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Workbench

46K views 70 replies 27 participants last post by  jonah 
#1 ·
Getting ready to build my first workbench

I'm very excited to say I'm going to build a workbench in the near future.

Last week, I decided to start on a necklace rack for my wife. I have a piece of cherry that I could resaw and use to make a panel for it and I thought it'd look great. But, that piece of cherry has quite a bit of twist to it I would need to plane out. No problem, but… sigh. I really, really enjoy using my (small but growing) collection of hand planes, but really don't have a good surface to work on.

Over the past year while exploring woodworking I've been working on an old dining table (which racks horribly) and a much higher (40"?) wall-mounted workbench that is stable but is very high. I have a vice on the high bench but the QR nut doesn't hold well and a bump causes it to release. Gah. I'm doing this woodworking stuff so very wrong. I need a good bench. Need.

I've looked at building a bench a few times over the past year. I like the Benchrafted split-top roubo design a lot, but don't feel I have the skill to execute on it yet, and I'm concerned about spending that much money on quality wood only to screw it up or run into trouble I'm just not able to resolve. But I can't be blocked any more!

In an effort to get moving I decided to make some sacrifice: I sorted through a pile of "burrill" 2×4s at HD to start a collection for the bench. They're sitting in the basement, stickered, and drying out. I will add to the collection on successive visits to HD. I'm thinking I can start on the bench over Christmas vacation; drying for a month should help ensure stable(-r) wood… I hope. And I asked for the Benchcrafted split top roubo plans for Christmas. While I won't be building exactly as the plans show, I think they'll be a great starting point and a good hand-holding for me to understand what to do.
 
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#2 ·
I'd love to watch this build. I have several "surfaces" in my newly built shop, but haven't done the hand tool bench yet. I've come to peace with doing it this winter as a laminated MDF and plywood surface because I have an old desk to mount it, leftover sheet goods, and no large jointer to do proper long solid wood on, even 2Ă—4s. I hope it serves me a few years and then on to the Roubo someday, fingers crossed. I'm excited to see how you execute those plans using your own "found" wood! Good luck!
 
#3 ·
A. DO NOT let some one else's ideas control what will work for you.

B. Be aware that you will want to change some things after it is built. Make it so that can happen too, if needed.

C. Leave leg room for using a chair/stool or what works for you; as Father Time catches us we want to work from more comfortable positions!

D. Your space/bench-make it fit YOU!

E. Take the number of electrical connections that you think you want and multiply times FOUR! Do the wiring as HEAVY DUTY plugins attached to the bench along the front-always accessible.

F. It is easy to under-build for durability make sure that is as sturdy as you will need it.

I am accused of over-building; but, my stuff takes the beating I throw at it. Do not worry about what anyone else thinks! BUILD to suit YOU!

We will want to see the pictures.

GOOD LUCK! Happy sawdusting!
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement, guys. Two years ago I remedied the electrical challenges, adding 20-some outlets on two breakers and something like 16 lights. It took the basement from a dark and relatively useless area to somewhere I can enjoy going and do things like, well, learn about woodworking!

That said, I'm with Ron that hand tools are where it's at!
 
#9 ·
Wood selected

I've made a few more visits to Home Depot and combed through pallets of Burrill 2Ă—4s. I was a little surprised how quickly HD seems to sell through them: over 1-1/2 weeks my local store sold four pallets worth of those 2Ă—4s. I looked through almost all of them, so if my math is right I probably checked 1000+ 2Ă—4s and ended up picking out 44 of them. I found a number of them that are 100% knot-free. Many have a large knot-free area, and most that do have knots are live and at a reasonable spot on the board. There are some with dead knots, but they are still very nice and between legs and stretchers I hope to cut around and avoid those completely. So, I'm feeling pretty good about my wood selection.

The Burrill wood is kiln-dried, but I still want to let it sit for a while before working with it to acclimate to my basement and do whatever moving it wants to do. 44 2Ă—4s is quite a bit more than I need-I was estimating needing 32-so I will have plenty to choose from in case any do move much. I should be able to pick out enough nice pieces for the bench no matter what.

I wanted to store these the right way, with stickers to keep airflow moving. So I pulled out a few pieces of scrap wood and cut up a bunch of stickers yesterday.



Once I had a big pile of stickers I put them to use and stacked the wood nicely. A good-looking pile!



Wood Rectangle Brick Flooring Floor


About this time last year I wanted to get into woodworking and so I bought a Black Friday table saw, so I could get started. I used it a bit, but really, it wasn't near as much fun as I hoped. I found I was also quite restricted by what I could do because in the evening when I got to go work in the shop my son was already in bed-I can't run the table saw and wake him. With that restriction, I found hand tools, which I have been finding to be much more fun. Yay!

So, I'll be building this bench with hand tools (mostly, at least). That's cool. It will be lots of opportunity to use my planes. But, my, that is a big pile of wood. Planing will take a very long time. Maybe a lunchbox planer would be a good idea. Maybe power tools aren't all bad. It could take the build time from months and months and months to just months and months.
 

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#10 ·
Wood selected

I've made a few more visits to Home Depot and combed through pallets of Burrill 2Ă—4s. I was a little surprised how quickly HD seems to sell through them: over 1-1/2 weeks my local store sold four pallets worth of those 2Ă—4s. I looked through almost all of them, so if my math is right I probably checked 1000+ 2Ă—4s and ended up picking out 44 of them. I found a number of them that are 100% knot-free. Many have a large knot-free area, and most that do have knots are live and at a reasonable spot on the board. There are some with dead knots, but they are still very nice and between legs and stretchers I hope to cut around and avoid those completely. So, I'm feeling pretty good about my wood selection.

The Burrill wood is kiln-dried, but I still want to let it sit for a while before working with it to acclimate to my basement and do whatever moving it wants to do. 44 2Ă—4s is quite a bit more than I need-I was estimating needing 32-so I will have plenty to choose from in case any do move much. I should be able to pick out enough nice pieces for the bench no matter what.

I wanted to store these the right way, with stickers to keep airflow moving. So I pulled out a few pieces of scrap wood and cut up a bunch of stickers yesterday.

Wood Rectangle Money Cash Currency


Once I had a big pile of stickers I put them to use and stacked the wood nicely. A good-looking pile!

Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Grass


Wood Rectangle Brick Flooring Floor


About this time last year I wanted to get into woodworking and so I bought a Black Friday table saw, so I could get started. I used it a bit, but really, it wasn't near as much fun as I hoped. I found I was also quite restricted by what I could do because in the evening when I got to go work in the shop my son was already in bed-I can't run the table saw and wake him. With that restriction, I found hand tools, which I have been finding to be much more fun. Yay!

So, I'll be building this bench with hand tools (mostly, at least). That's cool. It will be lots of opportunity to use my planes. But, my, that is a big pile of wood. Planing will take a very long time. Maybe a lunchbox planer would be a good idea. Maybe power tools aren't all bad. It could take the build time from months and months and months to just months and months.
... in the evening when I got to go work in the shop my son was already in bed-I can t run the table saw and wake him. With that restriction, I found hand tools, which I have been finding to be much more fun. Yay!

So, I ll be building this bench with hand tools (mostly, at least). That s cool. It will be lots of opportunity to use my planes. But, my, that is a big pile of wood. Planing will take a very long time …

- Dan Wolfgang
Music to my ears. You can do it, Dan!
 

