Finished bench (lotsa pix)

[Tony Sade]

At long last, my first bench is finished (I hope). It's based on the Lon Schleining bench in his book and the 2003 FWW "Tools & Shops Annual Issue", with some obvious modifications. This is the original version.

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/1e9c8f6a.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Here's a shot with the deadman installed . Quite frankly, I'm not sure I'll keep it, given the row of holes installed across the front apron which should be pretty useful with the LV adjustable holdfast. (Although, well waxed, it moves quite easily-a gentle one-fingered push and it slides all the way across the rails.)

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/5fd01f44.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Here's a shot of the top (sorry about the dust):

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/554fe483.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">


The box of drawers was finished just a couple of days before the recent FWW issue was released (really!) in which LS showed his drawer addition to the bench. The scale is different because I originally planned to add the deadman between the aprons, and thus needed to make the faceframes tall enough to ensure that the rails for the deadman wouldn't interfere with the drawers. (That turned out to have been a bad idea-too small to be useful, and too far back from the plane of the apron/front vise.) That planned placement of the deadman also necessitated the recessed pulls, which were a real PITA to install. I started with the pulls, but didn't have a forstner bit to fit so I had to use a router template set up and gradually sneak up on the size of the opening.

I also decided against the type of boxes LS shows because I wanted to enclose the entire space contained in each trestle end, to be used for storage-hanging measuring tools and the like, maybe even building some kind of door to keep out the dust.

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/6d0defa5.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Here are shots of the various drawers (no gloats intended )

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/527490f8.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
(The barely visible tote on the right belongs to the LV BUS.)
<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/42549300.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/cd3239ad.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/526b119d.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/9afb1411.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Both chisel drawers have an extra box that slides across the top to allow for some additional storage. The drawers are all the same hard maple as the rest of the bench-leftovers. Same with the dividers, which are dry fit in place to allow for reconfiguration as necessary. Drawer fronts are some cherry left over from construction of a hand tool cabinet-which contains the balance of my "collection" and which is visible in the backround of the first two pictures.


I used a Veritas Twin Screw on the end of course, and the face vise is a Woodcraft quick release, the same one LS mentions in his writeup.

<img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/c01973c5.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

I find both very useful. In fact, as a relative newcomer to the electron free side, I am daily astonished at how useful a tool this bench is. No more Rube Goldberg multi-clamp efforts to figure out how to hold something down firmly enough to work on it without screwing things up or hurting myself.

Construction is pretty straightforward-top is hard maple on edge just a hair under 2.5". Vise jaws were made to match the thumbnail detail on the trestle feet. I wish I could say that I flattened the top with planes, but I found a guy with a huge (bigger than my bathroom) Italian wide belt sander which made pretty quick precise work of the job. Drawer boxes are from some maple ply from the Borg.

I chickened out on dovetailing the end caps into the front apron as shown by LS, but I'm not that secure with my dovetails just yet and I had no extra piece to use in the event of a screwup and no easy way to get another.

The finish is about 3 coats of the blo/terps/beeswax blend mentioned in Chris Schwartz' article in Woodworking Magazine. As he suggested (IIRC), it offers a nice mix of protection without being too slippery.

In hindsight, I think I wish I'd gone with round dog holes, primarily because I suspect they're just more versatile (holdfasts, battens, etc.) Nothing to stop me from drilling a few more round holes if I need to, I guess. (Gulp!)

My wife asked about using it for a new dining room table, but I think I'd die (literally) if I tried to move this thing up two flights of stairs. Thanks for looking, and Happy Holidays.

[tod evans]

tony, i think your wife`s right! that`s to nice to beat boards into submission on. very classy! tod

[Bob Noles]

Tony,

That has got to be the nicest bench I have laid eyes on to date and I have reviewed many. I love the attention to detail and a nook for everything needed close at hand, especially the chisel storage. I would say that bench is ready for any action that comes about and what a wonderful heirloom to pass down through the generations. You did a spectacular job on it and it make me want to cut mine up for firewood so I have an excuse to copy yours. Good thing I don't own a chainsaw :eek:

Beautiful job and thanks so much for sharing. You are going to have a lot of trouble putting that into use. Too pretty for a shop. :D

[Kent Parker]

Tony,

I can't stop looking at the pictures! BEAUTIFUL WORK!!! This is one of the few postings that I intend to print and add to my folder for future reference. :D Kinda sparked a thought in me for a new shop project this winter:rolleyes: . I have used the same mix for my old growth fir work bench top and really like its longevity and feel.

Interesting choice for drawer handles. Very common in the marine industry. I used to build interiors for boats and that style was common for cabin soles and flush hatches.

How did you secure the top to the base?

Cheers,

Kent

[Roy Wall]

Tony,

Are the dimensions similar to the LS bench ???

The bench is absolutely FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Contruction, the drawers/storage, finish............totally awesome!!

[Jim Becker]

Yowsa!! Wow!! That is an incredibly beautiful bench, Tony! Roy is correct. FABULOUS!!!

[Jim Dunn]

Tony that is one incredible bench. Very nice!
Jim

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

WOW

Amazing workmanship and execution!

Bruce;)

[Ken Garlock]

Tony, that is a fantastic bench. It has to be a winner by anyone's standards. Follow your wife's suggestion, move the bench into the dining room :eek: :D

I would be happy if I could build one just half as nice.:)

When you get a minute, give us a rundown on the materials, construction, and the time spent building.

