English Workbench Build

[richarnold]

I have recently made a new bench for myself, and to be honest I wish I had done it years ago. I made it along the lines of a couple of 19th century benches I found in an abandoned workshop.
I have always been used to a tool well, but this time I decided to stick to the traditional flat topped plank design and I have not missed the well at all, and prefer it without. my old bench had a hardwood top. tail vice, and bench dogs. Again I have not missed these at all. One thing I could not forsake is my record quick release vice, but I have an aversion to large lumps of cast iron that always seem to find the freshly sharpened edge of a saw or chisel! , so I have clad it in a 2ft horizontal oak jaw. I consider the work surface to be sacrificial and have no qualms about nailing or screwing into it, or driving a bench knife into it.
After about 8 months it has stayed pretty flat, and only takes a few swipes with a try plane now and then to correct anything. This is a hard working bench in a very busy joiners work shop, and possibly would not be to everyone's taste, but they are simple to build, and reasonably inexpensive.
Good luck with your build
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO ... 1zz_jeNBFc
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM ... IXixCyPXWr
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN ... zwaGlPBl0Z
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM ... fqZQxpO7uB

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you use a Record vice and you worry about hitting it you only need to set the thing down 1/2" - 1" and cap the top edges with wood. It's a good way of getting the top of the vice dead level with the worktop as well - just plane it flat.

 

[nabs]

thanks Richard - that is encouraging to hear. Unfortunately photobucket changed the rules and your pics no longer show up, but I do remember seeing your ingenious adaption to the QR vice in a previous post.

El Barto - just read your thread - great job on the bench! also it was good to see Custard's tip of including a slot in the middle of the bench top to hold F clamps. I had seen a similar idea with a friction fitted bit of wood that could be raised to make a lengthways planing stop, but had forgotten all about it until now.

Memzey unfortunately the pics on your build thread have been photobuggered also

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have a 2" slot down the middle of mine which is useful for clamping things down. I've a reversible infill which is flat with the top one way up and 1/2" proud the other way up which is useful as a stop to plane against. I did it partly because I had to rebuild the base of the bench narrower, and partly to get rid of the well.

 

[nabs]

thanks Phil - does the slot run the full length of the bench? Do you have a pic?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'll get a couple in the morning.

 

[richarnold]

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO ... 1zz_jeNBFc

 

[memzey]

Richard's efforts at linking to images are drawing a blank but as someone who has seen his bench in the flesh (wood?) and tried it out, I can attest to everything he has said. Including I might add, his complete lack of aversion to screwing or nailing stops into the top! It looks great and works even better. Richard also cleverly added turn buttons on each corner which act as planing stops - a brilliant idea I hadn't thought of that might come in useful for you Nick (hopefully Richard sorts the pictures out as I'll have a terrible time explaining them).

 

[richarnold]

Richard's efforts at linking to images are drawing a blank but as someone who has seen his bench in the flesh (wood?) and tried it out, I can attest to everything he has said. Including I might add, his complete lack of aversion to screwing or nailing stops into the top! It looks great and works even better. Richard also cleverly added turn buttons on each corner which act as planing stops - a brilliant idea I hadn't thought of that might come in useful for you Nick (hopefully Richard sorts the pictures out as I'll have a terrible time explaining them).

Thanks for your kind comments.
Having a real struggle to find a new way of adding images. The google link works for me, but not for anyone else apparently!
Photobucket now want hundreds of dollars a year for me to be able to have 3rd party sharing, so that's not going to happen!!!!.
Anyone got any other ideas for someone who isn't very computer savvy?

 

[richarnold]

Richard's efforts at linking to images are drawing a blank but as someone who has seen his bench in the flesh (wood?) and tried it out, I can attest to everything he has said. Including I might add, his complete lack of aversion to screwing or nailing stops into the top! It looks great and works even better. Richard also cleverly added turn buttons on each corner which act as planing stops - a brilliant idea I hadn't thought of that might come in useful for you Nick (hopefully Richard sorts the pictures out as I'll have a terrible time explaining them).