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#12 ·
Sorting the wood

My 2Ă—4 Burrill "white fir" lumber has been drying in the basement: all of it for a week, some of it for 2+. I bought a moisture meter to measure the wood moisture and see much of it in the 5-8% range and some of it 10%. Comparing to other scraps in the basement that seem to have that same range, so I'm guessing that's good-I should probably cut a few pieces to check inside better, though. Anyway, most of the boards are still quite straight but a few have developed a small twist or bend, and a couple have developed some cracks. (Is it still called "checking" when it's not on the end?)

Brown Wood Composite material Plank Natural material


I sorted through to find the best stuff for the top. I sorted it into four stacks: A, B, C, and D, we'll call them. Now, they all need to be planed a bit and that may change my choices some, but I'm at least prioritizing what I think is best. As a reminder, I'm going to build a Benchcrafted-inspired split-top roubo so will need a whole bunch for the top-at 1-1/4" thick, I'd probably need 21. I'd prefer a bench that's a little wider, though, so will probably add a few to that.

The "A" pile looks like great stuff. All quite straight and free of twist, and all have at least two sides that are knot-free. Some have three sides that are knot-free. Three have no knots whatsoever! Obviously I can use these for the front and back of each slabs; I'm wondering if I should review things more closely and set some of these aside for higher-visibility areas like the legs and stretchers. There are seven of these.

Outdoor bench Wood Bench Wood stain Outdoor furniture


The "B" pile is also very nice. All quite straight and free of twist, and all have a beautiful edge with no knots nearby. Ideal for the top where only the edge is visible. There are eight of these.

Outdoor bench Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Floor


And finally, the "C" pile: also quite good. Two of these have a very minor bend in them but the others are straight. They have one edge that looks pretty good; almost knot-free. There are some knots near the edges so years after the bench is built and is reflattened and resurfaced several times I'm sure I'll be into these knots. Probably not really a concern, but it's easy to aim for perfection at this point! There are six of these.

Wood Outdoor bench Hardwood Plank Bench


At this point, I'm declaring the "D" pile unsuitable for the top. Now, there are some great boards in that pile! Some very clean stuff that I can cut out to use for legs and stretchers. But not clear the full length of the board for use on the top. Also, there are a few boards I threw in this pile that I can't see why I chose them: knots everywhere. I've no idea why I picked them!

A + B + C, or 7 + 8 + 6 = 21. I haven't milled anything down yet, so don't know exact widths yet, but I'd guess I want 23 or 25 boards for the top. But I only have 21. Ugh. Maybe I should review the "D" pile more carefully, or maybe I should go back to Home Depot and try to pick out a few more.
 

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#13 ·
Sorting the wood

My 2Ă—4 Burrill "white fir" lumber has been drying in the basement: all of it for a week, some of it for 2+. I bought a moisture meter to measure the wood moisture and see much of it in the 5-8% range and some of it 10%. Comparing to other scraps in the basement that seem to have that same range, so I'm guessing that's good-I should probably cut a few pieces to check inside better, though. Anyway, most of the boards are still quite straight but a few have developed a small twist or bend, and a couple have developed some cracks. (Is it still called "checking" when it's not on the end?)



I sorted through to find the best stuff for the top. I sorted it into four stacks: A, B, C, and D, we'll call them. Now, they all need to be planed a bit and that may change my choices some, but I'm at least prioritizing what I think is best. As a reminder, I'm going to build a Benchcrafted-inspired split-top roubo so will need a whole bunch for the top-at 1-1/4" thick, I'd probably need 21. I'd prefer a bench that's a little wider, though, so will probably add a few to that.

The "A" pile looks like great stuff. All quite straight and free of twist, and all have at least two sides that are knot-free. Some have three sides that are knot-free. Three have no knots whatsoever! Obviously I can use these for the front and back of each slabs; I'm wondering if I should review things more closely and set some of these aside for higher-visibility areas like the legs and stretchers. There are seven of these.

Outdoor bench Wood Bench Wood stain Outdoor furniture


The "B" pile is also very nice. All quite straight and free of twist, and all have a beautiful edge with no knots nearby. Ideal for the top where only the edge is visible. There are eight of these.

Outdoor bench Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Floor


And finally, the "C" pile: also quite good. Two of these have a very minor bend in them but the others are straight. They have one edge that looks pretty good; almost knot-free. There are some knots near the edges so years after the bench is built and is reflattened and resurfaced several times I'm sure I'll be into these knots. Probably not really a concern, but it's easy to aim for perfection at this point! There are six of these.

Wood Outdoor bench Hardwood Plank Bench


At this point, I'm declaring the "D" pile unsuitable for the top. Now, there are some great boards in that pile! Some very clean stuff that I can cut out to use for legs and stretchers. But not clear the full length of the board for use on the top. Also, there are a few boards I threw in this pile that I can't see why I chose them: knots everywhere. I've no idea why I picked them!

A + B + C, or 7 + 8 + 6 = 21. I haven't milled anything down yet, so don't know exact widths yet, but I'd guess I want 23 or 25 boards for the top. But I only have 21. Ugh. Maybe I should review the "D" pile more carefully, or maybe I should go back to Home Depot and try to pick out a few more.
Well sorting-waiting are all part of the deal!

Good luck!
 

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#17 ·
I cheated

I didn't stare at my pile of lumber much before I started thinking about how long it was going to take to hand plane to dimension. Based on the limited time I get to do this stuff it would take me weeks, if not months, to complete. I really do enjoy using the hand planes, but gee, I'd like to actually make the bench so that I can use it to make other things.

I thought about my options for a little, then bought a DeWalt 735X thickness planer. Amazon's $475 price was the lowest ever and it receives rave reviews, so I jumped. This bench will let me do bigger projects, so the ability to quickly dimension is surely going to be useful in the future, too. So, I did it, I bought a planer so I could cheat and get it done.

On Sunday I went through my pile of "A," "B," and "C" boards. I hand planed a little twist out of a few of them, then put them through the planer. (By the way, on a recent trip to Home Depot I was able to add another "A" grade piece and another "B" grade piece.)

Saw Wood Asphalt Motor vehicle Engineering


I was able to get all of them nicely planed down to 1-1/4" thick in a few hours, and they all look quite good! The "B" and "C" graded pieces are pretty much indistinguishable now. With the "A" pieces I've now got 23 boards that will make a great top. That's not to say it's all perfect, of course, but the top side will surely look great.

Wood Hardwood Metal Fashion accessory Linens


Excited to visualize my bench, I slid all of the wood together to see the top. Nice.



Product Rectangle Wood Outdoor furniture Natural material


Of course, once done I had to clean up. Incidentally, knowing how loud and messy this was going to be I didn't work in the basement shop area but instead pushed into the garage with "dust collection" happening outside. This is 50 gallons of wood shavings. I'll dump it on the fruit bush garden this week-fertilizer!

Automotive tire Road surface Asphalt Wood Grass
 

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#18 ·
I cheated

I didn't stare at my pile of lumber much before I started thinking about how long it was going to take to hand plane to dimension. Based on the limited time I get to do this stuff it would take me weeks, if not months, to complete. I really do enjoy using the hand planes, but gee, I'd like to actually make the bench so that I can use it to make other things.

I thought about my options for a little, then bought a DeWalt 735X thickness planer. Amazon's $475 price was the lowest ever and it receives rave reviews, so I jumped. This bench will let me do bigger projects, so the ability to quickly dimension is surely going to be useful in the future, too. So, I did it, I bought a planer so I could cheat and get it done.

On Sunday I went through my pile of "A," "B," and "C" boards. I hand planed a little twist out of a few of them, then put them through the planer. (By the way, on a recent trip to Home Depot I was able to add another "A" grade piece and another "B" grade piece.)

