Looking for a workbench

[Scott Thornton]

I've been debating on building a nice bench like many have on here, but with my list of projects growing, I have decided to just buy one.

Anyone else bought one that they can recommend? I'd prefer not to spend the 2k for something like the Lie-Nielsen, but who knows.

TIA.

Scott

[Bart Leetch]

I hope you find what you want & or need.

My bench is a simple 3' x 6' top built from 1' plywood topped with 3/4" high density chip board & a top skin of
1/4" masonite. Banded with Poplar & set on a Poplar leg set & stretcher set. The legs are grooved where the front legs face the back legs & a 3/4" piece of plywood is glued into the groove. Bench bolts & mortise & tenon hold the rails into the legs from side to side. The only cost I have in this bench is the High density chip board & the masonite the rest of the bench is made from donated material.

I don't know what your experience level is I couldn't open your web site to see what your projects in the past may have been. I tried by clicking on the bullet by your name.

I highly recommend building your own bench its a lot of fun & very rewarding & skill building.

I admire the fancy wood-workers benches but they sometimes seem very unrealistic. I plan on adding a pop up stop for hand planing. I already have 2 wood working vises. You'll notice the the top is renewable 1/4" masonite.

I still need to build the tool case to go underneath which will set on top of the stretchers. In the mean time an old chest of drawers does stand in duty.

I forgot to mention its finished with Watco fruitwood wipe on Danish oil. Easy to work with & you can perk up how it looks at any time by dusting it off & if need be rubbing it down with scotch brite & wiping on a coat or 2.

[glenn bradley]

I was unable to find anything that seemed worth the money till I got way outside my price range. I'm building one along the lines of what Bart has shown. I'll take the extra $1500 or so and use it elsewhere. I felt the $1000 - $1500 benches were really nice but not nice enough to qualify the price for me. I'm not that good ;-)

[Bob Noles]

Hey Bart,

Nice bench and you did a great job. What are you using for a surface top? It looks like hardboard, but I can't be certain.

[Bart Leetch]

"My bench is a simple 3' x 6' top built from 1' plywood topped with 3/4" high density chip board & a top skin of 1/4" "masonite." :D ;)


Bob you are Weird & not very far from Eccentric. Its gaining on you!!!!

[Corey Hallagan]

I use 1/4 inch masonite or hardboard for all my workbenches and or cabinet tops. Just put a solid wood banding around them with room for the masonite to sit down into so it doesn't move around, and easily replaced when you get it all goobered up. Nice one Bart!

Another great way to go is a hollow core door from a home center. Nice and flat and you can still do the above mentioned with it as well.

Corey

[SCOTT ANDREWS]

Bart,
What Kind Of Sub-structure Did You Use To Support The Top If Any.i'm Building One Now And Have Pretty Much Everything Fiqured Out Except The Sub-structure.also,how Far Does Your Top Overhang The Trestles.thanks In Advance.
Scott

[Fred Gross]

If you're not in a hurry, keep your eyes on craig's list/classifieds. I got a nice european bench with cabinet (Laguna Tools) for $450. It needed some TLC, but after an hour or so with my No. 8 and some oil it looks like new.

FWW did a review of benches in a recent issue. LN had the top bench as far as fit/finish/function, but you know what that will cost you. The Sjoberg Elite 2000 was second in the test and is priced at $1500. The Diefenbach GB 16-43 was number 3 and runs $1,600.

Their best value choice was the Hoffman and Hammer 114102 for $800 from Highland Woodworking. It's main detraction was it's weight at 162 lbs. A tool shelf/cabinet mounted underneath could add some mass. Front to back pressure made it rock, but end-to-end planing pressure was no problem. Sounds like it might fit your needs.

[Bart Leetch]

Bart,
What Kind Of Sub-structure Did You Use To Support The Top If Any.i'm Building One Now And Have Pretty Much Everything Figured Out Except The Sub-structure.also,how Far Does Your Top Overhang The Trestles.thanks In Advance.
Scott

Scott

The legs are glued up pieces of poplar with the stretchers between.

The top is 1st bottom layer 1" plywood 2nd middle layer 3/4" high density chip board like they use for the base that counter top laminate is put over, you could use MDF & the top is 1/4" replaceable masonite.

I cut the chip board & plywood over-sized then laid a grid out on the underside of the plywood & with the chip board on the bottom & the plywood on top I pre-drilled & counter sunk holes using the grid through the plywood into the Chip board then spread glue on the chip board & screwed the plywood down on top.

When the glue was dry I took out the screws in from the edge about 6"-10" flipped it over & ripped & crosscut all the edges down to the size I wanted the bench top to be.

This was all done on the top of of my friends very flat cabinet saw & out-feed table.

There is about 4" from the leg to the outside of the apron banding the top. You'll notice that the banding is fairly wide so I used some scrap strips of plywood glued together to make thick pieces which I screwed just inside the apron boards so make clamping easier.

You can see the peg board in the leg end picture behind that is a spacer strip around all the edges & then 3/4" plywood piece in grooves in the legs holding the front & back legs together as a unit on the inside top of this plywood is a heavy cleat which has screws up through it into the bottom of the top this with the legs & stretchers has been nice & sturdy.

I plan on making a tool case in the near future. 2 pieces that will be lifted into place on top of the stretchers with cleats on the bottom of each case that will drop down behind the stretchers locking the case on top of the stretchers then the 2 sections will be screwed together so the whole bench & tool case will break down to be moved to a bigger shop.

The tool case right end of the right section & the left end of the left section will extend about 4" above the rest of the case to fasten drawer glides to literally making a wide drawer over the top of the tool case. My bench is also used as the out feed table for my Unisaw. This drawer will make it possible to quickly clear the top should it be needed for out-feed for the Unisaw.

I hope I explained this well & it helps you with your bench.

[Paul Simmel]

Scott,

I do hope someone does finally chime in with an answer to your question!

[Bart Leetch]

Scott,

I do hope someone does finally chime in with an answer to your question!

Paul

I answered his question. The top made the way it is & the fact that the bench is only 6" long it requires no
sub-structure. The top provides its own sub-structure. I have climbed up on top of the bench many times & at about 190 lbs I have never felt any give or spring to the top & no wiggle in the bench.

[Andrew Williams]

Honestly I have never seen a bench for sale that I would buy. It took me months to construct mine, but it is so large and heavy that it just doesn't move at all. Most of the little benches that I have seen for sale look like they needed a dozen sandbags to make them work well. Barring that, you are into big bucks for a pre-made big heavy bench.

[SCOTT ANDREWS]

BART,
Thanks for the info on your bench.My concern was a sagging top,but you cleared that up.I going to use 3 layers of MDF for the top.Top will be 30-32" wide by 80-84" long.By the way,nice looking bench.