# Mobile Torsion Box Workbench



## RonStewart

*Background, Research, and Requirements*

This is the first of a series of blog entries describing a mobile torsion box workbench I recently completed. I posted a project summary a few days ago (Mobile Torsion Box Workbench). The overall series will cover construction plans and details, material costs, and odds and ends. In this entry, I'll describe some of the factors and thought processes that led me to build this bench the way I did.

*Some Background about Me*
I'm an occasional woodworker. I probably average three or four projects a year. Like many of you, my "shop" is my garage, and my wife and I actually park our cars in it. That means that my tools have to be relatively compact, and that they must be mobile. For example, my table saw is a Ridgid R4510 which, when folded, takes up little space.

I'm mostly a power tool woodworker. I have an old block plane, but I've never sharpened or learned how to use it. In addition to the table saw I mentioned, I have miter, circular, and jig saws, a router, a drill press, and some hand drills. I don't own a jointer or planer; that (and the lack of hand planing tools and skills) means that I have to depend on buying relatively straight and flat lumber-no buying rough lumber and milling it into perfectly flat, square boards for me. For some silly reason, I've never bought a power sander, so I still do that by hand.

My joinery usually consists of rabbets, dadoes, dowels, or, increasingly, pocket holes. (I get a lot of use out
of my Kreg jig.) I learned how to make half-lap joints for the doors on an TV console I built. Until this project,
I had never cut a mortise or tenon. I often build things from MDF, usually veneered. I may never plane the edge of a board, but chances are good that I'll veneer, then flush trim the edge of one. I want a sturdy bench, but I probably won't do any really heavy-duty bashing on it.

Until now, my primary work surface was a five-foot cafeteria table with folding legs, supplemented by a 25-year
old Black and Decker Workmate (which is a very useful tool, even though it's a bit small and low). I've been
thinking about building a real workbench for years. The problem was always deciding what to build; there are so many intriguing designs out there. Several times, I thought I had settled on a particular design (more about some specific ones later), only to reconsider and then end up doing nothing. Paralysis by analysis.

A few months ago, my wife suggested that we clear some space along the front wall of our garage to accommodate a reasonable bench (say six feet long, two feet deep, and three feet high). Once we did that, I had no excuse for not building a bench. (Buying one was never really an option. Like you, I'm a lumberjock and would rather build than buy, hopefully learning some things and saving some money in the process.)

Here's a photo of my bench-to-be's home. Note that that's a good place to store the bench, but not a good place to use it. The lighting in that spot is really poor, and there's no free space on either side. Plus, I guarantee I'd step in that litter box multiple times per work session.










Another key point about that storage location is that I wanted to keep the bench narrow (so it wouldn't stick out from the wall any more than the freezer or drill press), and I didn't want any face vice handles jutting out that we might bump into. Finally, I needed to make sure I could still open those breaker box doors without moving the bench (not a big deal, because the bottom of those doors is a hair over 39" from the floor.)

*Bench Designs I Considered*
As I mentioned, I looked at a lot of workbench designs. Here are links to, and comments about, some of the more interesting ones.


Dave Munkittrick's Ultimate Tool Stand is aimed at power tool woodworkers like me. I'm not sure why I decided against it. Maybe I questioned how well something made entirely of MDF would have lasted, and I didn't want to paint every last square inch of it so a stray drop of water wouldn't have caused it to swell. Still, it looks very versatile. If I had room for two benches, I might still consider this one.


Blum Tool's Bench Horse is a torsion box with folding legs, and uses pipe clamps as vises. I searched the U.S. Patent office web site and found some drawings of its internals that would have allowed me to replicate it. I don't really need full portability, though-just mobility within my garage.


John White's New-Fangled Workbench (and New-Fangled Workbench Revisited) looked interesting too. It also uses pipe clamps for vises, and I really like that sliding planing beam. On the other hand, I was worried about how flat I could make the top, and that it might be too fussy. Plus, I'd probably lose a lot of those little panels on the top.


Ron Paulk's Ultimate Workbench is just plain cool. Watch the video, and I bet you'll agree. It uses a grid of dog holes, and I bet those storage areas along its perimeter would be very useful. I don't really need the full portability this bench provides, and I didn't want to have to set it up using its saw horses.


Tom Caspar's Torsion Box Workbench is aimed at people like me who don't have jointers and planers. It looks like it would be very solid.


Most of the benches documented in Christopher Schwarz's second workbench book were interesting, particularly the 24-hour Workbench and $175 (now $280) Workbench. The former has a top built from four sheets of plywood, while the latter has a laminated solid-wood top. I didn't think I could pull off the laminated top, and thought I could do something cheaper than four layers of plywood.

*Requirements*
In the end, I decided I needed these features (copied from those designs):


Legs flush with the front of the bench top. (Schwarz's book absolutely convinced me this was a good idea.)


Fold-up casters (also from Schwarz's book).


No protruding handles, as I mentioned above. In fact no vises-I wanted to use the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp, along with my collection of F-clamps.


Height-adjustable planing beam.


Numerous space dog holes (for the surface vise).


Provision for pipe clamp "face vises".


A sturdy shelf (for storage or holding tools and supplies while I work).

In addition, I thought of some features that would be nice to have:


The ability to use the bench as an outfeed table for my table saw.


A removable top. I wondered if I could hold the top in place with "bullets" and swap in a router table top as needed.


A "tall mode". If I could use locking casters, maybe I could use the bench wheels-down for routing, where a taller bench might be nice.

*Coming Up…*
In the next entry, I'll describe my completed bench and include more photos of it.


----------



## shipwright

RonStewart said:


> *Background, Research, and Requirements*
> 
> This is the first of a series of blog entries describing a mobile torsion box workbench I recently completed. I posted a project summary a few days ago (Mobile Torsion Box Workbench). The overall series will cover construction plans and details, material costs, and odds and ends. In this entry, I'll describe some of the factors and thought processes that led me to build this bench the way I did.
> 
> *Some Background about Me*
> I'm an occasional woodworker. I probably average three or four projects a year. Like many of you, my "shop" is my garage, and my wife and I actually park our cars in it. That means that my tools have to be relatively compact, and that they must be mobile. For example, my table saw is a Ridgid R4510 which, when folded, takes up little space.
> 
> I'm mostly a power tool woodworker. I have an old block plane, but I've never sharpened or learned how to use it. In addition to the table saw I mentioned, I have miter, circular, and jig saws, a router, a drill press, and some hand drills. I don't own a jointer or planer; that (and the lack of hand planing tools and skills) means that I have to depend on buying relatively straight and flat lumber-no buying rough lumber and milling it into perfectly flat, square boards for me. For some silly reason, I've never bought a power sander, so I still do that by hand.
> 
> My joinery usually consists of rabbets, dadoes, dowels, or, increasingly, pocket holes. (I get a lot of use out
> of my Kreg jig.) I learned how to make half-lap joints for the doors on an TV console I built. Until this project,
> I had never cut a mortise or tenon. I often build things from MDF, usually veneered. I may never plane the edge of a board, but chances are good that I'll veneer, then flush trim the edge of one. I want a sturdy bench, but I probably won't do any really heavy-duty bashing on it.
> 
> Until now, my primary work surface was a five-foot cafeteria table with folding legs, supplemented by a 25-year
> old Black and Decker Workmate (which is a very useful tool, even though it's a bit small and low). I've been
> thinking about building a real workbench for years. The problem was always deciding what to build; there are so many intriguing designs out there. Several times, I thought I had settled on a particular design (more about some specific ones later), only to reconsider and then end up doing nothing. Paralysis by analysis.
> 
> A few months ago, my wife suggested that we clear some space along the front wall of our garage to accommodate a reasonable bench (say six feet long, two feet deep, and three feet high). Once we did that, I had no excuse for not building a bench. (Buying one was never really an option. Like you, I'm a lumberjock and would rather build than buy, hopefully learning some things and saving some money in the process.)
> 
> Here's a photo of my bench-to-be's home. Note that that's a good place to store the bench, but not a good place to use it. The lighting in that spot is really poor, and there's no free space on either side. Plus, I guarantee I'd step in that litter box multiple times per work session.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another key point about that storage location is that I wanted to keep the bench narrow (so it wouldn't stick out from the wall any more than the freezer or drill press), and I didn't want any face vice handles jutting out that we might bump into. Finally, I needed to make sure I could still open those breaker box doors without moving the bench (not a big deal, because the bottom of those doors is a hair over 39" from the floor.)
> 
> *Bench Designs I Considered*
> As I mentioned, I looked at a lot of workbench designs. Here are links to, and comments about, some of the more interesting ones.
> 
> 
> Dave Munkittrick's Ultimate Tool Stand is aimed at power tool woodworkers like me. I'm not sure why I decided against it. Maybe I questioned how well something made entirely of MDF would have lasted, and I didn't want to paint every last square inch of it so a stray drop of water wouldn't have caused it to swell. Still, it looks very versatile. If I had room for two benches, I might still consider this one.
> 
> 
> Blum Tool's Bench Horse is a torsion box with folding legs, and uses pipe clamps as vises. I searched the U.S. Patent office web site and found some drawings of its internals that would have allowed me to replicate it. I don't really need full portability, though-just mobility within my garage.
> 
> 
> John White's New-Fangled Workbench (and New-Fangled Workbench Revisited) looked interesting too. It also uses pipe clamps for vises, and I really like that sliding planing beam. On the other hand, I was worried about how flat I could make the top, and that it might be too fussy. Plus, I'd probably lose a lot of those little panels on the top.
> 
> 
> Ron Paulk's Ultimate Workbench is just plain cool. Watch the video, and I bet you'll agree. It uses a grid of dog holes, and I bet those storage areas along its perimeter would be very useful. I don't really need the full portability this bench provides, and I didn't want to have to set it up using its saw horses.
> 
> 
> Tom Caspar's Torsion Box Workbench is aimed at people like me who don't have jointers and planers. It looks like it would be very solid.
> 
> 
> Most of the benches documented in Christopher Schwarz's second workbench book were interesting, particularly the 24-hour Workbench and $175 (now $280) Workbench. The former has a top built from four sheets of plywood, while the latter has a laminated solid-wood top. I didn't think I could pull off the laminated top, and thought I could do something cheaper than four layers of plywood.
> 
> *Requirements*
> In the end, I decided I needed these features (copied from those designs):
> 
> 
> Legs flush with the front of the bench top. (Schwarz's book absolutely convinced me this was a good idea.)
> 
> 
> Fold-up casters (also from Schwarz's book).
> 
> 
> No protruding handles, as I mentioned above. In fact no vises-I wanted to use the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp, along with my collection of F-clamps.
> 
> 
> Height-adjustable planing beam.
> 
> 
> Numerous space dog holes (for the surface vise).
> 
> 
> Provision for pipe clamp "face vises".
> 
> 
> A sturdy shelf (for storage or holding tools and supplies while I work).
> 
> In addition, I thought of some features that would be nice to have:
> 
> 
> The ability to use the bench as an outfeed table for my table saw.
> 
> 
> A removable top. I wondered if I could hold the top in place with "bullets" and swap in a router table top as needed.
> 
> 
> A "tall mode". If I could use locking casters, maybe I could use the bench wheels-down for routing, where a taller bench might be nice.
> 
> *Coming Up…*
> In the next entry, I'll describe my completed bench and include more photos of it.


