# Using Planes Without Bench



## mision56 (Oct 24, 2016)

Hi All,
I have been experiemnting more and more with hand tools but lack the space for a large stable/heavy bench to serve as an anchor for this kind of work. All of my working benches are by necesity on wheels and are lightweight and I'm curious if anyone out there has good, small footprint/portable options for setting up a vice and being able to hold down pieces while planing/chiseling/scraping?

I am lucky enough to have a cabinet saw, so I do on occasion use that as hold down area for planing, but it's obviously less than ideal.

Any plans/tips are appreciated.


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## JayCee123 (Apr 22, 2016)

A vice on at the work top is a good start. Try attaching two angles to the mobile table top. Roll the table against a wall and run a couple of screws thru the angles and into the wall studs. When ya need to roll the benches "back" just take out the two screws and roll away.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Solid outfeed table table?


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I second the suggestion of finding a way to run a table against a wall (or even into a corner) when working with hand tools. Several LJs have effectively used a Workmate for planing… they didn't like it, but it worked. Necessity is the mother of invention; you'll come up with something that works OR find a way to build and house a suitable bench.


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## gargey (Apr 11, 2016)

Hard to get something to act like a workbench without being a workbench…


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## Texcaster (Oct 26, 2013)

I'm going to build a quickie bench for a mate's son, using this hardware. The bench is a morning's work, butt joints and batten screws for everything. You could of course make it nicer. I took this bench to the Ukulele class I taught and the participants gave it heaps, no worse for the wear.










http://lumberjocks.com/projects/92424

bench link

http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5266

Uke Shed bench

http://lumberjocks.com/Texcaster/blog/95858


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## MikeUT (Sep 5, 2014)

Chris Schwarz wrote an article in popular woodworking called 'Milkman's Workbench' that could be a good solution. Search that term in the project section and you'll find a few clever variations. I made a version of it when I saw it and found it pretty useful. I didn't made the clamp and vise sections out of threaded wood, I used a 3/4" threaded rod and made a wood handle I attached to the end. It's not a perfect solution but it works good enough to keep you over until you decide to make a dedicated space for using your hand tools. Here is the article by Chris.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workbenches/schwarz-workbenches/the-milkmans-workbench-in-use


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Maybe….have a piece of plywood/mdf/whatever. Add a cleat under it, to keep it from sliding across the saw's top. You can add a cleat at the other end, thinner than the stock you would be using a plane on. You can clamp this plane stop to the saw's top, with enough overhang out to the side to allow you to do a bit of hand plane work.

When not needed, you can just hang it up on the wall.

If you need a different cleat/stop to hold a piece still, you can just add it to the plane stop. It can hold most jigs used for a plane, or it can be rather empty. How wide and how long to make this is up to you. Maybe add a cleat to attach the plane stop to the saw's fence, using a couple clamps?

At one time, all I had to work with was a back porch railing or two. Worked for a lot of years, just using the top of an old contractor's saw, that was also my shop's main saw.


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## LDO2802 (Mar 22, 2017)

Maybe a bit in left field, but you could take 2×4's and make a square, then put holes in the sides that accommodate clamps. Put it on the ground, clamp the workpiece in and then put your knees on the edge and plane away from you. (Trying to think outside the box here) Get it? LOL


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Here is a portable saw horse vise that works
Wont break the bank building it.
Doesnt take up a lot of room


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## danwolfgang (Mar 10, 2016)

Finding a wall to plane or chisel in to will go a long way towards giving you a stable place to work, as others have said. My experience with a lightweight bench against a wall has still been quite unsatisfactory, however. I've found that vigorous planing, chiseling, and sawing would rock the lightweight work surface around, and between seeing a little movement and knocking against the wall I was frustrated!


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## Just_Iain (Apr 5, 2017)

How about some 4×4 or as appropriate material under your mobile working benches (to lift wheels off the ground) with some sand bags to add mass? Would that be an option?


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Nice!


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

waho6o9. This is not mine ! This is something I want to build . I just thought it would be very useful out of the shop


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

> Here is a portable saw horse vise that works
> Wont break the bank building it.
> Doesnt take up a lot of room
> 
> - canadianchips


That looks familiar for some reason. ;-)


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

And I was looking at a rather crazy vise / clamp doohickey that's in my shop and thinking, "Hey, it just might work as an end vise on my saw bench!" Great ideas never die, JayT.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

JayT….I found it on Pintrest. I was not aware you built it. I just think it is a great idea !


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## viseone (Apr 16, 2017)

When I started woodworking, I did not have a work bench. I used an old dining table butted against the wall for planing. I used C-clamps to hold my workpiece.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Plane stop..









I just used some old particle board, and a couple cleats…









I could clamp the bottom cleat to about anything. The other cleat served as a stop. I could change that one to be thinner than the stock being planed. 









Can be set up between a couple sawhorses, too…


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## r33tc0w (Jan 27, 2017)

Check out this one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Folding-Portable-Workbench-With-Quick-Release-Vise


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## mision56 (Oct 24, 2016)

Hey Everyone,
thank you all for the great ideas. I think i'm gunna go the way of the Scwartz tabletop bench on my tablesaw. I'll be sure to post photos once I get set up

Thanks again for everyone's insights!


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