[Mark Singer]

Tony...Now that is a bench! ...Nice tools also...looks just like my planes...LN , Knight... nice collection...The bench!! That bencH!!!

[Jim Junor]

Your creation goes beyond any definition of a mere bench. Like Kent, I can't stop looking; it's almost spirtual in it's beauty.

How well do the flush pulls work in practice? As great as they look it seems like they not always be the easiest to use. Especially if one has any tendency to be fumble fingered.

Jim

[Chris Barton]

That is a beautiful piece of furniture!

[rick fulton]

Tony -

That fits the category of Ultimate American Workbench. What more could anyone want? Looks like a good size for your shop, excellent proportions, and flawless execution. Wish my kitchen cabinets looked that good.

Thanks for sharing.
rick

[Tyler Howell]

Tony, Tony, Tony.
You've been very quiet and very busy.
Excellent Dude!:cool:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tony that is an incredible piece of craftsmanship! You definitely are talented and have an eye for attention to detail. Superbly done!

[Gary Herrmann]

Very well done, Tony. Beautiful craftsmanship. Excuse me, I have to go sneer at my old exterior door topped bench now.

[Christian Aufreiter]

All I can say is WOW! Chris is absolutely right: That is a beautiful piece of furniture!, not a workbench!

Regards,

Christian

[Boyd Gathwright]

.... Oh my, that's gorgeous Tony. Super job.

.... Very well done, nice piece of workmanship :).

Boyd



At long last, my first bench is finished (I hope). It's based on the Lon Schleining bench in his book and the 2003 FWW "Tools & Shops Annual Issue", with some obvious modifications. This is the original version.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/1e9c8f6a.jpg

Here's a shot with the deadman installed . Quite frankly, I'm not sure I'll keep it, given the row of holes installed across the front apron which should be pretty useful with the LV adjustable holdfast. (Although, well waxed, it moves quite easily-a gentle one-fingered push and it slides all the way across the rails.)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/tsade/5fd01f44.jpg

Happy Holidays.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Excellant work Tony. You have a bench to be proud of. Your chest of drawers is very well organized and executed.

[Doug Shepard]

When I die, I want my ashes stashed in one of the drawers of that awesome looking bench.

[Richard Wolf]

Beautiful bench.

Richard

[Mike Henderson]

Tony, that's really beautiful work and well thought out. Congratulations!

Mike

[Dan Forman]

Thats just magnificent!!! Love the stuff in the drawers too.

Dan

[Bruce Page]

So that’s what you have been up to! Unbelievably beautiful bench Tony, Wow! One of the best that I have ever seen. You did yourself and your great, great, great, great, great, grandson proud.

[Ken Shoemaker]

That beautiful piece is more an "alter to woodworking" instead of a mere workbench... I'm inspire by simply having seen the picture...

Well Done!!!!!!!!!!

[Chuck Nickerson]

Woodcraft has a low-end and a high-end quick release vise. Which did you select?

[Jay Knoll]

Tony

Fantastic job! Now that you're done practicing, what is your next bench? You did say that this was your first bench in your post, not your last!

It is really a great piece of work and I know that you will take great pride in your accomplishment.

Maybe you should clean up the shop, cook dinner and serve it to SWMBO on the bench (I bet a few candles will really show off the finish)

Enjoy it

Jay

[Martin Shupe]

Tony, you did a wonderful job, that you will enjoy for many years to come. Congratulations. Someday I will build one, and look to yours for inspiration.

[Jim Becker]

On second thought...it really needs a glass of fine wine and a plate of cheese to complete the look! LOL! :D :D :D

[Von Bickley]

Tony,
That is one GREAT looking bench.....:)

[Alan Turner]

Nice work, my friend. I know how much work a bench is, and you spared not detail.

[Steve Wargo]

I echo everybody elses comments. The bench looks great and I'm sure it will serve you well.

[Pete Harbin]

SaaaaaWeeeeeeeeeeT! Very nice Tony!

Pete

[John Bailey]

How are you ever going to bring yourself to use that bench? Beautiful work!

John

[Michael Gabbay]

Tony - Great job! I'm getting ready to start on my bench using a similar design from FWW. I like having the dog holes on the apron. Great job on the cabinet.

Mike

[Bob Oehler]

Hi Tony
All I have to say is
Wow
Nice bench. I love the pulls on the draws and what is inside those draws is prety nice also.

Have fun with your bench and Invite you wife down to the shop for a nice dinner :rolleyes:.

Take care
Bob Oehler

[Lars Thomas]

Beautiful bench and well written explaination. Although my favorite line is ...


Here are shots of the various drawers (no gloats intended )

yea, right!

[Hank Knight]

Tony, that's a beautiful bench. Your craftsmanship is excellent. I know how proud you are of it. When I finished mine, I spent a week just looking at it and grinning. Using it is even more fun. The first serious ding is painful, but once you cross that threshold, you can relax and enjoy it. I need to put some drawer dividers in my bench and you've inspired me to go ahead and do it. Thanks, and congratulations on a masterpiece. It is truly beautiful.
Hank

[Fred Jacome]

Hi Tony,:eek:
I am in tears as I look at your bench this is exactly what I want to build. I have the book and all that and have read that book and others; I will start my bench after the first of the year. Can you let me know the amount of wood you use and the various board lengths you got to make this master peace? I want to duplicate what you have done, any prints or things to can compile to help me I will be grateful. Remember the duplication is the best way to compliment another.

