WIP - Workbench

Crooked Tree · 5 May 2011

Plan: build a proper workbench to take over from the workmate. The bench must be/have:

- sufficiently heavy and rigid that I don't need to stand on it whilst planing
- flat (unlike the workmate)
- fitted with both a front and an end vice
- lots of clamping opportunities... one of my greatest issues has been holding work still!

The design has been evolving over the past 6-9 months... it was originally going to have a full width end vice, then a tail vice and finally I decided that a wagon vice should be easier for me to make with limited skill and yet still end up with something that is not "wobbly". It will use an off-the-shelf vice screw. The front vice will be a second hand ready-made iron one, for simplicity. The top will have no apron, to allow for easy clamping to the top. If it proves to flex too much then additional beams will be laminated underneath to stiffen it.

The design was influenced by the small Roubo workbench made by Boz62 a couple of years back in that it uses a length of beech worktop cut in half and laminated to make a slab more easily than doing it myself from scratch (no planer or thicknesser). I used a thinner worktop section, though, and was still only just able to lift it! The end result will not be in any particular style.

So, starting some months ago:

Ordered the worktop, which was delivered in quick time. The worktop as delivered

The worktop had a number of small defects in its surface, and had a small step or two in the surface, presumably arising at the manufacturing stage (the packaging was intact) e.g

Not sure if this is considered normal for worktop, but if it were for use in a kitchen they would need filling. However, it was fit for purpose as a workbench, so I used it rather than delay by trying to return it.

Cutting it into two pieces, each ~ 1500mm long

Next it was laminated to itself using Evostick and too few clamps/insufficiently rigid clamping cauls - I hope that with such a large gluing area it should be ok anyway.

The edges of the slab were then planed square.

The base/underframe is to be of the knock-down variety using 2 end trestles and rails between them. I decided to use 2 smaller rails, top and bottom at both front and back to allow for a shelf/storage and possibly a sliding deadman.

Base materials - bandsawn beech, some 2" before planing for the legs and some 1" for the rails. 2 pieces of 1", each 2' long had to be cut off to get the boards into the car. These will become the upper short rails of the trestles.

There followed much planing using my trusty Record No.5, sometimes very finely set to cope with awkward grain.

To be continued... not at the present day yet.

Chems · 5 May 2011

Looks great. Re the steps and imperfections. I've only used premade worktop boards twice, the first time in a large number, and all of them seemed to have a show side, and a not show side. One side was perfect and the other had these little holes and bits that hadn't been planed etc. I guess just a time/money saver on their part as they figure for a worktop only one side will be seen.

Crooked Tree · 23 Jul 2011

A much delayed progress update:

construction of the underframe. I had originally intended to use 2" beech for the legs, but after flattening this was more like 2 3/4" and looked a bit too thin. Consequently I decided to laminate them using some of my stock of recycled meranti to bring the thickness closer to 2 1/2".

Ripping the meranti:

Surprisingly straight line, I thought!

Also used the bandsaw to rip up the beech prior to lamination. An interesting pattern produced by the 3tpi blade:

The timber was sized, planed flat by hand and laminated into 4 legs and 2 sled feet:

As can be seen, there was a clamp shortage. That is the front vice to be getting its first use.

Mortices were cut in the sled feet to take the legs and in the legs to take the rails. Most of the waste was removed using a forstner bit in the drill press, then squared up by hand:

Clearance holes were then bored through the ends of the rails and the legs to take M10 bolts to pull the underframe together, with the bolt heads and washers set beneath the leg surface in a 1" hole and the nut accessible in an elongated hole in the 1" thick rail:

A simple jig was made using the pillar drill and used to ensure that the holes in the rails were central and straight.
The tenons on the rails were sawn on the bandsaw (first time I have done that) because the shoulders needed to be very narrow. This was the setup used to ensure repeatable results, using a featherboard and stop block:

Had to be careful to ensure that the blade would not actually contact the fence.
The result:

Shoulders were sawn by hand and cleaned up with a chisel in the usual way.

