Reality check before diving into a workbench build

[michael langman]

Ian, I am building amy first work bench starting in the next day or two. After researching and reading for the last few years on benches, I have decided to go simple and as inexpensive as possible.
I went through the 2x4 pile of douglas fir, at the home depot and my wood has been acclimating for the past 6 months or so in my basement.
Mike Siemson's video on a work bench withput a vice was the most enlightening video I watched.
The use of a Crochet, and well spaced holes in the bench is a very good way to work with wood. Leaving the wood tension free while straightening, flattening, squaring up makes much sense to me.
I am making a moxon vise using 3/4" pipe clamps to accompany my bench also.
Best of luck with your project.

[Ian Guy]

Michael-- I considered going without a vise too and just doing a crochet, but I went ahead and ordered the hardware for the benchcrafted leg vise. I won't add a tail vise though and will just use planing stops and holdfasts on the top.
I have had my wood acclimating in my shop for almost 2 weeks. It will probably go another month before I am ready to start building. Good luck with your bench build.

[Reinis Kanders]

In my somewhat limited experience Home depot doug-fir will move for probably a year after buying it and it will also have sap coming out of it so you have to take care while laminating it. That said, I have had good luck at HD finding excellent very tight grained (15-20 rings/inch) center cut 2x12s.

[Jeff Bartley]

Ian,

I'll add this advise: if you're getting the benchcrafted leg vise, make sure you get the criss-cross too!

When I built my bench years ago benchcrafted was just out of the gate and I installed their wagon vise. I only had funds for one high dollar vise so for the leg vise I used an inexpensive bench screw and built my own leg vise.

Never for a second have I regretted spending the dough on that wagon vise! What I regret now: my leg/stretcher bolt interferes with the criss-cross assemblage making a retrofit really diffficult.

A month or two back I decided it was time to upgrade my leg vise so I started looking at the leg vises benchcrafted offers now and once I pulled up the drawings for the criss-cross I realized it would be difficult to install. I plan to revisit this option to figure out a way to make it work.

Yes, I'm a huge supporter of benchcrafted!

My point: Doug fit, SYP, maple, oak, ash......all will make a fantastic bench but put nice hardware on your bench and do it right away because retrofitting is much harder than building it into the bench from the start.

[Chris Hachet]

Ian,

I'll add this advise: if you're getting the benchcrafted leg vise, make sure you get the criss-cross too!

When I built my bench years ago benchcrafted was just out of the gate and I installed their wagon vise. I only had funds for one high dollar vise so for the leg vise I used an inexpensive bench screw and built my own leg vise.

Never for a second have I regretted spending the dough on that wagon vise! What I regret now: my leg/stretcher bolt interferes with the criss-cross assemblage making a retrofit really diffficult.

A month or two back I decided it was time to upgrade my leg vise so I started looking at the leg vises benchcrafted offers now and once I pulled up the drawings for the criss-cross I realized it would be difficult to install. I plan to revisit this option to figure out a way to make it work.

Yes, I'm a huge supporter of benchcrafted!

My point: Doug fit, SYP, maple, oak, ash......all will make a fantastic bench but put nice hardware on your bench and do it right away because retrofitting is much harder than building it into the bench from the start.

Bench crafted stuff is quite frankly amazing.

[michael langman]

Yes it is quite amazing.

People from all over the world order their products, and have nothing but good things to say about them.

Ian, you will surely be pleased with their leg vise, I'm sure.