I will wipe my tears so I can clearly see your pictures once more. If I may not be so bold to ask if I can call on you for help as I start my bench in the month to come!

Fred

[Tony Sade]

Thanks for all the kind words and compliments, folks. I'm seriously pressed for time at the moment-darn job and kids-but I'll try to respond to the questions posed later tonight or early tomorrow. Cheers,

[Bruce Branson]

Great job Tony, it's beautiful! It looks like we have the same good taste in planes.:D

[Tony Sade]

Again, hanks for all the kind words, folks. I'm not the most meticulous of woodworkers, and there are plenty of mistakes in this one, but overall, I'm happy that I now have a place to better use all the nice tools I've acquired of late. One correction-I used the BLO/terps/wax mix on the top only. The base got about 10 coats of a wipe-on poly/ms mix. As for the questions:




Are the dimensions similar to the LS bench ???



Identical, IIRC.


Tony,

How did you secure the top to the base?

Kent

Single countersunk lag screw up through the middle of the top trestle member into the top about 1". It ain't going anywhere.




When you get a minute, give us a rundown on the materials, construction, and the time spent building.

Ken, that would probably take an hour, but here's the short version. All 8/4 maple , laminated for the trestles which are all joined, as are the top and bottom aprons, with wedged through tenons. Feet are drawbored M/T to the trestle legs. Top is same 8/4 stood on edge and glued with plastic resin glue. Dog holes were machined at a 2 degree slant using a jig/sled and a dado blade, round holes with a 3/4 brad point bit. End caps have a dado which fits on a tongue on the top, joined with cross dowels and glued for about 5" along the front of the tongue. Vices-Veritas twin screw and Woodcraft quick release are installed per vendor instructions-way too detailed to go into here, but the instructions for both were clear and easily understood. Sliding deadman runs in two rails-the top one which can't be seen is attached to the back of the of the apron (which has that row of 3/4" holes set level with the guides to the front vise). Deadman is made of 1 3/8 thick stock with a tenon on each end which runs in the rails. (This was not part of the LS plan-I got the idea from Pop. WW's bench/shop edition which was generously sent to me by Chris Scwartz when I inquired.) Drawers, which are leftovers milled to 1/2" have hb dovetails; fronts are 3/4 cherry). Pulls are made by RK International and obtained from an online hardware vendor whose name I forget-I just googled flush pulls and found what I wanted. LV and others sell brass versions, but I prefer the nickel finish. Recesses for the pulls were done with a router template set up and lots of trial cuts since I didn't have a forstner that was an exact match. Drawer dividers are from scrap/leftover maple-1/4" and dry fit into dados/rabbits, except for the sliding chisel boxes, the outside frames for which are glued. Base finish is about 10 coats of 50/50 poly/ms; top finish is blo/terps/beeswax per Chris Swartz' article in Woodworking magazine and seems the perfect mix of protection, drip resistance, and non-skid quality. Mostly done with power tools, chisel work on the mortises. Machine dovetails. Phew, I think that's it.

I have no idea how much time I have in this. I know I obtained the maple in early summer. I only get a few hours a week in the shop (5-10 max) -funny thing about my wife-she insists I actually spend regular time with her. Kids and work also interfere with my fun, dadgummit!




How well do the flush pulls work in practice? As great as they look it seems like they not always be the easiest to use. Especially if one has any tendency to be fumble fingered.



I'm as clumsy as the next guy, but the pulls work fine. My only concern is with them staying attached to the fronts over the long haul. Included screws were crap, replaced with heavier duty ones that took me a week of looking at every borg and hardware store around. The slides have a real positive stop and require a pretty good pull to get the drawer out. May have to get out the epoxy if the pulls "pull out".


When I die, I want my ashes stashed in one of the drawers of that awesome looking bench.

Arrange to have em packed with, say, a smoother kit, and maybe we can work something out!:D


Woodcraft has a low-end and a high-end quick release vise. Which did you select?

I got the expensive one. Shh-the wife ever finds out what this thing cost total, I am sooo dead!




Fantastic job! Now that you're done practicing, what is your next bench? You did say that this was your first bench in your post, not your last!

Jay

This will be it for a while Jay. After a this and a couple of shop cabinets, one of which I posted about a while ago, the wife insists that I actually build something for the house. The nerve of that woman!


The first serious ding is painful, but once you cross that threshold, you can relax and enjoy it.
Hank

First ding already in, Hank, so I'm past the "too nice to use" stage. I did do fair amount of staring and smiling for a bit after it was done (and at various stages of near completion).

Again, thanks for the compliments. The greatest thing about this whole process is that I now have just about the most useful tool in my shop that I can imagine. We're going to be very happy together, I'm sure. ;)

Cheers, all, and Happy Holidays!

[Mark Stutz]

Absolutely beautiful! You, sir, have definitly raised the bar for all of us contemplating a new bench.:eek: :( :D

[Fred Jacome]

Hi I been inspire by this work and I will be building my early January, I am new at wood work and my knowledge of wood and expansion and contraction is only what I have read. My shop is not moisture proof and currently has a small heater and no air conditioner. The question is do I buy my wood now or weight until I start my project. If I wait I am afraid it will expand or shrink and give me problem, but with all the temperature change in my shop now will it make indifference. If anyone out has had to deal with the same issues, can you advice when is the best time and how do I deal with shrinking and expansion of wood!

again breat work, will like to know how much material you use and how long is your bench.