Saw Wood Asphalt Motor vehicle Engineering


I was able to get all of them nicely planed down to 1-1/4" thick in a few hours, and they all look quite good! The "B" and "C" graded pieces are pretty much indistinguishable now. With the "A" pieces I've now got 23 boards that will make a great top. That's not to say it's all perfect, of course, but the top side will surely look great.

Wood Hardwood Metal Fashion accessory Linens


Excited to visualize my bench, I slid all of the wood together to see the top. Nice.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Plank Composite material


Product Rectangle Wood Outdoor furniture Natural material


Of course, once done I had to clean up. Incidentally, knowing how loud and messy this was going to be I didn't work in the basement shop area but instead pushed into the garage with "dust collection" happening outside. This is 50 gallons of wood shavings. I'll dump it on the fruit bush garden this week-fertilizer!

Automotive tire Road surface Asphalt Wood Grass
Yep, those planers do create a ton of wood chips, don't they. (I know - I also have a Dewalt planer like yours, and it'll fill my DC's chip bin faster than any other tool in my shop.)
 

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#26 ·
The Rear Top

Significant progress: I assembled the rear half of the top! In the previous blog post, I ran the 2Ă—4s through the planer to take them to 1-1/4" thick. I had to use the jointer plane on several to take out some bend or crook so that they would glue up nicely. Then I started the glue-up! One of the biggest reasons I come to LumberJocks is for the photos, and I bet that's true of others, too, so I made sure to take some.

Table Wood Automotive design Flooring Engineering


Automotive design Vehicle Wood Motor vehicle Musical instrument


Musical instrument Wood Shipping box Engineering Folk instrument


Motor vehicle Wood Automotive design Musical instrument Flooring


Musical instrument Automotive design String instrument Musician Plucked string instruments


Wood Exercise machine Dumbbell Flooring Leisure


Musical instrument String instrument Tool Plucked string instruments Folk instrument


Nine wide, and I have a problem: my 12" clamps are not big enough to continue. A friend loaned me some of his larger clamps, though, so it was a problem easily overcome.

Wheel Wood Tire Tool Table


Wood Engineering Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Shipping box Musical instrument


The final width, at eleven pieces wide and 1-1/4 each means the rear half of the top is 13-3/4" wide. It weighs just about 60 pounds. Out of the clamps, I worked at cleaning it up a little. On the bottom (shown below), there was some small twist to take care of and just one high spot; it's very, very flat now. The top received a rough planing, taking off most of the glue marks, but that's it.

Table Furniture Outdoor bench Wood Street furniture
 

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#27 ·
The Rear Top

Significant progress: I assembled the rear half of the top! In the previous blog post, I ran the 2Ă—4s through the planer to take them to 1-1/4" thick. I had to use the jointer plane on several to take out some bend or crook so that they would glue up nicely. Then I started the glue-up! One of the biggest reasons I come to LumberJocks is for the photos, and I bet that's true of others, too, so I made sure to take some.

Table Wood Automotive design Flooring Engineering


Automotive design Vehicle Wood Motor vehicle Musical instrument


Musical instrument Wood Shipping box Engineering Folk instrument


Motor vehicle Wood Automotive design Musical instrument Flooring


Musical instrument Automotive design String instrument Musician Plucked string instruments


Wood Exercise machine Dumbbell Flooring Leisure


Musical instrument String instrument Tool Plucked string instruments Folk instrument


Nine wide, and I have a problem: my 12" clamps are not big enough to continue. A friend loaned me some of his larger clamps, though, so it was a problem easily overcome.

Wheel Wood Tire Tool Table


Wood Engineering Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Shipping box Musical instrument


The final width, at eleven pieces wide and 1-1/4 each means the rear half of the top is 13-3/4" wide. It weighs just about 60 pounds. Out of the clamps, I worked at cleaning it up a little. On the bottom (shown below), there was some small twist to take care of and just one high spot; it's very, very flat now. The top received a rough planing, taking off most of the glue marks, but that's it.

Table Furniture Outdoor bench Wood Street furniture
I can't wait to get started on my bench.
 

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#29 ·
The Front Top (Well, Partly)

This update is about two weeks past due. I glued up the front half of the top over the last few days of the Christmas/New Year's break. I didn't take too many photos this time.

Musical instrument Wood Drum Engineering Machine


Wood Engineering Hardwood Machine Wheel


This one was quicker to build because in this "finished" state it's missing three more boards for the front, which are for the dog hole strip and other front laminations. As a reminder I'm sort of following the Benchcrafted split-top Roubo design and building with Home Depot 2Ă—4s. And here are the two slabs:

Wood Naval architecture Water Hardwood Plank


I was able to make a lot of progress-completing both halves of the top-over the Christmas/New Year's break, which I'm very happy about. Over the last two weeks I've been working on the tail vise and all that goes into it-and am still at it. But that's another blog entry.
 

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#30 ·
The Front Top (Well, Partly)

This update is about two weeks past due. I glued up the front half of the top over the last few days of the Christmas/New Year's break. I didn't take too many photos this time.

Musical instrument Wood Drum Engineering Machine


Wood Engineering Hardwood Machine Wheel


This one was quicker to build because in this "finished" state it's missing three more boards for the front, which are for the dog hole strip and other front laminations. As a reminder I'm sort of following the Benchcrafted split-top Roubo design and building with Home Depot 2Ă—4s. And here are the two slabs:

Wood Naval architecture Water Hardwood Plank


I was able to make a lot of progress-completing both halves of the top-over the Christmas/New Year's break, which I'm very happy about. Over the last two weeks I've been working on the tail vise and all that goes into it-and am still at it. But that's another blog entry.
Looking good, Dan … you're almost there!
 

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#32 ·
Installing the Tail Vise

I've wished for a tail vise almost since I first started working with hand planes. I have tried holding pieces in various ways but always thought a tail vise would be the best solution. Benchcrafted's wagon vise looks like a great solution and I only see good things about it. But boy, is it expensive, and I'm not sure I want to spend that much money, especially when the wood for my bench is also so inexpensive. So, I bought a Lee Valley tail vise screw ($40) and I'm really amazed at how smooth it is. It's much better than the vises I've looked at that my local Woodcraft sells, and I have trouble believing the Benchcrafted vise is much better. It seems a deal to me!

Before I could use the tail vise I needed to do a bunch of other work first. In sizing things I realized that my 3-1/4" thick top was not going to be thick enough to handle the vise. Now, it is technically enough thickness to support adding the vise, but the top would then be quite thin, and worse, the vise handle would be above the top of the bench, no doubt getting bumped and dinged constantly. So, I instead made a taller end cap (5") so that I could place the screw much lower. I decided to use some scrap I had, making the end cap out of a a laminate of cherry-maple-cherry. (There are better photos of it further below.)

Wood Rectangle Office ruler Font Hardwood


Before I could precisely place the end cap and excavate for the screw, I cut the end of the front slab square. Wow, my cut came out perfect! Too bad it'll never be seen, cut back further for a tenon.

Table Wood Rectangle Tool Office ruler


I got the cavity excavated for the screw. Saying I did this with a chisel doesn't communicate just how roughly I tore out the material. Obviously I did a nice job taking it down at the end, though.

Table Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring


I cut a tenon on the end on the fat slab. I decided to also put a tenon on the small laminate for the front. I was originally thinking about a big dovetail and gluing the end cap, but was not convinced that I wouldn't need to take apart the vise and cap repeatedly to get things working well. So I just cheated with a simple tenon. Clamping it up like this, it was exciting to envision how it would look in the end.

Wood Automotive tire Red Tread Tire


I decided I needed a dog block to make things fit together properly. I had some red oak scrap that I decided to use to make it.

Wood Red Creative arts Art Composite material


I've got all of the pieces now, so it's coming together.

