# Unique small shop workbench



## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

This is actually a re-post of my workbench that got buried in the "workbench smack down" post - mine was #315 of 1000+ posts. But I think my unique bench is worth posting again especially for all owners of small workshops where space is important.

Brief history - for the past 12 years my bench was a solid core door that got well used so I wanted to resurface it. I thought about this for a long time because I always dreamed of those fancy European benches that cost $3000 - $6000 that have vises and bench dog systems. Then I saw an older FW magazine featuring a bench with T tracks in it. I liked it but it had an expensive dual crank vise in it. After lots of thinking, I came up with this solution. It has proven to be a whole working system for my small shop.









I sunk 2 pipe clamps below the surface of the original bench and then I covered it with bamboo flooring.









I then added 2 T tracks just below the surface of the bamboo flooring. This gave me 80 + inches of clamping surface.









The next picture explains why I sunk the pipe clamps into the old bench surface the way I did. The pipe clamp is exposed through the surface of new bench and in a matter of just a few seconds, I can remove the pipe clamps, insert a bar clamp and secure a piece of wood hanging over the edge of the bench so I can drill through it or cut it off.









The bench possibilities grew as I began working with it. For example, my dovetail jig always had to be secured to the bench with screws, now it is attached to a piece of plywood that secures in the T tracks in just seconds. Small shop owners that have bench top tools you need to secure can use this easy system. But the possibilities just keep coming. Here are 2 hand screws secured in the T tracks to work the edge of the board.









My swivel vise is also attached to a piece of plywood and secured or removed in seconds.









One feature of those European benches I liked was the peg holes in a leg to support a long piece of wood secured on the other end in the face vice. So I added that feature except that my support leg can move along the T tracks and be removed in seconds.









In my ShopNotes magazine, I found bench top add on and one was bench top saw horse. I made 2 of my own design - and yes, I secure them or remove them in a matter of seconds. I like my bench and wanted to share with as many folks as possible, especially those with small workshops.


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## RyanHaasen (Oct 29, 2011)

I've never seen T-slots in a workbench. Good idea!


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Thanks for sharing Bernie, that's a fine workbench with a lot of options.


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## timbit2006 (Jan 6, 2012)

I'm actually doing something like this with oak flooring soon. I have enough oak flooring to do a 4'x6' workbench doubled up so it's 1 1/2" thick. All the boards on mine are a bit longer than 6' except for one which will be used on the bottom layer.

Nice job on your bench!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Nice to have it out in the open where al can find it. ;-)


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## AndyDuframe (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm also taken by the T-slots. Looks like a great idea!! Funny, I'm not sure I've seen a manufactured bench that included them. Router tables for sure, but T-track has so many other possible uses. What better place to put them than on a bench. Awesome idea.


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## ShipWreck (Feb 16, 2008)

Sweeeeeet!


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Thanks for bringing this forward …I never saw the other post that you referred to above.
You have some nice ideas here. Added to favorites…...Thank you : )


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

I was asked today about how I would secure short pieces of wood on my bench. I have already solved that problem. In picture #5 (featuring the hand screws) you can see a block of wood with a round bench dog in it. Look closely at picture #7 and you will see a 1.25 inch wide pieces of wood secured in the end vise. It is a one screw end vise (I bought in a yard sale) and it will hold a 1/4 inch piece.


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## whitewulf (May 11, 2010)

Many good Ideas, especially for challenged budgets.


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## stonedlion (Jan 12, 2011)

Favorited so I can "borrow" some of your ideas later.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hi Bernie
Thanks for the Pm asking for me to give you my thoughts on your bench. The first very serious thing I see wrong with your bench is that I didn't think of all those great innovations LOL I was reviewing each idea you incorporated and could not find fault with any of them . I'm curious to see how the flooring holds up, but I don't know why it shouldn't. I also thought about the location of the T slots if over time you might find you would like them where they are at or if you decide you would like them spaced differently. All in all I think you have come up with a great design and this workbench should work well for years to come. Great job


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Thank you Jim for the kind words. As for the bamboo flooring, I've learned to be careful with it because it dents and cuts easier then some hardwoods. The dents do come out easily with a bit of water. As for cutting - it's a problem with any bench. If I have a real quick cut, I place a piece of ply with a cleat on the bench and cut while protecting the bamboo. Other then that, I install my saw horses and cut as many pieces as I have too!