Fred

[Corvin Alstot]

Beautiful and functional.
Great design!
How big is the top - 7' long? 30" wide?

[Ken Garlock]

for the "reader's Digest" version of the bench material and construction methods.

It is really a beautiful bench:)

Merry Christmas:)

[scott pollack]

WOW! thats amazing! i know what i want for christmas now, your bench. just kidding but i am VERY envious! great, great job. Scott

[Tony Sade]

Hi I been inspire by this work and I will be building my early January, I am new at wood work and my knowledge of wood and expansion and contraction is only what I have read. My shop is not moisture proof and currently has a small heater and no air conditioner. The question is do I buy my wood now or weight until I start my project. If I wait I am afraid it will expand or shrink and give me problem, but with all the temperature change in my shop now will it make indifference. If anyone out has had to deal with the same issues, can you advice when is the best time and how do I deal with shrinking and expansion of wood!

again breat work, will like to know how much material you use and how long is your bench.

Fred

Fred-I'm sure no expert, but I think generally the advice is that you purchase your stock well enough in advance so that it can acclimate, in terms of moisture content, to your shop. (I doubt many folks have a moisture proof shop.) How long that takes depends on the m.c. of the wood when you get it and the humidity of your shop. I don't think you can have your stock spend too much time in the shop, however, if it's going to sit around for a long time, you might want to put some serious weight on top of your stack to prevent any movement. Of course, if the wood has a higher m.c. when you buy it, you may want to use stickers and weight.

I think I purchased around 130 bf for this bench. I used scraps for drawer boxes and dividers. One sheet of maple ply for the drawer box and some scrap cherry for the drawer fronts. I see in an earlier post you asked about board length. I just bought what the supplier I found had. Part of any construction process is figuring how to get the pieces you need out of the pieces you have. Lots of measuring, figuring, and marking with chalk. I'd be happy to offer any help I can when you get started.

As I recall, the bench is 28" wide and the top itself is 73"-overall length with the end vise is about 78".



How big is the top - 7' long? 30" wide?

Corvin-see response above.

Thanks again, and Merry Christmas, Hannukah, Qwanza!

[rick fulton]

I got the expensive one. Shh-the wife ever finds out what this thing cost total, I am sooo dead!



Tony -

I just had to check out this thread again. Truly centerfold worthy tool porn.

Concerning the cost, (not counting labor) you can always show your wife the equivalent Diefenbach workbench would have cost at least $2500 plus tax and shipping from Germany. You saved her sooo much money.

Thanks for sharing!
rick

[James Mittlefehldt]

Very nice indeed Tony, my bench is alas not quite so pretty but then it was the first big thing I ever built, and I can say it is designed well enough that it has met and continues to meet my needs. did you keep track of the weight and cost when you were building it?

It does look fantastic and I want to build another, as it was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done, but you don't need two benches, do you?

[Jerry Olexa]

Tony, that is truly OUTSTANDING work!! Just Excellent or better!! You should be VERY Proud!!

[Wes Harper]

Very, very nice. It looks beautiful! Your drawers look excellent too.

Was it a labor of love deciding what tools went where when you were fitting the drawers? Do you have any tools left over?

[Fred Jacome]

Tony I need your advice. I will like to build my workbench with the deadman, can you describe how you put it together under the skirt, also I will use LV vice as well. Any advice what to watch out for? Why the holes on the skirt? Do you have it in the other side as well?
Thanks
Fred Jacome

[Tony Sade]

Hi Fred:

1. If you look at the picture of my bench you can see the deadman riding in a piece of stock with a dado running down its length. I can't remember the size of the channel, but I think it's 1/16" wider and 1/16" shallower than the tenons on the top and bottom of the deadman. Attached to the back of the apron and not visible is an identical piece which the top tenon on the deadman fits into. That piece is attached to the back of the apron with screws through holes that are a bit bigger than the screws so that I could adjust the fit. The piece also is held off the apron with some spacers so that the deadman is perfectly vertical. I actually worked backwards by figuring out where I wanted the bottom channel to rest, the sized the spacers on top accordingly. Nothing very fancy.

The holes are designed to help hold longer pieces of stock for edge jointing. One end goes into the face vise, and the board also rests on a dog inserted into one of the holes. (There's no apron on the back of the bench, so no holes there.) I also have a Lee Valley hold down that can be used in these holes (as well as on the bench top) to secure stock:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=31149&cat=1,41637

Quite frankly, if I had to do it over again, I'm not sure I'd bother with the deadman, although I don't have a lot of hours of use in the bench to fairly judge. I might have gone with some kind of bench slave (free standing support device) or something I've seen described that involves a dowel stuck into one of those apron dog holes to which is attached a piece of stock with an adjustable stop.

Another option, and one that works better, I would think, is to put the deadman between stretchers on a bench whose top is flush with the front of the legs. The channels are put on the top and bottom of the stretchers and are well out of the way. I tried that at first (channels on the stretchers), but the deadman wound up being too far back from the plane of the apron since the front of my top sticks well out from the legs.

