WorkBenches
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Phil Pascoe
Established Member
:lol: I found the tool slots a nuisance and haven't any overhang - I haven't noticed any problem with no foot room.
DoctorWibble
Established Member
I don't know whether you've already bought the beech for the top but if not keep in mind that most if not all of your work will be on the front of the bench. You could use cheaper softwood for the back half.
I wouldn't worry about the weight implications. The importance of extreme weight is over-stated. If the bench slides in use add stickiness to the feet - rough leather or rubber. You can combine that with ballast if you need to -bricks or tool storage or whatever you like. Timber is a pointlessly expensive form of ballast.
Wobbliness arises from faulty design or scale of the joinery not a lack of weight. In fact if these things are deficient then a heavy top will only make the problem worse.
I wouldn't worry about the weight implications. The importance of extreme weight is over-stated. If the bench slides in use add stickiness to the feet - rough leather or rubber. You can combine that with ballast if you need to -bricks or tool storage or whatever you like. Timber is a pointlessly expensive form of ballast.
Wobbliness arises from faulty design or scale of the joinery not a lack of weight. In fact if these things are deficient then a heavy top will only make the problem worse.
paulrockliffe
Established Member
Mine is OK with no foot room too, but I'm going to put an overhang on when I swap the breakfast bar top for a proper top. I suspect that if you are working higher up off the bench, so not leaning over as much it'll be more of an issue, but nothing too problematic.
When I did my bench I spent ages making the strongest joints I could, before filling the sides and bottom with 18mm MDF panels, these are primarily so that I can fill it with drawers as part of my plan to add mass, but I suspect they mean the joints don't do anything anymore!
Traditional bench design pre-dates MDF, where creating an equivalent resistance to wracking would be expensive and time consuming, especially in the days before people had time for hobbies and everything was done bare-minimum and back to making some money. Nowadays it makes perfect sense to make use things like MDF to quickly and cheaply add strength. Your design isn't going to wobble, but if you needed to make it stronger I would do that.
If you really need more mass, the quickest and cheapest approach would be to fill in the bottom with an MDF shelf, wrap 4" of pine around the bottom to create a well, then fill it with concrete! Though I suspect just piling the space full of tools will be enough.
I built mine and haven't done the top yet, partly because I wanted to use it first and get a better idea of what I wanted first and partly because it took me ages and I was under pressure to do some more useful work. Anyway, one of the things I was undecided on was a tool well or some sort of tool put-down place, because on the one hand it's really useful to have tools to hand, but on the other it's really annoying to have tools getting in the way all the time and clutter on the bench. This one solved itself as my next job was to put up some stock shelves and I realised that if I pilled the top three shelves with all my spare timber and kept the lower shelf empty I can use it to keep projects on, but also use it for putting tools on when I'm working at the bench. I think this is a pretty good option as the tools are to hand, without being in the way.
I designed my bench with a very deep top, so I can work form both sides, using the vices etc on once side and being able to setup my small powertools - sander, morticer, mitresaw etc on the other depending on the job. I'm planning to do the top using a length of Ikea's finest (well they're second cheapest) kitchen worktop for the powertool part and some hard-wood for the 40cm or so behind the vice. Extra depth built up using MDF, so it'll be cheap and nice all at the same time. There's no benefit in using hardwood for the whole top, it's just extra planing!
I'm still toying with the idea of using an M16 tap to cut threads into the top for all the work-holding, though I need to play around with this to see how well it would stand up to abuse.
When I did my bench I spent ages making the strongest joints I could, before filling the sides and bottom with 18mm MDF panels, these are primarily so that I can fill it with drawers as part of my plan to add mass, but I suspect they mean the joints don't do anything anymore!
Traditional bench design pre-dates MDF, where creating an equivalent resistance to wracking would be expensive and time consuming, especially in the days before people had time for hobbies and everything was done bare-minimum and back to making some money. Nowadays it makes perfect sense to make use things like MDF to quickly and cheaply add strength. Your design isn't going to wobble, but if you needed to make it stronger I would do that.
If you really need more mass, the quickest and cheapest approach would be to fill in the bottom with an MDF shelf, wrap 4" of pine around the bottom to create a well, then fill it with concrete! Though I suspect just piling the space full of tools will be enough.
I built mine and haven't done the top yet, partly because I wanted to use it first and get a better idea of what I wanted first and partly because it took me ages and I was under pressure to do some more useful work. Anyway, one of the things I was undecided on was a tool well or some sort of tool put-down place, because on the one hand it's really useful to have tools to hand, but on the other it's really annoying to have tools getting in the way all the time and clutter on the bench. This one solved itself as my next job was to put up some stock shelves and I realised that if I pilled the top three shelves with all my spare timber and kept the lower shelf empty I can use it to keep projects on, but also use it for putting tools on when I'm working at the bench. I think this is a pretty good option as the tools are to hand, without being in the way.
I designed my bench with a very deep top, so I can work form both sides, using the vices etc on once side and being able to setup my small powertools - sander, morticer, mitresaw etc on the other depending on the job. I'm planning to do the top using a length of Ikea's finest (well they're second cheapest) kitchen worktop for the powertool part and some hard-wood for the 40cm or so behind the vice. Extra depth built up using MDF, so it'll be cheap and nice all at the same time. There's no benefit in using hardwood for the whole top, it's just extra planing!
