Intro and converting desk into workbench question?

[Michael J Evans]

Hello all.
For some reason or another hand tools and methods have seemed to grab my attention lately.For some Background: I started out ww'ing with a little lathe,originally bought for making fishing reel handles.Moved onto acquiring a table saw , made a few projects and lost interest (like most of my hobbies).
Well I'm back to wwing , and now that I think about it the reason I started getting sucked into hand tools was because I was in need of a jointer / planer, but realized I didn't have the space ( half of a single car garage) so I went in search of alternative's, Stumbled upon Paul sellers videos and have since became seriously interested.
I now own a no 4 & 5 Stanley, some cheap HF chisels,16" tenon saw, disston D8, marking gauges, with a saw set and some files on the way. Since beginning my hand tool journey I've quickly realized my desk with a 3 1/2" machinist vise aint gonna cut it for holding stock to cut or plane.
Which really leads to my question...I have this older Jackson furniture desk made in the 50's / 60's. Heavy as heck, it has dovetail drawer construction and is made of densiwood? Which best I can find out / tell from cutting into it, is it's solid wood that's been impregnated with something. My original plan was to build a paul sellers bench, but I don't have room to keep this desk (which was both my grandfather's and fathers) and build a bench. I really would like to repurpose this desk into a workbench. It's 5ft wide by roughly 33" deep and I would guess the top is 11/2" thick or so. I'm mostly looking for confirmation on whether this is a good idea or would I be much better off just building a new bench? This will be my one and only bench.
Also I'm having hard time figuring out how to raise it up, while keeping a solid foot print and how to then attach the new extension to the desk. I do have some ideas on how and where I would attach a face and tail vise, still thinking about how I would clamp to the top though. Anyways any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

(On a side note, apologies in advance for my poor writing skills. Never have totally figured out where all the dots and commas go.)

[Jim Koepke]

It may be possible to keep your desk as is and use it as a bench. Instead of modifying the desk make what is called a bench on top of bench construction.

Often it is a smaller bench for specialized use. In your case it could be a bench top for woodworking that could later have a base installed if you find yourself with more space.

jtk

[john zulu]

The table looks solid enough for planing but hammering is a question. The legs looks thin. I would give it a try BUT when there is racking in the table I suggest you stop immediately as it will damage the table further.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Jack...P0eMl81SoSM%3A

[Phil Mueller]

Not sure if it would work, but I would consider building a bench over the desk. Perhaps the bottom stretchers could be under the drawers and perhaps even have the desk sit on top of the stretchers to weigh down the bench. You would not need to build the bench to the depth of the desk. Vise screws might run between the desk top and the bottom of the bench top, if space permits. The bench could be construted using bolts, so it could be dissasembled to retrieve the desk in the future. Haven't really thought it through completely, but it would be a way to get a bench, keep the desk, and take up just a slightly larger footprint. The desk drawers for tools/etc, would be a bonus.

Welcome back to the world of woodworking!

[Joe A Faulkner]

The dimensions of the desk are problematic for using it as the foundation of a hand tool work bench. You could repurpose the desk as the main cabinet for a shaker style bench but it would be a lot of work. you could remove the top, separate the drawer stacks. Cut off their legs. Modify their depth to 20" or so and build a workbench base that uses the modified drawer stacks for storage. Build a new 3" thick top and make a coffee table and or hall table out of the old desk top. If you try to build a bench on bench over the desk, I think it will be too tall. 33" is pretty wide for a bench unless you can set it such that you can work it from all sides. How about using the desk as an outfeed table/assembly table for you tablesaw and build a separate bench?

[David Eisenhauer]

For my use, trying to make the desk work as a hand tool workbench would be too much of a stretch (overall dimensions, undersized legs, degree of difficulty for clamping objects down, degree of difficulty for adding a vise to, probability of causing damage to the desk). In my case, the desk would go in the house and I would build a purpose built workbench, even if it was a quick-build, simple 2x4 type sturdy workbench with a double-plywood top that would hold me until I decided if I really wanted or needed to build a more hand tool specific, heavier duty type workbench. That is what would work for me, but you will figure out what will work for you. My point is, I think it would take too much work-around effort to transmogrify the desk into a woodworking bench and the time would be better spent in building something more fit for the purpose.

[Michael J Evans]

Hmm the bench on a desk idea is intriguing, though I'm having a hard time imagining how I would secure it enough while planing? (Sp?)

My original idea was to cut off the feet (they have already been cut off and re glued by someone else) and build two separate box's that would attach to the cabinets and then brace across the back.

But while sitting here staring at it, and after reading the comments it'll prob be more trouble than its worth. I would have to remove the top right drawer and carve out the cabinet side to accommodate a tail vise.

