# My Workbench - Almost Complete!



## TheDudester (22 Apr 2008)

Last year I was given 4 boards of maple. Each board is roughly L60"xW10"xH1.5". The boards themselves are made up of roughly 10 strips of maple glued together. 

One way of glueing the boards would be in a 2 x 2 fashion giving me a bench configuration of L60"xW20"xH3".

Each board on it's own is extremely heavy and I can't even imagine what it would be like to lift this.

Another option would be to use three of the boards (cutting one in half) which would give me a bench configuration of L60"xW15"xH3".

This would leave one maple board to make chopping boards as gifts or something. 

The bench is the number one priority but space is also a factor, so my question would be is a bench of 15" good enough for planning and typical bench tasks,.

Thanks

D


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## Chris Knight (22 Apr 2008)

15 inches would be good enough for a lot bar assembly. Certainly most planing operations could be accomplished as could anything done in front vices. Japanese planing beams spring to mind..

However, rather than double them up to increase thickness, I'd make the top as wide as you really want and simply fasten it to a sheet or two of MDF to increase weight and thickness.


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## TheDudester (22 Apr 2008)

waterhead37":5r5yd9n5 said:


> 15 inches would be good enough for a lot bar assembly. Certainly most planing operations could be accomplished as could anything done in front vices. Japanese planing beams spring to mind..
> 
> However, rather than double them up to increase thickness, I'd make the top as wide as you really want and simply fasten it to a sheet or two of MDF to increase weight and thickness.



Hi Chris

That is a great idea and would allow me to either make 2 benches or twice as many chopping boards 

Thanks 

D


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## TheDudester (22 Apr 2008)

Just posting a picture of three of the boards I have, the fourth is hiding behind the other three.







Have been looking at bench posts and will post more details soon.

Regards D


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## TheDudester (2 May 2008)

Can anyone see any problems with using the maple I have to make the bench legs, stretchers etc? Remember these pieces are made up from individual pieces glued together.

Regards

D


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## tnimble (2 May 2008)

Depends on how well they are glued up (nice thight joints, board orientation (are they all flat, all rift or all quarter sawn and are the growth rings all in the same direction, are they alternating or random)). Most probably will not be a problem at all.


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## TheDudester (2 May 2008)

tnimble":fzgck8sq said:


> Depends on how well they are glued up (nice thight joints, board orientation (are they all flat, all rift or all quarter sawn and are the growth rings all in the same direction, are they alternating or random)). Most probably will not be a problem at all.



The picture below shows the pieces I have cut using 2 out of the 4 glue-ups.

They were cut to rough dimensions and will need to be cut to length and thicknessed.

I tried to start and stop each cut on a single piece of wood with no glue-ups showing. This was mostly successful. These pieces will be used to provide 2 feet, 4 legs, 2 stretchers and 2 arms to support the bench.

I have 2 glue-ups left to make the bench top, including space for the bench dogs and tool holders (no tool tray) etc. I know I will have design questions regarding which joints to use. If needed at a later date, I can add something underneath sitting on the 2 stretchers






Regards

D


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## TheDudester (3 May 2008)

I spent some time today thicknessing the stretchers and sorting through pieces to identify then as legs, arms or feet.

The top will be 18 inches deep by 54 inches long. This excludes any edging, vices etc.

Given the depth of 18 inches my question is this: 

a) should the legs come to the edges of the top and therefore the feet and arms be slightly wider or

b) should the feet and arms be 18 inches long and the legs therefore sit slightly inside the edges.

I hope this is clear.

Thanks

D


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## TheDudester (10 May 2008)

I am working on the top of the workbench today have jointed the edges. When I push them together there is a bevel on one of the pieces that when pushed down corrects itself.

Should I a) use biscuits to align the top surfaces or b) since the whole top is being screwed to a piece of MDF use that or c) do both ?

Thanks

D


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## OPJ (10 May 2008)

Since you're probably going to 'flatten' the bench top once it's all glued up and fixed in place, I don't see why you shouldn't use biscuit joints to help close any gaps up.


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## TheDudester (11 May 2008)

Here are some pictures of the almost finished top. 

This is the top glued together and left to dry overnight....






and this is the setup I used to flatten the surface....






and these are two pictures of the finished surface sanded to 120 grit....












The top still needs to be cut to final size which will probably be 4'6 x 18".