I don't have any particular words of wisdom for the installation of the twin screw vise other than to carefully read and follow the instructions. LV makes it clear that this installation is not one where you should "wing it". I must have read the instructions cover to cover 4 times before I even started the bench to make sure there would be no problems. Closely follow the excellent instructions and you shouldn't have any problems.

Good luck.

[Tom Stovell]

Outstanding bench filled with outstanding tools. Great work and thanks for sharing.

Tom

[Fred Jacome]

Hi Tony,
I know these sounds embarrassing but I will like to know the size cut you made on the tenon for the wedge to go in. and how thick is the wedge. My book tells me to make the wedge 2 times the size of the cut. I like the balance that your wedges make on the legs,

Thanks
Fred Jacome

[Michael Gibbons]

absolutely beautiful, Tony.

[Tony Sade]

Hi Tony,
I know these sounds embarrassing but I will like to know the size cut you made on the tenon for the wedge to go in. and how thick is the wedge. My book tells me to make the wedge 2 times the size of the cut. I like the balance that your wedges make on the legs,

Hi Fred-Glad things are moving along on your bench. Both the slots and the wedges are 5°. For the life of me I can't recall how I decided how big the wedges should be. I'm guessing that I cut the slots and then fiddled around to get a wedge that looked like it would fit without bottoming out in the slots. As I recall, I didn't cut them all that precisely. Just ran off about twice and many as I needed and threw away any that looked like they might be too small. Twice the size of the slot sounds a bit large, but I couldn't swear to that.

I did drill relief holes at the apex (think that's right-where the two sides meet) of the slot-about 3/16" IIRC.


absolutely beautiful, Tony.

Thanks, Michael.

Cheers, Tony

[Fred Jacome]

Hi Tony, I bought my vise and hard maple. I am ready to make my bench, but I have one question. When you made the skirt, did you make it for the front and the two sides or is it for all the sides? If you did it for the 3 sides, was it because it makes is easy to remove sawdust from the back can you let me know, so I know if I should cut the back board 3 inches wide or 6“ :confused:

I am a little nervous, you are lucky you do not live in NC or I will have you over for coffee and doughnuts until this project is over.:rolleyes:

Fred

[Tony Sade]

Hi Tony, I bought my vise and hard maple. I am ready to make my bench, but I have one question. When you made the skirt, did you make it for the front and the two sides or is it for all the sides? If you did it for the 3 sides, was it because it makes is easy to remove sawdust from the back can you let me know, so I know if I should cut the back board 3 inches wide or 6“ :confused:

Fred


Hi Fred: You really gotta start sending me PM's-folks are gonna start thinking I'm paying you to bring up this thread so I can back in the glow of the compliments on a regular basis.;)

I'm not sure what you're asking. As you can see from the pictures, the front apron (with the dog holes across the front) is just that-for the front. On each end there is a "cap"-each one is a different width (height?). The one on the left is the same width/height as the front apron-in other words the top and bottom edges of this left end cap and the front apron are flush. The right end cap is a bit taller than the apron because it was sized to fit the requirements of the twin screw vise-to match the size of the front jaw of that vise.

Each cap is attached to the top with a tongue and groove. I routed a 3/4" thick by 11/16" long tongue across each end of the top and cut a matching groove in the end cap. (There's a really simple jig to use in making the tongue-let me know and I can shoot you a picture.) Traditionally and/or commonly, these caps are joined to the front apron with a half-blind dovetail joint, but I didn't have the nerve or the backup stock to try that so I just butt jointed them together. The cross-dowels used on the vise end cap and the plastic resin glue used to put things together make for such a strong arrangment that I strongly doubt anything will ever come apart. There's no apron on the back.

As for sawdust-there's no tool tray on my bench, so no need to worry about dust-I can sweep it off all four sides, if I need to.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I got a lot of help from others when I needed it during construction of the bench and I'm happy to pass on the favor. And, FYI-I don't drink coffee and I don't need any donuts, if you know what I mean. I'd be happy to drop in if I'm ever in your neck of the woods. (My oldest has applied to a few NC colleges, so you never know!)

Cheers, and good luck.

[philip marcou]

Tony, very serious bench , that. Maybe the management should change the venue for the next dinner party.( If Mohammed can't come to the mountain the mountain must come to Mohammed).
Those round dawer pulls-are they from England?
Also, I think you have one or two planes missing (;)

[Alan DuBoff]

When you made the skirt, did you make it for the front and the two sides or is it for all the sides? If you did it for the 3 sides, was it because it makes is easy to remove sawdust from the back can you let me know, so I know if I should cut the back board 3 inches wide or 6“ :confused: I'm not Tony, but I think Tony used the plans from Lon Schleining's workbench in FWW #167 (2003 Tools and Shop issue, it's also in Lon's "The Workbench" book). If Tony built per the plans (looks like it), the top has a long tenon that runs most of the width with 2 bolts in it. Only the front bolt is secured, the rear bolt floats inside an oblong slot, so that the ends can move to compensate for expansion with the grain with climate.

You could easily put an additional apron on the rear, but should set it up with floating tenon as it was designed, should you do that. I've seen some folks not use aprons so they don't have to deal with all the issues. However, I like the idea of an apron in front and not having one in back, because if for any reason you have something that you wanted to clamp down which didn't work well using the apron side, you could use the rear side and have most of the length on the un-apron'd portion to clamp on.

