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OK. I appreciate your help Jim.

Thank Jim. I don't have wood surfaces treated with Watco a few years ago, to see how those surfaces age. From what I've read, I'm expecting to need to reapply Watco from time to time. I'm not sure if...

I tried different clear coats on scraps of Radiata pine I'll use for window/door trim in a shop. I wanted to find one that darkened reddish brown heartwood and didn't yellow or darken the pale...

Those are good ideas. I think I'll ask Geoff at Adjust-A-Bench if I could order a custom top. His gallery photos show a lot of different laminations that all look flat enough to be assembly tables....

Starting to get used to the idea that I'm the bench builder I was looking for. It was a good time reading 4 books on bench building--big help for more than just design ideas. Then I had fun drawing...

Did you have any problems cutting mortices into the Doug Fir?.

I think part of wanting a pro to build it was thinking they would make the right choice of lumber. And whether to use 4 x 4s for legs and rails and 4 x 6s (ripped to 5") for the stretchers, or use...

Steve, I appreciate that link. I emailed owner asking about size, how much tail vise sag, moisture in bottom of legs, etc. I told him I'd rent a van and drive from Cleveland to inspect and purchase....

Thanks guys. I like that idea about posting this in the Hand Tool forum. Hearing about the tools required for chopping mortices and drilling dog and holdfast holes in bench top will be interesting,...

Thanks guys. Didn’t realize it could cost that much but I’m hearing a lot about lumber prices being high. I have no practical understanding of the labor involved. At each of the 4 houses I’ve lived...

I know building my own bench is a good learning experience. For personal reasons I was hoping to find someone to build it for me.

But none of the custom woodworking shops around Cleveland have...

Thanks guys. I've purchased or downloaded pdf version of all these books. Had a lot of fun over the fall and winter learning about workbenches, work holding, and workshop layouts. So now it's time to...

Wow. Glad I checked back to see if there were any replies. Never saw a vise like yours. That's a nice custom design--both the bench and the vise.

I used the term sawmill based on the sign on their building. Maybe the first generation was more of a traditional sawmill, but they have grown. And now the third generation does a lot of different...

I checked out LN's and other pre-fab benches Andrew, but want to make a knock down trestle base because there's a chance we'll be moving in a year or two. So once I know I can get the top laminated,...

Thanks Dave. So instead of me guessing that 8 boards face glued will be 14.5" (because S2S is suppose to be 1.81" thick) I'll ask them how many boards will make a 14 to 15" wide section. I'll state a...

Thanks guys. I looked at Grizzly but want to go thicker that the 2.25" tops that they offer. Benchcrafted and Plate 11 sure make some nice benches but I prefer something closer to Robert Lang's 21st...

I've never used a planer or jointer and don't know anything about millwork so I'm trying to understand how to ask a sawmill to make a workbench top for me. Not sure what type of glue press they have,...

My bench will be similar to Robert Lang's 21st century design. A 7" Record style vise (single screw with two guide rods) will be used at the tail vise position. Wood jaw liner will be thick enough...

Thanks guys. Sounds like the consensus is that few well placed .75" diameter holes and a couple of good hold fasts will come in handy.

Like the photo of your shop Derek. I'm planning on adding a twin screw to mount on bench top like you do. Seems to solve a lot of problems by having a higher working height for some work and also...

Thanks Curt. I should have said final top thickness would be closer to 3.5" after all final planing and smoothing. I was hoping 3.5" would be thick enough for a 5' span between the two top...

It's been interesting learning the many different ways to clamp a piece to a workbench. And the different ways to build a bench. Of all the online resources I've read and returned to, this is the...