How Many Have Made or Planing To Make A Moravian Style Bench

[Matthew Hartlin]

Mathew,

My portable benches have 8/4 Beech slabs. The current build's slab is laminated from slats of 8/4 Beech and is ~90mm, just over 3 1/2", thick. It is one heavy sucker. I've used both DF and Poplar as base wood and both work well, I've Ash on order for this base but so far no joy. I may fall back on either one of the Oaks or Maple..

ken

How do you like working with the tool tray? I've been sourcing a slab top and think I've finally found a 3'' piece of clear ash that is 20'' or so wide. Originally I was thinking of building with 2 12'' slabs and no tray, but now that I have found this piece I'm considering a 4" tray. Working on my English bench I clearly only use the first 12 or so inches for work and generally just collect tools on the back 12".

[ken hatch]

How do you like working with the tool tray? I've been sourcing a slab top and think I've finally found a 3'' piece of clear ash that is 20'' or so wide. Originally I was thinking of building with 2 12'' slabs and no tray, but now that I have found this piece I'm considering a 4" tray. Working on my English bench I clearly only use the first 12 or so inches for work and generally just collect tools on the back 12".

Matthew,

Almost all my bench builds have had a split slab. The front slab has ranged from 11" to 18" for the one in progress. Some have had a back slab and others a tool tray. Both work, a tool tray is better than a narrow back slab but a wide back slab allows using the back side for things like a Moxon vise. I know not much of an answer but bottom line both work and it just depends on how you plan to use the bench and the size of the back part.

ken

[Tony Wilkins]

Hopefully not too much of a hijack...

What vise hardware are you using/planning to use on the front vise of your Moravian benches?

ETA that reading back through it looks like those who mention it plan to do like Ken did and use lake eerie wood hardware.

[ken hatch]

Hopefully not too much of a hijack...

What vise hardware are you using/planning to use on the front vise of your Moravian benches?

ETA that reading back through it looks like those who mention it plan to do like Ken did and use lake eerie wood hardware.

Tony,

The Lake Erie Tool Works screw kit works very well. I'm sure a metal screw kit would work as well but I like the holding power of a wood screw. BTW, nothing scientific about that observation, just my opinion from using both.

ken

[Mike Holbrook]

Hi again Ken,

I bought wood and vises to make a bench with, then had some physical issues that kept me from the project. Then a water pipe in the ceiling above the dried wood I bought broke, drenching all my wood. Lately I have been involved in moving projects, moving to North, GA Mtns.

I ended up making a Noden Adjust A Bench, more of an outfeed table with interchangable tops. I thought it would be more usefull for cutting up sheet goods for a few construction projects I need to do at the new place. I plan to use the Noden AAB as an “outfeed” for a more sturdy, short bench, yet to be built. I will have to deal with space issues in a new, projected 20x20’ shop, yet to be built. Currently I have a roughly 23 x 14.5’ garage space I am using.

I bought two vises back when I was planing a Roubo build. A Benchcrafted leg vise and a LV QR Tail vise. I am wondering if these vises would work on a Moravian bench? I am thinking the Moravian/Dutch bench would be much easier to break down and move between rooms. I have been working on a Hammer Compact bench for years, which has a small work surface that I have learned to work with. I am thinking a 7’ split bench top, which could be “extended” via the 22” wide x 6’ + Noden AAB. Your thoughts?

[ken hatch]

Hi again Ken,

I bought wood and vises to make a bench with, then had some physical issues that kept me from the project. Then a water pipe in the ceiling above the dried wood I bought broke, drenching all my wood. Lately I have been involved im moving projects, moving to North, GA Mtns.

I ended up making a Noden Adjust A Bench, more of an outfeed table with interchangable tops. I thought it would be more usefull for cutting up sheet goods for a few construction projects I need to do at the new place. I plan to use the Noden AAB as an “outfeed” for a more sturdy, short bench, yet to be built. I will have to deal with space issues in a new, projected 20x20’ shop, yet to be built. Currently I have a roughly 23 x 14.5’ garage space I am using.

I bought two vises back when I was planing a Roubo build. A Benchcrafted leg vise and a LV QR Tail vise. I am wondering if these vises would work on a Moravian bench? I am thinking the Moravian/Dutch bench would be much easier to break down and move between rooms. I have been working on a Hammer Compact bench for years, which has a small work surface that I have learned to work with. I am thinking a 7’ split bench top, which could be “extended” via the 22” wide x 6’ + Noden AAB. Your thoughts?