I'm planning a bench which utilizes the same top, but I'm creating another base and cabinets under it. I'm planning to use similar joinery on the base, primarily wedged and draw bored tenons.

Philip, Lon Schleining used brass ring pulls, similar to Tony's, which he sourced at Lee Valley. LV gets $15/each for the pulls. I liked Tony's pulls, and found them for $4.50 at Van Dykes Restoration in SD, USA. Google on Van Dykes and you should find it. Unfortunately the brass ones were shiny at Van Dykes (I didn't want that). The thing I like about those, as Lon points out, they won't snag tools, clothes, or chords. It looks like Tony has satin nickel, I was almost going to go with those, but opted for bronze which is pretty dark (almost black). I'll have a slightly different vise setup than Lon or Tony. I'm using an emmert clone on the front, veritas twin screw on the end.

I'm going to do my cabinets different than Lon also. Tony's cabinet are nicer than Lon's (IMO) which used plywood for the drawers. I'm planning to use hardwood.

Tony certainly has one of the nicer benches around, no doubt. Keep us posted on your progress Fred, I'll try to do the same.

[Matthew Dworman]

Nice Work Tony!

[Tony Sade]

See, Fred-it worked! More kind words. Your check is in the mail.:p

Thanks, Philip, Alan, & Matthew.

A couple of responses to questions posed:


Tony, very serious bench , that. Maybe the management should change the venue for the next dinner party.( If Mohammed can't come to the mountain the mountain must come to Mohammed).
Those round dawer pulls-are they from England?
Also, I think you have one or two planes missing (;)

Philip-I can't remember where I got the pulls, but judging from the accent of the woman with whom I talked, the Company was somewhere in the NYC vicinity. The name RK International sticks in my head, but I'm not sure that that's not a source for something else I ordered. I just Googled "flush pulls" and surfed around until I found what I was looking for.

Alan is right that you can get these pulls at Van Dykes, for less than I paid ($7-8). They even show some that are polished chrome that look a whole lot like the ones I used:

http://www.vandykes.com/product/02010567/

I'm working on those missing planes-care to send me one of yours? ;)


I'm not Tony, but I think Tony used the plans from Lon Schleining's workbench in FWW #167 (2003 Tools and Shop issue, it's also in Lon's "The Workbench" book). If Tony built per the plans (looks like it), the top has a long tenon that runs most of the width with 2 bolts in it. Only the front bolt is secured, the rear bolt floats inside an oblong slot, so that the ends can move to compensate for expansion with the grain with climate.

You could easily put an additional apron on the rear, but should set it up with floating tenon as it was designed, should you do that. I've seen some folks not use aprons so they don't have to deal with all the issues. However, I like the idea of an apron in front and not having one in back, because if for any reason you have something that you wanted to clamp down which didn't work well using the apron side, you could use the rear side and have most of the length on the un-apron'd portion to clamp on.

I'm planning a bench which utilizes the same top, but I'm creating another base and cabinets under it. I'm planning to use similar joinery on the base, primarily wedged and draw bored tenons.

Philip, Lon Schleining used brass ring pulls, similar to Tony's, which he sourced at Lee Valley. LV gets $15/each for the pulls. I liked Tony's pulls, and found them for $4.50 at Van Dykes Restoration in SD, USA. Google on Van Dykes and you should find it. Unfortunately the brass ones were shiny at Van Dykes (I didn't want that). The thing I like about those, as Lon points out, they won't snag tools, clothes, or chords. It looks like Tony has satin nickel, I was almost going to go with those, but opted for bronze which is pretty dark (almost black). I'll have a slightly different vise setup than Lon or Tony. I'm using an emmert clone on the front, veritas twin screw on the end.

I'm going to do my cabinets different than Lon also. Tony's cabinet are nicer than Lon's (IMO) which used plywood for the drawers. I'm planning to use hardwood.

Tony certainly has one of the nicer benches around, no doubt. Keep us posted on your progress Fred, I'll try to do the same.


Alan-a couple of things you said don't match with what I did and I wanted to clarify. (No intent to criticize your approach-mine was just different than you indicated.) I used either 3 or 4 cross dowels to attach the end caps to the top. Nothing in Lon's plan or the instructions for the TS vise mention elongating the holes for the dowels-I can't remember if that's done for the bolts themselves. (After thinking about this, I believe that I didl elongate the countersunk holes for the bolt heads a bit to allow for movement. Nothing was done to the holes for the dowels.) I think the room for movement comes primarily from the holes that are larger than the dowels and the fact that the end caps are only glued for the first 5-6" along the width of the top. I'll check when I get home on the holes for the bolts.

Also, I don't understand the need for a floating tenon to attach an apron on the back or the front. I didn't use one for my front apron and IIRC, LS doesn't mention one in his plan. This joint is a long grain to long grain situation, AFAIK, and shouldn't present any movement problems.

I like my cabinet more than Lon's too:D , although I probably could have gotten by with one pull per drawer like he did. That would have cut down considerably on the number of (Oh man! One mistake and I'm screwed) router template set-ups I had to do to create recesses for the pulls.

I'm happy to share hand holding duties for Fred J. with you;) and look forward to hearing about the progress of your bench construction. Don't forget those pictures.

