Overhanging area of workbench

[Bill McDermott]

Looking at many workbenches from the front, the right-hand section overhangs the legs significantly. Can those with wisdom explain that?

I realize that a sliding tail vise needs clearance for the stock (when inserted vertically). Wouldn't it be better to set the legs back to provide that clearance from the front?

I am leaning towards a twin screw tail vise. I know I have to accomodate those screws and bars. But that does not require a complete overhang.

Some overhang helps for clamping. My concern is the extent of the unsupported benchtop. I clipped and inserted a picture from FWW.com to illustrate. All that cantilevered space raises my eyebrows.

Why is it done that way?

Thanks.

[Wilbur Pan]

It seems to me that if you set the legs back, that would increase the amount of cantilevering that you say you want to avoid.

Other reasons for having the legs up front include [1] providing support and a clamping surface when trying to clamp a long/wide board to the front of the bench to work on the edge, and [2] providing support for chisel pounding, which one tends to do towards the front right part of the bench.

Some of this doesn't apply to the bench you picture, because of the drawers installed underneath. Personally, I wouldn't have drawers underneath the bench.

[glenn bradley]

I left about 16 inches hanging off each end of my bench. This gives me some clamping options and 'through the vise' options although I do not use a tail-style vise on the end.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=72306&d=1190341175

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=70742&d=1188335292

[Doug Shepard]

I'm putting a twinscrew on mine and am using Noden Adjust-A-Bench legs. The screws will straddle the leg panel so a big RH overhang isnt needed. Maybe on that type of bench in the pic you could have the top right drawer just be a door instead for nothing more than a screw space with holes for them through the RH cabinet side?

[Graham Skinner]

I intend to use a overhang like this on a bench I'm building at the moment.
My main reasons are

1) It will give me some place to park my planer.

2) My knee's will be more comfortable if I decide to sit down and work.

[Alan Turner]

I build benches that way so that one can clamp stock in the TV at an angle with no interference. That is, the stock can be under the bench, which is often handy to achieve a comfortable working angle.

[Robert Trotter]

Hi, I am no expert but I am building my bench now and will have no tail vice on mine, but for what it is worth I was planning a twin screw tail vice but after getting the shed finished I decided not to for space and workabilty. But that is a different stroty. Anyway I thought about the overhang a lot and wheather to have one at all (legs right at the end - maximising under bench stroage and clamping) to a fairly long overhang. What I opted for was about 14" from the outside of the leg to the end of the bench. Reasoning was that I wanted to maximise under bench space but allow for things to be able to be put underneath the ends if needed, either for working or for storage ( on wheels) . But the main reason was that I worked out where I would be chopping mortices etc and "heavy work" and put the legs there, balanced with under bench storage.
I should say that my bench will be against the wall and have limited side clearance, so storage area etc is very important for me.

My bench design also has no top short stretchers so there is no interferance with a vice if I wanted to add a twin screw later. But with a more traditional bench base then you will have to have enough room for the screws or have the top stretcher large enough that you can run the screws of the twin screw through it.

Hope this helps to get your thought sorted out.


I am no expert but I think the long overhang in your picture works OK as there are cabnte under and that combined with hardwood would make it very heavy. If your were to have no drawers etc or not use hardwood then the overhang canterlever may be too much for stabilty.
Robert

[James Mittlefehldt]

I built my bench with the twin screw vise across the end and so made the overhang equal on each end, the benchis seven foot pluss four inches of jaw on the vise. I chop mortises over the legs.

I suspect the overhang in the picture you show would be fine as it is counter balanced by the weight of the drawers and their contents. Also gives space to store stuff to as Alan said.

[Marcus Ward]

Having just built a bench with a traditional tail vise (not the fancy one with the metal guides) you have to have the overhang because parts of the tail vise are under there. You could leave holes, I suppose, but it'd be a pain in the arse to build it that way. It's not really an issue on bench built stoutly enough. I can sit on mine and the bench doesn't tip, nor does it seem to bother it when beating something to death on there. On a traditional bench with a tool till there is a very narrow area where you can put the legs, if you set them back on that end for the vise you'll end up with your front and rear leg on that end about 5" apart, not as stable as an overhang and full width legs. On a newer style tail vise with the metal guides you could get away with less overhang. It's also a handy place out of the way to sweep plane shavings. :)

[John Schreiber]

With a traditional tail vise, the structure which keeps the tail vise from racking takes a lot of space and makes it easier to put the legs inboard. Also, as Allen mentioned above it's nice to be able to clamp things at an angle under the bench.

If you aren't going to use a traditional tail vise, there's no reason for the big cantilever. I think three inches is all that's really necessary for clamping.

[Ron Dunn]

Non-expert response here, but I'm sure I read somewhere - a long time ago - that the purpose of this overhang was to be able to hold a case (ie, drawer or chest) for trimming and planing, such as trimming through dovetails with a plane.

[Bill McDermott]

Good information. Never occurred to me that there would be situations where the workpiece itself extends into that space. Now that you mention it, I can relate it to the horn on an anvil -- or even (perish the thought) ironing a shirt sleeve on the end of a board. Last week I was wrestling around a carcass while I planed the edging flush. Would have been perfect to hang, hook and plane on the end of the bench.

You guys know it all! Thanks and happy weekend.