HELP-for Home workshop- workbenches

[David.pru]

Hi i am currently doing a level project on home workshop and would like to ask for some opinions (I could use in my project) on home workbenches and foldable workbenches the key idea i plan on developing is a home workbench that can fold up into a smaller piece that can be stored somewhere. i plan on it folding out to be a large piece and featuring a table vise and pop up dogs. . This is due to most foldable workbenches being too small and having few features..
I have a few questions i would love for someone to answer .

Would the product of a foldable full-sized workbench be something necessary and useful.?

What would be important features in such a workbench?

What are the key issues around current workbenches on the market?

Would it be easier for a final design to feature 1 single heavy object that fold out , or something that would be made up of a few pieces that could easily be assembled quickly

 

[BucksDad]

Welcome to the forum and sounds like a fun project!

I don't know if you have found this in your research already, but there is a portable workbench of a few pieces which features a vise (and ability for dogs) called the Moravian Workbench



Above is a video showing the guy who built it (Will Myers) assembling it in one minute. If you put moravian workbench into youtube you will see other videos on it and he also has a full video course available on building it.

If you put moravian workbench into reddit under reddit.com/r/woodworking, you will find a lot of DIY ones in various styles / materials.

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi David, is this an A level project? Many years ago I designed a fold down workbench, screwed to the wall, with steel legs that unfolded as the bench was lowered. Handy in a garage so you could still get the car in.
One of the principal requisites of a woodwork bench is that it resists sideways movement when planing.
Best of luck Ian

 

[Chubber]

I have watched the video, very interesting! Sourcing the screw could be difficult ? (as would finding the right timber?)

A design that seems almost Shaker, perhaps Puritan in concept, admirable, thanks for the link B'Dad.

 

[JackEasy]

Check out Woodshop Junkies on YouTube. Jean is an absolute master of maximising space in a small workshop.

 

[--Tom--]

What’re the intended uses - power tool use with sheet materials MFT benches are popular and lots of foldable ones on the market

General purpose there’s the classic B&D workmate. Triton also sell a new type with the superjaws (think Elu came up with the idea) which is a large foot operated vise like a sawbench.

Then there’s wood work benches like the Moravian and others using torsion box designs for stability.

Workbenches come in many flavours - what were you thinking of making?

 

[BucksDad]

I have watched the video, very interesting! Sourcing the screw could be difficult ? (as would finding the right timber?)

A design that seems almost Shaker, perhaps Puritan in concept, admirable, thanks for the link B'Dad.

You don't need to match the timber, nor do you need to use the wooden screw. Any old vise screw would work

Here is a link to the blog post of the history of it - https://blog.lostartpress.com/2017/11/15/original-moravian-workbench-on-display/

 

[Sideways]

There is a valuable learning and interest to be had from researching a project like yours.
A workbench is such a widely used thing that it is hard to come up with something very innovative.
Too many minds have been there already.

Don't be put off by this. A masters degree for instance is normally about learning the advanced but existing knowledge on any given subject. Original research is the realm of the PhD.

For an A level project, learning how to research ought to be part of what they want you to learn. Critical assessment of strengths and weaknesses should be another. Understand user needs and consider then argue what feature set / structure best meets those.

Make sure you have looked at the Bora folding stand (innovative), the "Dashboard" from America

Ron Paulk on youtube (torsion box work benches)

And the no longer made "Walko" workbench from the Netherlands.

And see if you can get hold of "the workbench book" by Scott Landis for a good coverage of traditional bench types.

Richard Maguire made some lovely Moravian style benches and this was a bench originally designed to be knocked down and carried by a horse.

The biggest question is whether a woodworker is going to use the bench for hand planing. This requires weight and stiffness to stay stable when pushed hard sideways. And is where most folding benches fail.
If you are doing only power tool woodworking, then benches like the Festool MFT are good and popular.

Finally, does a workbench need to be much more than one wide heavy plank to work on ?
Look up the Japanese planing beam. Their work involved lots of planing of long delicate wood strips to make the famous "shoji" screens / room dividers. So one long heavy plank made an effective workbench. Books by Toshio Odate are well worth reading if you want to understand the Japanese tradition - what and why.

If you want to make cabinets, you need a flat surface to assemble parts on, get everything square as you glue / clamp them together. This is different from the need of a bench to hold things while you make those parts. The workbench and assembly table can be different, or could be the same bench used for one task, then the other. If you use a bench to make garden pergolas or door frames, you won't need an assembly table at all, as you assemble and install in one.

