CT's Most Excellent Workbench Adventure

[chesthighwaders]

If you put in a tool tray make a ledge inside at the top that will accept a common thickness plywood so you can insert the plywood to close up the tools tray when you need more working surface.

[Bob Zajicek]

Crooked Tail said:

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it sure look unbalanced. However, it is very close to the dimensions in the Veritas instructions. In fact, it is a little smaller at 22.5" inches, including the end plates. The Veritas bench is supposed to be like 80" long when finished, with a 24" tail vise. My bench is only really 8 inches shorter... so hopefully it will be ok.

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I believe your tail or end vise is fine, its the width of the front vise that I was referring to as being too wide. You also need to look at the dog hole issue which you did not comment upon.

I don't think you need an upper stretcher. If you are going to have a tool chest resting on the lower stretchers make sure that you've got room at the top to set tools, etc.. upon. IOW, a shelf below the top. When you have those too wide benchtop skirts, they eat into this area as well.

On the tool tray issue, check out David Charlesworth's bench on the L-N website. His tool tray is not in the center, but it's offset a bit to the rear. It also has removable floor sections to accomodate various clamping options. Worth a peek, IMHO.

[Crooked Tail]

Ahh ok, I misread your post.

The face vice jaws are drawn at 20" wide, which is the "optimum" according to my vise directions. Minimum is 12", so there is a lot a room to experiment there.

I checked the dog holes, and indeed they would interfere. I've move them so there is just one at the end. I also saw that I forgot to cut out the bottom of the strips to accomodate the vise hardware. Thank you for catching that.

I was thinking that if I made cabinets, they have to be a few inches below the top anyway to accomodate the bench dogs. So if I put upper stretchers or a lip around the top of the cabinet, it would be like a tool tray.

[John Hoffman]

Hi couple of thoughts...I included a pic of my bench. It has the legs flush with the top which allows me to work the edge of boards using a sliding deadman or clamping to the legs. I use a Veritas wonder dog instead of a tail vise and to clamp for dovetails I use the face vise with or without a clamp. Not to start another debate on the tail vise but Garret Hack has an article in Fine talking about the ups and downs to this vise. I don't have a tool rest.

Regards
JH

Don't know how to include a pic??

[John Clifford]

Glad you finally found the "real" woodworking forum John.

John.

[John Hoffman]

Thanks, and I still don't know how to post a pic, and yes I am working today.

regards
JH

[Skip J.]

John Hoffman said:

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Thanks, and I still don't know how to post a pic JH

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Hello John;

I just went thru the learning to load photos several weeks ago and reported it as I went along, here:

load photo info

It's not easy!

Hang in there..

[Crooked Tail]

Hi John, is it like like this bench that agfox just posted?

That actually looks pretty neat. I will have to think about how maybe I can do that on the back of the bench. I don't see why not, except it will make it look sort of funny... a hybrid between a traditional bench and a roubo bench.

Pics to prove it's happening:

Boy, for all that money, it seems like I should have more wood:



Oooommm... the zen of handplaning.


Shavings are fun!

[FordPrefect]

Crooked Tail said:

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Boy, for all that money, it seems like I should have more wood:

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Ain't that the truth!
Looks like your adventure is well on its way

[John Hoffman]

No, I am on the road for work so I won't get a pic to you until Friday. It is the $175 workbench that Chris Schwarz made. It is like the roubo bench with stout legs that are flush to the top.

JH