Outdoor bench Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Flooring


Table Wood Tool Workbench Hardwood


Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring Rectangle


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Beam


Last Friday night, I took my son to stay overnight at my parent's house, and I spent the evening there to use my great-grandfather's drill press to make some big and straight holes for the vise screw and nut. After that was done and I left, however, I realized I should have also drilled the 3/4" dog hole in the dog block.

Drill presses Jig grinder Milling Window Drilling


Wood Gas Machine tool Auto part Engineering


Wood Rectangle Gas Circle Audio equipment


I wanted to create a recess in the dog block for the vise nut-a square recess would help to make it much stronger than simply using screws. I was about to take the chisel to the block when I paused because I realized I could easily destroy the block. The recess needs to set in end grain, and if I try chopping a mortise I would likely split the block. So, I pulled out my router, which I've used precisely once, before I realized how much more I prefer hand tools. The router was the only way I could think of to do this, however. And it worked well!

Wood Flooring Hardwood Rectangle Kitchen utensil


Wood Circuit component Cameras & optics Audio equipment Rectangle


I put everything together and was thrilled with how smoothly it worked! Fantastic! I decided it was time to glue the front laminate and get the end cap in place for alignment. This is the spot I really screwed up-I glued the tenons into the end cap! I was specifically not going to do that so that I could take it apart! Argh! Oh well, it looks good and works well, so I won't need to take it apart again… right? I hope.

Furniture Wood Table Flooring Hardwood


I put a slight angle on the top of the end cap so that I could plane the top flat without worry about running into the opposite direction of the grain of the end cap, then went on to clean up the end cap, smoothing the end in this photo, and trimming the other end, which was slightly oversize.

Product Wood Rectangle Audio equipment Camera lens


I created some guide rails to keep the screw and dog block parallel to the top using white oak scrap. I rubbed paste wax all over the areas where wood rubs with other wood-the dog block, the cavity, and the guide rails. Drilled some 3/4" dog holes and… ta-da!

Wood Gas Machine tool Hardwood Machine


Wood Hardwood Rectangle Gas Wood stain


Table Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
 

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#33 ·
Installing the Tail Vise

I've wished for a tail vise almost since I first started working with hand planes. I have tried holding pieces in various ways but always thought a tail vise would be the best solution. Benchcrafted's wagon vise looks like a great solution and I only see good things about it. But boy, is it expensive, and I'm not sure I want to spend that much money, especially when the wood for my bench is also so inexpensive. So, I bought a Lee Valley tail vise screw ($40) and I'm really amazed at how smooth it is. It's much better than the vises I've looked at that my local Woodcraft sells, and I have trouble believing the Benchcrafted vise is much better. It seems a deal to me!

Before I could use the tail vise I needed to do a bunch of other work first. In sizing things I realized that my 3-1/4" thick top was not going to be thick enough to handle the vise. Now, it is technically enough thickness to support adding the vise, but the top would then be quite thin, and worse, the vise handle would be above the top of the bench, no doubt getting bumped and dinged constantly. So, I instead made a taller end cap (5") so that I could place the screw much lower. I decided to use some scrap I had, making the end cap out of a a laminate of cherry-maple-cherry. (There are better photos of it further below.)

Wood Rectangle Office ruler Font Hardwood


Before I could precisely place the end cap and excavate for the screw, I cut the end of the front slab square. Wow, my cut came out perfect! Too bad it'll never be seen, cut back further for a tenon.

Table Wood Rectangle Tool Office ruler


I got the cavity excavated for the screw. Saying I did this with a chisel doesn't communicate just how roughly I tore out the material. Obviously I did a nice job taking it down at the end, though.

Table Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring


I cut a tenon on the end on the fat slab. I decided to also put a tenon on the small laminate for the front. I was originally thinking about a big dovetail and gluing the end cap, but was not convinced that I wouldn't need to take apart the vise and cap repeatedly to get things working well. So I just cheated with a simple tenon. Clamping it up like this, it was exciting to envision how it would look in the end.

Wood Automotive tire Red Tread Tire


I decided I needed a dog block to make things fit together properly. I had some red oak scrap that I decided to use to make it.

Wood Red Creative arts Art Composite material


I've got all of the pieces now, so it's coming together.

Outdoor bench Wood Outdoor furniture Rectangle Flooring


Table Wood Tool Workbench Hardwood


Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring Rectangle


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Beam


Last Friday night, I took my son to stay overnight at my parent's house, and I spent the evening there to use my great-grandfather's drill press to make some big and straight holes for the vise screw and nut. After that was done and I left, however, I realized I should have also drilled the 3/4" dog hole in the dog block.

Drill presses Jig grinder Milling Window Drilling


Wood Gas Machine tool Auto part Engineering


Wood Rectangle Gas Circle Audio equipment


I wanted to create a recess in the dog block for the vise nut-a square recess would help to make it much stronger than simply using screws. I was about to take the chisel to the block when I paused because I realized I could easily destroy the block. The recess needs to set in end grain, and if I try chopping a mortise I would likely split the block. So, I pulled out my router, which I've used precisely once, before I realized how much more I prefer hand tools. The router was the only way I could think of to do this, however. And it worked well!

Wood Flooring Hardwood Rectangle Kitchen utensil


Wood Circuit component Cameras & optics Audio equipment Rectangle


I put everything together and was thrilled with how smoothly it worked! Fantastic! I decided it was time to glue the front laminate and get the end cap in place for alignment. This is the spot I really screwed up-I glued the tenons into the end cap! I was specifically not going to do that so that I could take it apart! Argh! Oh well, it looks good and works well, so I won't need to take it apart again… right? I hope.

Furniture Wood Table Flooring Hardwood


I put a slight angle on the top of the end cap so that I could plane the top flat without worry about running into the opposite direction of the grain of the end cap, then went on to clean up the end cap, smoothing the end in this photo, and trimming the other end, which was slightly oversize.

Product Wood Rectangle Audio equipment Camera lens


I created some guide rails to keep the screw and dog block parallel to the top using white oak scrap. I rubbed paste wax all over the areas where wood rubs with other wood-the dog block, the cavity, and the guide rails. Drilled some 3/4" dog holes and… ta-da!

Wood Gas Machine tool Hardwood Machine


Wood Hardwood Rectangle Gas Wood stain


Table Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
Great Job, Dan! This is gonna be a killer bench. Good for you.
 

Attachments

#34 ·
Base Progress

It's been a month since I last shared an update here. I've been making lots of progress on the base, making legs and stretchers and fitting it all together.

Wood Table Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Automotive design


The tail vise has gotten a lot of use since I completed it! I'm really glad I put it in the top. Here I used the vise with a hand screw to hold the leg so I could cut the tenons.

Wood Table Chair Toy airplane Metal


Wood Wood stain Wooden block Hardwood Plywood


With the tenons in the rails cut and mortises chopped into the legs, I was able to see some real progress! I didn't take any photos, but for Christmas my wife gave me a gift card to Lee Valley and I bought a router plane with it, which I used to clean up the tenons. The router plane made it really easy to get the tenons perfect and then make accurate mortises-I'm thrilled with how well they all fit together!

Wood Automotive tire Automotive exterior Gas Hardwood


Now on to the stretchers that will join each side. The back stretcher went together easily, cutting tenons and chopping mortises. Same with the front-I was on a roll! Until I set the front right leg down and realized I chopped the mortise in the wrong side of the leg! I decided to embrace this mistake by filling it with a red oak plug.

Tableware Rectangle Wood Ingredient Cutting board


Truth be told, you'll never even see the red oak plug. It's on the inside of the leg and will be completely hidden by the stretcher and eventual shelves.