Cheers

[Lou Morrissette]

Tony,

Late response but an amazing piece of work. The attention to detail and craftmanship is beyond words. Truly beautiful.

Lou

[Alan DuBoff]

See, Fred-it worked! More kind words. Your check is in the mail.:p And I'm sure your fine bench has nothing to do with it.:rolleyes:

Nothing in Lon's plan or the instructions for the TS vise mention elongating the holes for the dowelsTony, my bad, I thought he did that, but looking at it he doesn't. Could have been the shaker style bench that was in another FWW (a gent in Colorado built it) which I confused. I don't think Lon used dowels, did he? Lon just glues the front portion of the tenon for 3"-4" and the back floats...I don't fully understand if the hole drilled for the bolt let's it fluxuate or not. I have seen others that did elongate them on purpose to allow that, and thought Lon did that. I don't think it would move much, but it would move.

Also, I don't understand the need for a floating tenon to attach an apron on the back or the front. I didn't use one for my front apron and IIRC, LS doesn't mention one in his plan. AFAIK, Lon doesn't use a tenon on the front, and there is no back. What I was trying to explain is that if you added a rear apron, one should attach it to the end pieces similarly to the front, but that should float with the tenons on the ends. I don't know if that makes sense the way I explain it.

IOW, you wouldn't want to glue the rear apron to the top, as it is done with the front I don't think. Maybe that wouldn't matter, I don't know...at least I would suspect the joinery to bind if the rear apron and rear portion of the ends didn't slide over the end tenons (end grain to face grain on the ends). If you don't allow for movement, it would probably just cup the surface. The surface is thick enough to plane. I'm planning to make mine 3".

This joint is a long grain to long grain situation, AFAIK, and shouldn't present any movement problems.The front and rear won't be a problem, but they need to attach to the ends which are end grain on the end to face grain for the end cap.

I like my cabinet more than Lon's too:D , although I probably could have gotten by with one pull per drawer like he did. That would have cut down considerably on the number of (Oh man! One mistake and I'm screwed) router template set-ups I had to do to create recesses for the pulls.I'm planning only 1 pull per drawer, but I'm planning 10 drawers (5 per side). I'm planning to use a forestner bit and a chisel to clean out for the round piece on the back (finger hole/rest).

I can't see how your drawers are constructed entirely, but I'm going to use a through dovetail wtih a face attached to the front of it. I decided to use slides as I would like to be able to use the drawers to lay a sheet of board over for extra layout, or use as a bench jack resting the work on the drawers, a couple things those slides will come in handy for.

Hope my bench comes out as nice as yours!;)

[Arthur Guthmiller]

I would be afraid to use something so beautiful! Good job! It is inspiring!



aloha,

[Frank Fusco]

Incredible and beautiful. Too beautiful to get dirty working on. Now, you need to build a clunker for actual work.

[Fred Jacome]

Hi Tony,
I am sure no one thinks this Tony, but if you insist on not getting what you richly deserve I will IM you next time, but I do think your bench serves as a good model for what people will like to strive for. I personally was not sure how I will build my bench until I seen yours. I think people need to see it Tony and who knows the next TONY with enhance features will come out of this. There is not better complement then the student out doing a master’s work. OK no more praising:D .

Thanks Alan Duboff you gave me the info I need I will do it with out a apron on the rear, it makes sense what you said about clamping issues. As for me and my modification to Tony’s bench will be the following:
I do not have dovetail experience but I will like to give it a try. Any help on this will be well receive.

I will put a Tucker’s vise from Lee Valley
I do have a question about the side aprons in the "The Workbench” book the said to only glue a small part in the center of the apron because of movement, do we use any other means to secure it other then this and the dovetail?

I will send some pictures when I get started in two weeks (there is a wood working show I want to go in Charlotte this coming weekend and I want to go), but I feel so green and a bit shy about this.

Thanks again to Tony and all of you guys for the info:)

Fred

[Jason Tuinstra]

Tony, I'm sorry that it took me so long to make it over here and check out this bench, but wow, wow, wow!!! What an incredible bench! That has to be one of the nicest benches that I've seen. The drawers are perfect. This is a piece of fine funiture! This is an excellent example of some of the great workmanship that is done on this site. Thanks for the post.

[Ralph Okonieski]

Beautiful bench !!!! Truly a craftsman !

[Tony Sade]

Thanks, Ralph, and (belatedly), Jason and Frank. :)

[Tim Armstrong]

Dang near too nice to use there Tony. Just seeing it for the first time today - glad the thread resurfaced. Wow - great work.

[Michael Morin dit Boucher]

Tony,

Nice job on the bench. I do envy you on several counts. 1) what a clean shop!, 2) nice planes....mine are mostly antiques!...and lastly I like your design better than mine........great pics.

Since we are talking benches?...here is mine in a rather disorganized shop.

[Charlie Mastro]

Well after 25 years you to may be doing this.;)

[Michael Morin dit Boucher]

Charlie,

Nice bench...what did you ultimately finish it with. I used Danish Oil...and Wax.

[Charlie Mastro]

I just used MinWax wipe on poly. That's all I ever use on anything. The surface is planed crossgrain and then scraped smooth. I really don't want it too slick, just flat. You can see how beat up it was to begin with. It's a bench, I pound on it, saw on it, and chop on it so it will get beat up again. 25 years from now I'll do it again.;)

[Brad Kimbrell]

I have the plans and have estimated board feet so I can purchase my maple in the next week or so. I came up with about 140 bd. ft. and planned to purchase 200 bd. ft.