Ron, have you seen my bench. It has two wagon vices that are much more powerful than the Veritas surface vice for use against dogs and a leg vice that can be removed easily. There are no protruding handles or anything else when the leg vice is off. The vices have no metal parts and all three can be built for less than either of the ones you mention. They can be retrofitted to almost any bench.

This isn't a sales pitch, it just seems like a good solution to your problem.

There's a blog here.


----------



## RonStewart

RonStewart said:


> *Background, Research, and Requirements*
> 
> This is the first of a series of blog entries describing a mobile torsion box workbench I recently completed. I posted a project summary a few days ago (Mobile Torsion Box Workbench). The overall series will cover construction plans and details, material costs, and odds and ends. In this entry, I'll describe some of the factors and thought processes that led me to build this bench the way I did.
> 
> *Some Background about Me*
> I'm an occasional woodworker. I probably average three or four projects a year. Like many of you, my "shop" is my garage, and my wife and I actually park our cars in it. That means that my tools have to be relatively compact, and that they must be mobile. For example, my table saw is a Ridgid R4510 which, when folded, takes up little space.
> 
> I'm mostly a power tool woodworker. I have an old block plane, but I've never sharpened or learned how to use it. In addition to the table saw I mentioned, I have miter, circular, and jig saws, a router, a drill press, and some hand drills. I don't own a jointer or planer; that (and the lack of hand planing tools and skills) means that I have to depend on buying relatively straight and flat lumber-no buying rough lumber and milling it into perfectly flat, square boards for me. For some silly reason, I've never bought a power sander, so I still do that by hand.
> 
> My joinery usually consists of rabbets, dadoes, dowels, or, increasingly, pocket holes. (I get a lot of use out
> of my Kreg jig.) I learned how to make half-lap joints for the doors on an TV console I built. Until this project,
> I had never cut a mortise or tenon. I often build things from MDF, usually veneered. I may never plane the edge of a board, but chances are good that I'll veneer, then flush trim the edge of one. I want a sturdy bench, but I probably won't do any really heavy-duty bashing on it.
> 
> Until now, my primary work surface was a five-foot cafeteria table with folding legs, supplemented by a 25-year
> old Black and Decker Workmate (which is a very useful tool, even though it's a bit small and low). I've been
> thinking about building a real workbench for years. The problem was always deciding what to build; there are so many intriguing designs out there. Several times, I thought I had settled on a particular design (more about some specific ones later), only to reconsider and then end up doing nothing. Paralysis by analysis.
> 
> A few months ago, my wife suggested that we clear some space along the front wall of our garage to accommodate a reasonable bench (say six feet long, two feet deep, and three feet high). Once we did that, I had no excuse for not building a bench. (Buying one was never really an option. Like you, I'm a lumberjock and would rather build than buy, hopefully learning some things and saving some money in the process.)
> 
> Here's a photo of my bench-to-be's home. Note that that's a good place to store the bench, but not a good place to use it. The lighting in that spot is really poor, and there's no free space on either side. Plus, I guarantee I'd step in that litter box multiple times per work session.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another key point about that storage location is that I wanted to keep the bench narrow (so it wouldn't stick out from the wall any more than the freezer or drill press), and I didn't want any face vice handles jutting out that we might bump into. Finally, I needed to make sure I could still open those breaker box doors without moving the bench (not a big deal, because the bottom of those doors is a hair over 39" from the floor.)
> 
> *Bench Designs I Considered*
> As I mentioned, I looked at a lot of workbench designs. Here are links to, and comments about, some of the more interesting ones.
> 
> 
> Dave Munkittrick's Ultimate Tool Stand is aimed at power tool woodworkers like me. I'm not sure why I decided against it. Maybe I questioned how well something made entirely of MDF would have lasted, and I didn't want to paint every last square inch of it so a stray drop of water wouldn't have caused it to swell. Still, it looks very versatile. If I had room for two benches, I might still consider this one.
> 
> 
> Blum Tool's Bench Horse is a torsion box with folding legs, and uses pipe clamps as vises. I searched the U.S. Patent office web site and found some drawings of its internals that would have allowed me to replicate it. I don't really need full portability, though-just mobility within my garage.
> 
> 
> John White's New-Fangled Workbench (and New-Fangled Workbench Revisited) looked interesting too. It also uses pipe clamps for vises, and I really like that sliding planing beam. On the other hand, I was worried about how flat I could make the top, and that it might be too fussy. Plus, I'd probably lose a lot of those little panels on the top.
> 
> 
> Ron Paulk's Ultimate Workbench is just plain cool. Watch the video, and I bet you'll agree. It uses a grid of dog holes, and I bet those storage areas along its perimeter would be very useful. I don't really need the full portability this bench provides, and I didn't want to have to set it up using its saw horses.
> 
> 
> Tom Caspar's Torsion Box Workbench is aimed at people like me who don't have jointers and planers. It looks like it would be very solid.
> 
> 
> Most of the benches documented in Christopher Schwarz's second workbench book were interesting, particularly the 24-hour Workbench and $175 (now $280) Workbench. The former has a top built from four sheets of plywood, while the latter has a laminated solid-wood top. I didn't think I could pull off the laminated top, and thought I could do something cheaper than four layers of plywood.
> 
> *Requirements*
> In the end, I decided I needed these features (copied from those designs):
> 
> 
> Legs flush with the front of the bench top. (Schwarz's book absolutely convinced me this was a good idea.)
> 
> 
> Fold-up casters (also from Schwarz's book).
> 
> 
> No protruding handles, as I mentioned above. In fact no vises-I wanted to use the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp, along with my collection of F-clamps.
> 
> 
> Height-adjustable planing beam.
> 
> 
> Numerous space dog holes (for the surface vise).
> 
> 
> Provision for pipe clamp "face vises".
> 
> 
> A sturdy shelf (for storage or holding tools and supplies while I work).
> 
> In addition, I thought of some features that would be nice to have:
> 
> 
> The ability to use the bench as an outfeed table for my table saw.
> 
> 
> A removable top. I wondered if I could hold the top in place with "bullets" and swap in a router table top as needed.
> 
> 
> A "tall mode". If I could use locking casters, maybe I could use the bench wheels-down for routing, where a taller bench might be nice.
> 
> *Coming Up…*
> In the next entry, I'll describe my completed bench and include more photos of it.


Hi Paul. Yes, I watched the videos you linked from your comment on my project page. Your bench is incredible, and makes mine look like a tinker toy. Had I seen it earlier, I might have gone that route. I like your inverted 'L' deadman and clever and very effective use of simple wedges.


