Work bench - then and now

Picture #1 is a nice, heavy duty table. Picture #2 is a work bench.

-- Visualize whirled peas

It’s fun to see pictures like these, rather than just a beautifully built bench. I don’t have a comparable bench. My 40 year old bench has mutated, and has a 3/4” ply top, layered over some 2×10’s. It has both a machinist’s vice and a woodworking vise, reflecting the do-it-your-selfer character of its use over the years. It has considerable storage space and is basically immovable.

It has only been the last couple of years that I really started to focus on woodworking. My multi-purpose bench has now become the focus of most of my work, and now has a woodworker’s vise as well.

Have a good New Year’s Rich. I am on call, but will probably get some woodworking done, although my productivity will be marginal probably due to interruptions.

-- Jim, Anchorage Alaska

I like the now picture best – a well used durable workbench

-- Shameless - Winner of two Stumpy Nubs Awards

The second shot shows a real work bench! It is getting a really nice look – good to go for generations to come.

-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive

Looks like a great bench (envy) in both pics. Everyone works different. I have found that a very tidy well organized workshop is inspiring, but I’ve never been able to keep mine that way very long and my work bench is no exception.

-- Mike, American in Norway

I need to confess that there is usually some clutter at the far end of the bench (but not the near end). I always work at the near end. Because we are hosting a party and people like to see my shop, I cleaned up everything. So that is why I took a picture today.

I’m being a little misrepresentative in that my bench is seldom this clutter free.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Looks like you about got it broke in.

Hey Rich, I got the Kreg klamp system based on your recommendation a while back in another thread and I must say, it is quite nifty! I have plates in my workbench and assembly table. Use them all the time!

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.

Pure LOVE Rich!

Yes Rich – I also like the “used” picture the most for reasons already stated. I was thinking about covering my bench with flooring. My bench is built into the flooring of my shop so it’s not moving. The top is simply a solid door (extremely flat) but after 10 years, it has a few gouges in it.

Question… Did you have to do serious planing and sanding to the flooring top?

A simple suggestion to all – I bought a roll of brown paper at Home Depot and I now cover my bench when staining or gluing. I use this paper for plan drawings and then cover my bench to finish the projects. The roll I bought will last at least 10 years. If I glue face frames that need to be flat, I use wax paper under the joints to avoid having my projects sticking to my work bench.

Thanks for the post Rich – whether you respond to my question or not, now I know flooring can solve my problem.

-- Bernie: It never gets hot or cold in New Hampshire, just seasonal!

Boy, I have a lot of work to do. I think i win the “Messiest Bench Award”. Yours look real nice.

-- A Planer? I'M the planer, this is what I use

I have a sheet of hardboard running the full length of the bench between the bench dogs. This keeps it looking like a piece of furniture. My big bench is all pitch pine, the large bench is all mahogany, and the supplimentary portable top is all beech.

bandit, I am not too far behind you, I know, no picture it didn’t happen.

-- My mother named me Hamilton, I have been trying to earn my nickname ever since.

That’s the way a bench should age Rich, it shows that it’s not just a ‘trophy’ build.

Jeez, Bandit….. I thought you had snuck into my shop a snapped pictures!

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

Bernie -

I didn’t do any planing or sanding when I first built the top except for a little sanding on the oak perimeter. The perimeter is attached with dowels and I sanded the dowel ends flush with the oak. Now, every once in a while, I sand the top down with a belt sander to minimize any buildup. You might note that I have sanded some paint off the Kregg plate.

FYI – I am using wax paper more to catch glue drippings. I guess that is my version of “brown paper”. I was not doing that earlier.

Sometimes, when I need a really clean, flat surface, I put a piece of MDF on the table. I keep a piece on hand just for that purpose.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.