Who needs a 400 lb workbench when you have a scrap piece of 1x4?

[Wilbur Pan]

I've been trying to get a leg up on my Roubo bench project. The workbench I have been making do with is a Sears version of a Workmate, which does fine as a clamping device, but it moves all over the place when I'm trying to plane something. I was really beginning to appreciate a saying I heard once about how "you need a workbench to build a workbench."

But then I had an "Aha!" moment. Recently I came into possession of a board of poplar 3 1/4" thick, 8 3/4" wide, and 6 1/2 feet long. It was rough cut, with a lot of dirt and bird poop on it. I also had been reading Scott Landis' workbench book, and in the chapter on Japanese woodworking workshops, there is some discussion on trestle beam workbenches.

I planed the beam down so that the surface was level. Then I put it on some sawhorses, and put a board of 3/4" pine on the back side of it to serve as a place to hold tools.

Here's what it looks like:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/2526442156_559be38e66.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2281/2526442244_92f6a4349d.jpg

So how can this set up be at all stable? Here's where the 1x4 comes in. I nailed the 1x4 scrap to one of the sawhorses, and set it up so that it butts up against the wall of my workshop. On the underside of the poplar beam I installed two screws so that the heads protruded above the surface by a little bit, and arranged the beam so that the screws rested against the cross beam of the sawhorse.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2526442308_870e926694.jpg

I installed another two screws so that the heads were above the top surface of the beam, and placed a thin scrap of cherry across them to make a planing stop.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2375/2525622367_ae04a53ea6.jpg

With Japanese planes, which work on the pull stroke, everything locks into place under planing pressure. The plane pulls on the workpiece, which butts into the cherry planing stop, which butts up against the screws. The beam butts up against the sawhorse with the two screws on the underside, and the sawhorse runs into the wall thanks to the 1x4 scrap. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING moves.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/2525622449_8937588fda.jpg

A similar setup could be done for western planes, if you made a mirror image of this setup. If you're a lefty, you could use this setup as is. I've tried a variety of Stanley bench planes on this setup, although I was planing left handed, but again this setup is rock solid.

Sawing can be done with Japanese saws, which cut on the pull stroke, because the pull stroke clamps the workpiece to the bench top, again locking everything in place.

Crosscutting:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/2525622497_3e4eb5f8f5.jpg

Cutting dovetails (my 5 year old boy took this photo!):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/2526442646_a4f1584f37.jpg

By the way, if you ever wanted a good demonstration of the kind of surface that a Japanese plane can leave on wood, check out the light round thing on the side of the beam. That's the reflection of my saw where the handle meets the blade. There's no finish and no sanding here. I just planed down the roughness on the side of the beam with my Japanese plane, which isn't anything special. I bought it used on eBay.

Chiseling tasks work just fine. I generally try to direct chisel cuts so that I am pushing or chopping down into the bench anyway, and I can use the planing stop to brace the workpiece against. I can always resort to clamping the workpiece to the poplar beam if I have to.

I'm still going to make the Roubo, since I actually do use western planes from time to time, I can't see functioning without a vise, and I don't think that this setup is going to hold a face vise very easily. The ability to use holdfasts would also be nice, although I think I could drill some holdfast holes into the beam. The other workbench task that seems problematic with this setup is doing rough planing across the face of the board or on a diagonal for initial leveling with a jack plane or jointer plane, but at least I have my workbench to make a workbench now.

[Chris Friesen]

By the way, if you ever wanted a good demonstration of the kind of surface that a Japanese plane can leave on wood, check out the light round thing on the side of the beam. That's the reflection of my saw where the handle meets the blade.

Not to rain on your parade or anything, but I suspect it's actually the reflection of the camera flash bouncing off the saw. :)

[Tim Put]

Same thing, you just clarified what the light source was. Camera flash - saw, bounces off - side of bench, bounces a second time - back to the camera, through the lens.

[Chris Padilla]

I'd put a board on the cinder-block wall to spread the pressure your 1x4 is putting on it plus it looks like you have it over a joint in the cinder-block.

I see plenty of scrap that you can use! :D

Oh, nice temporary bench. I recently got a huge chunk of a fir beam from a house that is about 3' long, 12" wide, and 5-6" thick. I simply put it on my bench and pound away on it.

[Peter Quadarella]

Nice pics. I do a simlar thing with the bracing when face planing - I have a 6' long pipe clamp that goes to a hole in a 2x4 which is screwed to the wall. It braces the portable bench I have against the wall and the whole thing is rock solid.

[Dave Matson]

The workbench I have been making do with is a Sears version of a Workmate, which does fine as a clamping device, but it moves all over the place when I'm trying to plane something.

I was experiencing the same thing with my workmate until I put a couple of small buckets full of sand (sourced from the beach a few blocks away) on the lower shelf my grandpa had added. Its much more solid now.

[Terry Beadle]

I like the trestle beam workbench. I patterned my workbench on it's fundamental use, added a tool till on the back that has removeable bottoms ( ala David Charlesworth ) and the later converted the right front cornor into a tail vice.

The main work area is slightly wider than your beam and made out of rock maple. I inset a Record quick release vice on the left front cornor. Two rows of oak pegs.

After several years of use, it's almost ready for a tune up replaning of the complete work surface.

I recommend you just formalize the use of that popular beam. You could change the planing block to a sliding dovetail and have different dovetailed pieces for different thicknesses of stock.

I guess what I'm saying is you may want a Robo but that beam ain't shabby... hoot!

Keep going as it's the trip not the destination.