----------



## shipwright

RonStewart said:


> *Background, Research, and Requirements*
> 
> This is the first of a series of blog entries describing a mobile torsion box workbench I recently completed. I posted a project summary a few days ago (Mobile Torsion Box Workbench). The overall series will cover construction plans and details, material costs, and odds and ends. In this entry, I'll describe some of the factors and thought processes that led me to build this bench the way I did.
> 
> *Some Background about Me*
> I'm an occasional woodworker. I probably average three or four projects a year. Like many of you, my "shop" is my garage, and my wife and I actually park our cars in it. That means that my tools have to be relatively compact, and that they must be mobile. For example, my table saw is a Ridgid R4510 which, when folded, takes up little space.
> 
> I'm mostly a power tool woodworker. I have an old block plane, but I've never sharpened or learned how to use it. In addition to the table saw I mentioned, I have miter, circular, and jig saws, a router, a drill press, and some hand drills. I don't own a jointer or planer; that (and the lack of hand planing tools and skills) means that I have to depend on buying relatively straight and flat lumber-no buying rough lumber and milling it into perfectly flat, square boards for me. For some silly reason, I've never bought a power sander, so I still do that by hand.
> 
> My joinery usually consists of rabbets, dadoes, dowels, or, increasingly, pocket holes. (I get a lot of use out
> of my Kreg jig.) I learned how to make half-lap joints for the doors on an TV console I built. Until this project,
> I had never cut a mortise or tenon. I often build things from MDF, usually veneered. I may never plane the edge of a board, but chances are good that I'll veneer, then flush trim the edge of one. I want a sturdy bench, but I probably won't do any really heavy-duty bashing on it.
> 
> Until now, my primary work surface was a five-foot cafeteria table with folding legs, supplemented by a 25-year
> old Black and Decker Workmate (which is a very useful tool, even though it's a bit small and low). I've been
> thinking about building a real workbench for years. The problem was always deciding what to build; there are so many intriguing designs out there. Several times, I thought I had settled on a particular design (more about some specific ones later), only to reconsider and then end up doing nothing. Paralysis by analysis.
> 
> A few months ago, my wife suggested that we clear some space along the front wall of our garage to accommodate a reasonable bench (say six feet long, two feet deep, and three feet high). Once we did that, I had no excuse for not building a bench. (Buying one was never really an option. Like you, I'm a lumberjock and would rather build than buy, hopefully learning some things and saving some money in the process.)
> 
> Here's a photo of my bench-to-be's home. Note that that's a good place to store the bench, but not a good place to use it. The lighting in that spot is really poor, and there's no free space on either side. Plus, I guarantee I'd step in that litter box multiple times per work session.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another key point about that storage location is that I wanted to keep the bench narrow (so it wouldn't stick out from the wall any more than the freezer or drill press), and I didn't want any face vice handles jutting out that we might bump into. Finally, I needed to make sure I could still open those breaker box doors without moving the bench (not a big deal, because the bottom of those doors is a hair over 39" from the floor.)
> 
> *Bench Designs I Considered*
> As I mentioned, I looked at a lot of workbench designs. Here are links to, and comments about, some of the more interesting ones.
> 
> 
> Dave Munkittrick's Ultimate Tool Stand is aimed at power tool woodworkers like me. I'm not sure why I decided against it. Maybe I questioned how well something made entirely of MDF would have lasted, and I didn't want to paint every last square inch of it so a stray drop of water wouldn't have caused it to swell. Still, it looks very versatile. If I had room for two benches, I might still consider this one.
> 
> 
> Blum Tool's Bench Horse is a torsion box with folding legs, and uses pipe clamps as vises. I searched the U.S. Patent office web site and found some drawings of its internals that would have allowed me to replicate it. I don't really need full portability, though-just mobility within my garage.
> 
> 
> John White's New-Fangled Workbench (and New-Fangled Workbench Revisited) looked interesting too. It also uses pipe clamps for vises, and I really like that sliding planing beam. On the other hand, I was worried about how flat I could make the top, and that it might be too fussy. Plus, I'd probably lose a lot of those little panels on the top.
> 
> 
> Ron Paulk's Ultimate Workbench is just plain cool. Watch the video, and I bet you'll agree. It uses a grid of dog holes, and I bet those storage areas along its perimeter would be very useful. I don't really need the full portability this bench provides, and I didn't want to have to set it up using its saw horses.
> 
> 
> Tom Caspar's Torsion Box Workbench is aimed at people like me who don't have jointers and planers. It looks like it would be very solid.
> 
> 
> Most of the benches documented in Christopher Schwarz's second workbench book were interesting, particularly the 24-hour Workbench and $175 (now $280) Workbench. The former has a top built from four sheets of plywood, while the latter has a laminated solid-wood top. I didn't think I could pull off the laminated top, and thought I could do something cheaper than four layers of plywood.
> 
> *Requirements*
> In the end, I decided I needed these features (copied from those designs):
> 
> 
> Legs flush with the front of the bench top. (Schwarz's book absolutely convinced me this was a good idea.)
> 
> 
> Fold-up casters (also from Schwarz's book).
> 
> 
> No protruding handles, as I mentioned above. In fact no vises-I wanted to use the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp, along with my collection of F-clamps.
> 
> 
> Height-adjustable planing beam.
> 
> 
> Numerous space dog holes (for the surface vise).
> 
> 
> Provision for pipe clamp "face vises".
> 
> 
> A sturdy shelf (for storage or holding tools and supplies while I work).
> 
> In addition, I thought of some features that would be nice to have:
> 
> 
> The ability to use the bench as an outfeed table for my table saw.
> 
> 
> A removable top. I wondered if I could hold the top in place with "bullets" and swap in a router table top as needed.
> 
> 
> A "tall mode". If I could use locking casters, maybe I could use the bench wheels-down for routing, where a taller bench might be nice.
> 
> *Coming Up…*
> In the next entry, I'll describe my completed bench and include more photos of it.


Thanks. I just thought he wagon vice might work for you or both vices for that matter.


----------



## RonStewart

*Design and Features*

I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.

The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.

Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.










If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.

Here the actual bench in its storage location.










The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.



















Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.










Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.










For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.










Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)










If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:

The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).

On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):

The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.


I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)


To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


----------



## shipwright

RonStewart said:


> *Design and Features*
> 
> I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.
> 
> The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.
> 
> Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.
> 
> Here the actual bench in its storage location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:
> 
> The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
> I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
> The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
> The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
> If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).
> 
> On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):
> 
> The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.
> 
> 
> I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)
> 
> 
> To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


Some very good ideas presented in this one. 
The clamps seem to work well.
Is there solid blocking in way of the dog holes?

Nice bench… enjoy


----------



## GrandpaLen

RonStewart said:


> *Design and Features*
> 
> I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.
> 
> The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.
> 
> Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.
> 
> Here the actual bench in its storage location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:
> 
> The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
> I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
> The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
> The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
> If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).
> 
> On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):
> 
> The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.
> 
> 
> I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)
> 
> 
> To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


Ron,

It's easy to see that you have put a lot of thought and due diligence into the planning and execution of your bench.

I found that a couple of 80 lbs. bags of Sak-create stored on the bottum shelf of my 2×4 and plywood assembly table encourages it to stay put if I am working on larger projects on it. 
Just a suggestion, if it wants to dance around a little. 

Very thought provoking, in a good way. 
Thanks for sharing.

Work Saffely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


----------



## roofner

RonStewart said:


> *Design and Features*
> 
> I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.
> 
> The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.
> 
> Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.
> 
> Here the actual bench in its storage location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:
> 
> The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
> I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
> The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
> The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
> If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).
> 
> On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):
> 
> The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.
> 
> 
> I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)
> 
> 
> To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


Where did you get the dog hole accessories?


----------



## RonStewart

RonStewart said:


> *Design and Features*
> 
> I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.
> 
> The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.
> 
> Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.
> 
> Here the actual bench in its storage location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:
> 
> The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
> I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
> The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
> The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
> If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).
> 
> On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):
> 
> The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.
> 
> 
> I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)
> 
> 
> To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


Paul: yes, every dog hole is backed by solid wood. I'm about to start on the next entry describing that.

GrandpaLen: Thanks. Regarding the Sakrete bags, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, aren't they (like Paul's wedge clamps)?

roofner: I changed the text above to link to Lee Valley, where my wife purchased the surface vise and clamp. Be warned, though, that they are expensive… The dogs are cheap plastic ones from Rockler. The dogs will do for now, but I think I'll replace them. They don't fit snugly in the holes, so they rock backward slightly, and that might cause the workpiece to lift. Dogs with faces at a slight angle (leaning out a bit at the top) would be better. Later on, I'll provide a full materials list with sources (including casters, hinges, etc.)


