WoodCentral Forums

Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge

Workbench complete! (PIC)

Posts

Workbench complete! (PIC)

#1

Workbench complete! (PIC)

Kelby

>Well, the workbench is finally done. It's modest length, because that's what fits in my garage/shop. It's about 62" long, 31" wide (with the tool tray). The top is hard maple, 3" thick, with wlanut endcaps and accepts and a birdseye maple apron and vices. The vice hardware for both vices were picked up at Woodcraft, and they seems to work pretty well. Square dog holes down the front; I'll probably pick up some round dogs for use with the face vice and drill some holes for those. The tool tray is the perfect size. The base is soft maple, with wedged through tenons on the stretchers (no glue or fasteners on the stretchers; the wedges seem to hold them in place pretty well). I put a saw stop on the right end that works pretty nicely, too.

One of these days, I'll probably put some kind of tool storage underneath. But for now, I'm sure happy not to have to use workmates all the time!


img

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#2

Another view 

Kelby

>


img

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#3

Re: Sweet

Jeremy Osner

>Love that maple-on-walnut contrast!

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#4

Looks great!

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Very nice. How well does everything work? Would you do anything different if you had to do it all over again? How long did it take you to complete?

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#5

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

Curtis TX

>Looks like a show bench! Kidding...nice job. I wish mine looked this nice.

CT

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#6

Re: Looks great!

Kelby

>Thanks, Don.

Everything works really well, and I wouldn't change anything, with two exceptions. First, the face vise binds when it closed within about 3/8". So far, I haven't identified the cause, but I'll keep looking and get it resolved. Second, the legs on the tail vise side are a hair too close to the middle, so if you put all your weight on that edge and push, you can tip the bench a bit. I hope the tool storage in the middle will prevent that, but if not, I'll add a support closer to the end.

But overall it works fantastic, and I'm stoked about it.

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#7

Great Looking Bench!

Hank Knight in SC

>

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#8

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

Alan Bierbaum

>Looks good ! Smaller than I would want; but if it fits your use and space, it will greatly enhance you shop.

How does the face vise work? Looks like it might bind if you were clamping a narrow piece near the top of the jaws.

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#9

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

Kelby

>Thanks, Alan. I wish I had a big enough shop for a bigger bench too!

The face vice seems to work well; it does wrack a hair if the piece is held in the top bit of the vice --- not enough that it has created problem. The biggest issue for now seems to be that it binds in the last 1/2" even when there's nothing in it, so there's some installation issue on my part that I will need to track down.

If the wracking ever becomes an issue, I I suppose I will go back and trim the face at an angle or something. But for now, I'm definitely in the mode of trying it for a while and seeing how it works.

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#10

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

Kurt Loup

>Great job. Looks good.

Kurt

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#11

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

Todd Stock

>Great wood selection - should be as nice to look at as to work on.

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#12

Nice Harley...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I mean Bench, yea that's the ticket. I like the choice of woods used to, because that's what I'm using on mine. Ahhh, great minds...

Again very nice looking bench.

Re: Workbench complete! (PIC)

#13

Re: Nice Harley...

Kelby

>Thanks. Both of them (bench and Harley) are great!

👍 This page answered my questions

Your vote helps other woodworkers quickly find the answers and techniques that actually work in the shop.