Which bench should I get?

The little Sjoberg benches aren’t bad value.

You can get them at Lee Valley.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

The above bench: $530.

Thanks Tom!

How do you think the vices are on this one?

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I played with them a bit at a Lee Valley store. I felt the bench was well constructed and the vises were quite good. They are both single screw though, so a front vise in a tail vise location. I almost bought one when I was in the shop remodel stages. The LV that I can drive to has one on the floor. I don’t know what proximity you are to one, but it is a bench you can play with a little if you can get to a store.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Sjobergs Nordic Plus 1660 Workbench: $450

and

Sjobergs Nordic Plus 1950 Workbench (shown with optional $180 cabinets): $500

(From Woodcraft)

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Too cheap, or good bargain?

Shop Bench: $200 from Woodcraft.

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Good price but No front vice :(

60” Workbench With Drawers-Birch: $425 at Grizzly

Wait, and NO DOG HOLES???

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Seems like good features and storage?

60” Workbench Birch: $350 from Grizzly

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I’ve heard those grizzly’s aren’t too bad. You want a front vice. I can’t imagine that 200 buck one is going to make you happy.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

For that maybe price I thought I could mount my own vice. I come across old USA vices all the time.

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You can just buy the top, then make the base and put your own vises on and save a good sum too…as an option.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Hey Blake. I think it was Fine Woodworking, or it might be another mag, just published a good article on this subject. The covered the range of price and addressed things like the quality of the vices as well as how much they did or didn’t rack when under use. Let me know if you would like me to forward the article (a PDF). In the meantime, I’ll try to locate it.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Found the link to the article. I think this is non-membership-required article. If I’m wrong, I can forward. Let me know.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

It would be great if you could forward that PDF.

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I’d go with the $200.00 model then beef it up with stout aprons and lots o corner bracing after you get it. You probably have some drops around to do that with.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

I think I am leaning toward the 60” Workbench Birch: $350 from Grizzly

What do you think? I could put sand in that bottom shelf and then put a new shelf over that. But it seems to have all the traditional features. What do you think about those vices? OK or crap? What do you think, Mot?

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I’ve been researching benches for a couple of weeks now and am leaning toward this one from Wooddirect.com

http://www.woodirect.com/merchant2/images/workbenchDiagram.jpg

The Grizzly is another one that I am thinking about.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Blake I just looked at the Fine Woodworking PDF and the benches that they tested were far more expensive that your budget allows. Looks like the cheapest that they tested was $895 and most were over $1000. That Grizzly don’t look too bad, could do some additional stabilizing and tweaking once you got it in place.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/