More-Work Bench Ideas

  Life is for many people a journey, or a quest for the ideal or perfect love, or martini or hamburger, in my case it has become a quest for the perfect work space. (work bench).

  I have written about this several times as my work needs evolved and my back troubles ebb and flow. Most recently I have added Kreg Bench Clamps to my formidable array of Kreg clamps. The clamps were added to my small bench and now hold my "toy makers bench" in place when I work on smaller projects.

 The other evening I was looking around in Youtube and found a series of videos showing "Japanese Planing" benches and another mini workbench from Fine Woodworking.

Japanese Planing Bench Demo Video

   The planing bench is a slightly larger version of my toy makers bench and much more sturdy.  My small bench does not provide the support needed for serious planing or working on material more than 4 or 5 inches long.

  So, my next bench is going to be my version of the Japanese Planing bench. It will incorporate the style of clamps that I have, and be designed for western style planes.  I plan to make the bench about 30 inches long and 7 or 8 wide and design it to clamp to my work bench top like the mini-workbench rather than sit on top of the bench like an authentic Japanese bench.

  Lumber Jocks also has a blog that talks about the Planing Bench and  includes a couple of videos that are worth watching just for their inspirational nature.

  I am gathering materials together and hope to build my bench over the weekend.

 cheers, ianw

   

Another Work Bench

   I think there must be dozens if not hundreds of websites, blogs and magazine articles about work benches.   The experts and amateurs all have opinions about what is best, or historic or cheapest or easiest etc. etc. etc.  All that stuff makes good reading and I have borrowed more than a couple of their ideas over time.  

 One thing that I have learned from all the information available is that there is no one perfect bench, because the scope of woodworking is so vast.  To say that you have the One Perfect Bench can only mean that it is perfect for the type of woodworking that you do. That link to thetoolstore.ca shows just what is out there for benches, I think that the Jaw Horse would hold my Toy Makers Bench.  A boat builder is going to have a different bench from a furniture makers, from a pattern maker, from a model maker, or  from a do everything handy man.  

 I seem always to be making something small for the Grandkids or am making other small projects, example, tea boxes.   I do lots of whittling and woodcarving and small scale wood work now and I needed a bench/work area to make those tasks easier

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   I have two serious work benches, both sturdy and both too low for this type of work of small scale work.  Big benches have big vises, and are not at the correct focal length,  

So I developed my “Toy Makers Bench”

   This bench is actually an 8 by 10 inch work surface that clamps solidly into my machinist vise on my workbench.  The little cleat on the top offers a place to hold small pieces of wood or plastic while cutting, I can also clamp to this work surface if need be. On the bottom is a bigger cleat that is screwed and glued on the work surface to make it stable and solid.

   Working on this bench/table uses different tools than working on big things.  These are some of the small tools that have found their way into my “ toy making ” kit.

  When I mix them in with various knives and chisels I am able to make silly little projects that give me pleasure  and don’t take up tonnes of spa

ce.