I have not as yet built a woodworking work bench. My shop is so full of other stuff, I don't have space for another bench. When I look at your bench and others who post pictures of what they have done, I have to admire the workmanship, but question the practicality of some of the designs plus wondering about the difficulty factor in building it. My eye was also drawn to the scale model John Deere tractor in the background.
I have a small collection of them.
My first thought when viewing the Paul Sellers' style bench is to question the practicality of the Tool
Well. It occupies a lot of bench top surface that can't, in a practical way, serve as a work surface, only storage space and a collector of sawdust and chips and shavings that might bury some tools that are stored there. I think I'd rather all the waste be on the floor, not on my tools.
Your workmanship is outstanding. I really like the large apron and would for sure include it in any bench design I might decide to build. Large size legs, plus anything else that would add weight is a big plus. A bench of that size and weight with properly fitted joints would no doubt be very solid. I think I would want some means of leveling and stabilizing to compensate for an uneven floor. Most all floors are uneven.
So often when I build something that involves a lot of effort and thought, when I finish it, invariably, I seem to realize that I should have done it a little differently and or added another feature. If I ever build a bench, I think I'll do what Steve (Window Guy) did and take a couple years to think about it.
I think I would want to include every useful feature that is possible. But at the same time, try to end up with something unique, such as three legs instead of four, for example. Splay the legs for better stability. If I have enough space, I would build a small secondary side unit with large casters with storage below and a tray style top for laying tools on and so the tools would be handy at a mid-point in relation to the work bench length. It would resemble a cart with enclosed sides and hinged doors for tool access and easily moved from place to place. It would have a means of hanging tools around the sides for chisels, etc.
I have always preferred to have a work surface and a separate surface for tools. It doesn't always work out that way, but when I do set up my work area that way, I'm am more contented and seem to do better work.
. I made a pile of shavings but thoroughly enjoyed every minute and would do again in a heart beat. I did not miss the corded tools one bit. It wasn't a fast project project but i got it done. Oh I did use my plastic saw horses to smooth and glue everything together and clamped boards similar to what Paul did, worked very well. I even bought a few of those cheap HF clamps and modified them like he did and they worked very well.
