Show us your Bench

[Tom Ruflin]

Tony, I used to be able to only work at the bench for about 1 hour and had to stop due to back pain (lack of exercise doesn't help either). With the adjustable height I can work for hours and adjust the height all the time. I bought the mobile option with the base, and while I don't use it much, it makes it easy to move the bench over to other tables I have in the shop to make a very large work surface that I find useful when vacuum veneering. I haven't used the new vice much but summer is almost over (currently 90 degrees here) and time to hit the shop.

[Steve Branam]

Here's a portable workbench I just finished so I can teach a continuing ed class at the local high school (in the art room; built 3 years ago, it has no industrial arts facilities ). This is my slight adaptation of Roy Underhill's slight adaptation of a bench from Bernard E. Jones Practical Woodworker. This was made from the prettiest 2x10 poplar I've ever seen, looked more like cherry.

More details and pics on my blog.

The thin strips on the top are planing battens. They fit in specially-placed dog holes. This allows you to plane a piece into the corner without having to secure it. The fastest clamp to adjust is the one that doesn't exist!

[Leigh Betsch]

Looks like a cool design Steve. How about a pic of it set up?

[Steve Branam]

Here's the underside of the bench showing how the removable braces attach.



Here's a couple of work-holding setups:





I have more pictures on the blog (part 3 of the build) at:

closegrain.com/2010/09/portable-workbench-part-3.html

[Tri Hoang]

Very well-thought out, compact, & portable design. I love the simplicity of the design. Nice work, Steve.

Here's the underside of the bench showing how the removable braces attach.



Here's a couple of work-holding setups:





I have more pictures on the blog (part 3 of the build) at:

closegrain.com/2010/09/portable-workbench-part-3.html

[Federico Mena Quintero]

Hello, everyone,

This is my first post. I may as well introduce myself in the workbench thread.

I built this bench a couple of months ago, based on Chris Scwharz's Roubo. Although I'm not left-handed, Bob Rozaieski's videos convinced me that the vise should be on the right and the crochet on the left.

The bench is not the prettiest thing, but damn, it's functional. I'm learning a lot of things and so far it hasn't disappointed.



The top is a slab of cedar, about 10cm thick, and the surface is about 120x60 cm. It is glued together from two pieces The legs and stretchers are just pine from construction lumber.

There are some more pictures and details of the construction here: http://people.gnome.org/~federico/news-2010-07.html#roubo

I think I'll add a front apron at some point for the holdfasts. Currently it has some more holes in the top, including a couple which I brilliantly augered right above the vise's screw - d'oh!

What kind of finish would you use on the top? Right now everything but the top has a coat of BLO - I didn't want to make the top too slippery.

Thanks!

[Andrae Covington]

Those are the biggest pieces of cedar I've ever seen, nice.

You could use the BLO on the top. It will reduce the grip somewhat but it's not going to turn into a slip-n-slide. If you've finished the sides of the top then you already have an idea how slippery or not it would be. If you don't like it, you could just re-plane the top to remove the finish. I used polymerized tung oil, which is basically the same thing, just a different source of oil.

[george wilson]

If you live in a humid climate,tung oil is better. It will not mildew and turn green like linseed oil. We used it on the wooden tools we made for Williamsburg. It was better for the craftsmen,like the Housewrights,who left their tools in small unheated out buildings

[Andrae Covington]

If you live in a humid climate,tung oil is better. It will not mildew and turn green like linseed oil. We used it on the wooden tools we made for Williamsburg. It was better for the craftsmen,like the Housewrights,who left their tools in small unheated out buildings

I had read this somewhere, and was one of the reasons I went with tung oil. Sometimes the relative humidity in my basement shop is 80%. Other times, 60%.

EDIT: I had read this somewhere... most likely sawmillcreek, most likely george wilson , and was one of the reasons I went with tung oil.

[george wilson]

I have posted it several times. We made many dozens of wooden planes and other tools with wooden parts. Tun worked better. Just takes longer to dry.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

Those are the biggest pieces of cedar I've ever seen, nice.

Yeah, I was very happy to find them! I still have the leftover chunk from the glue-up (say, about 120x30x10cm), which I'm itching to resaw. I'll have to make a frame saw or something; ripping that beast with my biggest saw to build the bench was just too much of a workout.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

If you live in a humid climate,tung oil is better. It will not mildew and turn green like linseed oil.

Interesting. I'll try to find tung oil here (being rather new to finishing, I don't even really know what is available in the big box stores). My town is in (what is quickly ceasing to be) a cloud forest, so it is ridiculously humid at times

How about wax?

[Andrae Covington]

Interesting. I'll try to find tung oil here (being rather new to finishing, I don't even really know what is available in the big box stores). My town is in (what is quickly ceasing to be) a cloud forest, so it is ridiculously humid at times

How about wax?

Just a warning that many things labeled as "tung oil", especially what you might find in big box stores, do not actually contain tung oil. Check the ingredients. I ordered mine online, but not sure what shipping would be like to Mexico.

Some people do use a wax finish on their workbenches. I think it comes down to personal preference about how slick you want the top to be. The nice thing about wax is that it helps resist glue drops, scratches, etc. I used beeswax over tung oil on the front stretcher to help my sliding leg vise slide. You could try a mixed finish of wax, BLO, and solvent (turpentine, mineral spirits, etc), which might take away some of the slipperiness of wax but still retain some surface protection.

[joseph quijas]

great bench; ive been looking for something to take with me out in the feild. the question for me is how to make something that is definately sturdy enough but doesnt weigh too much!

[Randy Bonella]

An update to a much earlier prior post but now she's standing on her own 4 legs




I still have the leg vise, wagon vise, crochet, deadman and a few dog holes for holdfasts to complete but now at least I have a functional bench to be working on.

100% reclaimed doug fir from a burn pile.

Randy...