Wood Table Tire Wheel Automotive exterior


The base looks awesome, but it's so far from done. In the above photo, nothing is permanently together. I have marked the end rails to drill so that I can drawbore the tenons. The left leg has been marked to drill holes for holdfasts. (I'll get some eventually.) And, today, I marked the right leg for the leg vise hardware. Upper rails have been marked to drill holes to be able to screw the top down. Also, before I can permanently assemble the legs I need to cut a dado into the stretchers to support a rail that will hold the shelf at the bottom.

The other night my wife said something hilarious. "Is it nearly finished?"
 

Attachments

#35 ·
Base Progress

It's been a month since I last shared an update here. I've been making lots of progress on the base, making legs and stretchers and fitting it all together.

Wood Table Wood stain Plank Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Automotive design


The tail vise has gotten a lot of use since I completed it! I'm really glad I put it in the top. Here I used the vise with a hand screw to hold the leg so I could cut the tenons.

Wood Table Chair Toy airplane Metal


Wood Wood stain Wooden block Hardwood Plywood


With the tenons in the rails cut and mortises chopped into the legs, I was able to see some real progress! I didn't take any photos, but for Christmas my wife gave me a gift card to Lee Valley and I bought a router plane with it, which I used to clean up the tenons. The router plane made it really easy to get the tenons perfect and then make accurate mortises-I'm thrilled with how well they all fit together!

Wood Automotive tire Automotive exterior Gas Hardwood


Now on to the stretchers that will join each side. The back stretcher went together easily, cutting tenons and chopping mortises. Same with the front-I was on a roll! Until I set the front right leg down and realized I chopped the mortise in the wrong side of the leg! I decided to embrace this mistake by filling it with a red oak plug.

Tableware Rectangle Wood Ingredient Cutting board


Truth be told, you'll never even see the red oak plug. It's on the inside of the leg and will be completely hidden by the stretcher and eventual shelves.

Wood Table Tire Wheel Automotive exterior


The base looks awesome, but it's so far from done. In the above photo, nothing is permanently together. I have marked the end rails to drill so that I can drawbore the tenons. The left leg has been marked to drill holes for holdfasts. (I'll get some eventually.) And, today, I marked the right leg for the leg vise hardware. Upper rails have been marked to drill holes to be able to screw the top down. Also, before I can permanently assemble the legs I need to cut a dado into the stretchers to support a rail that will hold the shelf at the bottom.

The other night my wife said something hilarious. "Is it nearly finished?"
Looking awesome! What kind of wood are you using? I just received my Veritas router plane. I can't wait to use it. I used the plug trick on my coffee table build. Keep us updated!
 

Attachments

#38 ·
Time for a break

Over the weekend I worked on the bench a bit. I marked many areas of the base to drill holes: to drawbore tenons, planned out the leg vise, etc.

Saturday afternoon I felt like I was a little stuck. I really need to drill some holes to get things together and continue with the base. I don't have a drill press so would have to drive over to my parents' house to use my great-grandfathers press. My wife told me to just go on Saturday; I should have listened to her but didn't.

On Sunday I finished drawing the details of the leg vise on both the leg and chop. I need to drill some holes for the vise, but figured I could get started with shaping the chop. Unfortunately, I then realized that I don't have my coping saw: I loaned it out recently so that a young Scout could build his Pinewood Derby car.

So then I turned to the shelf for the bottom of the base. I am going to follow the Benchcrafted design, which calls for a small dado in the stretchers and ledgers for support of the shelf. I opened the new Veritas plow plane to have a look at it, and found the blade advance screw threads were cut poorly and I couldn't advance the blade. So I set that aside, thinking I'd work on the rabbet for the ledger. I opened the new Veritas rabbet plane to find that the screw for the nicker was impossibly tight, and I stripped it trying to get it out. So I gave up on that, too, and sent an email to Lee Valley for some help. (They replied today and are shipping two new replacement planes to me; great service!)

So… I'm taking a break, at least for a little bit. The end of this week and next week will be busy anyway, so I probably wouldn't get much done in that time anyway. So, shifting focus to something else.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Automotive tire Hood
 

Attachments

#39 ·
Time for a break

Over the weekend I worked on the bench a bit. I marked many areas of the base to drill holes: to drawbore tenons, planned out the leg vise, etc.

Saturday afternoon I felt like I was a little stuck. I really need to drill some holes to get things together and continue with the base. I don't have a drill press so would have to drive over to my parents' house to use my great-grandfathers press. My wife told me to just go on Saturday; I should have listened to her but didn't.

On Sunday I finished drawing the details of the leg vise on both the leg and chop. I need to drill some holes for the vise, but figured I could get started with shaping the chop. Unfortunately, I then realized that I don't have my coping saw: I loaned it out recently so that a young Scout could build his Pinewood Derby car.

So then I turned to the shelf for the bottom of the base. I am going to follow the Benchcrafted design, which calls for a small dado in the stretchers and ledgers for support of the shelf. I opened the new Veritas plow plane to have a look at it, and found the blade advance screw threads were cut poorly and I couldn't advance the blade. So I set that aside, thinking I'd work on the rabbet for the ledger. I opened the new Veritas rabbet plane to find that the screw for the nicker was impossibly tight, and I stripped it trying to get it out. So I gave up on that, too, and sent an email to Lee Valley for some help. (They replied today and are shipping two new replacement planes to me; great service!)

So… I'm taking a break, at least for a little bit. The end of this week and next week will be busy anyway, so I probably wouldn't get much done in that time anyway. So, shifting focus to something else.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Automotive tire Hood
It's not just you. I've had days like this where everything I try to do goes wrong. Often, I stubbornly try to keep going until I screw something up. Once I've ruined a good piece of wood or two I'll finally throw up my hands and decide today isn't a shop day for me and go watch TV lol.
 

Attachments

#40 ·
Leg vise

Despite no updates in two months, I have actually been busy. One thing I worked on was the leg vise. I was originally going to make a parallel guide that I could pin at the bottom of the leg/vise. But all of that bending over made me decide that $100 for the Benchcrafted criss-cross hardware would be worth it. I had to cut a giant mortise in the leg to make room for the hardware. I started with the chisel and hammer, but turned to the router to get it done more quickly. I know that I say I prefer to use hand tools, but there are definitely exceptions, it seems.

Wood Automotive tire Gas Hardwood Shelf


Turning my attention to the chop, I realized I had a significant problem in that the pin for the criss-cross hardware was going to be impossible for me to drill. It needs to be drilled parallel to the face of the chop (so that the criss-cross stays and moves parallel to the leg) but I don't have access to a drill press large enough to accept the width of the chop with clearance to fit a short drill bit in, let alone one long enough for the criss-cross pin. So, I had to take this to my local hardwood dealer and ask them to drill the hole for me.

Next, I had to create the same mortise for the criss-cross in the hard maple vise chop, and I did that with only the router. The criss-cross seems to fit well!

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Gas Plywood


I decided to shape the vise chop next. I had some concern about how to cut the curve but after actually drawing it on the chop I realized it was much smaller than I had imagined, and that also meant the job was smaller and easier than I imagined. The coping saw made the cut pretty easily. The curve is a little rough and I sanded it quite a bit before deciding it was good enough!

Table Wood Rectangle Floor Hardwood


Finally, I got the Lee Valley tail vise screw installed. This was actually quite a bit easier than I expected it to be based upon the effort the tail vise required. It's quite smooth and easy to turn, even without a handle!

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Engineering Plywood


I still need to make a handle for the vise, and I also need a piece of leather to glue to the chop face. I'm also thinking it might be cool to rout a "2017" in the chop, to show when I complete the workbench. I'm not at all confident in freehand routing it, but I also don't see that I can justify a signmaking kit only to do four numbers. It's something to think about more!

