Handed bench vice(s)?

[Dandan]

Hi all,
Sometime soon i'll get around to building myself a woodworking/handtool bench (it's somewhere in the top 50 on the to do list) and i'm going to try to avoid the traditional first bench mistake of over-complicating things, i'm hoping to keep it heavy, rigid, with a couple of vices.
Which brings me to my question; all bench builds that I've seen have the front vice at the front left corner and the tail vice on the right hand end of the bench, is this an accepted standard or is it right-hand biased?
I'm a left hooker and if I was to plane a piece of wood using the tail vice and a bench dog, I would end up planing toward the tail vice, which would place increased stress on it, rather than towards a bench dog which I could replace for a couple of quid, is this a worthwhile consideration in placing the vice?
I'm going to put the bench in the middle of the room backing onto the table saw to double as an outfeed table, so I have the option of mounting the vice either side, which should I go for?
All opinions gratefully received

 

[Racers]

If you are sinister put the vices the other way round, that way if you are plaining a tall board clamped in the vice it isn't sticking out past the bench, you can build in a deadman to support the end or have a free standing one.

Pete

 

[tomatwark]

I am left handed, and when I was an apprentice the boss bought some old benches at auction, one had the vice on the right hand end for a left handed person.

Being the only left handed person in the workshop, I was told I had to have it.

Being use to working with a vice on the left hand end, I did not like it and as soon as someone left I swapped their old bench with mine.

30 year plus later I still use a bench with the vice on the left, and most of the benches in my workshop were build in house, so I did have the choice being the boss.

It is really a question of what you find works for you.

 

[Dandan]

Well i've never actually used a bench with a tail vice so I've got no habits that I would need to change, sounds like i'll go for the 'sinister' style...

 

[PAC1]

When I built my bench I deliberately built it with the vice on the left and the tail vice on the right because I was that used to using a right handed bench it just did not feel right planing or sawing from the other side. I sometimes wonder if I was mad, but it is what you get used to.
So if your muscles have not got used to working at a right hand bench then a leftie should work.

 

[Tasky]

I assume you've already got left-handed planes and chisel-hammers? (hammer)

 

[ED65]

...i'm going to try to avoid the traditional first bench mistake of over-complicating things, i'm hoping to keep it heavy, rigid, with a couple of vices.

If you want to keep it even simpler don't fit a vice at all

I'm only half joking, since vices aren't an absolute essential. But a face vice (or at least some form of vice on the front) is very very handy and few who are used to one would like to be without, a tail vice on the other hand can be considered very optional.

As to which side to place the front vice, standard advice is for lefties to do the opposite to righties. While a few right-handers don't follow the convention many of the established handed ways a vice can be used work only with it positioned on the usual side.

So I think you should install it as per the norm, you're very unlikely not to get along with it.