Made contrasting dowels to pin the leg/foot and leg/top rail joints from the same timber used as a contrast in the legs:

Finally got to dry-assemble the base:

Followed by real assembly (after some adjustments...).
The top was fitted using 4 dowels to locate it, a recess routed for the front vice rear jaw and the end cap fitted using a large mortice and tenon joint (dry) with 4 coach screws to hold it. The slot for the wagon vice was cut using a circular saw, chisels then rasps to flatten. Result:

The top was flattened using the Record No.5 (took quite a lot of doing owing to a step in the worktop at the back). Now for the more interesting bit: the wagon vice. Looks like that will have to be in another post owing to a limit of 10 files on this one.

Crooked Tree · 23 Jul 2011

Right, wagon vice.

This is the "kit" of bits to fit.

The vice screw and nut are Axminster, the other components are home made. The steel plate is a bit smaller and rougher than intended, because the piece of steel which had been destined for this component turned out to be rather harder than expected. I tried to drill it and found that the drill now had a flat, polished end. The centre punch suffered the same fate and both had to be re-ground. Must have been stainless or tool steel, I suppose. The vice nut had to be modified to provide clearance for the bench top and the steel rails which support the sliding block. I wanted the nut to be as close to the block as possible both vertically and horizontally to minimise leverage.

The block has a metal plate on the bottom to prevent the front from lifting under load. This bears on the rails under the bench top. A step is planed on each side of the block for these rails such that they prevent it from moving downwards. The back of the block is deeper to reach the full depth of the metal plate which pushes it and recessed to clear screw heads and the vice nut.

The end cap was drilled to clear the screw thread and to accept the mounting bolts for the socket:

Routing that mortice and tenon was quite a big ask for my T3 router, but it was accomplished using many shallow passes. It was in fact the vacuum cleaner that got too hot and cut out - the router was still cold!

These shots show the mechanism fitted. An end "bearing" block in wood helps to keep the vice screw from wandering under load and made it easier to locate straight and level during fitting. The metal rails are just steel strip screwed to the underside of the bench. It proved necessary to slide the block into the vice and then attach the end cap owing to a conspiracy of clearances (aka poor planning/working out the details as you go along)!!

And here, at long last, is the completed bench:

The dog holes are arranged such that 3 are centred across the front vice, in case I want to add dog holes opposite it at some stage.

There was the odd disaster to be rectified along the way, but overall I am very pleased with the result - it does what I wanted. Everything is now so much easier. The difference between this and its predecessor is dramatic. I am particularly pleased with the wagon vice, which works very well indeed. I had never had a vice on the end of a bench before and now holding timber for planing flat is so easy! In use the bench does not move, rack or flex (well, not noticably anyway). Some vibration occurs when planing but not enough to bother me. I am now able to set the plane for much heavier shavings where previously I was limited by my ability to stop the Workmate from moving.

OPJ · 23 Jul 2011

A very impressive bench build. Laminating the strips of meranti to build up your leg blanks works very well - it helps to identify the bench as your own. A real personal touch that many others will not have.

Which screw did you use for the wagon vice? Is it a tail vice screw? I've been thinking of making a wagon vice (or, maybe two! :twisted

for my own bench.

Crooked Tree · 23 Jul 2011

Thank you OPJ. The vice screw used was the universal vice screw, I think. I went to buy the tail vice screw but that was all they had. It is 24mm across the thread and seems easily strong enough for this application, with the sliding block being supported by rails. However, when I came to working out the dog hole spacings (I wanted a hole to end up in the centre of the front vice) I found myself wishing that I had more travel to play with. In the end, I had to accept a couple of blind holes where the front vice packing sits, and a sligbt "clash" with the front right leg

. Invisible, but I know its there. Given a choice, I think that I would get hold of one of the longer ones to give more options.

Pvt_Ryan · 24 Jul 2011

nice job

No skills · 24 Jul 2011

I really like this =D> , I think my own (first) bench is going to be an ultra cheap mdf and softwood effort - seeing this gives me something to aspire to once I've got some proper wood working experience.