Big Bad Bench

Re: Big Bad Bench

John K in Hastings, MN

>That vise appears to be a late-1800's design. I'd suspect the bench is from around the turn of the century.

He shoots,he scores,he wins!

Bob Hackett(Mainely,Bob)

>Cool bench Tommy.Glad to see you get there before the dreaded "interior decorators".

Figure it this way,the wood would probably cost you about $400 nowadays.Now you have something to work on that has alittle more history than those plastic sawhorses or even the bowling alley for that matter.

Oh,I almost forgot,you suck.

Now stop reading and go plane something!

Mainely,Bob

About "Sucking"

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>Thanks Bob. I can think of no other place than here where being told I "suck" leaves such a good feeling. :-)

This thing is virtually immovable. There is absolutely no wiggle in it at all...solid as a rock. In other words, a planer's dream.

Even I feel I suck! ;-)

Tommy

Re: Big Bad Bench

Dave Thompson

>Wow Tom, that's a beauty and a steal.... Nice going. I'm glad you didn't call me over to help you move that! ;-)

Re: Big Bad Bench

Mike L (Orange County, CA)

>Wow, that's one fine looking bench ya got there Thomas. The drawers at the vise end are interesting; as is the vise (any manufacturer's marks on it?). Based purely on speculation, it seems reasonable that the lockable drawers were for individuals to store personal supplies.

It's always nice to see that these kinds of finds are still out there. I'm sure nobody would object to you posting a few dozen or so detailed photos.

Regards,

Mike

p.s. When are you going back for the tractor?

Any idea what it was originally intended for?

Michael Recchione

>It's not a configuration you see every day. I'm assuming it was a commercial bench and not shop-made - am I wrong about that?

My guess

Bob Lang

>I'd think early 1900s to 1920s. All those lockable drawers suggest a school, each student could keep their personal tools safe when they weren't using it. The depth also leads me to think it's for a school, in theory, 2 could use it at the came time.

Bob Lang

(surprised Adam hasn't jumped in with a "bathroom vanity" comment)

Re: Big Bad Bench

Todd Hughes

>Even in the old tool hell I live in a see a good many old benches and I have seen a couple over the years simular to this one. They could be from a school but most school benches I belive are normaly set up so that they can be worked on from both sides so two groups of students can work on the one bench.I might be wrong but this one doesn't look like this. I think more likely just came out of a factory or commecial workshop where it was used for a general work bench instead of the more tradtional looking planing bench. I'd guess maybe 1900-1930?

Nice looking bench and I guess $400 isn't to bad though if you buy something out of an old farmer's barn you sort of want to get a better deal, eh?

I don't need no more benchs really [well maybe a small one to set out on my patio] but last weekend at the PATINA tool meet I saw a beautiful big one with drawers AND a Emmert Vice mounted that was very tempting at $500 for it all....bet flash some green and I could have gotten it for less as the fellows was loading it up to take it home when it didn't sell.....Todd

Nice!

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I think ya did good Tommy. That's a very insteresting vice on it. Hope the keys came with it, or that is was at least unlocked.

Mike

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>I could not find markings on the vise, at least none easily visable.

As for the tractor, I wish! Antique tractors are a big thing around here and I love them. But beng a town dweller I have little excuse for owning one.

Tommy

My take on it....

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>It appears to me to be to have been made professionally and not by an individual. Based upon the locks, numbers etc. I'd say this bench was used in a public setting...school, trade shop etc. It does not have the earmarks of an individual's bench.

Tommy

How about a little drawer detail

Kevin French, Antrim NH

>

Parades

Don in Northern Arizona

>I have a neighbor (we are both town dwellers)who has a Farmall C parked in a specially built carport (tractorport?) at the front of his house. He doesn't need an excuse other than old tractor lust. He drives it around the neighborhood on occasion and it has been in at least one parade.

Our neighborhood varies from little 50's ranch homes like mine to recently built McMansions. This seems to be true of a lot of non-gated neighborhoods in this state. The guy with the biggest McMansion has a 1948 Chevy 2 1/2 ton dump truck he usually parks on the street, and a 70's vintage Swiss Army Pinzgauer 6X6 that he leaves out front too. Having at least one 20+ year-old running non-sedan vehicle visible to the neighbors is a western tradition. You see we don't have rust out here. My truck still has 2 years to go. I'm embarrassed and thinking of trading down.

Don

Re: Big Bad Bench

Michael Recchione

>I had the same thoughts about the school, Todd. A school bench would have probably had another vise for the second student to use.

The fact that the vise seems to have been made to be a sort of combination face and end vise (with the cast-in dog located off-center) suggested that it was intended for this kind of bench. The double row of dog holes along the long sides, as well as the relatively short length suggested that it was intended to let you work on wide but not too long panels, and the bench isn't set up to support edge work on anything longer than a two or three feet (I'm assuming the bolt head that sticks out on the right side of the 3' face where the vise is was added later).

I'm wondering what sort of work the bench was intended for... Like, what sort of work doesn't involve edge jointing pieces longer than 2 or 3 feet long, but does involve working the face of something 3 or more feet wide, but never more than 6' long? It's a puzzle.

Also, the separate locks on each drawer are intriguing - it does suggest that the bench was intended to be used by more than one person.

Great bench!

David Jeske

>That is one nice looking bench! What wood is it made from? Could you post a few detail shots? Is there a cabinet under the vice end?

My I keep a picture to save for my "ideas file" :)

Dave

Re: Big Bad Bench

todd hughes

>Maybe a pattern maker? .....Todd

Re: Big Bad Bench

Jim Crammond in Monroe, Mi

>Michael,

Although it looks like it happended a long time ago, I'd guess the bench was symetric originally with a vise on the opposite corner and someone shortened the bench to fit it into a specific space. The row of dog holes, lack of an end cap and the hole next to the back leg leads me to this conclusion.

Regards,

Jim

I think you're right

Michael Recchione

>The end without the vise doesn't have an endcap, the other one does. Also, it does look cut off. I wonder if the cabinet on the vise end is original, or was added on later.

- Mike

Thanks folks...

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>...I'm reading some good comments here. I'll try to snap some more photos soon. I appreciate the insight!!

Tommy

A bench built for two?

Paul in NJ

>Nice looking bench Tommy! It appears there might have been a face vice at one time on the right rear part of the bench. Notice the cutout in the top there, that is typical of a flush mounted vice. Do you see any evidence of that? If so and the left side of the bench is cut off, there could have been two vices mirrored on the left side. That would make it a bench for two, typical in schools. Nice find, I think it will be nice to use.

Paul Dzioba

Re: I think you're right

Greg B�tit, Crown Point

>I believe that's a pretty good theory. When I bought my 13' bench, it's plumber owner told me that he was about to chain saw it in half so that he could fit it into his shop.

Greg

Just noticed

Bill Houghton, sunny yahoo! in Sebastopol, CA

>I went back to print your post, because the pictures are SO lovely, and noticed that the drawers at the end of the bench, beside the vise, have different handles, and the molding detail on the frame and panel was clearly with with a router or shaper (look at the corners). So it appears this bench has evolved over its lifetime.

Bill, who's one step up from where you were before buying this bench - my bench is a solid-core door on a plywood box, the door screwed to a cleat on the wall so it's firm.