my legs weigh 190 lb. Legs are often made too light with poor design.
Videos show Lie Nielson's large bench moving with simple sawing, the vice wracks and the boards outer edge is not held while cutting dovetails so moves with the dovetail saw, all very sad for a $4000 bench.
Bench design's all have compromises until you build your ultimate and last bench! Very simple, very heavy, very well designed, not so cheap!

[Pat Barry]

C.S. has been running a series of posts on different work bench build personalities, I expect we all can see bits of ourself and/or our friends in the posts. One of the replies to C.S.'s post led me to google White's new fangled work bench. A result of the google was a video of one man's build. BTW my understanding was the plans came from Fine Woodworking, my only question is: Was it published in the April issue?

Time once again for my workbench mantra: Build it quickly, simple, heavy, and cheap, then go to work making furniture.
Care to share a link?

[glenn bradley]

March 2007 has the refined version, #190. Original was in 1999, #139 IIRC.

[steven c newman]

Maybe we should revive the "Let's see them.." thread, and see what kinds of benches are in use.......

[Matt Evans]

Off topic a bit. . .C.S. and White. . .I was sittting there scratching my head trying to figure out who you meant and a bit of my brain says "but its C.S. Lewis, or T.H. White. . ."

[lowell holmes]

For the benefit of those of us that are not in the know, who or what is C.S. ?

[Daniel O'Connell]

For the benefit of those of us that are not in the know, who or what is C.S. ?
Christopher Schwarz

[Daniel O'Connell]

I don't find White's design very appealing, light, complicated, and lacking work area. The front 'shelf' to hold wood seems very in the way.
You do need a somewhat quick first bench but remember you may be stuck with it a very long time. There is no shortcut to heavy however. That in itself is no guarantee the whole bench won't wobble when you cut a dovetail! Simple structural design is VERY often ignored to simplify design, save money or make drawer space. My top weigh's 230 lb my legs weigh 190 lb. Legs are often made too light with poor design.

While I am pretty happy with my legs and stretchers(5x4" red oak legs with 6/4 red oak stretchers), I am not entirely happy with the weight of the top of my bench, its a split top thats maybe about 120lbs total, I never quite was able to get the bench heavy enough until I mounted some plywood across the lower stretchers and put as much mass as I possibly can on that shelf(every plane, chisel, and other piece of metal waiting for rehab plus a whole bunch of shorts and offcuts. So far I can do most of the work I want to do without much trouble.

[lowell holmes]

Christopher Schwarz

Duh______, I should have known that!

[David Eisenhauer]

"How much for that Altendorf". I liked that one.

[ken hatch]

"How much for that Altendorf". I liked that one.

So far my favorite as well.

ken

[ken hatch]

Care to share a link?

Pat,

To C.S.'s posts? White's plans? The video I found? Or my wonderful quickly built, simple, heavy, and cheap workbench? :D

ken

[Mike Holbrook]

I am a sucker for workbench plans too. I just ordered a set of plans from Shigshop. The plans are a revision of Schwarz's Roubo design, or at least one of them. Schwarz and Will Myers (the Moravian Workbench guy) also did a joint video on making a Roubo recently.

[ken hatch]

I am a sucker for workbench plans too. I just ordered a set of plans from Shigshop. The plans are a revision of Schwarz's Roubo design, or at least one of them. Schwarz and Will Myers (the Moravian Workbench guy) also did a joint video on making a Roubo recently.

Mike it ain't just the plans, it is building 'em as well and then finding a place to put 'em.

ken

[Pat Barry]

Pat,

To C.S.'s posts? White's plans? The video I found? Or my wonderful quickly built, simple, heavy, and cheap workbench? :D

ken
How about to the White workbench that started you thinking?

[Brian Holcombe]

Pretty hilarious series!

[Mike Holbrook]

You can find White's New Fangled Workbench, as Ken mentions by googling the words he provides. If that isn't working here is a link to YouTube video of a guy making one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJCc3QPUzU

It may be Ken's point that a workbench does not need to be complicated. The White design might be considered the opposite end of the spectrum of workbench design from Schwarz's designs, particularly his newer ones. Ken mentions his mantra, to build it fast and sturdy and get back to woodworking. Schwarz seems to have a fascination with simpler tools and designs, which he has obviously made a good living from for some time. Schwarz or C.S. has always used power tools and hand tools though, as the work seems to dictate and as many others on SMC do.

Ken & C.S. may be suggesting that tools should be a means to a goal not the goal.

[Pat Barry]

You can find White's New Fangled Workbench, as Ken mentions by googling the words he provides. If that isn't working here is a link to YouTube video of a guy making one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJCc3QPUzU
I figured that 'new fangled' was just Ken's term for it, not a real name. LOL

[Mike Holbrook]

Ken I mentioned the Shigshop plans because they make some interesting modifications to the basic Schwarz Roubo design. I believe the bench I have seen in your pictures is a Schwarzy Roubo design.

I am in a state of flux as I am selling one house and moving to a much smaller space. Still working out where my shop and tools will live in the new space. Trying to modify what I have to make it: easier to break into pieces, easier to move around and sturdy enough to survive moving.

Back to actual projects.

[ken hatch]

How about to the White workbench that started you thinking?

Pat,

Mike did it for me.

Thanks Mike.

ken

[ken hatch]

Ken I mentioned the Shigshop plans because they make some interesting modifications to the basic Schwarz Roubo design. I believe the bench I have seen in your pictures is a Schwarzy Roubo design.

I am in a state of flux as I am selling one house and moving to a much smaller space. Still working out where my shop and tools will live in the new space. Trying to modify what I have to make it: easier to break into pieces, easier to move around and sturdy enough to survive moving.

Back to actual projects.

Mike,

I had a couple of minutes to look at the Shigshop Roubo plans. They are pretty standard Roubo. I'm not a fan of using screws, lag bolts, captured nuts, and such on my benches. My preferences are towards pegs, draw boring and other wood on wood means. It's not a big deal, both ways work.

You are correct, I've settled on French bones for my benches but with English aprons. It really does give me the best of both worlds and makes a simpler bench than either is alone. With each new bench build I've made the bench less complex, for the longest this last bench didn't have a tail vise and I never missed it. I added a English QR vise to the off end of the bench several months ago not because I wanted or needed a tail vise but because I needed to hold some work cross bench for sawing. I'm ashamed to admit it has turned out handy enough for that use I've kept it on the bench. There goes my simple and no extra vises on each corner mantra :).

I know I will step on some toes but when I saw the White bench I thought it must have been a joke which was why I asked if it was published in April. BTW I still think it is a joke for working wood, great for seeing how many ways a person can hold a hunk of wood with a lot of monkey motion but for getting something done there are better benches that would be just as cheap and much easier and quicker to build.

Good luck on your move. The portable bench I built last Summer could be an answer to your need for a bench you can use during the move. It worked very well and was easy enough to move I could stick it in the motorhome's bins when needed.

ken