Drama of Workbenches (part 2)--Not really

So here is Josh's workbench version 2. I guarantee there will someday be a version 3. Why? My style of work has changed over the past year or so, and I would be naive to think that I would not change again in the future. Besides, I've already admitted I like my original bench's solid/laminated top. I'll be honest with myself (and to everyone else)... it just looks so much cooler...

This bench is based on Tom's Torsion workbench, which you can find all over the Web. It's a fairly straight forward build, and if you want, it can be really inexpensive (much less than $200) if you select your lumber carefully and then build your own vises.

I won't bore everyone with details on the build (other sites have done that for me and much better than I could). What you have are 4 torsion boxes all bolted together and supporting each other. This thing is heavier than my other bench (I used particle board for the the panels on the legs and back stretcher). This created the mass I was looking for, and the torsion design means I have NO movement or sway in the bench. It is definitely rock solid.

The only thing I will say is there is a LOT of lumber to cut in a design like this, and I did it all by hand. If you want to learn to cut a straight and perpendicular edge? Try a project like this or do a dog strip by hand. Cut after cut after cut...all the same thing... Either A) you'll get pretty good and finding what works and creating nice cuts by the end, or B) you'll get so fed up with it that the next time you look at a hand saw you'll scream and curl up in the corner. I won't tell you which corner I hid in...

The things I modified are fairly straight forward. I love my holdfasts, so those HAD to stay. I actually built a solid block underneath the top that I bored a hole though for my holdfasts. Each block is held in place by other bracing, and after a few months, I haven't had any issues in regards to the holdfasts not holding. If it ever comes to that, I'll just figure something else out. I NEED my holdfasts.

The other modification is the shoulder vise instead of a traditional English style face vise. This is mainly due to the fact that I REALLY got tired of the bars in the way, but I explained that in a previous post. I used a press screw I bought off Amazon. It gives me plenty of travel and pressure. Someday I'd love to have a wooden screw, but not until I can make my own, which is part of the reason why this one looks temporary.

The final change I made was the end vise. Where the original version of the bench called for a wooden handscrew to use as the end vise, I've modified that as well (though only after trying out the handscrew for a couple months first). For this vise I also used another press clamp from Amazon. I didn't want the screw to move in and out on the outside of the bench, so I used the clamping piece that you're supposed to use on the handle to attach the dog block and firmly attached the end of the screw to the dog in front of it. This limits my travel to only a couple inches, but I've drill two dog holes in the vise to compensate for the overall lack of travel. I've seen other versions of this that allow the screw to move in and out of the bench, but all I could
imagine was me running into it on the way to my plane cabinet. Not good.

So that's about it. I'm still working on my old bench to see what I can do to make it more stable and still able to move when I need to pack it up (for future reference). It will be some kind of monster by the time I'm done playing with it. Also if I find a new vise idea, I can easily try it out there first, and for now, it makes a great assembly table or extra work surface when I need it. I enjoy making them a whole lot more than buying them, that's for sure. Until then!

Josh

And the Winner is....

So here I am, minding my own business, and what do I receive?

A picture of three saw benches, descending in size, made my younger brother and his two very fine sons! I think they are trying to show their Uncle up! Shoot, it took me two tries to get mine right, and here they are building 3 good benches at the same time! Frustating...just plain frustrating...

Good job boys!

My last visit with my family included building a trebuchet out of PVC and a spring pole lathe, which was an outstanding couple of days. I can't wait to see what the next trip brings!

Seeing my brother with his boys working with their hands brings me hope that not everyone in this world would just stare at me in confusion if I asked for some help and handed them a hammer...

Cleaning and Now Blocked

It was really good to be back in the shop this weekend after being sick for a little over a week. It felt good. Looking around I realized that I really needed to do some cleaning and some reorganization. The recent influx of some good hardwood from a garage sale and some off-cuts from the last project really made a mess of the shop.

My original bench was covered with a mix of 4/4 stock: cherry, maple, walnut, and some pine. Most of the boards were a mix of 4-10" wide and almost all at least 24-36" long. Not bad for $15. Oh, and (2) 24" Kreg T tracks and the vise clamps, with a clamping Kreg pocket hole jig...for the same $15. Good for me!

So now I had to put it all away. I'm still working on a good method for short stock storage, so a more neat and permanent method would have to wait. For now, my "ladder" frame storage will have to do. That project will have to be a design that takes up almost no space, but can still keep it all organized, out of the way, and makes my pieces easy to find and remove; something I sorely lack today.

Most of my tool storage on the wall behind my bench is about 90% complete, so moving my tools to their rightful places was fairly simple as almost everything already had a home and was in its place.