As for the spacing the T tracks on different planes, I never thought of your suggestion. I can think of a few circumstances where that might work better especially when securing small pieces. I did resolve that issue with the end vise and dog, but I never thought of your solution which would be much better on a tight budget. If I ever adopt your suggestion, I would simply add another track and keep my long clamping option open! I'll be thinking - and thanks!

I did not glue the flooring down but screwed the first 2 rows down. I didn't know how the summer humidity would affect the top via wood movement. So far, no problem.

While making a country hutch. I was gluing the components on my bench. I lined the bar clamp to 90* and used my bench in the clamping process. It worked like a charm and best of all, the excess glue did not stick to the finish of the bamboo. Thanks again Jim. Having followed your posts over the years, I respect your opinions - that's why I asked your critique!


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Bernie, I think you've come up with a fantastic design. I like each and every one of the features you've included. The only thing I might add would be to replace one of the T-tracks with a Bora-style clamp recessed just below the surface like the T-track. I actually built a mini-bench and put one in there and it is VERY handy. There are other brands besides Bora that would work as well. Actually, I like the WoodCraft house brand because of its lower profile.

'T-track'... the new 'bench dog'.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Rance - I didn't even know what a Bora clamp was so I goggled it. I'm curious how you incorporated this clamp into your workbench. They just seem to be a bit thick for sinking into my bench… but I'm open to suggestions. Thanks for getting my attention.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Bernie,

Here's one in normal operation:










Now imagine turning it upside down and mounting it to your workbench. This way the clamp edges are facing up. Next, imagine recessing it into the surface of the bench like you did the T-track. The only part sticking above the bench would be the lever end and the sliding 'dog' if you will. Here's a picture of a double one that shows the clamping mechanism:










I wish I had a pic I could post of mine. Hopefully you'll see what I'm talking about.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

OK Rance - I see what you did but a couple of questions - are these bora clamps placed along the length of the bench or across the width? The reason I'm asking is because as you stated, the lever and sliding dogs are sticking out above the surface of the bench. I would have an issue with that setup because I often need to lay items across the whole bench surface. I'm limited for space in my shop and my bench is my workhorse for the whole operation from measuring to assembly and finishing. I bought a role of heavy brown paper at the HD and cover the bench for staining or painting.

One beautiful little discovery I made is while assembling, the glue doesn't stick to the finished bamboo.

Thanks for making me aware of the bora clamps. I'll probably get one to help in cutting the cabinet ply when making large items.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Great bench…good job !!


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Yeah, the bit at the handle end and the block at the slider end would stick up. I just move the slider all the way to the handle so the rest of the rail is completely flush. It is simply screwed down and can be quickly taken up if absolutely necessary. There are Bora, WoodRiver, and other brands. Browse to see what best fits your needs. This is my alternative to bench dogs and an end vise.

After looking again at your setup again, these would be a cam clamp vs. the screw from your pipe clamp. Not that different. You've already got a great solution.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Stumbled on a new use for my work bench - cutting dadoes is so much easier. After marking my boards, I slide it under my bamboo fence and using my router spacer bock to set the fence, it becomes my router guide while pinching my board down.


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## RobynHoodridge (Jan 9, 2012)

I especially like the ability to clamp in benchtop saw horses, or whatever else to change the working height. Like many benches in one. No more bending over to see what's going on at the cutting edge, or awkward contortions just to get purchase on something.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Very Clever way of using the common tools at our fingertips!

COOL!


