Bench - mark 1 - buy or build

[Chris Knight]

Sam,

That is a great looking bench. I have a couple of questions:-

What wood is used?
How thick is the top?
How do you support long boards for jointing?

Cheers,

 

[Alf]

I guess if you're stuck with having to mortise at the bench, we could always sand you up on a wee box...

Cheeky devil... As it happens, that was one of the reasons for making my saw horses with wide tops; they can double as a mortising stool. Or, more often, just somewhere to sit down.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Sam Salter]

Chris & Noel,
Yes it's on 6 castors. I chock it up on 4 wood blocks when I use it. It's real heavy so it doesn't move.
It's birch ply with birch facings & trim. The top is Canadian Maple. Not cheap, but you only do this once!
The top is 2 1/2" thick. laminated from 1 1/2" wide maple strips.
I havn't got into hand jointing yet - I use my jointer. But if I did, I'd have to come up with some sort of pegboard or clamp on the R/H side.
sam

 

[Chris Knight]

Sam,

Thanks.

 

[Midnight]

Cheeky devil...

<tuggin the fore'lock..

honourable rogue atchyer service ma'am....

 

[sxlalan]

So I picked a design from a magazine (American Woodworker) that I thought was doable & looked useful & got stuck in!

Hi Sam

Do you remember what issue of AWW you got this plan from?

Cheers

Alan

 

[soapy]

Hi Roger
Like Sxlalan I went for one from AW but a different model. Basically its constructed from 4 torsion boxes made from ply & 4x2 ,its very stable & fairly cheap to make. I thought it a good starting point for a first bench and after a little use started to develop ideas for MkII which I'll make some day.

 

[SlimShavings]

I'm like Derek
I use my bench a lot. My current one is my second and its a conglomeration of the Scott Landis book. Mostly shaker,(for vanity) and the way I work.

I think you should build your bench to fit the way you work.

Mine has a tail vise because I use that nasty 45 and 55 planes. And its Big 4' x8' i have shoulder vize, One centered on the end and one on the oposite corner. For me its the apprentice I don't have.
I don't think there is anything wrong with pine either. As they said Weight and mass are the most important. And as an old mentor yelled at me. " Work on the bench not in it"