----------



## roofner

RonStewart said:


> *Design and Features*
> 
> I ended up building a workbench using a Christopher Schwarz stand design (from his $175 Workbench), a torsion box top that I designed, fold-up casters adapted from another Schwarz idea, and levelers on the front legs.
> 
> The overall bench is 71.75" long, 23.75" deep, and 35" high. I finished it with one application of Watco danish oil. I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than making the wood a bit darker. I may end up putting a light coat of wiping varnish on it later to make it more moisture resistant.
> 
> Here's a transparent CAD rendering of the design so you can get a rough idea of how it's put together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have Adobe Reader installed, you can view this 3D PDF of the design. In Reader, you can spin the bench around, change how it's displayed (so you can get an X-ray view like the one above), or hide different parts (e.g., you can hide the plywood top to see the torsion box structure). If you can't make this work, let me know and I'll tell you how.
> 
> Here the actual bench in its storage location.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The top is bolted to the stand, so I can replace it if that's ever necessary. I used pocket hole screws (and glue) to build the top, so there are no exposed screw heads on the top. My next entry will focus on the design and construction of the top.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with its wheels down. In a later entry, I'll talk more about the caster setup and discuss other options I considered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on where I position it in the garage, the bench wobbles slightly. Three of the legs contact the floor, but one doesn't. I added levelers to the front legs to solve that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For Christmas, my wife bought me the Veritas Surface Vise and Surface Clamp I mentioned in my previous entry. Here's how I'll use the surface vise to work the face of a board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's how I'll use the surface clamp to work the edge of a board. (I need to screw a clamping strip to the back edge of the planing beam so I can use an F-clamp on the workpiece.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I go back and review my original requirements and nice-to-have's, I did okay:
> 
> The bench fits nicely into the space we allocated for it, and it has no handles for us to bump into.
> I can easily move the bench, and it's nice and solid no matter where I place it.
> The array of dog holes on the top, plus the holes in the front and legs, allow me to clamp pieces horizontally or vertically.
> The shelf is strong enough to hold anything I'm likely to place on it.
> If I ever want, I can run pipe clamps through the bench top (from front-to-back, like the Blum Bench Horse).
> 
> On the flip side, some things didn't pan out (or are still in doubt):
> 
> The top is too heavy and awkward to swap out easily. So my idea of swapping it out for a router table top isn't going to work. Plus, bolting the top to the stand locks everything in place better.
> 
> 
> I haven't checked to see if I can use the bench as an outfeed table. With all of the holes in the top, I'm not sure that was such a good idea anyway; I worry that they'll catch the ends of the pieces coming off the saw. (But, if there's enough clearance for a smooth 1/8" thick hardboard cover, this may still work…)
> 
> 
> To make the casters fold to the inside, I had to move them closer together. Even with the casters locked, the bench may be too tipsy to use that way. So my "tall mode" idea may not work out either. I'll just have to try it and see.


It was the Lee valley that I was interested . I don't think I can justify the price even though they look heavy duty.


----------



## RonStewart

*Torsion Box Top*

The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.

When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:

I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.

This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".










I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)










I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.










*Building the Torsion Box Frame*
I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:

Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
Add the cross braces from the center out.
Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.

This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.










Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.










Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.










And here it is, right-side up.










*Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.










After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.

All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.

Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:










But a few of them look like this:










*Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.

*Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.

*Finishing the Top*
With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.










Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.










Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


----------



## DIYaholic

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


A very well written and photographic description of your bench build.
BTW: The bench is done very well also!!!

I'm thinking about a very similarly constructed bench. This gives me ideas as to how to go about accomplishing the design & build! Thanks for such a detailed blog of you build!!!

I'll be following along!!! I certainly hope you don't mind me looking over your shoulder. Just shove me to the side if I get in the way!!!


----------



## shipwright

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


Very clear and detailed description Ron and a fine bench build.

My only concern relates to your comment about the Carolina wrens. It made me think of who else might find this a wonderful apartment complex. It may be an idea to have removable covers on those edge holes to keep Mickey and Minnie out. They could have a field day in there especially with lots of readily available sawdust and shavings.


----------



## jap

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


very nice


----------



## roofner

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


I have been studying this project for several months and look at a lot of the same material. I will be following your blog closely. I don't have heated garage so this time a year I think about projects like this. Very good design. I need a mobile solution your's looks like a good option for me .


----------



## Boatman53

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


I've been concidering making a top like that to put on a workmate base. I am concerned about the screws you used if you ever have to drill another hole in the top.
Jim


----------



## RonStewart

RonStewart said:


> *Torsion Box Top*
> 
> The top of my workbench is a 4" thick torsion box: 3/4" birch plywood panels on either side of a frame of 2.5"x1.5" yellow pine members.
> 
> When designing the top, these were my primary considerations:
> 
> I wanted it to be flat and strong, and not too light.
> I wanted an array of dog holes. I decided that spacing them 6" center-to-center would be good enough for my surface vise.
> I wanted every dog hole to be in, or backed by, solid wood. That way, even if the holes in the plywood got chewed up, the holes would still be usable.
> I didn't want any exposed screw heads on the top of the workbench (and I didn't want to have to drill and plug counterbores).
> I didn't want sawdust and chips falling into the top dog holes and filling the box. (Dust and chips-or Carolina Wrens-can still enter from the holes in the front and back, though.)
> I knew I couldn't drill 4" dog holes all the way through the finished top, so I decided to drill them in the frame, and use the holes in the frame as a template for the plywood panels.
> 
> This rendering shows the basic design of the torsion box. The spacing between the braces is 4.5".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed one full sheet of plywood for the top and shelf (full-resolution image). That's why my top is 1/4" shy (both length and width) of six feet by two feet. (In the beginning, I thought the shelf panel was going to be as wide as the top, but I changed my mind later.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I needed three 8-foot 2"x6" boards for the torsion box (full-resolution image). Why 8-foot boards? I can't fit anything longer in my Honda Element.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building the Torsion Box Frame*
> I won't detail every step, but here are some key ones:
> 
> Use the table saw to "mill" six 2.5"x1.5" boards for the frame.
> Use a miter saw to cut the frame pieces. It's easy because all 14 cross pieces are exactly the same length.
> Use pocket holes and 2.5" screws to build the frame. Each cross member has four pocket holes (one on the top and one on the bottom at each end).
> Use pocket holes and 1.25" screws to attach the top plywood panel to the frame. It's important to drill these pocket holes before assembling frame.
> Create a template from one of the interior cross braces and used it to drill the dog holes in the other 11 braces. The trick in creating the template was marking the holes from the center out. Mark the center, measure 3" out on either side. Then mark 6" out from those marks. Then use a drill press and 3/4" Forstner bit to drill the holes.
> Drill the holes in the front edge the same way. Start in the center (where a hole will be) and keep measuring out 6" from there.
> Assemble the outer frame first. Make sure it's square.
> Add the cross braces from the center out.
> Glue the support blocks for the stand/top bolts, 4" back from the outside edges of the front and back.
> 
> This photo shows how I started adding the cross braces from the center. I had marked the centers of the front and back of the frame, and of two the 4.5" long spacer blocks. I clamped those blocks in place and screwed in a brace on either side. After that, it's child's play. Just clamp the spacer blocks beside the just-installed brace, butt the new brace next to them, clamp, drive the screws, and keep going-no more measuring or marking needed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a close-up of the pocket holes used to assemble the frame. Note how the pocket holes intersect the dog holes. That's not optimal, but I don't think it really hurts anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished frame assembly, upside down. Note all of the pocket holes for the screws that will attach the top plywood panel to the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here it is, right-side up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Drilling the Dog Holes in the Plywood Top*
> This photo shows how the assembled frame acts as a drilling template/guide for the plywood panels. I placed the assembled frame on the top panel (both upside down), with the bottom plywood panel on the bottom. I clamped all three pieces together, then used a corded hand drill to drill the holes all the way through the top panel, and just into the bottom panel beneath. I stacked the plywood pieces to reduce tear-out, and to position the holes in both panels. Also note how the plywood panels slightly overhang the sides of the frame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After that, I removed the frame, put the top plywood panel (upside down) under the partially drilled-through bottom panel, and finished drilling the holes. Again, the idea of putting the top panel underneath was to reduce tear-out.
> 
> All of the above sounds a bit involved, and it was. One tricky part was keeping it straight in my head which piece needed to be right side up and which needed to be upside down. The hardest part, though, was keeping the Forstner bit perpendicular when drilling the holes in the plywood. I learned that I'm really bad at that. The holes in the top are okay. On the bottom, some are okay, and others are slightly off. It's not a big deal, because they're on the bottom, where they aren't visible and won't really affect the function. I just had to ream out the holes (from the top down) to make sure a dowel (or future holdfast or other accessory) would go all the way through without interference.
> 
> Here's what I mean. Most of the dog holes on the bottom panel look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But a few of them look like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Attaching to Top Panel to the Frame*
> This part was easy. Lay the top panel on my "assembly table" upside down. Add glue. Lay the frame on it, also upside down. Use two short pieces of 3/4" dowel to line everything up and keep things from sliding around. Then screw in all of the pocket screws.
> 
> *Attaching the Bottom Panel to the Frame*
> This part was also easy. Flip the frame+top assembly upside down. Place the bottom panel on it. Use the dowels again to line everything up. Mark the locations of 1.5" wood screws that will attach the panel. Use a countersink bit to drill pilot holes. Then add glue, use the dowels again, and drive all the screws.
> 
> *Finishing the Top*
> With the panels in place, all that remained was using a router and flush trimming bit to remove the slightly overhanging edges I mentioned before.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, I use a router and chamfer bit, set to a very shallow cut, to bevel the edges of the dog holes (Schwarz also recommended this) and all outside edges.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the finished top, sitting on top of my old "bench." (I did not drill the holes and counterbores for the bolts that attach the top to the stand until the stand was finished.)


Thanks guys.

Paul: I did wonder about mice, but I don't anticipate any problems. The cat that adopted us spends a lot of time in the garage, and she's a good hunter. Also, the cavities are narrow tunnels, and I think I could use my hand to plug the hole on the back and put the shop vac hose on the corresponding hole on the front and clean out the cavity pretty thoroughly.

