# Workbenches of Hancock Shaker Village



## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

I have the privilege of spending two days with the workbenches of Hancock Shaker Village at the beginning of November. Please let me know if you need anything photographed or measured. I may have time to examine other artifacts in the village (furniture, moulding profiles, hardware, etc…) in detail, but no guarantee. I am a very poor photographer so bear with me.

Cheers,

Kevin


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I live about an hour from there so I've been a couple of times. The benches and working shop is amazing. I've been on the hunt for a rotory planer ever since I went the first time.

I posted some pictures after my last visit,https://timetestedtools.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/hancock-shaker-village/


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Building Shaker-style furniture is my favorite type to build…I really like the clean, crisp lines, and no fancy frills. The Shakers had a saying: Form follows function…..I would really like to learn from them…..I have several books on building Shaker furniture, and to me, it's all about simplicity and form…..


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Next to the Studley bench and tool cabinet, the shaker bench you have posted has to be one of the most Iconic pieces in American woodworking. I think it's one of those standards by which others are measured.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Kevin I live about an hour away as well. Just in the other direction from DonW. The shops are a real eye opener. Most of the buildings have internal designs way ahead of their time, moveable walls, kitchens that can accommodate a few to several hundred dinners. I'm due for a return visit. What is the occasion for your trip?


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

That's a magnificent workbench. I would love to go there.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

Don W,

I too have a serious man crush on the rotary planer in the Laundry/Machine Shop. I'd probably walk off with the line shaft setup if I could get it my luggage  Thanks for posting the picture link.


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## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

Theoldfart and Don W,

I'm driving out to my place in Colorado and have a few extra days so I borrowed the Tannery Classroom for a couple days. I'll be there 10/31-11/1. Let me know if you'll stop by. I'll leave some entrance tickets for you. My wife will be making Shaker boxes and I'll be bodging together a cupboard with some of my old hand tools.

-Kevin


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Kevin, I'll take you up on that. Can you PM the details?


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I'll have to check the bosses schedule and will let you know.


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

Does anyone have good measurements on this? I have the Landis book and have made a Vellum drawing based on the drawing there. Any additions or corrections to make to the book? Some dimensions, as he says, are relative, based on no access to the area involved.

I'm just looking for confirmation I guess. The 'Stair bench' build by Mr. Stair would be a great place to get dimensions. I don't know where he lives, and don't want to bother a dozen different 'Mr. Stair' guys found on Google….

God bless.
Mike


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## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

Mike,

Here are a few detail pics I took a while ago. Some have measurements. May I politely and respectfully recommend you determine measurements for your own workbench. IMHO, I think you will find it much easier to work on the bench if it matches your size and style of work. If you are trying to create an exact reproduction, you really should go in person. The folks at the village are wonderful people and very accommodating.

With these pics and the work by Mr. Landis, you should be able to infer the measurements you need. If not, please let me know and we can try to work it out together. I highly recommend modeling the bench in Sketchup. Sketchup allow you to make a piece by piece model. Worst case scenario, I will send someone out to take a measurement if you have a very specific measurement question.













Drawer, underneath, corner:


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## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

Continued:


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## kd_walmsley (Oct 9, 2015)

Continued again:


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

Kevin,
To my regret, I never checked back in to LumberJocks looking for a reply. Just this afternoon I found your wonderful reply and photos. Thank you so much. I will put these into my Hancock bench drawing now. It is in Vellum, which I have been running since 1995.
I plan on using the Hancock construction details and modify the size to suit my shop and needs. Getting an eight foot piece of trim between the farthest bench dogs in the only real goal change. I'm narrowing the top to 30", because that fits what I have for space, and wood. A 16" wide 17/4 piece of tight swirl tiger maple, 12 feet long will make the front top and then the rest will be resawed for trim around the doors. I have the dimensions for a bench built by another gentleman that I really admire, so that fixes the cabinet size. I am good at a 33" height from floor.

This is certainly a very Merry Christmas present from you. 

God bless,
Mike


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

The bench from Hancock Shaker Village?


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

Yes,
A project I had put on hold for a while, cancer sucks. Back at it now.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Didn't Will Meyers's do one as well?
I know he has spent time there. We lived in the area and went there a few times. Wished I had gone more.


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

I've never been there. Only trip out East was for the ABANA Conference in Purchase, NY in 1978. Not much for the east, but realize I am missing some great history.
I'm from Pine Ridge, SD, then Rapid City, SD, came back to Wisconsin for grad school after the Rapid City flood wiped out my job and home. Worked getting the mine and mill in Keystone back up and running, then came east…relatively, east.

This workbench has been a back burner project since Landis published his book. I've accumulated wood for years, like others. Here we get a lot of barn beams, mostly cut in the late 1800's, so some good white pine. I've seen 40' 10×10's with maybe one knot….. I got some dimensions for a scaled down, as in shorter, version from Mr. Blanchard, he was most helpful and encouraging.

The photos above are sure a treasure trove as well. Mr. Kevin Walmsley is to be thanked.

Mike


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## matt_50 (Nov 19, 2020)

I know this is an old post but I see some activity here and there.

I want to build this bench. The unique style, history, and just the look of it is awesome. I've recently moved and have the space for a bench this big. Overkill? Maybe but I want it.

I would like to copy/reproduce it as much as I can. Do any of you have dimensions you can share?


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

Just above you should see a boatload of photos, kindly posted by Kevin W.
If you can't see them or need more, email me or PM….. email <mikerock>

God bless


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## matt_50 (Nov 19, 2020)

> Just above you should see a boatload of photos, kindly posted by Kevin W.
> If you can t see them or need more, email me or PM….. email
> 
> God bless
> ...


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## MikeRock (Jan 5, 2018)

Do you have Scott Landis' 'Workbench Book'? That is the basic resource. I made my CAD drawings from it and there were very few spots that needed correcting. It has it all.

God bless
[email protected]


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## matt_50 (Nov 19, 2020)

I do, and I have started my drawings using it as my main reference. Sending email


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## Bearcontrare (Oct 6, 2020)

The Landis book has been my "workbench porn" simce it first came out. It is SO well researched, written and illustrated, it has become one of the most read (OK, and drooled over) books in my woodworking library.
Even if you have no plans (or immediate ones anyway) of building another bench, THIS book is WELL worth reading. It is the standard by which I measure most other woidworking books of it's kind.


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