Damn Mike what else can go wrong ,

While I've never installed either vise in a Moravian style bench they should work with no problems. Here is a link to Will Myers site where he shows installing the vise as a angled leg vise vs. vertical with a vise backer: https://eclecticmechanicals.com/2018...uide/#more-179

My current in process build will have a 7' X 18" slab plus a 7" to 8" wide tool tray. Your plans should work well.

ken

[Tony Wilkins]

Regarding the vise through the angled leg, I believe the Benchcrafted crisscross will work on legs up to 15*. What I don’t recall is the angle the legs are set out in the plans/original?

[ken hatch]

Regarding the vise through the angled leg, I believe the Benchcrafted crisscross will work on legs up to 15*. What I don’t recall is the angle the legs are set out in the plans/original?

Tony,

I build my base legs at 15*. I do question the mortise needed for the crisscross and the mortise for the stretcher all being in the same area. I was asked to make a bench with a crisscross and declined for that reason. I'm sure with thought it could be made to work.

Will Myers' ratchet system I expect would work a treat, in some ways maybe better than a crisscross and I thought about using it on the current build for at least two or three seconds then decided against. I've found over the years that simple is better, no need to find fixes for problems that don't exist. A parallel guide and a pin work, are simple to build, cheap, and reliable.

Just a thought with no experience to back it up. I'll bet with Lake Erie's new big screw and a pin, operation from one size to the next would be faster than a metal screw and a crisscross.

ken

[Matthew Hartlin]

Looks like I've sourced out my lumber. I found a 3" ash slab that is 18" wide with some matching stock for the short stretchers, vise chop, till and wedges. The legs and long stretchers will be laminated construction pine. Think I'm going to go the route of an angled vise that Will Myers outlined on this blog(thicker front leg to accommodate). Might try it with my cheaper LV screw before coughing up the cash for the Lake Erie screw. Anything else I should think about before taking on the project?

[ken hatch]

Looks like I've sourced out my lumber. I found a 3" ash slab that is 18" wide with some matching stock for the short stretchers, vise chop, till and wedges. The legs and long stretchers will be laminated construction pine. Think I'm going to go the route of an angled vise that Will Myers outlined on this blog(thicker front leg to accommodate). Might try it with my cheaper LV screw before coughing up the cash for the Lake Erie screw. Anything else I should think about before taking on the project?

Matthew,

Sounds like you have a plan. I expect you already know this but I will add it anyway, buy long 2X12's to rip out your legs and long stretchers. Better wood and you will end up with mostly quarter sawn timber for your glue ups.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

I've found over the years that simple is better, no need to find fixes for problems that don't exist. A parallel guide and a pin work, are simple to build, cheap, and reliable.

Give thanks for not having a tender back.

The ratchet seems like a good way to go. My plan was to install a foot pedal attached to three pins that would be held extended with springs. Press the pedal and the pins would retract. Release the pedal and the pin for the closest hole would slip into place, holding the slide.

jtk

[ken hatch]

Give thanks for not having a tender back.

The ratchet seems like a good way to go. My plan was to install a foot pedal attached to three pins that would be held extended with springs. Press the pedal and the pins would retract. Release the pedal and the pin for the closest hole would slip into place, holding the slide.

jtk

Jim,

BTDT, I had a laminectomy a little over a year ago. It made a huge difference but even before I didn't find a pin hard to use. I think it kinda depends on where you place (how low) the parallel guide. My bottom pin hole is ~480mm (19") from the top of the slab and is a bare bendover to reach and place. I really do not notice doing it. That said, I think the ratchening parallel guide is really a treat and I'm tempted to build another bench with one just because , but for my day to day bench I'll stick with the pin.

ken

[ken hatch]

Once I finish the current build, I expect I will modify the portable bench with a ratcheting parallel guide so I can work with it for awhile. This is just me but over the years I've found simple is better and many times the latest and greatest bench mod or accessory will in time be more trouble than it is worth, isn't used, or worst case drive you barking at the moon mad.

If it works and makes life easier it would be a simple mod to install on the new shop sized bench. If it doesn't add to the value of the bench it would be easy to go back to the pin on the portable bench. It is not a high priority but I think worth a go.

ken