Jim: Yes, that's a valid concern. I hope I never need to add any more holes (and I'll be happy not to see a Forstner bit for a while). You could skip the screws and just use glue, or you could position the pocket holes more strategically to leave some open area for future holes.


----------



## RonStewart

*The Stand/Base*

As I've mentioned, the stand is essentially a direct implementation of Christopher Schwarz's $175 Workbench. My shelf is different, and I changed some part dimensions and locations slightly, but it's the same stand.

This rendering shows some details about the locations of the stringers and stretchers. It doesn't show the location of the top-most hole in each front leg, but it's 2" top-to-center.










The stand required four 2"x8" yellow pine boards, plus some leftovers from the boards I used on the torsion box frame for the cleats (full-resolution image).










I didn't take any in-progress photos, but here's the completed stand without the shelf panel.










Here it is with the shelf panel installed (with just glue-no screws).










Here's a photo of cleat, already drilled and counterbored, used to bolt the top to the stand.










Schwarz's article clearly explains how to build the stand, but here are some notes specific to my build:


When making the legs, I cut four lengths of 2×8s, glued each pair together, and then cut out the legs from the glued slabs. That gave me nice smooth, square leg sides.
I don't have a dado blade, so I used my regular blade (a medium-kerf Tenryu blade) to nibble out the tenons (as if it were a very narrow dado blade). That was slow, and the tenons had lots of small grooves from the beveled blade that I had to sand down. It worked, but I probably should have taken the time to create some sort of of jig or guide board and used my router.
I used drawbores to help attach the stringers that connect the front and back legs. I used only one peg per joint, and I placed the holes too near the ends of the tenons, but I really like the technique. It may not add any strength to the joint, but it sure did clamp the stringers to the legs well.
After I built the end assemblies, I had to deepen the top two dog holes in each front leg. That means I had to drill into the tenons.
I used only one bolt on each side of the long stretchers. The dog holes in the legs didn't allow me to use two bolts on each side. The stand seems solid enough, but I still would have preferred two bolts per side. I just didn't plan things out carefully enough here.

After the stand was complete, all I had to do was drill and counterbore the holes in the top for the mounting bolts and add the top. Here it is, ready for finishing and adding the casters.


----------



## DIYaholic

RonStewart said:


> *The Stand/Base*
> 
> As I've mentioned, the stand is essentially a direct implementation of Christopher Schwarz's $175 Workbench. My shelf is different, and I changed some part dimensions and locations slightly, but it's the same stand.
> 
> This rendering shows some details about the locations of the stringers and stretchers. It doesn't show the location of the top-most hole in each front leg, but it's 2" top-to-center.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The stand required four 2"x8" yellow pine boards, plus some leftovers from the boards I used on the torsion box frame for the cleats (full-resolution image).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't take any in-progress photos, but here's the completed stand without the shelf panel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with the shelf panel installed (with just glue-no screws).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a photo of cleat, already drilled and counterbored, used to bolt the top to the stand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schwarz's article clearly explains how to build the stand, but here are some notes specific to my build:
> 
> 
> When making the legs, I cut four lengths of 2×8s, glued each pair together, and then cut out the legs from the glued slabs. That gave me nice smooth, square leg sides.
> I don't have a dado blade, so I used my regular blade (a medium-kerf Tenryu blade) to nibble out the tenons (as if it were a very narrow dado blade). That was slow, and the tenons had lots of small grooves from the beveled blade that I had to sand down. It worked, but I probably should have taken the time to create some sort of of jig or guide board and used my router.
> I used drawbores to help attach the stringers that connect the front and back legs. I used only one peg per joint, and I placed the holes too near the ends of the tenons, but I really like the technique. It may not add any strength to the joint, but it sure did clamp the stringers to the legs well.
> After I built the end assemblies, I had to deepen the top two dog holes in each front leg. That means I had to drill into the tenons.
> I used only one bolt on each side of the long stretchers. The dog holes in the legs didn't allow me to use two bolts on each side. The stand seems solid enough, but I still would have preferred two bolts per side. I just didn't plan things out carefully enough here.
> 
> After the stand was complete, all I had to do was drill and counterbore the holes in the top for the mounting bolts and add the top. Here it is, ready for finishing and adding the casters.


Another fine installment of your bench build!!!


----------



## stefang

RonStewart said:


> *The Stand/Base*
> 
> As I've mentioned, the stand is essentially a direct implementation of Christopher Schwarz's $175 Workbench. My shelf is different, and I changed some part dimensions and locations slightly, but it's the same stand.
> 
> This rendering shows some details about the locations of the stringers and stretchers. It doesn't show the location of the top-most hole in each front leg, but it's 2" top-to-center.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The stand required four 2"x8" yellow pine boards, plus some leftovers from the boards I used on the torsion box frame for the cleats (full-resolution image).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't take any in-progress photos, but here's the completed stand without the shelf panel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with the shelf panel installed (with just glue-no screws).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a photo of cleat, already drilled and counterbored, used to bolt the top to the stand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schwarz's article clearly explains how to build the stand, but here are some notes specific to my build:
> 
> 
> When making the legs, I cut four lengths of 2×8s, glued each pair together, and then cut out the legs from the glued slabs. That gave me nice smooth, square leg sides.
> I don't have a dado blade, so I used my regular blade (a medium-kerf Tenryu blade) to nibble out the tenons (as if it were a very narrow dado blade). That was slow, and the tenons had lots of small grooves from the beveled blade that I had to sand down. It worked, but I probably should have taken the time to create some sort of of jig or guide board and used my router.
> I used drawbores to help attach the stringers that connect the front and back legs. I used only one peg per joint, and I placed the holes too near the ends of the tenons, but I really like the technique. It may not add any strength to the joint, but it sure did clamp the stringers to the legs well.
> After I built the end assemblies, I had to deepen the top two dog holes in each front leg. That means I had to drill into the tenons.
> I used only one bolt on each side of the long stretchers. The dog holes in the legs didn't allow me to use two bolts on each side. The stand seems solid enough, but I still would have preferred two bolts per side. I just didn't plan things out carefully enough here.
> 
> After the stand was complete, all I had to do was drill and counterbore the holes in the top for the mounting bolts and add the top. Here it is, ready for finishing and adding the casters.


Good looking bench. it looks really solid.


----------



## shipwright

RonStewart said:


> *The Stand/Base*
> 
> As I've mentioned, the stand is essentially a direct implementation of Christopher Schwarz's $175 Workbench. My shelf is different, and I changed some part dimensions and locations slightly, but it's the same stand.
> 
> This rendering shows some details about the locations of the stringers and stretchers. It doesn't show the location of the top-most hole in each front leg, but it's 2" top-to-center.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The stand required four 2"x8" yellow pine boards, plus some leftovers from the boards I used on the torsion box frame for the cleats (full-resolution image).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't take any in-progress photos, but here's the completed stand without the shelf panel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is with the shelf panel installed (with just glue-no screws).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a photo of cleat, already drilled and counterbored, used to bolt the top to the stand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Schwarz's article clearly explains how to build the stand, but here are some notes specific to my build:
> 
> 
> When making the legs, I cut four lengths of 2×8s, glued each pair together, and then cut out the legs from the glued slabs. That gave me nice smooth, square leg sides.
> I don't have a dado blade, so I used my regular blade (a medium-kerf Tenryu blade) to nibble out the tenons (as if it were a very narrow dado blade). That was slow, and the tenons had lots of small grooves from the beveled blade that I had to sand down. It worked, but I probably should have taken the time to create some sort of of jig or guide board and used my router.
> I used drawbores to help attach the stringers that connect the front and back legs. I used only one peg per joint, and I placed the holes too near the ends of the tenons, but I really like the technique. It may not add any strength to the joint, but it sure did clamp the stringers to the legs well.
> After I built the end assemblies, I had to deepen the top two dog holes in each front leg. That means I had to drill into the tenons.
> I used only one bolt on each side of the long stretchers. The dog holes in the legs didn't allow me to use two bolts on each side. The stand seems solid enough, but I still would have preferred two bolts per side. I just didn't plan things out carefully enough here.
> 
> After the stand was complete, all I had to do was drill and counterbore the holes in the top for the mounting bolts and add the top. Here it is, ready for finishing and adding the casters.


Solid !!


----------



## RonStewart

*Making it Mobile (but Stable)*

After I bolted the top to the stand, I encountered a problem: the bench was solid, but it wobbled. Three legs touched the floor, but one hovered slightly above it-not by much (less than 1/8"), but enough to be annoying.

No problem, I thought. I'll just trim the longer of the two front legs. So I made a little jig to support my router so I could use a flat-bottomed straight bit to nibble off the end.



















That didn't take long and worked very well.










I flipped the bench back over and patted myself on the back. The wobble was gone. But… I moved the bench back to its storage location. It wobbled worse than before. I know I don't plan to work on it there, but still, I don't want it to wobble. That's embarrassing.

At that point, I realized that trimming the legs was useless, because different legs would need to be trimmed by different amounts depending on where the bench was. I needed another solution, but I decided to worry about it later, and concentrate on adding the casters so I could move the bench around more easily.