I haven't quit figured out how to quote and all that on my mobile but @ david Eisenhower, regarding your last couple of sentences, at this point I think your right. I would hate to carve up this desk just to have something that might work okay....

I just went out and bought a mobile table saw base, after I get that set up and mobile I may be able to arrange my space differently, and keep both.

Anyways thanks for all the comments so far and if anyone else has any ideas, please shoot em this way. I'm gonna continue brainstorming for now.

[Bill McDermott]

A desk is a better workbench than nothing. However, once you start working on a bench you will be very glad for it. Think of a bench as the big part of a clamp or vise. It's a work holding device. It's tough to clamp things to a desk. Too bad you can't fit both. The desk could stay in the shop and serve as a desk, as a storage cabinet, as an assembly table, as a multipurpose horizontal surface and junk holder. That would keep your bench clear to do work.

[Chris Hachet]

I would google Bob and Dave's fast and cheap bench. Go dumpster diving in a new home subdivision if you are absolutely broke, but build a cheap bench from scratch. Use construction grade pine.

Clamping is perhaps the most under rated function of a bench, and having a bench free from obstructions where you can clamp things will be a major revelation.

Also, you will figure out 20 things you wish you had done differently, and incorporate them into your next bench. I waited 30 years to build a really good quality bench, and I would have gotten a lot more done if I had just built myself a proper woodworking bench back when Reagan was president.

Good luck with whatever you do and keep us posted!

[Chris Hachet]

For my use, trying to make the desk work as a hand tool workbench would be too much of a stretch (overall dimensions, undersized legs, degree of difficulty for clamping objects down, degree of difficulty for adding a vise to, probability of causing damage to the desk). In my case, the desk would go in the house and I would build a purpose built workbench, even if it was a quick-build, simple 2x4 type sturdy workbench with a double-plywood top that would hold me until I decided if I really wanted or needed to build a more hand tool specific, heavier duty type workbench. That is what would work for me, but you will figure out what will work for you. My point is, I think it would take too much work-around effort to transmogrify the desk into a woodworking bench and the time would be better spent in building something more fit for the purpose.

Exactly. I think one could build a proper bench for $75 to $150 depending on the choice of vise and how creative one is with sourcing lumber.

[Michael J Evans]

Too bad you can't fit both. The desk could stay in the shop and serve as a desk, as a storage cabinet, as an assembly table, as a multipurpose horizontal surface and junk holder. That would keep your bench clear to do work.

I set up the mobile base for the table saw and wow... even though technically I have the same amount of space, being able to move that sucker around is a game changer. No longer do I have to shimmy myself or my projects around the saw.

Now that the saw is mobile I'm going to try and make both work, if not then so be it and I'll see if my dad wants the desk back for any reason.

I'm pretty much set on sellers / nicholson? Design. I've been spending the last few nights drawing it out on paper. So far I'm thinking 30" deep X 60" wide X 38 high. From my searching it seems hand tool benches tend to not be as deep as regular benches, is there a main reason why? I can easily reach across my desk now, which is 33", just trying to figure out why the reasoning I've read for narrower?

Also along the same lines I'm trying to figure out if I want a tool well or not, Seems like a highly personalized kind of thing.Paul recommends them, but my bench will be against a wall, so I don't feel like it's as necessary, any insight?

[David Eisenhauer]

As this thread originated in a predominantly hand tool working forum, I will assume you are pointing towards hand tool woodworking. Typically, experts will advise that 24" is usually a maximum width desired for a hand tool working bench. For determining the dimensions of a hand tool working bench, I feel that one might think in terms of actually performing the standard clamping/stopping, chiseling, planning and sawing activities on the bench as opposed to the additional tasks such as assembly/gluing/clamping, finishing, storage, etc. I wonder if there are many hand tool activities associated with typical furniture fabrication that will benefit from a wider width bench? You may be able to reach 30" or so, but can you perform work there? Mixing in the fact that only a limited amount of space for a bench is available and the bench has to go along a wall (blocking access to one side) only confuses things in my mind. One single-size fits all or specific hand tool work size only bench? The hand tool work bench will benefit from some specific build details (top thickness/general mass, flush sides for ease of clamping, built in vise arrangements, etc) that are not required for the additional furniture building tasks that can be accomplished on a less massive (easier moved as required) multi-purpose type work surface. For my use, a tool well is a good thing, but that detail is a personal thing in my opinion.

[Chris Hachet]

At the very least having a hand tool capacity in a workbench may well help him down the road even if he is using 90 percent wooer tools. One can clamp things quickly and efficiently to power sand them or measure them on a hand tool bench...

[Jim Koepke]

Christopher Schwarz offers a good write up on why benches are sized the way they are:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/wo...wide-workbench

jtk

[Chris Hachet]

I love Schwartz....he does an excellent job of breaking down exactly what you need and suggests keeping it simple and building furniture.