Thanks for your kind comments.
Having a real struggle to find a new way of adding images. The google link works for me, but not for anyone else apparently!
Photobucket now want hundreds of dollars a year for me to be able to have 3rd party sharing, so that's not going to happen!!!!.
Anyone got any other ideas for someone who isn't very computer savvy?

 

[Jacob]

It's a bit harsh on the poor old trad bench to write it out of history and have it replaced by various fashion trends.
And it's not helpful to anyone who just wants a practical woodwork bench!

for others considering buying the Schwartzmeister's book, don't be deterred by Jacob's comments - in fact he does devote a couple of chapters to discussing the dear old trad English bench. He even builds a couple of them! .....

Not in my book. There is a picture bottom of page 21 of the "English" bench - an untypical version with unnecessarily splayed back legs, which he expands upon on page 66 - very oddly referring to this as the "Ian Kirkby" bench. There is an Ian Kirkby bench in the Landis book but it's very individualistic, not practical and nothing like the familiar UK bench
He says on page 67 that the old English bench (whatever that is, he obviously doesn't know) "disappeared during the 20C and was replaced by the continental bench as the bench of choice". This is not true. Bench of choice in amateur woodwork mags perhaps.
His 'modern english' bench (Chapter 5) is pure fantasy woodwork and has no resemblance to the actual most common and well used UK pattern of bench, of which he seems to be completely unaware.
As I say - these hack writers are re-writing our own history and not always doing anybody any favours!

PS the UK bench is a refinement of the Japanese planing beam - the essential feature being the single front timber like a planing beam, but framed up, plus an apron for added utility. Very practical, as compared to many of the other designs which are more like modified tables.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Nabs, here goes -

One with it flat, one with it turned over. I graduated its height so one end (the end nearest the camera) is lower, so if working say the sides of a jewelry box the plane will clear it but for anything bigger the stop is higher. It flips end to end, obviously as well as upside down and lifts out if the gap is needed.

If you worry about clipping the top of the vice with a saw, clad it -

This how I support large stuff - with a short shelf bracket.

I don't pretend that the ideas are mine, or that they are best - but they suit me.
Excuse clutter, btw -I can't get there to do much til I get a leg.

 

[memzey]

Richard's efforts at linking to images are drawing a blank but as someone who has seen his bench in the flesh (wood?) and tried it out, I can attest to everything he has said. Including I might add, his complete lack of aversion to screwing or nailing stops into the top! It looks great and works even better. Richard also cleverly added turn buttons on each corner which act as planing stops - a brilliant idea I hadn't thought of that might come in useful for you Nick (hopefully Richard sorts the pictures out as I'll have a terrible time explaining them).

Thanks for your kind comments.
Having a real struggle to find a new way of adding images. The google link works for me, but not for anyone else apparently!
Photobucket now want hundreds of dollars a year for me to be able to have 3rd party sharing, so that's not going to happen!!!!.
Anyone got any other ideas for someone who isn't very computer savvy?

Can't help with the pictures I'm afraid Richard as I'm in the same boat myself. Just to say I'm looking forward to your article in the next F & C. I was reading this month's on the train when I saw it previewed. I pointed at your name and blurted out "I know him"! Funny looks from fellow commuters followed

 

[El Barto]

Richard's efforts at linking to images are drawing a blank but as someone who has seen his bench in the flesh (wood?) and tried it out, I can attest to everything he has said. Including I might add, his complete lack of aversion to screwing or nailing stops into the top! It looks great and works even better. Richard also cleverly added turn buttons on each corner which act as planing stops - a brilliant idea I hadn't thought of that might come in useful for you Nick (hopefully Richard sorts the pictures out as I'll have a terrible time explaining them).