I've seen a variety of mechanisms for making workbenches movable:

Mounting casters on a hinged board attached to the bottom of the legs, such that the entire mounting board and casters are under the legs when the bench is moving. See the Christopher Schwarz blog articles The Easiest Way to Make Your Bench Mobile and Mobile Base Mark II.
Mounting casters on a hinged board that is attached to the side stringers, with another hinged board that locks the caster board in place, elevating the bench just enough to allow it to roll. See these YouTube videos: Workbench wheels lift mechanism and Retractable Landing Gear for your Table.
Combination casters/levelers like the WoodRiver Machine Leveling Caster Plate Mounted 4 Pack.
Hinged casters that mount on the side of the legs or stringers with foot-activated levers, like Rockler's Workbench Caster Kit.
Casters on blocks with pegs on top that fit into holes in the bottom of the legs. These are meant for occasional use and probably require the use of a jack to lift the bench. I can't find a link, but I remember reading about this idea in some woodworking forum.

I decided to go with a variation of the first design. I thought it offered the best combination of solidity and simplicity. I started by making the caster boards flip to the outside of the bench, as in the Schwarz videos above. That worked well. I placed the casters so they were directly under the legs, where they are most stable. I didn't think I'd need the latches featured in the second Schwarz video. I thought the bench looked a little goofy when parked, with the caster boards and casters in full view, but I left it like that while I revisited the wobble problem.

I know that the simplest (and cheapest) solution to the wobble was a shim or two, but I didn't want to use (and keep track of) shims. I wondered about thick rubber pads under the legs. Maybe they'd allow the bench to conform to uneven spots on the garage floor. But then I found these Heavy Duty Lifting Levelers at Rockler and decided to try them. The best things about them for me were that they were relatively compact, could mount on the side of the legs, not under them, but still had a lip that would curl around under the leg (for strength). You adjust the height with an Allen wrench that fits into a socket on the end of the leveling bolt.

The levelers would fit on the insides of the legs, under the shelf, but it would be hard to get an Allen wrench in there to adjust the height. So I decided to change the casters to flip to the inside and put the levelers on the outside. That would look better.

To make that work, I had to move the casters away from the ends of the caster board so they would clear the stretchers. I worried that that would make the bench less stable when I moved it. It did, but it wasn't too bad. But now I encountered another problem. Any time I rolled the bench along its length, the caster boards would collapse inward, and the bench would fall to the ground. Not good… I'd need latches after all. I remembered seeing latches for sliding patio doors before. (One piece mounts to the door, the other to the jamb, and a U-shaped bar slides into holes in both.) I was able to find them at Home Depot.

Here's how it all turned out. I used screen door hinges to mount the caster board to the insides of the legs. I offset the hinges so the knuckles would rest on the floor when the caster board was folded up. (I still don't understand why Schwarz had to cut notches for the knuckles in his implementation.)










This photo shows how I had to move the casters closer together to clear the stretchers.










I had to cut shallow notches to mount the levelers. I used my router and a 1/2" rabbet bit for that.










Before moving the bench, I flip the caster boards down and slide the locks into place.










When the bench is parked, the sliding U-shaped part of the lock hangs there unobtrusively.










I'm happy with how it all works. The funny thing is that I don't need to use an Allen wrench to adjust the levelers. I can just rotate the bolt with my hands (it never has to move very far to contact the floor). So I could have left the casters so they flipped out and mounted the levelers to the insides of the legs.

I still think it looks better now, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the bench in "tall mode" with its wheels down and locked due the the close spacing of the casters. Oh well…

If I had to do it all over again, I might opt to use very low-profile ball casters and still make the caster boards flip to the inside. Then I don't think I'd need the sliding locks at all.


----------



## DIYaholic

RonStewart said:


> *Making it Mobile (but Stable)*
> 
> After I bolted the top to the stand, I encountered a problem: the bench was solid, but it wobbled. Three legs touched the floor, but one hovered slightly above it-not by much (less than 1/8"), but enough to be annoying.
> 
> No problem, I thought. I'll just trim the longer of the two front legs. So I made a little jig to support my router so I could use a flat-bottomed straight bit to nibble off the end.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That didn't take long and worked very well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I flipped the bench back over and patted myself on the back. The wobble was gone. But… I moved the bench back to its storage location. It wobbled worse than before. I know I don't plan to work on it there, but still, I don't want it to wobble. That's embarrassing.
> 
> At that point, I realized that trimming the legs was useless, because different legs would need to be trimmed by different amounts depending on where the bench was. I needed another solution, but I decided to worry about it later, and concentrate on adding the casters so I could move the bench around more easily.
> 
> I've seen a variety of mechanisms for making workbenches movable:
> 
> Mounting casters on a hinged board attached to the bottom of the legs, such that the entire mounting board and casters are under the legs when the bench is moving. See the Christopher Schwarz blog articles The Easiest Way to Make Your Bench Mobile and Mobile Base Mark II.
> Mounting casters on a hinged board that is attached to the side stringers, with another hinged board that locks the caster board in place, elevating the bench just enough to allow it to roll. See these YouTube videos: Workbench wheels lift mechanism and Retractable Landing Gear for your Table.
> Combination casters/levelers like the WoodRiver Machine Leveling Caster Plate Mounted 4 Pack.
> Hinged casters that mount on the side of the legs or stringers with foot-activated levers, like Rockler's Workbench Caster Kit.
> Casters on blocks with pegs on top that fit into holes in the bottom of the legs. These are meant for occasional use and probably require the use of a jack to lift the bench. I can't find a link, but I remember reading about this idea in some woodworking forum.
> 
> I decided to go with a variation of the first design. I thought it offered the best combination of solidity and simplicity. I started by making the caster boards flip to the outside of the bench, as in the Schwarz videos above. That worked well. I placed the casters so they were directly under the legs, where they are most stable. I didn't think I'd need the latches featured in the second Schwarz video. I thought the bench looked a little goofy when parked, with the caster boards and casters in full view, but I left it like that while I revisited the wobble problem.
> 
> I know that the simplest (and cheapest) solution to the wobble was a shim or two, but I didn't want to use (and keep track of) shims. I wondered about thick rubber pads under the legs. Maybe they'd allow the bench to conform to uneven spots on the garage floor. But then I found these Heavy Duty Lifting Levelers at Rockler and decided to try them. The best things about them for me were that they were relatively compact, could mount on the side of the legs, not under them, but still had a lip that would curl around under the leg (for strength). You adjust the height with an Allen wrench that fits into a socket on the end of the leveling bolt.
> 
> The levelers would fit on the insides of the legs, under the shelf, but it would be hard to get an Allen wrench in there to adjust the height. So I decided to change the casters to flip to the inside and put the levelers on the outside. That would look better.
> 
> To make that work, I had to move the casters away from the ends of the caster board so they would clear the stretchers. I worried that that would make the bench less stable when I moved it. It did, but it wasn't too bad. But now I encountered another problem. Any time I rolled the bench along its length, the caster boards would collapse inward, and the bench would fall to the ground. Not good… I'd need latches after all. I remembered seeing latches for sliding patio doors before. (One piece mounts to the door, the other to the jamb, and a U-shaped bar slides into holes in both.) I was able to find them at Home Depot.
> 
> Here's how it all turned out. I used screen door hinges to mount the caster board to the insides of the legs. I offset the hinges so the knuckles would rest on the floor when the caster board was folded up. (I still don't understand why Schwarz had to cut notches for the knuckles in his implementation.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This photo shows how I had to move the casters closer together to clear the stretchers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had to cut shallow notches to mount the levelers. I used my router and a 1/2" rabbet bit for that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before moving the bench, I flip the caster boards down and slide the locks into place.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When the bench is parked, the sliding U-shaped part of the lock hangs there unobtrusively.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm happy with how it all works. The funny thing is that I don't need to use an Allen wrench to adjust the levelers. I can just rotate the bolt with my hands (it never has to move very far to contact the floor). So I could have left the casters so they flipped out and mounted the levelers to the insides of the legs.
> 
> I still think it looks better now, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the bench in "tall mode" with its wheels down and locked due the the close spacing of the casters. Oh well…
> 
> If I had to do it all over again, I might opt to use very low-profile ball casters and still make the caster boards flip to the inside. Then I don't think I'd need the sliding locks at all.


You are on a roll!!!

Great pictoral documentation and written explanation!!! The links are handy too.

Enjoy your bench!!!


