I went and done it…

[Tony Wilkins]

Ordered a bench and Jameel and company did a marvelous job…
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part of me feels guilty for not building one myself but after a decade and being afraid of manipulating the weight of the components I took the easy road.

[Bruce Mack]

Congratulations. It's really nice and I wish I had bought or made a real bench.

[Tony Wilkins]

I struggled with kludging together workholding for so long. It makes things so much easier when you don’t have to figure out how to secure a board for different operations.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I used BC's STR plans and hardware; smile every time I use it. I'm betting you will too.

[Christopher Charles]

You will love it and there's no shame in supporting a fabulous small business :)

[David Carroll]

Ordered a bench and Jameel and company did a marvelous job…
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part of me feels guilty for not building one myself but after a decade and being afraid of manipulating the weight of the components I took the easy road.

Don't feel guilty! Some folks want to build a bench as a kind of a rite of passage, or as an "entrance exam" into "fine" woodworking, and I hear people telling newbies this all the time. But if your goal is to make things, then make things! A bench is a tool, like any other. Nobody would say anything if you bought a marking gauge, or a bow saw, or a wood bodied smooth plane, but these are all examples of tools that can and have been built by craftsmen throughout history. If you enjoy building tools and shop furniture then great! But it's not a prerequisite. Some folks just want to get right to building other useful things for their homes, or as gifts.

People will often say you can't do good work without a big, sturdy bench. Also nonsense. When I was in my early 20s I decided to buy a small work bench, rather than build one. So I bought a Sjobergs Hobbyist bench. It was a small but classic Scandinavian bench with a shoulder and tail vise, A bit over 4-feet long. I always figured I would someday build a bigger bench, just as soon as I felt I needed one. Well, it's been 40 years now and that little Sjobergs bench is still with me.

Enjoy the bench and enjoy making things!

DC

[Stew Denton]

Tony,

+1 on the congrats! Looks like you did extremely well to me.

Stew

[George Yetka]

Take a hammer and hit it, making a mark. Then you will not have to worry about messing it up and you can just enjoy its existence and use it.

[Rob Luter]

You know that noise Homer Simpson makes when he sees an open box of donuts? I’m making that noise right now.

[Dave Zellers]

Fantastic. One of the benefits of making your own bench is advancing your skills. One of the benefits of buying a bench is you can more quickly get to work advancing your skills.

Totally agree with George Y. Have the first thing you make on it be a blemish so you can then move forward. Make no mistake, if it was me, I think I'd only be able to whack it with a hammer on the bottom where I couldn't see it. It's just too gorgeous and perfect right now. But let that whack be symbolic of the marks that are to come.

Don't know how old you are but seeing that picture of it still wrapped in plastic reminds me of the families back in the 50's that would spring for new furniture and then leave the plastic covers on unless 'company' was coming. Rip off the plastic, spill something on it, and get busy.

Congrats on the new bench. Wow.

[Mel Fulks]

Oh Yeah , Dave ! I remember seeing a couple of Naugahyde sofas that were used with the clear plastic left on for quite a while !

[William Fretwell]

When the plastic comes off rub the whole bench with Tung oil, then you will have seen all of it! Especially the bottom of the legs for the unexpected flood. A tornado filled my workshop with 3 inches of mud and water. Slows moisture changes, stains, adds to non slip.

As for the hammer, marks will come in due time. You will love the increased productivity. Go on take the plastic off…..

[Tony Wilkins]

Planes used in work for the first time. The bench has been christened…
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[Dave Zellers]

That had to feel good!

[Tony Wilkins]

That had to feel good!

It did! It’s the first time I haven’t had to figure out how to plane a long edge with some sort of kludge. I can actually use my legs to plane (at keast as long as I could stand).

[Monte Milanuk]

The bench has been christened…


Oh? Did you give it the first obligatory hammer ding? Coffee cup ring? Something else? :D

[Tony Wilkins]

Oh? Did you give it the first obligatory hammer ding? Coffee cup ring? Something else? :D
No, I plan to let it come naturally. I don’t care if it’s perfect so that’s not been an issue for me.

[David Carroll]

When my bench was brandy-new, I babied it for a long time. Bit by bit it's picked up some "character." Now after 40 years it's developed a nice "patina." It'll come in time. I've heard people say, "work on the bench, not into it!" That makes sense to me to a point.

It brings to mind the old story that Frank Klaus tells about being an apprentice in some technical academy where the strict headmaster would charge the apprentices a fine of one guilder, each time they nicked one of the benches. One fellow working late on his last day walked past the headmaster and handed him a guilder, apologizing for making a cut in the bench, and left. When the headmaster walked into the room to turn off the lights, he saw that the bench had been sawn in half.

DC

[Paul McGaha]

Tony,

That is really very nice. It's an awesome new tool. Congratulations.

PHM

[Luke Dupont]

I thought most of us just get into an infinite loop of building benches which we then use to build the next bench to build the next bench to build the next bench.

I mean, that's what I did.

Can't imagine what I'd be doing if not building so benches! Heaven forbid I ever find time to work on an actual project!