Traveling Workbench Base

[ken hatch]

The travel workbench base is together. Still to go is the slab, tool tray, vise backer, chop, and vise install. It could be several more weeks before the fat lady sings with work and keeping Casa Chaos from falling down taking away shop time.

I've always built French style bases for my workbenches, that could be changing. The Moravian design is amazingly stable and rack free. When you add in that it can easily be taken apart if needed, I see no down side vs. a French base. I'm not ready to replace the main workbench but my joinery/assembly bench may become MsBubba's pottery bench.

Here are a couple of photos of the base:

travelBenchBaseR180420dscf2662.jpg

From the other end:

travelBenchBaseL180420dscf2664.jpg

Even without the slab it is rock solid.

ken

[James Pallas]

Looks good. When you are finished get some tire tread and spike to the bottom of those legs. You will not be able to push it around with your fun house.
Jim

[Bob Leistner]

A few years back I decided on slanted legs for my bench and have been thrilled with it. No need for massive amounts of weight to achieve a stable, unmovable bench.Have used the bench almost daily since I built it and I don't think I have ever moved it an inch while working.

[ken hatch]

Looks good. When you are finished get some tire tread and spike to the bottom of those legs. You will not be able to push it around with your fun house.
Jim

Jim,

The v1 of the bench was very stable even if it was very light. This one being a little heavier should be rock solid.

ken

[ken hatch]

A few years back I decided on slanted legs for my bench and have been thrilled with it. No need for massive amounts of weight to achieve a stable, unmovable bench.Have used the bench almost daily since I built it and I don't think I have ever moved it an inch while working.

Bob,

That's been my experience as well. One of the reasons my next bench build for the shop will probably have a Moravian style base. I'm using the first traveling bench I built as my sharpening bench and it is as stable as any bench even ones that are heavier.

ken

[Bob Leistner]

I think (and may be wrong) the Moravian label is due to both the slanted leg and the knock down design. Mine is pegged mortise and tenon thus permanently assembled.Still it uses the same concept to achieve the same benefits. I used Spruce because it is said to be the strongest, weight to strength ratio, of any domestic wood.I really was trying to see just how light I could go and still matchup with any heavyweight bench for stability. As far as I'm concerned, I have succeeded beyond expectations. It also (for the more thrifty minded) was very inexpensive to build.Before I put the top on, I picked up the entire base assembly by one leg. How's that for lightweight?

[ken hatch]

I think (and may be wrong) the Moravian label is due to both the slanted leg and the knock down design. Mine is pegged mortise and tenon thus permanently assembled.Still it uses the same concept to achieve the same benefits. I used Spruce because it is said to be the strongest, weight to strength ratio, of any domestic wood.I really was trying to see just how light I could go and still matchup with any heavyweight bench for stability. As far as I'm concerned, I have succeeded beyond expectations. It also (for the more thrifty minded) was very inexpensive to build.Before I put the top on, I picked up the entire base assembly by one leg. How's that for lightweight?

Bob,

I'm not sure the breakdown part is necessary for the bench to be of Moravian design but of course that is what drew me to the bench. The stability/weight ratio is the reason I'm building another and maybe a couple more just for grins. Building workbenches is a sickness, kinda like collecting pre-war Marple chisels, and I can be a sick puppy at times.

Here is a link I found this morning about workbenches https://dblaney.wordpress.com/tag/moravian-bench/ . It is a short but good read.

ken

[bridger berdel]

Here is a link I found this morning about workbenches https://dblaney.wordpress.com/tag/moravian-bench/ . It is a short but good read.

ken

From that page:

I’ve eaten my words before and when served with some appropriate beverage, they’re not half bad.

Heh.

[ken hatch]

As I have often said it is better to be lucky than good. Today was a case in point. I went to bed last night and awoke with either a "cold" or a bad case of allergies, bottom line after a bad night I do not feel like doing anything other than drinking whiskey with some honey and feeling sorry for myself. One problem with that plan, I want to work on the bench once I feel like it and there is not a board in the woodpile wide enough and/or thick enough to use as a slab. In addition, the wood store is closed on Sunday. What to do other than suck it up Bubba and make the trip. I did and after going through the stacks at the wood store I couldn't find a single board that would work and almost gave up but I remembered they keep the European Beach inside with the $40 USD a board foot wood. At first glance the Beech stack did not look promising but hidden in back was a 8/4 X 400mm X 2200mm hunk of Beech that is perfect for the slab. Whip out the AmEx, throw it in the bed of the trunk and I have my slab with zero glue up....Life doesn't get better.

It is still whiskey and honey and feeling sorry for myself but at least I have the slab for when I can work on it.

ken

[Chet R Parks]

Ken, The base looks great vary beefy and solid. Can I ask what the angle the legs are splayed? Also, did you use wooden dowels to secure the top or did you come up with another way?
Thanks
Chet

[Chet R Parks]

Ken, never mind, I found it 106.31 degrees

[Patrick Chase]

Nice bench!

How did you decide how much extra length to leave on the ends of the stretchers?

In theory you should be able to get by with less than that, but I don't entirely trust the theory in this case so I'm curious to see what standard practice is.

[ken hatch]

Ken, The base looks great vary beefy and solid. Can I ask what the angle the legs are splayed? Also, did you use wooden dowels to secure the top or did you come up with another way?
Thanks
Chet

Chet,

Approximately 15 degrees. I set a master bevel gauge and worked off it, that's the reason for the approximately . I used wooden dowels on the first bench and they have worked, I expect I will do the same on this bench. I expect if the bench was going to be a permanent shop bench I would go with a M/T to attach the slab.

ken

[ken hatch]

Nice bench!

How did you decide how much extra length to leave on the ends of the stretchers?

In theory you should be able to get by with less than that, but I don't entirely trust the theory in this case so I'm curious to see what standard practice is.

Patrick,

Thanks.

I'm a TLAR type guy. I figured if the slab and the stretchers were on about the same vertical plane neither would get in the way and having a little extra meat in the most stressed joint can't hurt.

ken