----------



## RonStewart

RonStewart said:


> *Making it Mobile (but Stable)*
> 
> After I bolted the top to the stand, I encountered a problem: the bench was solid, but it wobbled. Three legs touched the floor, but one hovered slightly above it-not by much (less than 1/8"), but enough to be annoying.
> 
> No problem, I thought. I'll just trim the longer of the two front legs. So I made a little jig to support my router so I could use a flat-bottomed straight bit to nibble off the end.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That didn't take long and worked very well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I flipped the bench back over and patted myself on the back. The wobble was gone. But… I moved the bench back to its storage location. It wobbled worse than before. I know I don't plan to work on it there, but still, I don't want it to wobble. That's embarrassing.
> 
> At that point, I realized that trimming the legs was useless, because different legs would need to be trimmed by different amounts depending on where the bench was. I needed another solution, but I decided to worry about it later, and concentrate on adding the casters so I could move the bench around more easily.
> 
> I've seen a variety of mechanisms for making workbenches movable:
> 
> Mounting casters on a hinged board attached to the bottom of the legs, such that the entire mounting board and casters are under the legs when the bench is moving. See the Christopher Schwarz blog articles The Easiest Way to Make Your Bench Mobile and Mobile Base Mark II.
> Mounting casters on a hinged board that is attached to the side stringers, with another hinged board that locks the caster board in place, elevating the bench just enough to allow it to roll. See these YouTube videos: Workbench wheels lift mechanism and Retractable Landing Gear for your Table.
> Combination casters/levelers like the WoodRiver Machine Leveling Caster Plate Mounted 4 Pack.
> Hinged casters that mount on the side of the legs or stringers with foot-activated levers, like Rockler's Workbench Caster Kit.
> Casters on blocks with pegs on top that fit into holes in the bottom of the legs. These are meant for occasional use and probably require the use of a jack to lift the bench. I can't find a link, but I remember reading about this idea in some woodworking forum.
> 
> I decided to go with a variation of the first design. I thought it offered the best combination of solidity and simplicity. I started by making the caster boards flip to the outside of the bench, as in the Schwarz videos above. That worked well. I placed the casters so they were directly under the legs, where they are most stable. I didn't think I'd need the latches featured in the second Schwarz video. I thought the bench looked a little goofy when parked, with the caster boards and casters in full view, but I left it like that while I revisited the wobble problem.
> 
> I know that the simplest (and cheapest) solution to the wobble was a shim or two, but I didn't want to use (and keep track of) shims. I wondered about thick rubber pads under the legs. Maybe they'd allow the bench to conform to uneven spots on the garage floor. But then I found these Heavy Duty Lifting Levelers at Rockler and decided to try them. The best things about them for me were that they were relatively compact, could mount on the side of the legs, not under them, but still had a lip that would curl around under the leg (for strength). You adjust the height with an Allen wrench that fits into a socket on the end of the leveling bolt.
> 
> The levelers would fit on the insides of the legs, under the shelf, but it would be hard to get an Allen wrench in there to adjust the height. So I decided to change the casters to flip to the inside and put the levelers on the outside. That would look better.
> 
> To make that work, I had to move the casters away from the ends of the caster board so they would clear the stretchers. I worried that that would make the bench less stable when I moved it. It did, but it wasn't too bad. But now I encountered another problem. Any time I rolled the bench along its length, the caster boards would collapse inward, and the bench would fall to the ground. Not good… I'd need latches after all. I remembered seeing latches for sliding patio doors before. (One piece mounts to the door, the other to the jamb, and a U-shaped bar slides into holes in both.) I was able to find them at Home Depot.
> 
> Here's how it all turned out. I used screen door hinges to mount the caster board to the insides of the legs. I offset the hinges so the knuckles would rest on the floor when the caster board was folded up. (I still don't understand why Schwarz had to cut notches for the knuckles in his implementation.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This photo shows how I had to move the casters closer together to clear the stretchers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had to cut shallow notches to mount the levelers. I used my router and a 1/2" rabbet bit for that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before moving the bench, I flip the caster boards down and slide the locks into place.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When the bench is parked, the sliding U-shaped part of the lock hangs there unobtrusively.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm happy with how it all works. The funny thing is that I don't need to use an Allen wrench to adjust the levelers. I can just rotate the bolt with my hands (it never has to move very far to contact the floor). So I could have left the casters so they flipped out and mounted the levelers to the insides of the legs.
> 
> I still think it looks better now, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the bench in "tall mode" with its wheels down and locked due the the close spacing of the casters. Oh well…
> 
> If I had to do it all over again, I might opt to use very low-profile ball casters and still make the caster boards flip to the inside. Then I don't think I'd need the sliding locks at all.


What I am is in a hurry.  I set a goal to finish this blog this weekend, and I'm happy to say that I just did that. I'm glad you think it's worth reading.


----------



## mileskimball

RonStewart said:


> *Making it Mobile (but Stable)*
> 
> After I bolted the top to the stand, I encountered a problem: the bench was solid, but it wobbled. Three legs touched the floor, but one hovered slightly above it-not by much (less than 1/8"), but enough to be annoying.
> 
> No problem, I thought. I'll just trim the longer of the two front legs. So I made a little jig to support my router so I could use a flat-bottomed straight bit to nibble off the end.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That didn't take long and worked very well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I flipped the bench back over and patted myself on the back. The wobble was gone. But… I moved the bench back to its storage location. It wobbled worse than before. I know I don't plan to work on it there, but still, I don't want it to wobble. That's embarrassing.
> 
> At that point, I realized that trimming the legs was useless, because different legs would need to be trimmed by different amounts depending on where the bench was. I needed another solution, but I decided to worry about it later, and concentrate on adding the casters so I could move the bench around more easily.
> 
> I've seen a variety of mechanisms for making workbenches movable:
> 
> Mounting casters on a hinged board attached to the bottom of the legs, such that the entire mounting board and casters are under the legs when the bench is moving. See the Christopher Schwarz blog articles The Easiest Way to Make Your Bench Mobile and Mobile Base Mark II.
> Mounting casters on a hinged board that is attached to the side stringers, with another hinged board that locks the caster board in place, elevating the bench just enough to allow it to roll. See these YouTube videos: Workbench wheels lift mechanism and Retractable Landing Gear for your Table.
> Combination casters/levelers like the WoodRiver Machine Leveling Caster Plate Mounted 4 Pack.
> Hinged casters that mount on the side of the legs or stringers with foot-activated levers, like Rockler's Workbench Caster Kit.
> Casters on blocks with pegs on top that fit into holes in the bottom of the legs. These are meant for occasional use and probably require the use of a jack to lift the bench. I can't find a link, but I remember reading about this idea in some woodworking forum.
> 
> I decided to go with a variation of the first design. I thought it offered the best combination of solidity and simplicity. I started by making the caster boards flip to the outside of the bench, as in the Schwarz videos above. That worked well. I placed the casters so they were directly under the legs, where they are most stable. I didn't think I'd need the latches featured in the second Schwarz video. I thought the bench looked a little goofy when parked, with the caster boards and casters in full view, but I left it like that while I revisited the wobble problem.
> 
> I know that the simplest (and cheapest) solution to the wobble was a shim or two, but I didn't want to use (and keep track of) shims. I wondered about thick rubber pads under the legs. Maybe they'd allow the bench to conform to uneven spots on the garage floor. But then I found these Heavy Duty Lifting Levelers at Rockler and decided to try them. The best things about them for me were that they were relatively compact, could mount on the side of the legs, not under them, but still had a lip that would curl around under the leg (for strength). You adjust the height with an Allen wrench that fits into a socket on the end of the leveling bolt.
> 
> The levelers would fit on the insides of the legs, under the shelf, but it would be hard to get an Allen wrench in there to adjust the height. So I decided to change the casters to flip to the inside and put the levelers on the outside. That would look better.
> 
> To make that work, I had to move the casters away from the ends of the caster board so they would clear the stretchers. I worried that that would make the bench less stable when I moved it. It did, but it wasn't too bad. But now I encountered another problem. Any time I rolled the bench along its length, the caster boards would collapse inward, and the bench would fall to the ground. Not good… I'd need latches after all. I remembered seeing latches for sliding patio doors before. (One piece mounts to the door, the other to the jamb, and a U-shaped bar slides into holes in both.) I was able to find them at Home Depot.
> 
> Here's how it all turned out. I used screen door hinges to mount the caster board to the insides of the legs. I offset the hinges so the knuckles would rest on the floor when the caster board was folded up. (I still don't understand why Schwarz had to cut notches for the knuckles in his implementation.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This photo shows how I had to move the casters closer together to clear the stretchers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had to cut shallow notches to mount the levelers. I used my router and a 1/2" rabbet bit for that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before moving the bench, I flip the caster boards down and slide the locks into place.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When the bench is parked, the sliding U-shaped part of the lock hangs there unobtrusively.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm happy with how it all works. The funny thing is that I don't need to use an Allen wrench to adjust the levelers. I can just rotate the bolt with my hands (it never has to move very far to contact the floor). So I could have left the casters so they flipped out and mounted the levelers to the insides of the legs.
> 
> I still think it looks better now, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use the bench in "tall mode" with its wheels down and locked due the the close spacing of the casters. Oh well…
> 
> If I had to do it all over again, I might opt to use very low-profile ball casters and still make the caster boards flip to the inside. Then I don't think I'd need the sliding locks at all.


Great work, Ron-I'm going to adapt your approach for my bench.


----------



## RonStewart

*Materials, Costs, and Sources*

The following table summarizes the project costs in different categories in U.S. Dollars (full-resolution image).










I didn't include sales taxes, shipping costs, or cost of the screws and other supplies.