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## rossboyle52 (Dec 31, 2012)

You are a Yankee genius Bernie. I am saving this to my favorites for future reference.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

That bench looks like a nice solution for your workshop. I bet that it will serve you well.

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


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Thank you for reviving this thread!

It's nice to look back on this… SUPER good thread…

I enjoy it.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Hi Bernie, I have a Sjøberg cabinet makers bench in my small shop (220 sq.ft.) I have never been in love with this bench and after reconfiguring my shop, I had to compromise and place it in a less than optimal location. I have been thinking lately of either reducing it's size or just making a new smaller bench with some better ideas. I like your bench a lot with the tracks. This seems like a good idea to me considering it's great flexibility. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Very nice solution.


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## lepelerin (Jan 13, 2012)

Really cool bench, thank you for sharing. Like your ideas.


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## Airspeed (Mar 11, 2013)

That's like the Shop Smith of benches except it actually looks useful! Nice work!


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Now that I've had my bench for a year, I can honestly say it has outperformed my expectations. The bamboo flooring has performed much better then I thought it would in that almost nothing sticks to it. Wood glue comes of very easily with a chisel and even stains and paint come off. After an experiment, I found that *LocTite PL* glue and *LiquidNail* will stick. I glued 2 pieces together, finished surface too finished surface. Couldn't get them apart. At @$60 per box and I only used 1/2 box - bamboo was an excellent choice.

The only other issue I had was the t-track's holding power under extreme duress. One time I had to double the fence, like adding an extra nut on a threaded bolt. That extra fence held.

An added feature has been my choices in fence material. Bamboo flooring is only 1/2 inch thick so if I'm planing the surface of a 3/4 inch thick board, my hand planes fly off the board with no bumping anything. I even have a 1/4 inch thick fence I used when smoothing a 1/2 inch thick board.

The hand screws proved their weight in gold when it came to assembly time on this coffee station I built. I kept the cabinet square by using story sticks which are scraps of wood cut to equal lengths (the width of my cabinet).


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## Festaman (Dec 25, 2016)

Bernie! I am sure your sick of hearing this but great ideas! I order my 2 T tracks to try on my bench to get started on my upgrades! My question though is how did you attach your woodworkers vice to the side? I have 2×6's wrapped around my bench, and being new to this part of the craft, I am not quite sure how i want to mount it.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

Seems to me this should be on the projects page.
To many great ideas to get last again.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

> Bernie! I am sure your sick of hearing this but great ideas! I order my 2 T tracks to try on my bench to get started on my upgrades! My question though is how did you attach your woodworkers vice to the side? I have 2×6 s wrapped around my bench, and being new to this part of the craft, I am not quite sure how i want to mount it.
> 
> - Festaman


I'm not sure which vise you're talking about, but I think you mean the front face vise. You have to plan on the bench surface to be just above the top of your vise. Since my vise is screwed under my bench - I had to either add blocks between the vise mounting plate and the underside of the bench or cut slots in the apron. Either way, the top of my added wooden vise jaws are just below the surface of the bench.


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## TheTurtleCarpenter (Jun 25, 2015)

. I like the way you have used the T track with the wooden parallel clamps Bernie. I think the ideal bench would have to incorperate the t tracks also, not just dogs and hooks.


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## OSB (Dec 16, 2016)

I like the idea a lot but I would love to see a video of it in action.

I'm thinking I could make a neat version with unistrut but I would like to see if my idea of how it works is correct.


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## tedmart (Dec 27, 2016)

[removed]


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Since building my bench over 5 years ago, I have changed the design just a bit. I removed the bamboo flooring and replaced it with hardboards, the final surface being 1/8 inch thick for under $10 at HD. If I damage this surface it is easy and inexpensive to replace. I also added more t-tracks for small parts and more flexibility. I started a new thread on how I built the bench…


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

We're never satisfied and need to keep adjusting for different projects.
So that's one great up grade you got going there.


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## diverlloyd (Apr 25, 2013)

Bernie my next workbench for inside my house will be using most of you designs. Very nicely done


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