portable workbench plan or recommndations

[zak99]

Hi,

I'm hoping for some suggestions for a daily portable workbench with a bit more stability than the good old workmate.

Are there any plans for a decent self build please or maybe a product on the market that might do the trick.

rgds

Zak

 

[George_N]

You don't say whether you need a bench you can take around job sites or just for workshop use...how portable does it need to be? The older dual height Workmates are still pretty good. I have one I found on a skip with one of the jaws missing. I made a replacement out of 1" ply and it is a great piece of kit...saw horse, mitre saw stand, etc etc. If you want a ready made portable the Festool Multi Function Table (MFT) might be worth a look, if a bit pricey.

 

[zak99]

You don't say whether you need a bench you can take around job sites or just for workshop use...how portable does it need to be? The older dual height Workmates are still pretty good. I have one I found on a skip with one of the jaws missing. I made a replacement out of 1" ply and it is a great piece of kit...saw horse, mitre saw stand, etc etc. If you want a ready made portable the Festool Multi Function Table (MFT) might be worth a look, if a bit pricey.

I need something for onsite use and find the workmate a bit rickety, just wondered if there were alternatives.

 

[bugbear]

I need something for onsite use and find the workmate a bit rickety, just wondered if there were alternatives.

Get a vintage workmate - they used to be better.

BugBear

 

[George_N]

The Workmate I have is what BB calls a vintage model...definitely not rickety, though it will obviously move if you are putting a lot of effort into planing etc as it simply doesn't have the mass to resist the forces you are putting into it. That will also be true of pretty much any portable bench.

 

[EddieJ]

I guess that it depends on the style that you are after and the required use of the bench.

For general use on site, I use two hop-up band stands with a short youngmans board on top, or for clamping, I use a Triton superjaws.


There probably isn't a single day where it is not in use in one capacity or another. All in all, its a very underrated and handy bit.

 

[zak99]

Thanks for the input chaps. I think my workmate is one of the vintage ones, it has alloy frames (?). Its still a bit rickety for some of the jobs I have.

I was surprised I couldn't find any plans for a decent self build portable bench

My work is mainly repairs on traditional boats so includes a wide variety of tasks on the workbench. When I get to work at a site where there is staging with scaffold boards I use a couple of little old record portable clamp-on woodworking vices, they are a godsend! That arrangement works well when I get the chance.

I'd ideally like a stable portable bench either with built in vice or to use with my clamp on vices. I guess at a push I could do that with some simple trestles and short board but just wondered what other people do on the move.

The Festool MFT looks like a great bit of kit but probably not heavy duty enough for rough boat yard use?

EddieJ, The triton superjaws look pretty stable and are on my shortlist! The hop ups and youngman board setup sounds stable but I'm guessing the height is pretty low?

Any other successful portable solutions out there?

 

[Night Train]

I have a vintage and a modern Workmate for occasional site work. I also use the top of my tool box as it has a groove in the pastic lid to act as a sort of bench hook for sawing.

What I have done in the past, given my preference for working out of the back of my trailer, is to drop the support legs on my trailer to give a solid base and then to clamp the Workmate to the trailer to make it stable.

Having said that, I have also been known to work off the edge of a high kerb with a bench hook while kneeling in the gutter.

Another method I have for site work is to sit on the floor and use my feet as a vice or to trap lengths of timber behind my knee as I squat on the floor.

For hand sawing large sheet materials I sometimes prop it against the corner of a house and saw downwards. Wear goggles and have a long hand saw if starting at the top of an 8' sheet.

What I use really depends on what I am doing.

 

[Woodmagnet]

Is this any good Zak.

 

[Woodmagnet]

Oops forgot the second picture.

i have the pdf files if i can find them but i'd need your e-mail
as they are large if i remember correctly. :wink:

 

[zak99]

Hi kevin

That looks like it could be useful, I sent you a PM

rgds

Zak

 

[amtool08]

If you are looking for an alternative to the B&D workmate you might like to check out the Rock Steady Workhorse made by Powergrip.There are 2 versions the standard and the Craftsman that has a 3 way clamping system.These workhorses stack so they take up little space in the back of the van and depending on the length of the work you just set them an appropriate distance apart. I allways take my pair on site with me and have been using them for 22 years and havent found many occasions when they cant cope, in fact the main problem is that everyone else wants to borrow them! Hope this is of help,
regards Anthony.

 

[dickm]

Years ago, there was a really clever looking design in Practical Woodworking for a portable-ish bench, using Record Cramp heads. If it's any interest, I can probably dig it out and scan it for you.

 

[Benchwayze]

Zak,

If you send me a PM, I have some files in PDF that you might find interesting, for knockdown benches, that are good enough for regular use in the shop too.

HTH

John