Bench-on-Bench suggestions

[Aram]

Most, if not all my dovetailing and mortise and tenon work is done by hand.  My bench height is optimal for hand tool work, however as my body gets up there in age, I found it more difficult to chop dovetails and mortises, without the back starting to act up from bending over.  I would like to make a "mini bench" to bring the work closer, so I am not hunched over so much. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something I can put on top of my bench, clamp it down, and go to work.  I would like to know if anyone has a similar set up, and what dimensions they used, and also if they added a Moxon vise.  Also, if anyone has any other suggestions.

Scott

FWIW I made a simple Moxon vise, which I use all the time for dovetail sawing. But it doesn't get any easier than the way Craig Vandall Stevens does it. Board in the hole, clamp on, and go. Something to consider.

Simplicity from a master

[Rick Barton]

Hello Rick;

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you, sir.

[Stwood_]

With help from my daughter I finished up my dad's bench. :
 I'm going to have to make myself one now, my shop temp is in the thirties so I had to glue up the aprons on the dining room table!

  Nicely done.

[Rick Barton]

Oh, cool, got my vise in today. I'll throw a couple pics up tomorrow.

[Rick Barton]

Oh, cool, got my vise in today. I'll throw a couple pics up tomorrow.

And here it is. I must say for $35.00 shipped I'm impressed with this thing. Its a Yost (Record copy) sold on Amazon.

[Stwood_]

And here it is. I must say for $35.00 shipped I'm impressed with this thing. Its a Yost (Record copy) sold on Amazon.

[DallasStarter]

It's not exactly central to the picture, but you can see mine from the back in this picture.  Hard maple, sliding dovetail joinery.  The front is actually a detachable Moxon vise and engages with the bench via another set of sliding dovetails.  The vise hardware is Benchcrafted.  I use it any time I'm doing dovetails.  Sometimes I'll use it for hand-mortising, but more often I'll use the regular bench surface, as the bench-on-bench would be too high for me for heaving mortise chopping.

Let me see if I can get the picture insertion working in this new fangled forum format.  It's been a couple of years since I've posted one. . . 

Reed

<a data-flickr-embed="true"  href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjrobinson/7818018620/in/dateposted-public/" title="Untitled"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8[/img]</script>

Here's another from the front:

[MartyRA]

I've been thinking about this very same thing myself especially after reading about it in fww magazine. I'm an actual subscriber believe it or not..
Because my shop is lacking in floor real estate finding a place to put it when not in use becomes a problem, but I can probably survive carrying it upstairs once in awhile.
My back isn't the problem, but my hips and legs are not to mention that my hands shake at specific heights and one of those heights just happens to coincide with chopping mortises and similar tasks.
Not to sidetrack the thread, but when I chop mortises I'll carefully carve out a shallow groove the width and length of the mortise to keep the chisel from wandering to much on the initial first row of chops. Age and eyeballing things just don't seem to have a whole lot in common anymore so having a groove of about 1/16th inch or less helps tremendously..

Edit.. I'm seriously considering rebuilding the top of my bench using yellow pine instead of softer eastern white pine then purchasing the Yost M7WW vise to mount on the new top and apron then using my older face vice that uses the apron as the back jaw on my yet to be built B on B. I don't want to make it too high that I have to stand on my tippy toes or a chair to use it. I have a tendency to forget these things until it's too late..lol

Now..what to do with the old top..I suppose I could chop it up to use for the yet to be built B on B.. and since yellow pine is a lot heavier than the white pine I wonder if I can hoodwink someone to help me lift the new top up into position. Getting old certainly beats the alternative of not getting old (death?), but it still has its drawbacks..

[hbmcc]

Welcome to the forum, Marty! No sidetrack. The OP is fishing too. Many of us share your interests, with similar goals for working options. My solution for lack of work space has been to carry the work outside and use sawhorses and convenient walls. Inclimate weather puts the kibosh on that freedom. Pain has forced me to revise my carry limits several times. So....

My portable workbench is like a wood carving table, a low podium, and on two fixed wheels, working much the way a two-wheel dolly is handled. The clamp/vise is part of the top. A mock-up is working well. Just need to get over the details hump. For my needs and logistics this works. If you have 16 or 17 stairs rather than a couple short ones to heated rooms, my scheme isn't one for you.

Now, if I can only halt the progression of new projects, responses to specialty fixtures needs, and emergencies, one project might be ejected from the Gordian knot, complete.

[Skip J.]

.........Let me see if I can get the picture insertion working in this new fangled forum format.  It's been a couple of years since I've posted one. . . 

Reed
Here's another from the front:

Good to see you in here again Reed... it's been awhile...