My Anarchist Workbench

[GNP]

Nice bench! .

[Philip1231]

Nice! A very stout looking bench.

[MarkSingleton]

Well done. Good looking bench and should serve you well for many years.

[Mike Brady]

Bryan, nice work.  Are you going to use holdfasts?  I thought about an even distribution of holes, then decided to just drill them one at a time where they looked like they would help a particular project, and that worked out so far.

Be carefull about the placement of your dog holes.  By this, I mean look at what is underneath the benchtop that might interfere with inserting or removal of bench dogs.  Vise screws are the main concern .  My bench, for example, has two long screws for the front vise and another screw for the end vise.  Dog holes located directly above these screws would be a problem because holdfasts often protrude several iinches below the thickness of the bench top.  I did not drill dog holes until I used the bench and made sure the holes would be properly located.  Not so much on the on my prior bench!

[ajkoontz]

Love the bench and especially love seeing a new post of someone building a new workbench. This kind of post used to be the norm here but traffic has almost slowed to a halt. Good on you for posting some new content.

One piece of advice I like to give bench builders- use the skirt under the bottom shelf to store bags of sand or whatever ballast to add weight to the bench. This is something I added to my bench after the fact that I wish I would have incorporated into the original design. I hope I'm describing this well enough- basically build a box to store bags of playsand, use a plywood bottom, apron/ stretchers are the sides, and the bottom shelf is the top. Once it's filled in you theoretically never need to access it again. Good use of otherwise unused space IMO.

[AHill]

He explains it pretty clearly in his book(s), but “anarchist” is largely about not accepting the status quo of disposable furniture.

Interesting explanation, given he's published a book on workbenches and none of them are disposable.  I do agree about the part where he's not accepting the status quo.  Schwarz was largely responsible for a resurgence in building workbenches vs. buying them pre-built.  I chose to purchase mine (Sjobergs 2500), and I can assure you it's going to outlast me.  It's a beast with very robust hardware.  I added my own cabinets for tools under the bench.  They add stability (as if it needed more) and they hold all my hand planes and other commonly used bench accessories.

The blurb Lost Arts Press uses to describe his Anarchist Workbench essentially says it's a very simple bench that can be modified over time as necessary.   There's a link below to his description where you can also download an electronic version of the book for free.  I find it ironic that he's essentially telling us that all the workbenches he previously built and are included in his book are now obsolete.  I appreciate his research and his conclusions are his opinions.  I think one thing that's missed in the simple approach is that workbenches over time were products of an apprenticeship that aimed to use various skills required of a cabinetmaker - and to remain a basic tool in his workshop throughout his ascending career as a journeyman and master cabinetmaker.

That's my opinion, anyway.

https://lostartpress.com/products/the-an...-workbench

[ajkoontz]

   
You're making me nostalgic so I found an old photo of the bench I made in 2009. This was before CS introduced us all to anarchy so it's based on Lee Valley plans (still available today) and I was also inspired by a Frank Klausz seminar I attended. If you don't know Frank, look him up. I don't want to hijack the OP's post, but I wanted to make the point to new WW'ers to BUILD A BENCH. Build any bench you want but build one. It was a total gamechanger for me.

Edit- this photo was printed in 2009 but I built this before my son was born in 2007, so I probably built this in 2005/ 2006. Not that this matters to anyone but me but I want to be factually correct as the internet will live forever whereas I will not.

[Tony Z]

I built mine in 2002 or 2003. Very heavy frame of white oak and a top of spruce as I was in a hurry and figured I would make a proper top in another year or so. Bench is still going strong, with same top. It is used almost daily, and I have had to flatten it a few times. Only think I would do differently, is make the tool well deeper (many don't like them at all, but I do!).

[bandit571]

One way I use my tool well....when I need to joint an edge on a narrow board, that I can't clamp to the apron.....I grab a 24" F style clamp, hook one end into the tool well, the other end ( with the screw) to clamp the board to the apron.....high enough that the plane misses the clamp.

[ajkoontz]

I built mine in 2002 or 2003.  Very heavy frame of white oak and a top of spruce as I was in a hurry and figured I would make a proper top in another year or so.  Bench is still going strong, with same top.  It is used almost daily, and I have had to flatten it a few times.  Only think I would do differently, is make the tool well deeper (many don't like them at all, but I do!).

I am also on team tool well. It has drawbacks but I find it's usefulness outweighs the negatives. I went square dog holes but would do round if I had to do it over again. I keep thinking someday I will add a couple round dog holes to my bench to add the versatility of different clamping and hold-down options but 24 years later I haven't gotten around to it. My top is #2 beech glued up with no thought given to grain direction so I haven't mustered the courage to try to clean up the top by hand with a plane. It could really use a run thru a wide-belt sander, not so much because of flatness, but wear and tear on the top.