Workbench Photo-Op

[Clayton Lambert]

This is my Hasluck Style bench I built from plans via the Woodwrights Guide. Its made of some circa 1850's poplar beams I got for free through my work, and some Lowes douglas fir for the legs.

The wooden vice screw was a chance $10.00 find at a flea market and it works just dandy. Since taking these photos back in April, I have added some Gramercy holdfasts, and a whole lotta dents and stains
photo (10).jpgworkbench2.jpg

[Joe A Faulkner]

Completed the basic bench in February/March time frame. Still need to add the deadman and build storage cabinet. 88" x 23". Twin Screw tail vise; leg vise featuring a wooden screw and hub from Matthew Evans.

[Don Kingston]

Julie and every one else, great looking work. My benches are old kitchen cabinets with counter top. need to add lots of pull out shelves. Or different horses with 2x's and a sheet or 2 of 3/4 plywood thrown across for my top. Sometimes I run some screws through to keep it in place.

[ken hatch]

I just finished building a new bench. I've always made my benches out of SYP but this time I wanted a pretty bench as well as a functional one. I found a good price on 8/4 European Beech a couple of months ago, started dimensioning just over two hundred BF June 15th and finished the bench the last week of July.

Over the years I've tried a number of vises, face, leg, tail, wagon and so on on my work benches. What I've found works best for my way of working is a vintage Record/Paramo face vise and no tail vise, wagon or other. For working faces of boards stops, battens, and holdfasts work much easier and faster with no chance of bowing thin work. The new bench has an asymmetrical split top that is 625mm wide (about 25" for those still stuck in the foot, inch, pound, stone world) that is 100mm thick (4"), and 2485mm long (97"). It stands 880mm high (35"). I figure from the approximate BF it weights close to 200 kilos (500lbs.). It has a Paramo #52 face vise that I've had on one or another bench since the 70's, a few 3/4" round dog holes for stops and holdfasts and that is about all. I expect over time I will add a few more dog holes as needed and a bench jack once I find time to build one.

Bottom line: I've taken everything that is not used or needed off and made a very simple bench that works for me and is a pleasure to use because there is nothing extra to get in the way.

workbenchFinal.jpg

[george wilson]

What a nice bunch of benches!! I would be happy if Julie would come down here for a few weeks and stay with us,and organize my shop and bench better!!!

[Greg Portland]

Here's a not so great picture of my bench before I added jaw faces. This was made for <$200 (not including the end vise hardware) and took 1/2 a day to build. The base is 3 torsion boxes connected via threaded rod (edges are left proud to eliminate wiggle). The top is another torsion box with a 2x6/1x6/2x6 sandwich for the dog holes on each side. The metal plate on the top is for a Kreg jig clamp. I've added holes along the face to support longer work when the boards are on edge.

[Bruce Page]

Mine is definitely not a Neander bench. I wanted big (36”x96” top), tall (42”), heavy, and solid. And I wanted lots of storage. The 14 drawers are 18” deep and the cabinet holds most of my portable power tools. The frame is M&T 8/4, raised panel construction with 8 panels on the backside that the spiders can enjoy.

It’s about 15 years old.

[Don Kingston]

Attachment 277870Attachment 277871

Mine is embarassing. Laminated mdf and hardwood glue-up top on two plastic sawhorses. It has a front vise, dog holes, and recessed kreg track in the top. It weighs about 130 lbs and I lift it onto the sawhorses as i convert the garage to the shop and back again (weekly). But the top is flat and I don't worry about damaging it. It works for me at this time.

different.
these look like the adjustable sawhorses to raise or lower the bench for that days need. Yes I use a couple of this type horse some older ones also can get wider

[Tom M King]

I've had all the wood, and parts for building a nice big one for years, but since I bought this one new in 1977 for $199 it's been the one that gets used. It's the little 5 foot Lervad. The top sits on the fold-up base on pins in each leg. I usually put the corner up against a North facing window since it probably doesn't weigh more than 50 pounds total. When I need a longer top, like in this picture, a 2x gets laid on the top with the off end supported with an adjustable roller support.

In this case the piece of molding being made is held in place on the 2x with 4d finish nails at the head and off side. The 2x has a block screwed to the bottom of it, held in the shoulder vise.

The big bench project has been relegated to "free time", but I haven't had any of that in years, and doing this all day, I have other stuff I like to do on weekends. Maybe I'll get to the fancy bench when I retire.

[Tom M King]

The full width tail vise is a handy thing, and the new, big bench has a big chunk of Tiger Maple waiting for that one.

The saw in the picture is not new, did not cost 200 bucks, is not filed hybrid, but averaged seven strokes on this cut. The shoulder cutoff was done with a 20 buck, made in England, Japanese pull saw. I used the pullsaw because I could flex it through the cut with one hand on the end of the blade, so that the shoulder edges could be flush, but with a little relief between the inside and outside shoulders.

[Tom M King]

I realized the last photo I posted didn't show any advantage to the tailvise over any other vise.........

This could also go in the Iwasaki file thread.

[Derek Cohen]

My bench was build fairly recently (Jan/Feb 2012). Here is a link for those who are looking for pointers.

This link takes you to the index: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/index.html



A few interesting ideas are the tool trays attached to the wall (rather than the bench) ..



There is also an AYS leg vise chain adjuster ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRev...nAdjuster.html




This year I built a smaller version



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...nAWeekend.html

This may be of interest if you want a simple DIY wagon vise ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

Gorgeous! Very nice work.

[maximillian arango]

Some really nice benches

[Lara Chan]

What's your top made out of?