I need to buy some timber to wrap around the maple top and 2 layers of mdf The final size of the top will probably be 4'10" x 22".

Regards

D


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## wizer (11 May 2008)

very nice work there. What are those things the router is running on?


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## TheDudester (11 May 2008)

WiZeR":1mhrq828 said:


> very nice work there. What are those things the router is running on?



Thanks WiZeR.

It is the Festool Multi-Routing Template MFS.

The option "MFS Rounting Techniques" will show you in great detail what it can do.

Regards

D


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## TheTiddles (11 May 2008)

WiZeR":2gcto8xd said:


> very nice work there. What are those things the router is running on?



It appears to be running on purest gloat. Bessey, Festool, just fit some LN in and it's a full house

Aidan


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## neilc (11 May 2008)

Looks very well Dudester.

Neil


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## TheDudester (11 May 2008)

TheTiddles":1pdh4tp4 said:


> WiZeR":1pdh4tp4 said:
> 
> 
> > very nice work there. What are those things the router is running on?
> ...



No room for a tool tray on this bench and I don't know if I need one. Just slots near the back for chisels, saw etc  

The dog holes will be round so I can use clamping equipment I already have.

Regards

D


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## TheDudester (13 May 2008)

I am ordering a sheet of MDF tomorrow to add to the top. The maple top at the moment is 33mm thick. I could add one or two pieces of 18mm MDF, giving 51mm or 69mm respectively.

Would there be any advantage in having the greater thickness?

D


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## Paul Chapman (14 May 2008)

In general, I find that the heavier and more solid a bench is the better. Ideally, a bench shouldn't move at all when you are working on it - if you've ever used a lightweight bench, which bounces about all over the place, and then tried a really heavy, solid bench, you would appreciate the difference immediately. I'd go for the thicker option.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## TheDudester (14 May 2008)

Paul Chapman":rsl76v55 said:


> In general, I find that the heavier and more solid a bench is the better. Ideally, a bench shouldn't move at all when you are working on it - if you've ever used a lightweight bench, which bounces about all over the place, and then tried a really heavy, solid bench, you would appreciate the difference immediately. I'd go for the thicker option.
> 
> Cheers :wink:
> 
> Paul



Thanks Paul.

I've decided to go for the double thickness.

I will glue the two boards of MDF together and then screw the MDF to the maple top. Do you need to allow for movement by elongating the holes?

Thanks

D


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## woodbloke (14 May 2008)

Dude - in addition to the mdf which will give a thicker and heavier top (and I agree with Paul's comments) I'd suggest that you include as well a piece of 'sacrificial' hardboard which can be replaced when too damaged...it's also a more resilient surface to work on. Just a thought - Rob


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## TheDudester (14 May 2008)

woodbloke":26eetffp said:


> Dude - in addition to the mdf which will give a thicker and heavier top (and I agree with Paul's comments) I'd suggest that you include as well a piece of 'sacrificial' hardboard which can be replaced when too damaged...it's also a more resilient surface to work on. Just a thought - Rob



Hi Rob

I have used hardboard in that way before, for the top of a desk I built my daughter. The multitude of pen, pencil and paint marks made it a good reveal to have been a wise choice.

Thanks

D


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## Paul Chapman (14 May 2008)

TheDudester":1on7rvu4 said:


> I will glue the two boards of MDF together and then screw the MDF to the maple top. Do you need to allow for movement by elongating the holes?



Yes, it would be best to elongate them a little. When you glue the two pieces of MDF together, try to get even pressure over the boards. When I did mine, I used lots of G-cramps and curved cauls. The curved cauls are just pieces of wood planed into a slight curve (doesn't have to be much). When you cramp them together, the cauls straighten out and provide pressure in the centre of the boards. Hope that's clear :?  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## TheDudester (19 May 2008)

I was able to finally glue the MDF boards together and screw them to the top.

I want to have as much space underneath the workbench as possible. The two pics at the bottom show two different layouts. Would it be better to keep the leg, inside the front vice or would it be ok outside.

I didn't use Paul's suggestion for clamping, I had these lying around....







Trimming the MDF boards flush....






The two different pieces of the top temporarily screwed together....






This is the first position for the legs....






and this is the second (preferred)....