Next, I turn my attention back to the base.

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
 

Attachments

#41 ·
Leg vise

Despite no updates in two months, I have actually been busy. One thing I worked on was the leg vise. I was originally going to make a parallel guide that I could pin at the bottom of the leg/vise. But all of that bending over made me decide that $100 for the Benchcrafted criss-cross hardware would be worth it. I had to cut a giant mortise in the leg to make room for the hardware. I started with the chisel and hammer, but turned to the router to get it done more quickly. I know that I say I prefer to use hand tools, but there are definitely exceptions, it seems.



Turning my attention to the chop, I realized I had a significant problem in that the pin for the criss-cross hardware was going to be impossible for me to drill. It needs to be drilled parallel to the face of the chop (so that the criss-cross stays and moves parallel to the leg) but I don't have access to a drill press large enough to accept the width of the chop with clearance to fit a short drill bit in, let alone one long enough for the criss-cross pin. So, I had to take this to my local hardwood dealer and ask them to drill the hole for me.

Next, I had to create the same mortise for the criss-cross in the hard maple vise chop, and I did that with only the router. The criss-cross seems to fit well!



I decided to shape the vise chop next. I had some concern about how to cut the curve but after actually drawing it on the chop I realized it was much smaller than I had imagined, and that also meant the job was smaller and easier than I imagined. The coping saw made the cut pretty easily. The curve is a little rough and I sanded it quite a bit before deciding it was good enough!



Finally, I got the Lee Valley tail vise screw installed. This was actually quite a bit easier than I expected it to be based upon the effort the tail vise required. It's quite smooth and easy to turn, even without a handle!



I still need to make a handle for the vise, and I also need a piece of leather to glue to the chop face. I'm also thinking it might be cool to rout a "2017" in the chop, to show when I complete the workbench. I'm not at all confident in freehand routing it, but I also don't see that I can justify a signmaking kit only to do four numbers. It's something to think about more!

Next, I turn my attention back to the base.

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
Looking good, Dan … keep it up! Practice carving those four numbers in some scrape … I know you can do it!
 

Attachments

#43 ·
Assembling the Base

At this point I had the base components complete and had dry-fitted several times, but I didn't want to assemble it until the leg vise was complete. Now that the leg vise was done, I could get everything assembled.

Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I can assemble the base I needed to make the shelf ledgers that would fit into the base stretchers. A groove in the stretcher would support the pressure from the ledgers.

Tableware Wood Textile Rectangle Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Feather Tints and shades Flooring


Ok, now that the ledgers were made and the dadoes planed into the stretchers, I could get things assembled!

I wanted to drawbore the mortise and tenon joints for the end assemblies. I had never tried drawboring before and I was really surprised how tightly it locked everything together! My mortise and tenons were nice and tight but the 3/8" ash drawbore pins really made the joints rock solid!

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Natural material Beige


Wood Beige Hardwood Rectangle Pattern


Drilling the holes for the pins was a little disappointing in that I don't have the right tool/bit: the only bit I have that was able to enter cleanly is a 3/8" forstner bit. A little bit of wobble while I used my cordless drill and some slightly-under 3/8" dowels leave a tiny gap when the pins were inserted. I'm sure practice would help more than anything, but I wonder if a drill press and/or a slightly undersized bit (11/32"?) would have helped make a cleaner-looking joint.

Wood Automotive design Automotive exterior Machine Engineering


Table Wood Outdoor furniture Hardwood Street furniture


With both ends of the base assembled it's time to get the stretchers and hardware in place. I decided to use some ratchet tie-downs as clamps to help pull the stretcher mortise and tenons together so that I could drill for the hardware.

Wood Wheel Engineering Gas Machine


I am using the Benchcrafted bolt and barrel nut to pull the stretchers together to make a strong base that can be taken apart. This hardware is big.

Household hardware Finger Gas Engineering Machine


Table Wood Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


I drill a 1" hole in the stretcher for the barrel nut and an 8" long hole for the bolt. Without a drill press handy I was left to align this by eye. I was pretty close but needed to rasp things a bit-lets just say I'm glad the barrel nuts can't be seen!

Wood Table Wood stain Floor Flooring


Wood Wheel Automotive tire Hardwood Engineering


I'm thrilled to see I did a good job of building a square base, and saying it's "strong and sturdy" is an amazing understatement! I cut the mortises in the table top and bolted the top to the base with the Spax lag bolts-again, so I can take it apart should I ever need to.

And I have no photo at this stage to share. All I can say is that I was so excited to have something that looked like a workbench, I couldn't wait to just use it!
 

Attachments

#44 ·
Assembling the Base

At this point I had the base components complete and had dry-fitted several times, but I didn't want to assemble it until the leg vise was complete. Now that the leg vise was done, I could get everything assembled.

Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I can assemble the base I needed to make the shelf ledgers that would fit into the base stretchers. A groove in the stretcher would support the pressure from the ledgers.

Tableware Wood Textile Rectangle Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Feather Tints and shades Flooring


Ok, now that the ledgers were made and the dadoes planed into the stretchers, I could get things assembled!

I wanted to drawbore the mortise and tenon joints for the end assemblies. I had never tried drawboring before and I was really surprised how tightly it locked everything together! My mortise and tenons were nice and tight but the 3/8" ash drawbore pins really made the joints rock solid!

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Natural material Beige


Wood Beige Hardwood Rectangle Pattern


Drilling the holes for the pins was a little disappointing in that I don't have the right tool/bit: the only bit I have that was able to enter cleanly is a 3/8" forstner bit. A little bit of wobble while I used my cordless drill and some slightly-under 3/8" dowels leave a tiny gap when the pins were inserted. I'm sure practice would help more than anything, but I wonder if a drill press and/or a slightly undersized bit (11/32"?) would have helped make a cleaner-looking joint.

Wood Automotive design Automotive exterior Machine Engineering


Table Wood Outdoor furniture Hardwood Street furniture


With both ends of the base assembled it's time to get the stretchers and hardware in place. I decided to use some ratchet tie-downs as clamps to help pull the stretcher mortise and tenons together so that I could drill for the hardware.

Wood Wheel Engineering Gas Machine


I am using the Benchcrafted bolt and barrel nut to pull the stretchers together to make a strong base that can be taken apart. This hardware is big.

Household hardware Finger Gas Engineering Machine


Table Wood Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


I drill a 1" hole in the stretcher for the barrel nut and an 8" long hole for the bolt. Without a drill press handy I was left to align this by eye. I was pretty close but needed to rasp things a bit-lets just say I'm glad the barrel nuts can't be seen!

Wood Table Wood stain Floor Flooring


Wood Wheel Automotive tire Hardwood Engineering


I'm thrilled to see I did a good job of building a square base, and saying it's "strong and sturdy" is an amazing understatement! I cut the mortises in the table top and bolted the top to the base with the Spax lag bolts-again, so I can take it apart should I ever need to.

And I have no photo at this stage to share. All I can say is that I was so excited to have something that looked like a workbench, I couldn't wait to just use it!
Lookin' good, Dan! Good job on the ledgers. Your drawboring looks nice and snug. You are going to cry when this bench gets dinged up!
 

Attachments

#47 ·
Adding the Shelf

With the base complete and the shelf ledgers in place, I wanted to get the shelf added. The shelf would be really useful in that it would allow me to set my planes nearby but out of the way. Ok, so the spot I've been storing my planes is only about four steps away, but still, having them within reach seems like a great advance. It'll surely make me more productive, right?

