Workbench Update

Wow,
I didn’t know that jealousy could cause me to drool this much. Darn, that’s a beaut of a bench and the cadillac hardware really complements it well. I f I had such a nice bench, I’d never get anything done because I’d be staring at it all the time.

-- New to the craft and loving every minute!

I wouldn’t DARE to use it. I wold ding it up!. You should put it in the dining room!. Sure is a mighty prutty workbench!

fred

-- Fred, Springfield, Ma

Great looking bench!

How good is the rigidity of that leg system?

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

Charlie
With the casters adjusted down so that it’s sitting on the leg panels it feels rock solid. After I had all the work done on the underside I did a couple months worth of work on the top after I had it mounted on the legs and it wasn’t moving. Haven’t tried using it yet with the casters engaged but locked though so I may have something to report later.

Fred
I’m not sure I CAN ding it. That edge-up ply is tough as nails plus the finish is a few coats of epoxy. I actually didn’t discover my crown problem in the middle until after I had the first coat of epoxy on. So I had to sand that back off, and that was like sanding concrete. Then I initially tried flattening with handplanes. That worked but after only getting about 18” fixed over a week, I gave up and went with the router sled approach. A lot of that time was just continually having to resharpen plane irons.

-- Use the fence Luke

Doug,

This is a gorgeous bench. I am beginning to really appreciate these “furniture” benches. I agree that it does seem a shame to beat them up like I do my cheap ones. I like the mobility of it as well.

Thanks for the post.

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

Obviously a well thought out project. I’m thinking that the quality of the bench will impact the quality of the work that comes off it. Your description indicates that great work doesn’t come easily.

-- Phil in British Columbia

Man, that is one nice looking bench! Very cool pattern makers vise also.

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

Nice looking bench!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

That is an amazingly beautiful top. I can honestly say that I have never thought of using the edge of plywood for a bench top. However, I may have to try it out after seeing yours.

No vacuum press though, so it may not be a good idea to try and tackle.

Deffinetly jealous of the vices. Those will be a great addition.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

That is a beautiful bench. I realize it took a lot of effort to make and I was wondering how many man hours it took to make.

Again beautiful bench

-- Kip Northern Illinois ( If you don't know where your goin any road will take you there) George Harrison

Kipster
That’s a tough one. Most of the work on this was confined to weekends, with a stray couple of hours during the week at night. There were also longer holiday weekends, vacation days, and my work shuts down from Christmas until after New Years, so about 10 days or so this year. But I also lost a few weeks during this to the flu, when nothing got done on it. I first bought the ply around September so this went on over a span of 8 months I guess.

-- Use the fence Luke

Nice one! I really like the purpleheart trim. Might have to consider that when I redo mine.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Very nice bench! I don’t know if I could bring myself to use it. Great Job!

-- Bill, Florida

I would have commented on this sooner, but my drool ruined my first keyboard!... That is awesome!!... you’ve done a fantastic job… I’m lovin’ the purpleheart.

Also, I’m having my wife paint me a sign to hang on our biggest pole barn, “No kill wood shelter.” That cracked me up… lol

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Very nice. Purpleheart may be hard as nails, but it is beautiful when finished, and adds a great accent color.

How do you like the Veritas twin screw? I’m considering one myself. Does it require a lot of clearance under the bench at the end?

Jon
The screw spacing I ended up using (22-1/2” OC) means the screw actually straddle the Noden leg panel. So in theory I could have gone with NO clearance but I ended up putting 6” between the leg panel and back of the rear jaw. I forget the exact distance the screws protrude behind the jaw. I think that number is on LV’s catalog page instructon link, but that will shrink some too if your jaws are thicker.

-- Use the fence Luke

Very nice!!! I have just finished my bench. Dunno if i have the guts to post it. Hehehe

-- "Real jocks do it on a bench"

Massive looking bench…great work you should be proud and enjoy for many years to come..,Blkcherry

I have to buy one of those Tucker Vices….....Did you know how much they cost. WOW…... more than my table saw. This is a nice…no….Great Bench. You have spared nothing on this one. Great design. It looks to good to use. You have great skills.

-- Dominic, Trinity, Florida...Lets be safe out there.

Dominic
They weren’t cheap when I bought it either but fortunately I got mine before the big spike due to currency rates. That was a huge increase.

-- Use the fence Luke

A great looking bench. I’d hate myself the first time i dropped a bucket of paint on it.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Very nice work bench. I love the purple heart and that adjusta bench stuff you used. I have seen it at some wood show. I used to cover my bench top with carpet until realized that it was a work bench and could handle the use no matter what happened. Use yours with pride.

-- bobdurnell, Santa Ana California.

Wow looks more then sturdy, way cool…

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug

VERY NICE! I want one like this! This is nice enough to use as a dining table. Can you move it to the dining room? I have seen some really nice ones including this that are inspiring. Our current pine/plywood work benches do not compare. It looks like a lot of TLC went into this.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

mmh
It’s funny you should mention that as the bench actually got moved OUT of a family room into the GaShop.
The shop isn’t heated and about halfway thru the epoxy glue-up stages it got too cold for the epoxy to cure. So I moved it inside and continued to work on it for the next 5 months or so.

-- Use the fence Luke

oh man ….. my wife would keeeeel me!

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.