Regards

D


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## Paul Chapman (19 May 2008)

TheDudester":17whmfyt said:


> I didn't use Paul's suggestion for clamping



That's OK - I really don't mind  

I'd go with the second option because I think it would provide better stability and a more rigid structure. Then I would extend the wooden vice jaw facings so that they come to the end of the bench.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## DaveL (19 May 2008)

Are they new Record vices? I have never seen a new one. :shock:


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## TheDudester (19 May 2008)

DaveL":1kvnpgfs said:


> Are they new Record vices? I have never seen a new one. :shock:



They are new. A Record clone from Rutlands, £27 each IIRC.

D


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## TheDudester (19 May 2008)

Paul Chapman":195cd1ui said:


> TheDudester":195cd1ui said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't use Paul's suggestion for clamping
> ...



Thanks Paul.... and it gives an extra 10 inches if I want to use the space underneath 

D


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## TheDudester (24 May 2008)

Well I was able to make significant progress over last few days, on and off.

Here are some recent pictures....

The first shows the workbench as it is at the moment with the hardboard cover in place....






and this is the bench without it....






and this ones shows the vice detail....






I have installed the vice without the apron in place, primarliy because I don't have any maple.

I intend to have an inch thick apron, so the front edge of the back jaw is at 1 inch depth. It can be tweaked of course. I will need to fill the gap between the back of the rear jaw and the face of top with a wedge of some kind.

If I can't source any maple for the apron, I am just going to use red pine or something. Is the best way to attach the apron to use a spline all the way round?

Oh and I still need to drill dogholes.

Getting there...

D


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## Paul Chapman (24 May 2008)

That's looking really good, D  To fit the apron I would use either biscuits or, if you don't have a biscuit jointer, a loose tongue/spline. The loose tongue can either be continuous or a few short pieces.

Are you fitting the apron just to the front?

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## woodbloke (25 May 2008)

Dude - only my 2 euros worth. Nice solid looking bench now, but I would have used coach screws rather than bolts to fix on the vices. This would have meant attaching the vices with the bench top upside down and then turning the whole thing over...very heavy :shock: if you're on your own though. The advantage of coach screws is that there would be no bolt heads showing on the bench surface - Rob


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## Paul Chapman (25 May 2008)

woodbloke":18vbx8ey said:


> I would have used coach screws rather than bolts to fix on the vices.



In this case I think that bolts were the better option because 2/3 of the top's sandwich is MDF and coach screws would not have held well (although I think that bolts are a better option anyway :wink: ).

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## TheDudester (25 May 2008)

Paul Chapman":qxm5rwqv said:


> That's looking really good, D  To fit the apron I would use either biscuits or, if you don't have a biscuit jointer, a loose tongue/spline. The loose tongue can either be continuous or a few short pieces.
> 
> Are you fitting the apron just to the front?
> 
> ...



The apron will be fitted all the way round. I will cut some slots to hold tools in the back apron, that way I wont need cut them again if I replace the top.

I do have a biscuit jointer and will attach it that way as I don't have slot cutter. Thanks Paul. Is there any problem with just using nails to fix the apron so that it can be replaced if it gets damaged?

Thanks Paul



woodbloke":qxm5rwqv said:


> Dude - only my 2 euros worth. Nice solid looking bench now, but I would have used coach screws rather than bolts to fix on the vices. This would have meant attaching the vices with the bench top upside down and then turning the whole thing over...very heavy :shock: if you're on your own though. The advantage of coach screws is that there would be no bolt heads showing on the bench surface - Rob



Well I didn't quite work out that the open fixings at the back of the vice could be used to support it on the bolts before tightening, So I did turn the whole thing over, myself. I would rather not do that again. 

I agree coach screws would have been neater although you sold me on the hardboard top idea (along with using it before). After using ithe bench to store some stuff on whilst I cleaned up, I was happy I wasn't worrying about the surface. 

The whole bench is solid and very heavy and I have a friend coming over today to help move it into place.

D


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## Paul Chapman (25 May 2008)

TheDudester":qnwazl0l said:


> Is there any problem with just using nails to fix the apron so that it can be replaced if it gets damaged?



Nails would be fine, although screws would be better if you think you might want to remove it at some time. I thought you might glue it which is why I suggested biscuits but you need not worry if you are going to nail or screw it. If you were going to glue it, I would have advised against that for the end pieces as you will have grain going in different directions.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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