Hello,
I just built my first woodworking bench! The plan was based upon the "24-hour" workbench plan from Chris Schwartz. All has gone well overall. I used home center lumber to construct it. The legs were made by gluing two 2×4s together. Prior to gluing the 2×4s together I put a couple of dadoes in to make through mortises. The the short stretchers connect into the through mortises and make up the end frames. The long stretchers holding the two end-frames together were made from 2×8's with mortise/tenons into the legs and bed bolts. The top is constructed of 2 layers of birch plywood and 2 layers of MDF. Once I got the top on, I found that it feels rock solid. I still have to put the skirt around the top and install a vise. I would like to start with a face vise. Can you experts out there recommend a good face vise? I would also like recommendations for a finish. Polyurathane, danish oil etc? The picture shows it before laminating the 4 top layers and attaching the top.
Thanks,
john - Phoenix, AZ
I just built my first woodworking bench! The plan was based upon the "24-hour" workbench plan from Chris Schwartz. All has gone well overall. I used home center lumber to construct it. The legs were made by gluing two 2×4s together. Prior to gluing the 2×4s together I put a couple of dadoes in to make through mortises. The the short stretchers connect into the through mortises and make up the end frames. The long stretchers holding the two end-frames together were made from 2×8's with mortise/tenons into the legs and bed bolts. The top is constructed of 2 layers of birch plywood and 2 layers of MDF. Once I got the top on, I found that it feels rock solid. I still have to put the skirt around the top and install a vise. I would like to start with a face vise. Can you experts out there recommend a good face vise? I would also like recommendations for a finish. Polyurathane, danish oil etc? The picture shows it before laminating the 4 top layers and attaching the top.
Thanks,
john - Phoenix, AZ