My first Workbench

Hey David
This is one fine workbench it should serve you well for a long time

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

These great benches are making me green with envy.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

That is a great looking bench. You can look forward to many enjoyable years working on that bench. Nice job.

Mart

Hope that is a picture of your son you use in your icon, this bench will be an heirloom, in his grandson’s shop

-- DocK, WV

Real nice bench..I have never seen a cherry/walnut benchtop before…I wouldn’t want to use it! Too afraid I might scratch it..

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Very nice workbench. I’m pretty sure you enjoyed building it.
Great job!

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.

Nothing like a good workbench! And this looks like a good one!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

very pretty bench … almost too nice to use >grin< ... give it 100 years and it will still look good

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Beautiful…..So when ya gonna build me one???? Buddy?????

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

A piece of art to create pieces of art. Great job!

-- Behind the Bark is a lot of Heartwood----Charles, Centennial, CO

I agree with the common consensus. You have a beautiful bench and did a great job. One other thing that I like about your workbench is the simplicity of your design. It is very practicle as well as good-looking.

Although I admire the “traditional” cabinet maker’s bench, and the many variations that I have seen here at Lumberjocks, I am drawn to those assembly benches that are more practical in nature, at least in my opinion.

Maybe I have some Shaker in my past, but I do not like wasted space under the benchtop. If I were to build a workbench, I would include drawers under the benchtop as you did.

Once again, great job!!

Beautifull bench. Love the combination of woods used.

The drawers are a nice added feature to help keep your tools handy.

The double vises will also come in very handy. alltho I have seen others with one vice on the end to facilitate with longer stock. Is there a reason you put both on the side?

All in all, a great sturdy work surface and doubles as an outfeed table is a big pluss.

Can’t wait to see what projects come out of the new work surface!

Keep up the great work.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!

Thanks for all the comments they are greatly appreciated.

Scrappy I opted to put both vices on the face because they are small vices and I hope to add a tail vise in future when the funds will allow it. I also have the bench set up to work from either end easily when using my planes.

-- Pyromedic602, free wood is always good wood

very sweet looking bench and worthy of the word.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.

A fine bench in all respects. Looks like you know what you’re doing.

-- Mike, American in Norway

Beautiful bench pyro! I love the wood combo. This will serve you and many others for years to come. Great work and thanks for sharing.

-- Brad, Oregon- Wood, it's what's for dinner.

great looking bench…love the top and the drawers are a very nice/handy touch…very well done…

-- Todd, Oak Ridge, TN, Hello my name is Todd and I'm a Toolholic, I bought my last tool 10 days, no 4 days, oh heck I bought a tool on the way here! †

Beautiful! I agree it will be an heirloom. Make sure you have someone interested in woodworking to pass it down to. Non woodworkers don’t appreciate a great bench.

I’m gonna have to break down and start on one myself.

-- Father of two sons. Both Eagle Scouts.

Outstanding job! I was honored that you would come to me for advice. It turned out great. It is something you can be very proud of. I look forward to seeing it in person in a few weeks.

Take care and God Bless.
Greg

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

This is a gorgeous bench and I really like the wood combination as well. There simply is no reason that you have to focus solely on functionality for shop furniture. I particularity like the inclusion of the drawers as well. This is a design element that Chris Schwarz does not favor but I think that it is a good idea, especially for smaller shops where every bit of storage space is necessary.

I am in the process of deciding on the style of bench I am going to add to my shop and this one definately gives me some ideas.

Thanks for the post and enjoy your new tool.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Wow, I’m too cheap to use that kind of material on a piece of shop furniture…but I guess that’s why you haven’t seen me posting pictures of my “workbench” on here. I’m sure it’ll hold up well though…good job!

-- Cody Crisp - http://www.ruggedcrosswoodworks.com

Cherry and walnut? Good Lord. That’s a gorgeous bench. Kinda puts my recycled solid core door top to shame. All joking aside, you have a beautiful bench that will no doubt produce many wonderful projects in its future. Nice work.

Question: Was it difficult to plane the top to get it even/level across its entirety?

-- Measure, cut, curse, repeat.

Thanks for all the Complements they are greatly appreciated, also any criticism that you may have for the bench is always welcome also.

McLean- I just used a router sled to do the majority of the woek and then I went to my #6 plane and finished the leveling. The tops not perfect but flat enough for what I need.

-- Pyromedic602, free wood is always good wood

I have very little money in the wood I used. A while back I ran across a deal at a local lumber yard they 8/4 cherry and 6/4 Walnut #2 grade that they were selling for boxing wood. Myself and Adrian bought a stack of each, my half of the load grand total of 60 dollars. The stacks contained apporx. 200 sticks of cherry and 350 sticks of walnut. Lots more cherry and walnut projects in my future. The Teak was given to me by a friend after flooring his house, it was some of the cut offs and left over wood.

-- Pyromedic602, free wood is always good wood

Nice looking bench, I have to ask what your work-style is. Mostly power tools? Mostly hand work? A mix? That seems to have a major influence on bench design. Oh and why Chris Schwartz doesn’t like drawers or cabinets underneath is beyond me. He must have a monstrous amount of space in his shop. Oh the luxury! I have to step out of the shop to change my mind.

-- Ooo, er.

sweet looking bench friend i’m making my new one now but getting so many idea’s getting lost lol….......

Andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

skarp – dont forget to take you changed mind with you back inside…. I agree with you about disagreeing with Chris Schwartz about the drawers… 1 it adds weight on the base which makes it more steady, and 2 it keeps all your tools organized and at hand (no pun intended) when you’re at the bench.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Skarp I built the bench with using hand tool in mind. I am still trying to develop my skills but love to use my planes which is bases of the depth of my drawers when they are layed on there side.

-- Pyromedic602, free wood is always good wood

Cool, I’m letting some beech acclimate for my next bench. It’s going to be made with hand tools in mind. I have a portable torsion box type bench of plywood and MDF with some t-track for my power tools, but it is woefully inadequate for something like planing by hand or mortises. The old bench which now plays barbecue table was an exercise in making mistakes! I learned to never make a bench out of big box 2x’s without letting them dry thoroughly. Also better to make it narrower than wider (hanging a drawer over the end is impossible on mine), and make sure there is a decent (read: any) amount of overhang on the top from the legs. And figure out what your most comfortable working height is. My bench was way too low. At least I only spent about $30 on the stupid thing! Live and learn.

-- Ooo, er.

Nice workbench.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

wow a beautiful bench I love the different colors that the wood gives to the bench!

-- Rich

amazing…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...