Another Work Bench Blog

  Since hurting my back a few years ago I have been on a seemly endless quest for a comfortable work shop environment.  I have  raised my work bench/table on blocks, and then taken it down.  I have made a small version of a bench top bench that clamped into my bench vise and still I continued on my quest.

  

  This version was solid but the work surface was only 8 1/2 by 29.  It was just not quite large enough for most needs.  The height was good and I did like the  available dog holes, but it had no vise or real clamping ability.

  In 2013 I tried a version I called "the box":

  I don't remember what was lacking in this design but clearly it didn't last for very long.  I suspect that it was not large enough either. So, the current effort at the perfect work station for me is: The Pew Bench, so named because it is made from 3/4 laminated oak from a church pew.  

  It has a work top that is 40 x 19 x 3/4 inches that adds  5 1/2 inches of height to my solid work table. The working height for my new work station is 39 inches, which is high but I am 6 feet 1 and have real trouble working bent over.  This bench top bench is pretty solid but can be lifted off if  the other  work station is needed.  Also I have a second smaller work bench in the corner at which I can work while sitting on a stool, its a good spot for carving/wood burning etc. 

  The underside of the Pew Bench: 

  The ultimate type of legs remains to be decided but the trestles that were used with the small bench are solid and the right height so, for the time being I screwed them to the  the pew bench.  I put sand paper on the bottom on the feet too. I may need to make a couple of trestle supports that will match this bench height for projects that are just little too long

   The board with the holes enables me to use the pipe clamps as a vise, an idea that I saw somewhere else, I didn't invent it.

  I can hold material for edge planing while moving the clamps from as close as 4 inches to as wide as 14 inches.  

  On the one end of the bench top is room for my Home Made Moxon style vise for end grain work. 

   The other end features my bench vise.  If I were building from scratch I would buy this vise

  

  However I already had a heavy duty vise on the work station and though it is overkill, I moved it to the pew.

   So far the Pew bench is heavy enough and stable enough that it doesn't need to be clamped down except when I do heavy work on the vise end.    To give the acme screw and runners room I had to move the leg closer toward the middle than is optimal.  I may replace that side leg or drill some holes in it so that I can move it closer to the edge.

  The next stage is to do a few jobs on the bench and see how it feels.  It is not designed for heavy hammering and big jobs,  so I am hopeful that I will have a work station what will  enable me to work longer in my shop.  Who knows this maybe the holy grail of work benches.

cheers, ianw

P.S - Happy Thanksgiving, we've got lots to be thankful for.

and our friends around the world.

Work Bench Solutions

  There is a saying, 'if you can't raise the bridge, lower the water'. That little maxim is meant to inspire thinking that is 'outside the box'. You are to think of a valid but unlikely solution to a problem.

  A while ago I solved the problem of misaligned table tops not by shortening the tall table but by fitting thicker than usual floor pads to the short table.  I gave the lower table lifts.

  As you know I have serious and ongoing back pain issues, issues that are really aggravated by working bent over. Until you get into a situation like mine you have no idea how much of the work in a shop is hunched over and twisting.  I have my semi-movable work table upon which I do nearly all my woodworking. This work table is very heavy and stable but now too low. I have made a couple of smaller bench accessories that raise the work surface which helps but they are too small.  My original thinking was to make a larger accessory and affix it to the bench,.  Ah Ha! don't raise the bridge......

work table up on blocks

  Using four 10 inch cinder blocks I was able to raise the work surface and extra five inches. The bench no longer rolls  but....I seldom moved it anyway.  I am going to take the casters off and use them somewhere else and get a couple of more blocks to add to more stability. This raises the bench too high for most people's comfort and well above the recommended height but it allows me to work longer with less pain.  I continue to cope with my back pain without drugs, and want to keep that way. 

  Another solution that I have worked the details out on in the one dealing with large sheet stock.  In an ideal work your shop is large enough that you can cut large pieces of plywood on your table saw, or you have a panel saw set up. My shop is in the basement and doesn't have space for either of those solutions.  If I worked with sheet stock regularly I would beg, borrow or build a panel saw, no question.

 To cut the 1/4 plywood for the drawers for the small cabinet in the photograph I turned my raised work table into a giant clamping table.  I clamped a couple of long boards across the work table and clamped the piece of plywood to the boards.  I then clamped another board close to the cut line to give the thin plywood as much support as possible.  I cut the plywood using a hand saw.  For very thin plywood a circular saw to aggressive, and cutting with a good hand saw means that there is virtually no tear out, therefore less wasted material. 

  My current project is a three drawer storage box for art supplies. Although the inner drawers will be mostly plywood, the box  will be mostly cedar, keeping it light and aromatic.

  Cheers ianw

 

Leg Vise for Your Bench

  Traditionally a woodworking bench had a leg vise.  There are several companies that will provide kits for make a vise or you can do like Jay Bates  and make your own.

making a leg vise 

  If you don't want to make your own bench you can buy one from thetoolstore.ca , or order a General workbench, it comes with vises included.