Thanks for your kind comments.
Having a real struggle to find a new way of adding images. The google link works for me, but not for anyone else apparently!
Photobucket now want hundreds of dollars a year for me to be able to have 3rd party sharing, so that's not going to happen!!!!.
Anyone got any other ideas for someone who isn't very computer savvy?

Try imgur.com. You just drag and drop images and it uploads them automatically. Once the images are uploaded if you hover your cursor over it a little drop down menu will appear that gives you sharing links, such as the type this forum uses. I've attached a couple of screenshots of what I mean. It's very quick and simple to use.

 

[paulrockliffe]

Phil, I like the spur shelving idea, cheap, easy, effective. It ties in well with my thinking on bench design; there are lots of things you can do with a bench now that didn't exist hundreds of years ago, so just copying those old designs might be perfectly good, but it won't necessarily be the best.

I built a bench recently and did quite a few things that contradict historic design but work really well for me:

* Top too deep at over a metre, but I can move all around the bench and have space to setup my belt sander, morticer, sharpening station, thicknesser etc on the back edge for an efficient work flow.

* No tool well as it interferes with power tools being used on the bench, but some shelves behind where all the clutter can gather away from the work.

* Bottom and sides paneled out with MDF boards to add weight and stiffness; done right the joints then do very little and you can use very light timber and cut cost dramatically.

* Space for 20 drawers within the structure, so the bench space isn't wasted, all tools, fixings, sand paper etc will be to hand, it'll be easy to keep tidy and it'll free up loads of storage space elsewhere. Just need to find the time to build them all now!

* When I make the top, which is likely to be along the lines of 2" of MDF with a 10mm hardwood veneer I'm going to experiment with using an M16 tap to cut threads into the MDF so I can bolt things down as bolts and threaded bar are miles cheaper than holdfasts. This is the bit I'm less confident about, but I like to experiment sometimes.

There's lots to learn from older designs of course, but it's important to put them into a modern context, how use has changed, how space costs more now, what stuff exists now etc when you're designing a bench for now, for you and for your work.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Its surprising how useful the deadman has been - I had the support in leg on my last bench, but this one is the first with the deadman. I can clamp large pieces to the mid rail as the top timbers, shelf supports and the vice jaws are flush with the front.
You wouldn't need to thread the wood, just inset inset nuts on the underside. This would probably give you a better scope of bar size wise.
You last comment of course is perfectly correct - it's what suits you that matters, not how someone else thinks it should be built, no matter how good or clever.

 

[nabs]

thanks Phil - I like the slot idea, until now I have my bench has been up against a wall so I can simply place a board against the wall to get roughly the same effect, but I will not be able to do this in the future. Good to see how you have mounted your vice also - I was thinking of asking about whether people prefer having their's flush to the apron vs sticking out a bit, but did not do so yet for fear of starting world war III.

Jacob - glad to see you are spending some quality time with old Schwartzy again! I agree on the splayed legs, but note that In the latest edition he includes a drawing of the very same splayed leg bench affair and attributes it to none other than Charles Hayward - crazy stuff! The only way we can counter the historical revisionists is to live a bit more history of the correct type - I will try and do my bit with the trad English bench I'm building!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

To my way of thinking it's easy to pack a workpiece off the front - it just takes a piece of scrap - but you can't get anything flush if your vice is mounted proud.

 

[Jacob]

....
You wouldn't need to thread the wood, just inset inset nuts on the underside. .....

You don't even need to do that. Just find a piece from the scrap pile* which you can prop under the end of the workpiece. If necessary clamp it to the apron or leg.
These things get over thought and make life more difficult!

*PS if too long - saw a bit off. Hope that helps.

 

[Jacob]

To my way of thinking it's easy to pack a workpiece off the front - it just takes a piece of scrap - but you can't get anything flush if your vice is mounted proud.

My vice is flush. If necessary (e.g. long bendy piece) I can drop in a bit of packing to clamp something away from the apron.