I've been using 2×4s from Home Depot to build the majority of the bench. I intended to use the leftover 2×4s and cut-offs to make the shelf. But, a while back, I bought some birch to make the gap stop for the bench top. But, the birch looks really nice… maybe I should use it for the shelf? I shared this photo with friends and sought feedback:

Wood Toy Wood stain Floor Hardwood


Several people told me to use the 2Ă—4s and save the birch for another "nicer" project. In my opinion, however, this workbench is a very nice project, and the birch isn't being wasted in the least! I'll get to see and enjoy this at least several times a week. So, I went with it.

Also, here's the first photo of the base with the top slabs mortised into the legs!

Table Wood Workbench Gas Hardwood


I used the rabbet plane to make all of the shelves fit together. I cut a total of 20 rabbets to fit all of the shelf pieces together. I have only used the rabbet plane a few times before so was excited to do a lot with it, hoping that by the 20th I would have a good handle on it. Unfortunately, I don't feel I'm there yet!

Wood Finger Thumb Tool Nail


They all fit together well and from a normal distance they look fantastic, however.

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Plank Composite material


So many rabbets let me cut a lot of thick and curly shavings that will be great for fire-starting!

Wood Grass Grass family Pattern Groundcover


Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
 

Attachments

#48 ·
Adding the Shelf

With the base complete and the shelf ledgers in place, I wanted to get the shelf added. The shelf would be really useful in that it would allow me to set my planes nearby but out of the way. Ok, so the spot I've been storing my planes is only about four steps away, but still, having them within reach seems like a great advance. It'll surely make me more productive, right?

I've been using 2×4s from Home Depot to build the majority of the bench. I intended to use the leftover 2×4s and cut-offs to make the shelf. But, a while back, I bought some birch to make the gap stop for the bench top. But, the birch looks really nice… maybe I should use it for the shelf? I shared this photo with friends and sought feedback:

Wood Toy Wood stain Floor Hardwood


Several people told me to use the 2Ă—4s and save the birch for another "nicer" project. In my opinion, however, this workbench is a very nice project, and the birch isn't being wasted in the least! I'll get to see and enjoy this at least several times a week. So, I went with it.

Also, here's the first photo of the base with the top slabs mortised into the legs!

Table Wood Workbench Gas Hardwood


I used the rabbet plane to make all of the shelves fit together. I cut a total of 20 rabbets to fit all of the shelf pieces together. I have only used the rabbet plane a few times before so was excited to do a lot with it, hoping that by the 20th I would have a good handle on it. Unfortunately, I don't feel I'm there yet!

Wood Finger Thumb Tool Nail


They all fit together well and from a normal distance they look fantastic, however.

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Plank Composite material


So many rabbets let me cut a lot of thick and curly shavings that will be great for fire-starting!

Wood Grass Grass family Pattern Groundcover


Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
This is an awesome looking bench … Dan, is that photo reversed ; or, are you a lefty? I just now noticed that!
 

Attachments

#52 ·
The Gapstop

Stating the obvious here, but Benchcrafted's split-top Roubo bench uses two slabs for the top. Rather than joining them, they are kept separate throughout the build. Another component, the "gapstop" goes between them, and offers some additional functionality. This is one of the features that sold me on the Benchcrafted design.

I bought some nice birch to use for the gap stop. It has a bit of color that will add a little contrast between the white 2×4s of the rest of the top. But… gee, these boards have some nice grain detail that won't be visible if I use them for the gapstop. Of course, as those who are following along already know, I used the birch for the shelf. I needed something for the gapstop and my local hardwood store was clearancing out a few woods. I found some makore, a wood from Africa, for 50%-off, $4.something/bf. I selected two pieces, and based on the amount of dust that slid off as we pulled them out of the shelf I'm pretty sure that I was the first person to buy it in years-which is likely why it's being clearanced out. After I got home I took a layer off of the two boards and was thrilled with what I saw! I should go back and buy another piece or two of this stuff, I think!

Brown Table Wood Rectangle Textile


After squaring the board up and doing some careful measuring I found that the non-curly nice-grained piece was going to be just big enough for me to make the gapstop. I was a little surprised by this-which is why I bought two pieces. Making the gapstop was easy enough. I'm sure I spent the most time just measuring to see that I had enough in the one board. A few cuts, squaring edges, glue, clamps, done.

Table Wood Workbench Engineering Creative arts


The fit is a little tight, but that's ok because the inside of the rear slab needs to be taken down a little. In big letters I had written "LEFT" and "RIGHT" when assembling the tops, just to help me keep it straight. And, as I told my Mom when she had a look at my bench: I don't need this written down any longer, I can tell left from right on my own now. The contrast between the woods is great, just what I wanted to see!

Table Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


As I said in the beginning, the utility of the gapstop was interesting to me. It'll serve as some tool organization for whatever I have out on the bench at the time. Hopefully this will help me look at least a little organized!

Brown Wood Table Floor Flooring


The gapstop can be bumped up to use as a planing stop, or it can be pulled all the way out so I can squeeze some clamps between the slabs.

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


It was about this time that I realized I'm actually getting pretty close to finishing this project!

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
 

Attachments

#53 ·
The Gapstop

Stating the obvious here, but Benchcrafted's split-top Roubo bench uses two slabs for the top. Rather than joining them, they are kept separate throughout the build. Another component, the "gapstop" goes between them, and offers some additional functionality. This is one of the features that sold me on the Benchcrafted design.

I bought some nice birch to use for the gap stop. It has a bit of color that will add a little contrast between the white 2×4s of the rest of the top. But… gee, these boards have some nice grain detail that won't be visible if I use them for the gapstop. Of course, as those who are following along already know, I used the birch for the shelf. I needed something for the gapstop and my local hardwood store was clearancing out a few woods. I found some makore, a wood from Africa, for 50%-off, $4.something/bf. I selected two pieces, and based on the amount of dust that slid off as we pulled them out of the shelf I'm pretty sure that I was the first person to buy it in years-which is likely why it's being clearanced out. After I got home I took a layer off of the two boards and was thrilled with what I saw! I should go back and buy another piece or two of this stuff, I think!

Brown Table Wood Rectangle Textile


After squaring the board up and doing some careful measuring I found that the non-curly nice-grained piece was going to be just big enough for me to make the gapstop. I was a little surprised by this-which is why I bought two pieces. Making the gapstop was easy enough. I'm sure I spent the most time just measuring to see that I had enough in the one board. A few cuts, squaring edges, glue, clamps, done.

Table Wood Workbench Engineering Creative arts


The fit is a little tight, but that's ok because the inside of the rear slab needs to be taken down a little. In big letters I had written "LEFT" and "RIGHT" when assembling the tops, just to help me keep it straight. And, as I told my Mom when she had a look at my bench: I don't need this written down any longer, I can tell left from right on my own now. The contrast between the woods is great, just what I wanted to see!

Table Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


As I said in the beginning, the utility of the gapstop was interesting to me. It'll serve as some tool organization for whatever I have out on the bench at the time. Hopefully this will help me look at least a little organized!

Brown Wood Table Floor Flooring


The gapstop can be bumped up to use as a planing stop, or it can be pulled all the way out so I can squeeze some clamps between the slabs.

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


It was about this time that I realized I'm actually getting pretty close to finishing this project!

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
Bench is looking great, Dan. Yes, go back and buy all the makore you can carry … it looks great!
 

Attachments

#58 ·
The Sliding Deadman

The last notable piece of my bench build left is the sliding deadman. I had bought a cut-off scrap of ash to use to make the rail the deadman would slide on, but as I measured what I needed I realized the scrap was far bigger than I needed. I grabbed some smaller scraps of red oak to make the rail. When I brought them into better light I realized one piece was red oak and one was white oak. Well, good enough-I got these pieces cleaned up, glued together, and shaped.

