Hey Creekers,
I'd like to make my first real (non-premade)workbench sometime soon.
My requirements are a bit different from most of you'all:
1. I may be doing some basic jointery, make small boxes and small stuff around the house.
Most of the rough dimensioning would be done offsite.
2. Guitar building. Something solid to clamp work boards to, a heat pipe, gunsmith vise.
3. Would like it to be portable.
4. Relatively small (48" long). I'll be sticking this in my bedroom.
Do you guys have any suggestions? A lot of the luthiers that I know just screw together some 2x4" and slap about 2-3 layers of MDF on top. Most of the thicknessing/dimensioning is done with power tools.
Personally, I'd like to make something a little nicer than that.
The Underhill bench (Closegrain's "apartment workbench"), Moravian bench (canted legs to avoid racking), and knockdown Nicholson (torsion box) are all on my short list.
I'm not sure if there's something else that you can recommend?
-Matt
ps. The portable part is partially because I've had to move so often! If I built a huge Roubo, I wouldn't likely be able to enjoy it.
pps. I forgot to mention that I'm fairly inept...but stubborn.