The cost of the basic bench is not too bad. Mobility (lateral, not just upward) has its costs. The Veritas products are definitely splurges. (But I had to have something to put on my Christmas list…)


----------



## DIYaholic

RonStewart said:


> *Materials, Costs, and Sources*
> 
> The following table summarizes the project costs in different categories in U.S. Dollars (full-resolution image).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't include sales taxes, shipping costs, or cost of the screws and other supplies.
> 
> The cost of the basic bench is not too bad. Mobility (lateral, not just upward) has its costs. The Veritas products are definitely splurges. (But I had to have something to put on my Christmas list…)


Nice breakdown of your costs incurred. This is a big help, to those of us, trying to wrap their mind around material choices and budgetary constaints!!!

You are certifiably OCD, a perfectionist or anal retentive!!! NONE of which are a bad thing! Lol.
I tease because, you engineered and analyzed your work bench build as I would like to!!!

Now go make saw dust, projects and some dings in that marvelous bench!!!


----------



## RonStewart

RonStewart said:


> *Materials, Costs, and Sources*
> 
> The following table summarizes the project costs in different categories in U.S. Dollars (full-resolution image).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't include sales taxes, shipping costs, or cost of the screws and other supplies.
> 
> The cost of the basic bench is not too bad. Mobility (lateral, not just upward) has its costs. The Veritas products are definitely splurges. (But I had to have something to put on my Christmas list…)


Ha!  You made my wife laugh. For the record, I don't track my costs that carefully. I just tossed all the receipts in a drawer and figured I'd list the actual amounts while I was writing the blog. I didn't know the exact total cost myself until yesterday.


----------



## RonStewart

*Final Thoughts*

In some ways, building a workbench was liberating. I generally build furniture-type projects, where I agonize over every little flaw. With this project, I didn't have to worry about little dents, minor tear-out, etc. Of course, I wanted to do a good job, but I kept telling myself, "It's just a bench. It's going to get dinged up eventually."

Having said that, I understand what leads some people to build showcase-quality benches that look nicer than most people's furniture. For example, I worried (and still do a little) about the exposed plywood edges on the bench top. Will they hold up over time, or will they delaminate? I considered building a solid wood frame around them, but didn't. In one brief moment of relative insanity, I thought of the partial roll of two-ply maple veneer in the storage room… I could veneer the sides of the bench top and hide those exposed edges. Never mind that I'd probably end up accidentally ripping off the veneer. So again I told myself, "It's just a bench," and left the veneer alone.

What else might I do to my bench? I'm probably going to install a 24" clamp rack on one side (or maybe on both sides; I need to count my clamps). They'll nestle under the overhang, maybe six inches down, and they shouldn't interfere with anything. And it will be nice having my clamps right there, instead of in a drawer in the storage room adjacent to the garage.

I've also thought about cutting a 1/8" thick piece of hardboard the same size as the top. I could varnish and wax it and use the bench as an assembly table (or as an outfeed table if the resulting height is appropriate). I'd glue four 1/2" plugs cut from a 3/4" dowel near the corners. They'd sit in dog holes and keep the hardboard in place.

The last thing I've considered is building a squat cabinet with two drawers and putting it on the shelf. That would keep other tools like squares, sanding blocks, etc. close at hand.

But now I just look forward to using this bench. I also want to say thanks to anybody who has taken the time to read or comment on this project or blog. Happy woodworking!


----------



## DIYaholic

RonStewart said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> In some ways, building a workbench was liberating. I generally build furniture-type projects, where I agonize over every little flaw. With this project, I didn't have to worry about little dents, minor tear-out, etc. Of course, I wanted to do a good job, but I kept telling myself, "It's just a bench. It's going to get dinged up eventually."
> 
> Having said that, I understand what leads some people to build showcase-quality benches that look nicer than most people's furniture. For example, I worried (and still do a little) about the exposed plywood edges on the bench top. Will they hold up over time, or will they delaminate? I considered building a solid wood frame around them, but didn't. In one brief moment of relative insanity, I thought of the partial roll of two-ply maple veneer in the storage room… I could veneer the sides of the bench top and hide those exposed edges. Never mind that I'd probably end up accidentally ripping off the veneer. So again I told myself, "It's just a bench," and left the veneer alone.
> 
> What else might I do to my bench? I'm probably going to install a 24" clamp rack on one side (or maybe on both sides; I need to count my clamps). They'll nestle under the overhang, maybe six inches down, and they shouldn't interfere with anything. And it will be nice having my clamps right there, instead of in a drawer in the storage room adjacent to the garage.
> 
> I've also thought about cutting a 1/8" thick piece of hardboard the same size as the top. I could varnish and wax it and use the bench as an assembly table (or as an outfeed table if the resulting height is appropriate). I'd glue four 1/2" plugs cut from a 3/4" dowel near the corners. They'd sit in dog holes and keep the hardboard in place.
> 
> The last thing I've considered is building a squat cabinet with two drawers and putting it on the shelf. That would keep other tools like squares, sanding blocks, etc. close at hand.
> 
> But now I just look forward to using this bench. I also want to say thanks to anybody who has taken the time to read or comment on this project or blog. Happy woodworking!


I hear ya, regarding; It's only a…...

I'm currently setting up my shop and on occasion find myself saying the same thing. As important as it is (to me at least) to have "pretty" shop, there are other more critical considerations (and limitations ie, time, money & my severe lack of skills) like safety, available supplies and tooling/machines, that dictate what & how we complete shop projects. I'm utilizing my shop build to hone my skills, learn the basics (and not so basics) and familiarize myself with my tools & machines.

I'm currently working on organization and storage (french cleats, jigs, sleds, shelving and the like). My next major shop build WILL be a work bench.

So short story looooong, *Thank you, for taking the time to document and explain your work bench build!!!* It will go a long way towards my goal of a "pretty" shop.


----------



## Tugboater78

RonStewart said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> In some ways, building a workbench was liberating. I generally build furniture-type projects, where I agonize over every little flaw. With this project, I didn't have to worry about little dents, minor tear-out, etc. Of course, I wanted to do a good job, but I kept telling myself, "It's just a bench. It's going to get dinged up eventually."
> 
> Having said that, I understand what leads some people to build showcase-quality benches that look nicer than most people's furniture. For example, I worried (and still do a little) about the exposed plywood edges on the bench top. Will they hold up over time, or will they delaminate? I considered building a solid wood frame around them, but didn't. In one brief moment of relative insanity, I thought of the partial roll of two-ply maple veneer in the storage room… I could veneer the sides of the bench top and hide those exposed edges. Never mind that I'd probably end up accidentally ripping off the veneer. So again I told myself, "It's just a bench," and left the veneer alone.
> 
> What else might I do to my bench? I'm probably going to install a 24" clamp rack on one side (or maybe on both sides; I need to count my clamps). They'll nestle under the overhang, maybe six inches down, and they shouldn't interfere with anything. And it will be nice having my clamps right there, instead of in a drawer in the storage room adjacent to the garage.
> 
> I've also thought about cutting a 1/8" thick piece of hardboard the same size as the top. I could varnish and wax it and use the bench as an assembly table (or as an outfeed table if the resulting height is appropriate). I'd glue four 1/2" plugs cut from a 3/4" dowel near the corners. They'd sit in dog holes and keep the hardboard in place.
> 
> The last thing I've considered is building a squat cabinet with two drawers and putting it on the shelf. That would keep other tools like squares, sanding blocks, etc. close at hand.
> 
> But now I just look forward to using this bench. I also want to say thanks to anybody who has taken the time to read or comment on this project or blog. Happy woodworking!


Congrats, you built a nice bench for sure. Gives me more food for thought when i get the opportunity to build my own bench! Thanks


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## jap

RonStewart said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> In some ways, building a workbench was liberating. I generally build furniture-type projects, where I agonize over every little flaw. With this project, I didn't have to worry about little dents, minor tear-out, etc. Of course, I wanted to do a good job, but I kept telling myself, "It's just a bench. It's going to get dinged up eventually."
> 
> Having said that, I understand what leads some people to build showcase-quality benches that look nicer than most people's furniture. For example, I worried (and still do a little) about the exposed plywood edges on the bench top. Will they hold up over time, or will they delaminate? I considered building a solid wood frame around them, but didn't. In one brief moment of relative insanity, I thought of the partial roll of two-ply maple veneer in the storage room… I could veneer the sides of the bench top and hide those exposed edges. Never mind that I'd probably end up accidentally ripping off the veneer. So again I told myself, "It's just a bench," and left the veneer alone.
> 
> What else might I do to my bench? I'm probably going to install a 24" clamp rack on one side (or maybe on both sides; I need to count my clamps). They'll nestle under the overhang, maybe six inches down, and they shouldn't interfere with anything. And it will be nice having my clamps right there, instead of in a drawer in the storage room adjacent to the garage.
> 
> I've also thought about cutting a 1/8" thick piece of hardboard the same size as the top. I could varnish and wax it and use the bench as an assembly table (or as an outfeed table if the resulting height is appropriate). I'd glue four 1/2" plugs cut from a 3/4" dowel near the corners. They'd sit in dog holes and keep the hardboard in place.
> 
> The last thing I've considered is building a squat cabinet with two drawers and putting it on the shelf. That would keep other tools like squares, sanding blocks, etc. close at hand.
> 
> But now I just look forward to using this bench. I also want to say thanks to anybody who has taken the time to read or comment on this project or blog. Happy woodworking!


enjoy your bench


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