Musical instrument Alphorn Drum Idiophone Musical instrument accessory


And once shaped I glued it to the bench stretcher.

Automotive tire Gas Machine Electric blue Wood


On to the deadman itself: a beefy piece of 8/4 sapele. The two shorter pieces would be used for the top and bottom of the deadman. I cut a mortise in each of these short pieces and tenons in each end of the long piece to build it.

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Wood stain


In one of the shorter pieces I cut a groove to run in the rail.

Rectangle Wood Art Sculpture Hardwood


Table Wood Flooring Rectangle Floor


At the top of the deadman is a… well, I guess it's a rabbet. A giant rabbet, about 2" long, to fit into the groove on the underside of the front slab.

Table Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


I decided to drawbore the mortise and tenon joint together with a piece of walnut. Unfortunately, I had no luck drilling clean holes. I just don't have any bits that drill cleanly at this size. (Actually, I don't have bits that drill cleanly at many sizes! They're a priority tool upgrade, I think.)

Wood Finger Audio equipment Circle Gadget


In the end, it looks pretty good, though!

Wood Floor Beam Hardwood Gas


And this is where I stopped. By the Benchcrafted plans, I should drill 3/4" dog holes in the deadman now. But I'm not sure what to do-I don't have a clamp to use in the deadman right now, such as a Veritas Surface Clamp. A Stanley #203 looks good, too, but would require 1" dog holes and "a bit of work if I've already got 3/4 holes drilled. But I also wonder if I couldn't make a clamp of some sort myself. And, for now, any other clamp I have could suffice.

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
  • Sapele
  • Walnut
 

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#59 ·
The Sliding Deadman

The last notable piece of my bench build left is the sliding deadman. I had bought a cut-off scrap of ash to use to make the rail the deadman would slide on, but as I measured what I needed I realized the scrap was far bigger than I needed. I grabbed some smaller scraps of red oak to make the rail. When I brought them into better light I realized one piece was red oak and one was white oak. Well, good enough-I got these pieces cleaned up, glued together, and shaped.

Musical instrument Alphorn Drum Idiophone Musical instrument accessory


And once shaped I glued it to the bench stretcher.

Automotive tire Gas Machine Electric blue Wood


On to the deadman itself: a beefy piece of 8/4 sapele. The two shorter pieces would be used for the top and bottom of the deadman. I cut a mortise in each of these short pieces and tenons in each end of the long piece to build it.

Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Wood stain


In one of the shorter pieces I cut a groove to run in the rail.

Rectangle Wood Art Sculpture Hardwood


Table Wood Flooring Rectangle Floor


At the top of the deadman is a… well, I guess it's a rabbet. A giant rabbet, about 2" long, to fit into the groove on the underside of the front slab.

Table Wood Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


I decided to drawbore the mortise and tenon joint together with a piece of walnut. Unfortunately, I had no luck drilling clean holes. I just don't have any bits that drill cleanly at this size. (Actually, I don't have bits that drill cleanly at many sizes! They're a priority tool upgrade, I think.)

Wood Finger Audio equipment Circle Gadget


In the end, it looks pretty good, though!

Wood Floor Beam Hardwood Gas


And this is where I stopped. By the Benchcrafted plans, I should drill 3/4" dog holes in the deadman now. But I'm not sure what to do-I don't have a clamp to use in the deadman right now, such as a Veritas Surface Clamp. A Stanley #203 looks good, too, but would require 1" dog holes and "a bit of work if I've already got 3/4 holes drilled. But I also wonder if I couldn't make a clamp of some sort myself. And, for now, any other clamp I have could suffice.

Wood review-the bench now includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
  • Sapele
  • Walnut
"A Stanley #203 looks good, too, but would require 1" dog holes and a bit of work if I've already got 3/4 holes drilled."

#203s won't work in a deadman that is 2" thick. The 'hook' portion is only about 1" away from the main body of the clamp. I redrilled every other hole and thinned the deadman itself, as thickness isn't really needed.

Wood Rectangle Font Art Automotive exterior


So before 1" holes are drilled, keep this in mind (if you weren't aware).
 

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#61 ·
Odds and Ends

With all of the major pieces of the bench done, I took care of a few details.

The left front leg needed a recess to get at the bench dog to push it out, as well as to let it sit low for thin stock.





The right ends of the bench top needed to be cut nicely. After cutting I planed them a little so that they're smooth.



Several weeks back I was reading about UV staining (thanks Ron Aylor). It's most commonly done with cherry, to bring out the reddish color in the wood. I thought about trying it with the birch shelves of my workbench. Some more reading, however, told me that it wouldn't work well because cherry is rich with tannins, while birch is not.

And that led me to tea staining. Tea is rich in tannins, so I "painted" several coats of brewed tea onto the shelf slats. The tea darkened the wood a little, which looked nice. Now I had some tannin-rich wood, ready for UV staining. After about 25 hours, I believe the sun has changed the color of the wood a little, darkening it slightly. It definitely looks nice-now a warm, golden honey color-and was a fun addition to the bench. This photo shows a before-and-after, with before on the bottom.



Still a few things to do, but not much, and I don't know when I'll do them.
 

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#62 ·
Done Enough

Table Furniture Wood Creative arts Wood stain


I'm going to say the workbench is done. Eight feet long, 29" wide, 35" tall, and weighs about 300 pounds. It's strong, stable, and flat. The vises move smoothly and clamp immovably tight. Six months, and I'd estimate about 250 hours. Actually using the bench has been awesome-having a tool of such quality and capability has already improved what I can do when working with wood. And it seems to work well for my son Patrick, too!

Table Furniture Wood Desk Wood stain


Well, maybe I should say the workbench is "done enough." I didn't drill any dog holes in the back slab yet, but I don't yet have any holdfasts or other bench accessories that would use them. The sliding deadman doesn't have any dogholes yet, either, but I'm a little uncertain about how I will clamp with that so I don't want to drill any holes yet. I installed lever-activated wheels on two of the legs, to make the bench easier to move, but I think they look horrible so didn't add them to the other two legs; engaging the two wheels make the bench movable, so maybe that's enough. And I'm sure there will be some modification in the future!

Wood review-the bench includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
  • Sapele
  • Walnut
 

Attachments

#63 ·
Done Enough

Table Furniture Wood Creative arts Wood stain


I'm going to say the workbench is done. Eight feet long, 29" wide, 35" tall, and weighs about 300 pounds. It's strong, stable, and flat. The vises move smoothly and clamp immovably tight. Six months, and I'd estimate about 250 hours. Actually using the bench has been awesome-having a tool of such quality and capability has already improved what I can do when working with wood. And it seems to work well for my son Patrick, too!

Table Furniture Wood Desk Wood stain


Well, maybe I should say the workbench is "done enough." I didn't drill any dog holes in the back slab yet, but I don't yet have any holdfasts or other bench accessories that would use them. The sliding deadman doesn't have any dogholes yet, either, but I'm a little uncertain about how I will clamp with that so I don't want to drill any holes yet. I installed lever-activated wheels on two of the legs, to make the bench easier to move, but I think they look horrible so didn't add them to the other two legs; engaging the two wheels make the bench movable, so maybe that's enough. And I'm sure there will be some modification in the future!

Wood review-the bench includes:

  • Burrill "white fir"
  • Cherry
  • Soft maple
  • Hard maple
  • Red oak
  • White oak
  • Birch
  • Makore
  • Sapele
  • Walnut
That looks awesome and super useful.
 

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