  I am continueing work on the jewel box, to day I made the drawer pulls, they are contrasting colour wood like the trim on the top and the third drawer.  Making this project is taking forever because I am not working to a plan.  If I am in a hurry then I draw and plan and a cutting list.  With this project everything is a one off.  Each of the drawers is a different depth and so far all three have different types of reinforment in them, I can do this because there is no time dead line.  Once this is finished I have another project very similiar to make and it will be done more efficiently and quickly because it isn't good to keep a customer waiting.

cheers, ianw

Roubo Workbench Thoughts

 The quest for the ideal work bench is akin to the quest for the Holly Grail.  All wood workers struggle to create the perfect work space in which all things are at hand and all projects' stages flow smoothly.

 Andre Roubo wrote one of the most influential books on wood working and the testament to his talent and the value of his book is that it is still quoted and admired and his thoughts on work benches are as important now as they were  in 1770.

 I recently came across two takes on the Roubo bench and thought that I would share them with you.

David Barron's Roubo

   David Barron's take on the roubo work bench reflects his furniture and cabinet making skills. 

   Stumpy Nibs' bench reflects a more blue collar, maybe even red neck interpretation of the classic roubo. His bench however is still a serious alternative plan for someone outfitting a shop on a budget.

Stumpy Nibs 2X6 Roubo

  If you don't have the time or inclination you can buy work bench kits or components. There are all sorts of permutations  and combinations when it comes to bench bits and pieces. 

  Whatever you decide, keep working.  And be open to new ideas and work spaces.

cheers, ianw

 

Work Bench Up Grade

  I have been thinking and talking about up-grading my small work bench for at least a year.  The small bench in my shop is 24 x 48 inches with a couple of shelves underneath it. This small bench has been rebuilt at least twice, always from left overs and so it is always a bit wobbly and slightly out of square.

 The last time I replaced the top I used MDF and a piece not quite large enough and one edge was a bit ragged since the MDF sheet had be broken before I salvaged it. The result was as you would expect.

  After spending a few hours in the shop today, this is the bench now. I used a new piece of construction grade 3/4 inch plywood for the top.  It is actually large enough, and I used part of the off cut for the back board too.  I screwed the top down with self taping screws that are seated will below the surface and put the back board on with KREG pocket holes. Also I put a solid wood face on the bench, the first decent wood that has been used on the bench yet.( though it is still recycled from another project)

  The thing that motivated me to up grade (repair) the bench was my getting back into wood carving. I really like to have a small manageable space to work on small projects where I can leave them out and not have them in the way. Having two work stations means that I can have two projects on the go at a time, one large and one small. This suits the way I seem to work.

    

    The other motivator was finally getting the KREG Clamp Vises for the front of my bench.

You can see in the back corner
I also have a heavy duty bench clamp system,
the KKS-KLBKSYS. Another excellent bench clamp.

  I put two Clamp Vises on the front of the bench.  As yet I've not drilled the 3/4 holes for the supplied bench dogs, I'll drill holes where I need them, when I need them, that way I'll be sure the holes are in the right place.

  Here you see that the KREG Clamp Vise will my small Bessey Vise so that I will have excellent clamping and access for drilling and sawing when working on small carvings or other small projects. The Clamp Vise will also hold my Moxon style vise when I need to use it.

  Once I took the drawers out and dragged the bench into the middle of the floor, I took a hour or so to square up the body of the bench and made sure all the pieces were tightly screwed together.  Now it is pretty sturdy and should be a very good work space for carving, painting and other small projects.

  Just a foot note, I was told that the Kreg Clamp Vise was being discontinued so don't wait too long to buy one. 

   If I ever get things cleaned up I'll load a short video or some photos of my work space now that I'm happier with it.

cheers, ianw

An Odd Coincidence

 Even though we in Ontario set a record for the coldest February and I was just told that we set a record for being colder than the arctic for February, we have had some bright beautiful days. On those days it was nice to look out the window at the forest behind our house and look forward to the coming season.  We have done extensive work in our back yard since moving into this house and so the coming spring and summer should be glorious. So my thoughts turned to bird houses and bee hotels.

  Oddly enough Popular Woodworking posted a blog on bird houses. All that information about hole size and box size are talked about and there is even a preview of a video on bird house building.

 Last fall I published this photo of bird houses made by a local fellow and sold once a year at the Locke St. Festival.

  I have been thinking it is time for Kieran, Clara and I to make a couple more bird houses to put up in our back yard early this spring.

  It just seemed funny that bird houses seem to be on peoples minds just now.

  My next big project will be a small but heavy work bench.  I recently picked up two Clamp Vises by KREG  which I am going to put on the front of my bench at either end to act as a face vises for both ends of a board instead of having to make a deadman (lumber support).  The bench is going to be small, about 2 feet by 4 feet and I plan to weight the base down with sand or stones to make the bench very stable.

