Another useful tool was remembered, a pair of winding sticks. This will help with the truing up the top.
jtk
Another useful tool was remembered, a pair of winding sticks. This will help with the truing up the top.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Jon, While I have never used a split top bench, I will most likely be building a split top bench very soon. One of the advantages I have not seen me sooner on here yet, and the one that I’m the most interested in, is the ability to “sleeve” narrower cases and drawers over only one of the slabs. I can see this being very useful for cleaning up joinery after glue up and fitting drawers. The only way I know how to do this efficiently without a split top is to clamp a narrower board flat onto the bench top that extends out over the edge of the bench and “sleeve” the case or drawer over that. It always feels kinda clumsy to me to do it that way, whereas a split top appears to be a pretty elegant solution.
While technically not a tool, it might be wise to enlist the help of a friend from time to time when wrangling heavy pieces.
Peter
My bench has a 12" section in front and a 10" section in the back, with a 1.5" split. Though I didn't plan that, those were just the proportions I ended up with when I sawed the pith out of the single slab i started with.
Andrew,
I've two split top Roubos, one with near symmetrical slabs, the other asymmetrical. The symmetrical has a 12" front slab, 3" split, and a 11" rear slab. The asymmetrical front slab is 16 1/2" with a 2 1/2" split and a 7 1/2" rear slab. The asymmetrical bench is still in the shop used as a sharpening bench, the other is in the back garden used as a potting bench. My current daily user benches are a pair of Moravian style benches with tool trays instead of a split, one smaller than the other. The small one has a 14 1/2" work surface, the other's is 18". I use the smaller bench about 80% of the time and almost never feel the need for a larger work surface. BTW as an aside, I think a Moravian style bench makes a better work bench for the modern shop, it just doesn't have the "hoot" factor of an overbuilt Roubo.
ken
This site needs a like button. Might be the best advice in thread.
In Chris' c2020 workbench book he skipped the tap and used #14 x 1.5" screws to attach the benchcraft hardware to the vise chop, and #14 x 2.0" screws to attach the crisscross hardware to the bench leg. I can get those and the correct tapered drill bit at my local home store for less than $20 if the OP would care to PM/DM a shipping address.
Benches with a trough down the middle, where I'm from, were always associated with school benches. They had two vices at opposite, diagonal corners and were usually at least eight feet long. In use, these were like having the tool drop (well) at the rear of the bench for each student.
I don't see the advantage for the lone worker. I'd rather have the tool drop in the rear, with the full slab in the front rather than having to keep the top flat across the 'ditch' that is a central well. Tools sticking up in the dead middle of a woodworking bench makes no sense to me at all.
Last edited by Charles Guest; 02-27-2021 at 8:41 AM.
One side of the well is for working, the other side is for holding the pieces to be worked and when they are finished waiting for assembly. The well can also be made to hold an insert to allow for a full flat top when needed.
Each worker has their own way of working. Some like a tool well some don't. Some like it at the back of the bench, some like it down the middle. Some like round dogs some like square.
Make what works best for your own style. Life goes on.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Just makes vastly more sense to me to have a contiguous work surface, not one interrupted by a well in the middle. Battens can always be provided to support a well board, I think I mentioned that in another post in the context of having a well at all, but what you have then is an essentially hollow area in-between your two slabs. Again, not seeing an advantage. Just move it to the back.
These things are dual benches in my experience, beyond looking at pictures in a book that may not provide full context, think about it like a tandem bicycle for two riders. One can make it go, but it looks a little awkward.
As my post implies, what works for one person might not work for another.
To my way of working the Scandinavian bench design doesn't make sense. The shoulder vise seems to limit how long of a board can be worked. Those using them see them as their best choice.
For some a wagon vise is the best thing going. It appealed to me at one time until realizing it has limits my current set up can overcome.
Some folks find aprons on their bench useful. Some feel they only get in the way.
This can become a debate of there being a single bench for every woodworker versus there being various designs with different appeals to different people working on different projects.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
To be clear, to me a shoulder vise is one with the 'L' shaped extension from the left end of the bench with a screw coming through the foot of the 'L'. My preference is to have the ability to hold a piece in the vise extending beyond the end of the bench. Sometimes the lumber being planed is longer than my bench. In my shop a shoulder vise would likely be finding my hip on a regular basis. For some people they may be a fine choice. For me, sometimes my current face vise is in the way.
My current end vise may seem lame to some. It does have enough versatility to work well for almost all my needs:
End Profile.jpg
For many uses it is not much different than a wagon vise. It is often used to hold work while cutting tenons or dovetails. It is also used for holding stock being sawn.
The vise is of a simple design with a tendency to rack. On the right in the image is a shop made spacer stack to compensate for the racking:
Anti-Rack Spacer Stack.jpg
The blades are 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 & 1" thick making any size from 1/8" to 1-7/8". A separate 1"X2" block is used for larger sizes up to the distance between dog holes.
Plans for my bench include a twin screw full width vise at the tail end, a pattern maker's vise on the left face of one side. The plan is for the other side to have a leg vise positioned like a left hander's vise.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 02-27-2021 at 4:13 PM. Reason: words
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)