How many bd. ft. did you use on the bench only, not inclueding the drawers?

I also see about $450 in hardware - is this close?

I can only hope that my bench comes out even close to as nice as yours did! It is a work of art!

[Tony Sade]

I have the plans and have estimated board feet so I can purchase my maple in the next week or so. I came up with about 140 bd. ft. and planned to purchase 200 bd. ft.

How many bd. ft. did you use on the bench only, not inclueding the drawers?

I also see about $450 in hardware - is this close?

I can only hope that my bench comes out even close to as nice as yours did! It is a work of art!


Brad-I can't remember the total-I bought the lumber almost a year ago-but I'm guessing I was a lot closer to the 140bf figure than 200, including all the "scrap" I used for drawers/dividers, etc. (I can't remember who started the thread, but over on Woodnet, a fellow posted the exact quantity required for this bench-think he put in in a spreadsheet. Maybe you can search around on that forum for his post.) The cherry for the drawer fronts was left over from another project.

Lets see--Twin Screw-$179; Woodcraft quick release front vise-$159; vise handle for the front vise-$6; drawer pulls-$70 (guessing); Veritas Hold Down-$57; 2 sets square bench dogs-$60; 2 large round bench dogs-$20; 2 small round bench dogs-$17; muzzles for round dogs-$4; pair of Gramercy hold fasts from Joel (Tools for Working Wood)-$30=$602. (Ouch!)

Thanks for the kind words. Enjoy building and using your bench.

Edit-Forgot the drawer slides. (Thanks, Alan) Add another $40. Also-I paid about $7/ea. for the pulls. RK International and I can't remember the supplier.

[Bob Powers]

Tony, that'a a beautiful bench. I plan to make a similar one, using Schleining's basic design, with the Veritas Twin-Screw on the end. I have considered moving the trestle nearest the end vise to the end of the bench in order to make more room for storage underneath. Do you think this would create an interference problem with the twin-screw? I thought I might increase the vertical dimension of the upper trestle member to accomodate the holes for the screws.

[Alan DuBoff]

To add to Tony's hardware list, I can tell you what I have into the hardware to build a similar bench.

$185 - Veritas 24" twin-screw
$190 - Emmert clone, (woodcraft discount off the price)
$ 40 - 10 pair of drawer slides from GlideRite (need to buy 15 pair for the price)
$ 20 - Veritas round bench dogs (pair)
$ 45 - 10 pulls, similar to Tony's, and I'm using only 1 per drawer (Van Dykes)
$105 - Custom forged Phil Koontz holdfasts (with Bass cleff embossed on leaf ends)
--------
$585

Keep in mind that You don't need as elaborate of vises, and can lower the price substantially that way, and you don't need to spend $105 for the holdfasts (Gramercy is much cheaper), nor do you even need the bench dogs (make your own out of dowels), or the pulls. Tony might have missed his slides in his list above, I think he used some.

I really like the looks of the round pulls (Lon Schliening put them on his drawers), but at $15/ea at Lee Valley I wasn't gonna use them. Found them for $4.45 when purchased in QTY of 10 at Van Dykes Restoration in South Dakota (check web).

There are many ways to lower the cost, but the twin-screw is tough to duplicate. What I'm saying is that most of the hardware is really optional, and if you don't add a front vise to it, you can always add it later (or the end vise for that matter).

Bob, you could easily modify the design and make the cabinets wider, you'll only need to be careful that you have enough clearance under the top and above the cabinets for the rails of the veritas or other vise. I'm modifying the base, and will be building a similar size, but with 10 drawers, aprox 36" (18" per side, two columns). Also, I will build the top aprox the same dimension (72") but will be putting a laminate of double 8/4 walnut for the ends and twin screw jaws (3 1/2"). There is a possibility that I'll use hickory for the twin screw jaws, haven't made a final decision on that yet, but have the walnut if I choose.

I will use hickory for the top, and most all of the base, walnut for the ends of the top, and vertical grain paduak for the drawer fronts, and I just picked up some inexpensive maple which I'll use for the drawer sides/backs/bottoms. I hope to start on this soon, and planning to take a week of vacation which I hope I can get much of it done, but we all know how that goes...;)

[Tony Sade]

Tony, that'a a beautiful bench. I plan to make a similar one, using Schleining's basic design, with the Veritas Twin-Screw on the end. I have considered moving the trestle nearest the end vise to the end of the bench in order to make more room for storage underneath. Do you think this would create an interference problem with the twin-screw? I thought I might increase the vertical dimension of the upper trestle member to accomodate the holes for the screws.


Bob-As long as you don't mind drilling through the top cross-member of the trestle you can do what you're thinking of. Otherwise you need in excess of 12" clearance from the back of the end cap to the end of the screws. (Not sure how exact this number is but I think it's close.) LS's drawing/plan doesn't tell you that if you use his measurements and want to center the top on the trestles, you're gonna have to drill the top member. I have a fetish for symmetry and couldn't stand the unbalanced look so I drilled into the member at least an inch. Not fun, especially because the holes go right through those nice wedged m/t's. Oh well, the bench should easily outlive me. Thanks for the kind words.

HTH,