  I am gathering together materials at this point and the Clamp Vises are almost the last ingredient.  I'll keep you posted.

cheers, ianw 

Working Levels, various benches

   In my shop there are basically four levels of work station.  The lowest of the levels is my new saw bench (21 inches) and my old "Box".  The Box was build a years ago as multi-use item.  The Box is 9 1/2 x 16 x 19, I made the box to stand upon while working in the basement.  I also made the box tight enough to use as a dust collector, there is a vacuum port in one side and many holes drilled in the top.  The Box very nearly matches the height of the saw bench to support longer boards when I am cutting.  

   I made the saw bench two weeks ago and have used it several times, when I have a small job and don't feel like all the noise and dust.  

dust collection port, fits my big shop vacuum

holes in the top of the Box

  The second level of work space is my heavy duty work table (34 inches).  I have talked about it before, it is on locking casters, very heavy and equipped with a vise and clamping points for KREG Clamps 

   The next work space is my KREG Clamping table, ( 36 inches)  I have raised the table to its full height and put storage underneath.  The Klamp table is used for assembly of small work and painting.  I covered the top of the clamp table with 3/8 plywood to protect the top from stains and glue.

    The tallest work space is my carving bench.  I added this second section to my small bench recently to raise it to 44 inches.   I find that I have less back pain when I stand up very straight as I work at a bench or my desk. 

    I keep my Dremel tool on the corner of the bench and reach for it often, there is also a small clamp-on vise that fits on this bench. Raising the bench to this height allows me to get close to my carving and work longer without back pain. 

  It has been almost one year since I was felled by a herniated disk in my lower back and I have been doing everything I can think of to make my work space 'back' friendly.  Having various levels upon which to work and being flexible about how long I work has enabled me to keep making sawdust, which makes me a happy guy.

cheers, ianw

Rules for Workbenches

   I search all over the internet for information on topics that attract my attention. Several times in the past I have written about work benches, recently Chris Schwarz wrote an extended article on the characteristics of a really good work bench.  It would be nice to think that I am smarter and more articulate than Mr. Schwarz, but that would be delusional fantasy, so here is the link to a very good article on what your bench should do for you.

 

   I have built four work benches in my life and assumed ownership of two others.  Those experiences have shown me the things that I would like to see in a bench, when I build another one, someday.  The bench is a tool with which you work in your shop and so like any tool must be attuned to your needs; a carvers bench is going to be different than a furniture makers bench and a shop like mine when I do a bit of everything means the bench is a compromise.  Just remember that a compromise means that you have given up one thing to have another thing work, sort of.

  I have a bench against the wall and a large heavy wheeled work station (3x3) with shelves underneath.  Both benches get serious work, to add to that I have a KREG Klamp Table.

   The Klamp table is a very useful assembly surface for all types of small project.  I also have a WorkMate, which has seen years of heavy on site work. 

   I may have been one of the best investments based on hours used and miles traveled. 

   Regardless of the bench on which you work care, time and effort are still the most important ingredients in success. 

The Work Bench Quandary, my solution

 The two photos above show my take on the ever present work bench challenge. 
  
   Five or six years ago I was working  in a much smaller workshop than I do now. Then as now I was trying to maximize work space.  Everything needed to be on wheels, but a sturdy bench/work table was also required, I didn't really believe that the "bench" could move.  My solution was to build my rolling heavy duty work table/bench/storage cabinet.

  Three years ago when I got more shop space it was my plan to get rid of this Rolling Work Bench. However there was work to do and not enough time to explore the possibilities of a replacement work bench. So what  I ended up doing was modifying the Rolling Work Bench as a stop gap measure.  I made it  easier to clamp to the top and sides, also I moved my vice onto this work table from my small and awkward bench.  I have to admit it works for me.

  The basic design is 35 inches tall to the work surface which is 40 by 40 inches and 1 1/2 inch thick. The base compartments are made from 3/4 plywood and divided into four sections, that way the base layer is very very stable and the second layer is just as stable.  I bought two very good locking casters and then put two stout legs under the other side. 

  The work table is not so heavy that I can't move it when I choose, but it is heavy enough that I seldom have to lock the casters.  The height is good for most projects to sit on top and still be at a good level for work.  I have repaired and re-glued many chairs on this work table.  Since the table is so stout it also acts as my workbench.  Since it has access on four sides when needed, I have able to plane, re-saw and manage sheet stock (with a little help) on this work surface.

   With the 1 1/2 top standing on spacers I can clamp on all four sides and use the space under the top for tool storage while working. The power bar is used occasionally, when I need to plug in a battery of drills and sanders it means that I have only one extension chord running across the floor.  Finally the best part is for production type jobs it matches up with the out feed on my planner.(the planner is also on wheels)

   In the left hand photo you can barely see my "work bench' behind the movable table.  The work bench is where I do small projects, carving or finishing while sitting on a tall stool, to save my back.  The build quality of the movable bench is not very high, it was built in haste, of construction grade materials with a brief future in mind.  My  Rolling Workbench  has turned out to be  very usable and quite flexible thus a lucky inspiration.