New to me Diefenbach workbench

[Sanford Imhoff]

Nice it stays in the family. What an heirloom!

[Stew Denton]

George,

I think the idea of the masonite, I would go with 1/4" stuff, is the way to go. What you don't get on the bench does not need to ever be cleaned off. When you are done with the finishing or glue up job, the masonite gets stashed in your plywood storage. Top is then still clean: no runs, no drips, no errors.

I have a tool cabinet I built out of three old lab bench base cabinets that I bought many years ago. They were well made heavy duty solid oak base cabinets that held up the lab bench top. When they built the new lab they sold the old cabinets for maybe five bucks a pop....been long enough ago that I don't remember for sure. The framework on the inside of the cabinets was full 4/4 solid oak, not 3/4" and the face frames, etc. were 3/4" solid oak. I built the top for the tool cabinet out of old oak flooring that I had salvaged from a house of a coworker that unfortunately had burned. The finish I used on the top was BLO, but used cold, not hot. It made a nice finish.

Stew

[Mike Manning]

Great bench and what looks like a very nice shop too! Is that a Barbie ATV? If so nice touch! ;0)

[Blake M Williams]

Man I'm jealous! My bench was my first project using hand tools and, well, it's on pretty lol. Than bench looks awesome!

[Joel Gelman]

Just found this thread while Google searching "Diefenback workbench" as I was thinking about selling my Diefenbach with 9 drawer. It was one of my first woodworking purchases, and I was always proud to own it, but would have been more proud if I built it. It has always worked great. I more recently purchased a Barth 500V bench with hydraulic lift and a perforated top along with vacuum clamps, and now that I have the very expensive Barth, I find that I do not use the traditional workbench other than storage. If not for that, I would never sell my Diefenbach. Giving it thought as it seems to belong in a better home now that it is not #1.

[Scott Goldthwaite]

Anyone know what kind of wood the Diefenback workbenches are made from?

[Jim Tobias]

I believe they are made of Beech........at least, mine is made of Beech.
Jim