The nature of the work drives the design of the bench.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Ac few thoughts:

• a single heavy object is not very portable - although it may lend itself to a fold out from the wall approach
• a modular design is inhrently more portable. If used only at home can be stored away from where it is used. Easier to transport to site if required.
• modular allows extras to be added to suit the requirement or use - one or more vices, light or heavy weight legs, tool storage/drawers etc
• a modular design might be effective with a top which is configured to store all the optional bits + legs

 

[thetyreman]

one thing to note is don't overlook height, I found through a lot of experimenting that I like a bench that's 1 meter high from the floor, this might sound very high but it's perfect for me, bearing in mind that I do use both hand and power tools but it's 90% hand tool work, I am 183cm tall.

 

[Chubber]

This probably isn't 'posh enough' but the design has served me well for years. The full width back panel gives immense rigidity when hand planing, something I did a lot of before buying machinary.

Inexpensive, rigid and easy to fit out with shelves etc.

I would say match your sheet material to your router bit, or in extremis, run the grooves on the table saw. My first, years ago I machined with a Black and Decker drill saw attachment with a 5" rip blade in the house hallway because my tiny shed wasn't big enough...

 

[Sideways]

Inexpensive, rigid and easy to fit out with shelves etc.

But to the original question, is it foldable / dismantleable for storage between use in a home workshop ?

 

[Sideways]

one thing to note is don't overlook height, I found through a lot of experimenting that I like a bench that's 1 meter high from the floor, this might sound very high but it's perfect for me, bearing in mind that I do use both hand and power tools but it's 90% hand tool work, I am 183cm tall.

Excellent point. A smaller woman sitting to use a bench for crafts and jewellery making (apologies for the atrocious stereotyping) vs a 6 foot bloke past retirement age with backache that makes an upright, standing position more comfortable are waay different. A bench designed for the Asian market where most folk have been used to sitting on the floor since childhood and do many tasks there may be different again.

"Target demographic ?"

And:
Please make it out of wood and aluminium.
Plastic workbenches are naff and there is enough plastic in landfill as it is.

 

[Chubber]

Ah! Mea culpa... when in doubt, read the question, sorry.

 

[David.pru]

Hi David, is this an A level project? Many years ago I designed a fold down workbench, screwed to the wall, with steel legs that unfolded as the bench was lowered. Handy in a garage so you could still get the car in.
One of the principal requisites of a woodwork bench is that it resists sideways movement when planing.
Best of luck Ian

hi would there be any chance to see it just for inspiration and to add some extra research into my project

 

[David.pru]

Hi i am currently doing a level project on home workshop and would like to ask for some opinions (I could use in my project) on home workbenches and foldable workbenches the key idea i plan on developing is a home workbench that can fold up into a smaller piece that can be stored somewhere. i plan on it folding out to be a large piece and featuring a table vise and pop up dogs. . This is due to most foldable workbenches being too small and having few features..
I have a few questions i would love for someone to answer .

Would the product of a foldable full-sized workbench be something necessary and useful.?

What would be important features in such a workbench?

What are the key issues around current workbenches on the market?

Would it be easier for a final design to feature 1 single heavy object that fold out , or something that would be made up of a few pieces that could easily be assembled quickly

hi thanks everyone for the responses helps a lot on the off topic i have a questions surrounding finishes. i have made a bed side table and chest of drawers but keep running into an issue of the surface being damaged when i have a glass over water or anything onto. i have used bison wax for the finish

 

[--Tom--]

easiest solution would be to use a coaster under glasses and mugs.

Or you would need to go for something more heavy duty than a wax finish. As an example Rustins plastic coat would give you a water resistant finish that would stand up to glasses of water - but gives a different look than wax

 

[Sideways]

Wax oil is more durable than wax alone. Osmo or treatex for example are used on floors and those get cleaned with a damp cloth. But making coasters is a mini project to use up some scrap....

 

[Cabinetman]

hi would there be any chance to see it just for inspiration and to add some extra research into my project

Sorry David went the way of all things, probably 20 years before you were born lol. The finish problem is really easy to solve, two very quick coats of water based poly varnish, almost indestructible in use, and it is certainly one of the quickest ways to finish anything looks good too.
Ian

 

[Chubber]

I have certainly embraced water based finishes since discovering Ronseal waterbased satin clear varnish works well as a sanding sealer, filling any overlooked 'rough' bits and end grain before an application of coloured stain to avoid that mottled effect.

Rubbed into sanded Oak before waxing works nicely.

Seems to accept any over-coating.