Unfortunately, I also have 2 buckets of wood "stuff". It's a mix of everything that is really too short to put on a rack and would normally be considered "useless". I, however, hate cutting off a 1" pc for a spacer or something from a perfectly good 4' plank. Sadly, it also means I wind up with a ton of junk that may take me another 30 years to find it all a purpose. Some paring down was definitely needed
here.

So after a small bit of effort, I now have both my work surfaces cleared and ready to work. Just in time, too. My buddy--who is lucky enough to be heading to the Baja 1000 this coming week--needed a quick peg board tool storage rack for the tools they'll need at their pit. Nothing fancy, but
it was fun to actually work with a couple other people around for a change!

Now it's time to figure out the next project. I'm stumped on that one for now...

The Drama of Workbenches

When discussing first projects for a beginner, many books, articles, and discussion pages will tell you that a workbench is a good first project. There seem to be several reasons for this. One reason is there is a lot of work that goes into a workbench. You’ll get plenty of practice in sawing, making different style of joints, and finish a project that you should be able to use for years to come. You'll also now have a nice flat surface on which to perform all future work. Always useful, right? Sure, but I still have some doubts, having done this myself.

What I’m not sure about, however, is whether or not this is actually a good first major project. Sure, it’s in your shop and it’s for you alone, so that eases some of the pressure, but similar to my post on tools, how can you know what you really want if you've never really used one before? How can you know what features and work holding types will benefit you the most? Will you use clamps or holdfasts? Both? What are the usual ways you like to clamp? What type of end vise or face vise do you like better? Do you want a planing stop? Is it going to be moved around in your shop? What type of woodworking projects do you like to do? All hand tools? Power tools? A mix? Do you want a work of art in your shop that you'll wail about if you gouge it with a chisel or are you willing/wanting to beat the snot out of it and just say "oops..."?

It was definitely an enjoyable project for me and you will never hear me deny that one bit. It took a lot of time and my offshoot design didn’t use any bolts or screws, but tusked tenons instead, so that I could take it apart and move it more easily when I moved to a new home. It was a great build, and I truly learned a lot and enjoyed the time.

It was great practice and I have gotten a lot of use out of it, but after a year I realized it wasn't right for me. It’s not beefy enough--t didn’t necessarily slide around the shop, but it also didn’t have the mass I wanted. In my almost exclusive hand tool woodworking, I personally just like a rock solid bench. Most people it may not bother, but it wasn't for me.

The vises I chose I stripped off and have since been testing different styles of face vises for the last several months. I don’t like the bars in the way on a traditional English face vise. I love the twin screw vises, but at times I was limited by size or the number of hands I had available, making it a slow process. I like using holdfasts. I don’t need or want my top to look like swiss cheese. I like the top around 16-20” deep. I like a tool well, but not for tool storage. It’s a good place to put my rags, sanding blocks, and little pieces of scrap wood for my holdfasts and vises out of my way (I like making my mice comfortable). Height was good at 32". Thickness of the top was good. I don't like a crud collector (shelf) under the bench.

I still love my original bench and it can still do everything that I need it to do. There were just too many things that I just wanted to change about it after working on it for a year. In most respects, I don't believe the problem was as much the design of my bench, but the skills available to me at the time. My laminated top could have gone a whole lot better. It was twisted and had a few gaps. The grain didn't all run in the same direction which makes flattening a pain. The slight movement of the bench during planing is from my choice of joints, but I'll actually be fixing that in the near future. It's also just a tad light, but it's darn close to being just right. I chose vises that didn't meet my personal preferences for work holding, but that isn't the benches fault--I didn't know what was out there.

The tusked tenons actually worked really well. I've taken the bench apart a couple times in the past year or so and it sets up really easy. The holdfast holes and round dog holes were excellent. I could have laid them out better from the beginning, but what did I know?

That was the big problem. I didn't know. I did a lot of research, a couple months actually, but didn't know what to look for or what I needed. I wanted a cool bench that I designed, and that's exactly what I did, and with what I thought was good, and I still think it was, (for me at the time)....but that was about 30 projects ago and a whole lot of practice between.

So, either way, I've built a new bench with a completely different design. It's not a great work of art, but it does incorporate my own work holding style. It's definitely not a Ruobo, though that could be in my future as the Ruobo does seem to match my simple style for the most part. The new one fit my budget and is a tool that meets my needs. Who knows, knowing me I'll start modifying the design even further as I evolve as a woodworker, or just because I want to try something out, but oh well, that's just another part of who I am.

Well that's way too much for one evening, so I'll have to show the new bench in the near future ;)

Josh