I'm still toying with the idea of using an M16 tap to cut threads into the top for all the work-holding, though I need to play around with this to see how well it would stand up to abuse.
lurker
Le dullard de la commune
phil.p":2p5vk0o3 said:
:shock:
I think Phil's self depreciating joke went over some people's heads
lurker
Le dullard de la commune
People are too precious about benches. All they need to be the right height, strong annd stable and no racking.
IMHO softwood is actually better so long as you design it so the top is easily replaced.
Richard Arnold has recently built himself a new bench and sticks screws and stuff in the top with no concern......... And then just gets on with some fine woodwork!
IMHO softwood is actually better so long as you design it so the top is easily replaced.
Richard Arnold has recently built himself a new bench and sticks screws and stuff in the top with no concern......... And then just gets on with some fine woodwork!
memzey
Established Member
Richard's is an excellent bench, that's for sure. Using any of his benches always throws me though due to their left handed nature! Didn't stop me taking about 1,000 shavings with his infills on Saturday though!
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
lurker":2sjg775j said:phil.p":2sjg775j said:
:shock:
I think Phil's self depreciating joke went over some people's heads
:lol: Honestly hadn't thought about it. Swear on my life.
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
Lodds - don't forget also that your next bench will be better. No one gets them right first time, more often than not they end up building something someone else thinks is perfect.
Lodds,
If your bench is going to be in a fixed position against a wall then a very quick and cheap option is to 'borrow mass' from the wall.
My home made bench is made from an old steel framed office desk. I thought being steel it would be super strong. But it wobbled quite a bit.
However, I then just screwed one shelf bracket orientated horizontally between each end of the bench top and the wall.
So looking down onto the top of the bench you see the 'L' shape of the bracket. There is absolutely zero racking now. Admittedly mine is in a garage with block work walls where yours looks to be a shed? But I don't think it will really make that much difference.
Hope that helps
-Neil
If your bench is going to be in a fixed position against a wall then a very quick and cheap option is to 'borrow mass' from the wall.
My home made bench is made from an old steel framed office desk. I thought being steel it would be super strong. But it wobbled quite a bit.
However, I then just screwed one shelf bracket orientated horizontally between each end of the bench top and the wall.
So looking down onto the top of the bench you see the 'L' shape of the bracket. There is absolutely zero racking now. Admittedly mine is in a garage with block work walls where yours looks to be a shed? But I don't think it will really make that much difference.
Hope that helps
-Neil
Lodds
Established Member
Neil,
Thanks for that. I was expecting to have to tie to the wall but fortunately there is no wobble evident even when using a handsaw. I think the build is more than adequate now to be free standing without being supported by wall or floor mounting brackets.
It is surprisingly heavy for being built solely from softwood and as I said previously I still have the top to put on, vices to buy and install.
So glad this forum and contributors convinced me to have a go and make my own.
Thanks for that. I was expecting to have to tie to the wall but fortunately there is no wobble evident even when using a handsaw. I think the build is more than adequate now to be free standing without being supported by wall or floor mounting brackets.
It is surprisingly heavy for being built solely from softwood and as I said previously I still have the top to put on, vices to buy and install.
So glad this forum and contributors convinced me to have a go and make my own.
DoctorWibble
Established Member
When you look for vices do look beyond Records. Parkinson and Woden are equally good and often cheaper. Others perhaps too though I've only owned these three so will leave it to others to stretch the list.
The very early Parkinsons (WW1 and before) are very common (they were the first steel vices to be mass produced) but have a cast iron frame rather than steel rods. These can work perfectly well and do look cool but the tracks are often chipped or broken and in truth sliding steel bars were a step forward so maybe stick to the later Parkinsons which do have steel rods.
Woden 189/ B3 = Parkinsons 16 = Record 53. All are 10 1/2" QR vices.
Woden 189/ B2 = Parkinsons 15 = Record 52 1/2. All are 9" QR vices.
The very early Parkinsons (WW1 and before) are very common (they were the first steel vices to be mass produced) but have a cast iron frame rather than steel rods. These can work perfectly well and do look cool but the tracks are often chipped or broken and in truth sliding steel bars were a step forward so maybe stick to the later Parkinsons which do have steel rods.
Woden 189/ B3 = Parkinsons 16 = Record 53. All are 10 1/2" QR vices.
Woden 189/ B2 = Parkinsons 15 = Record 52 1/2. All are 9" QR vices.
Lodds
Established Member
DoctorWibble":2e2mvlw0 said:
I have ordered a couple of Axminster Trade Plain Screw Vice Guide (big ones) by all accounts these are pretty good. I already have a small 6" record type vice that I have had for 30+ years possible put that one on the end.
Tony
user 26792
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Just seen this thread, hope the bench build is going well. Something that I've found quite useful to do was design what I want to do on SketchUp the free version is more than adequate. Great for planning cuts and measurements and you get an idea of how it will come together before even laying out any funds. I've even gone so far as to mark out exactly where I want mortise holes to be cut and the size of the tenon. Then once it's done buy the timber cut it to size or have it cut to size and you're away. Translate the measurements onto timber and you can do it without stressing too much.
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