I thought I would post some pictures of my almost completed Benchcrafted Shaker workbench. The only item left is the tail vise which I will be ordering shortly.
My version is scaled down a bit from the plans which call for an overall length of approx 85". My bench is approx 74" due to some space restrictions. I also scaled down some of the other pieces respectively to keep all of the origional proportions correct. The apron and end cap are a full 4" thick. The main section of the top is 2-1/4" thick. The workbench is 35" tall, and measures 23-1/2" from front to back. The carcass is made from 3/4" BB ply, the face frame, drawer fronts, doors, side panels and moldings are all made from full 1" Poplar. The carcass is very rigid and very heavy. The bench as it sits now, without tail vise assembly weighs over 300lbs.
There are also a few other cosmetic changes I made because, well, they appealed to me. I used Walnut for the dog hole backing strip, I think it makes a nice contrast with the Maple. I also chamfered the 4 edges of the carcass so that they matched the beveled edges of the doors and side boards. I also added an additional 1" molded base assembly to widen the footprint a little for some additional stability.
A tip of the cap to Jameel and the folks at Benchcrafted, their plans and vise hardware were first class (they even supplied the suede leather with enough to face the leg vise and all of the bench dogs), and Jameel took the time personally to answer any of my questions and concerns. I highly recommend their products to anyone looking to build a workbench....
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