Making a workbench that needs to be light

[Croolis]

My first workbench. I want it light as reasonable because I don't want to load up the floor of my shed too much before I even have anything in there. It's not because I want it to be moveable.

I have read that if you're planing stuff on it the bench can move if it's not heavy. What about fastening it down? What about adjustable height feet (my shed floor is pretty level but why not)?

I want to use C16 3x2 stud 'cos it's cheap and light. I want to use 18mm ply for the worktop. I don't know what joint methods I will use yet.

What can I do to get light, sturdy and non-slidy? Any thoughts appreciated .

 

[Blackswanwood]

This may be a good place to start …



Even if you don’t follow his plan he covers the issues.

Fixing your bench to the floor or a wall will stop it moving. As important is that it doesn’t rack or wobble. You can stop this by building bracing into the design.

The Lost Art Press blog is a good source of information also.

 

[Sideways]

Bracing !
Engineers love triangles / diagonal bracing to stiffen things up.
"Borrowed mass" meaning fix it to a wall at the back or up against a wall at the end to make up for the bench itself being light.
If you don't, then a light bench, however stiff can move if you are pushing hard with a plane. You might even lift one end off the ground when pushing hard at the other. I imagine you've done this at some point trying to plane on a workmate.

Personally, I don't like a bench with an apron like in the Sellars video. I want to be able to secure stuff to the bench top with a simple clamp on the front edge. That means the equivalent of an apron somewhere else, or cross braces. You can put a wide board it between the back legs of the bench to stop racking, even part way down so you can still get a clamp on the back edge of the benchtop.

And put a shelf under the bench and use it for storage. That way your bench benefits from weight that is going to be stored in your shed anyway and you don't have to store those toolboxes, whatever, somewhere else in the shed.

 

[Agent_zed]

Personally, I don't like a bench with an apron like in the Sellars video. I want to be able to secure stuff to the bench top with a simple clamp on the front edge. That means the equivalent of an apron somewhere else, or cross braces. You can put a wide board it between the back legs of the bench to stop racking, even part way down so you can still get a clamp on the back edge of the benchtop.

It comes down to what you are likely to be doing with your bench. I built one very similar to the video and the apron I find is fantastic. I built a leg vice and it means I can clamp things like a door on the side and plane the long edge, or just the edge of a long board etc

Not sure if he's done it different the side he is standing but from the pic there are bolt heads protruding which doesn't make any sense as you can't clamp to it but perhaps that is the back (haven't watched the vid)

If you aren't going to be needing to hold large things then probably not as important.

It could be interesting to make a 'caterham' bench (Term I just made up) and weld it together from 1 inch box in the same triangulated method as a spaceframe. The side of the chassis is what I mean with all the triangulation https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/...be-chassis-prototype-1.jpg?fit=around|875:492 could make it fancy with rose jointed legs like big wishbones

 

[Croolis]

Sadly, no fastening to the wall (cheap metal shed), but screwing down to 18mm OSB floor a possibility (empty space down to ground underneath, floating shed on blocks).

I like the vids. I don't think I'm doing the laminated top thing, will probably turn this into a router table in some way, depends on how I get on with the portable trim table I am being gifted ( ) . But I also just need some surfaces in my empty shed for now. You betcha I'm putting storage shelves in underneath.

I like the vids because it's straight away made me think about mortises. I have a rotator cuff injury in my shoulder that isn't going away, and I don't think banging away with a chisel is going to be a thing, so now it's mortise jig for the router (which I don't yet own) so I can make the table. But hold on, now I'm googling loose tenon. Oh it's Peter Millard's domino thing. I'm not buying one of those things yadda yadda yadda.

I can see how this hobby is going to go - rabbit hole .

 

[Dave65]

Might be worth a look at this

 

[Orraloon]

I would think the original idea of saving weight on the floor is not as big an issue as you think. For starters you need space at the bench to work so big machines should not be that close to it to be an issue. If you can walk about without the floor feeling bouncy things should be fine. There is a tendency by some to overdo the weight of a bench with massive amounts of timber but something modest like the Sellers pine bench should be a good compromise. Weight was a factor when I built my bench because I wanted to be able to break it down for moving so no part could be too heavy to move single handed. Its still rock solid for any hand tool work after 11 years. Top is about 70mm pine. Legs are 75x75mm hardwood. As Sideways said good bracing is the key to strength and still keeping the weight down.
Regards
John

 

[ColinDeVelen]

I made a version of the english joiners bench from PW (Schwarz) using wide planks from the local Obi. I made some shelves in the legs where I use water filled 5l (window wash for cars) plastic bottles for ballast. (Lighten the bench top with a couple of splits (also handy for material holding).
The water ballast can also come in handy when you need to weigh something down while glue dries. I put a full width end vise on mine, but that's just because I find the bench more useful that way (plus any sawing / planing is going down the length of the bench, rather than across). You can also clamp an L shape in the end vise as a cheap and cheerful removable crotch.
(If you wish to see it in it's natural habitat, a friend dared me to set up a YT channel and there are a few vids there that show it. Search YT for DrevDeVelen. The channel was a dare, not an income stream, so please understand I am not trying to self promote or anything like that.)

 

[Croolis]

Hello. I'm thinking about this again (still need to go through several stages of shed development before I build).

I'll make the bench from 2x4s with underfloor storage parts, using loose tenon joints (want to learn mortising so seems a good way to start).

Probably 6 legs as it's going to be ~2m long.

The top - not doing laminate. Going with either ply or MDF. Will have overhang and no apron. At some point will install router table into it. This is my first table and I just want to get it done so I'm not totally reliant on wobbly picnic tables that I have now (also have workmate). The next of two further benches that I want to put in the space can be made using a different method for learning purposes.

So - MDF or ply? 18mm or 25mm?

MDF at 25mm £70 a sheet. Hardwood ply at 25mm a little cheaper at £64. Softwood ply at 24mm is £49.

Whatever's left on the sheet could get used (not neccessarily) on surface for wheeled mitre saw table.

Thx for help .