I just found this link and thought it would help some of you out in finding plans to build your bench http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=7ee58e526600f138dbf165eb2d9687bb&ct=mdcc

 

I already settled on my big workbench and the wood is on its way the little bench here is one I a, thinking on making 2 of for hand sawing I would like some input from you guys if this is good for ripping boards or do i need to keep looking

 

Here's a nice one from Fine Woodworking

 

Someone here built this one, I don't remember who. I like the storage and the t-tracks.

 

Dude I am fixing to get into the design of my bench and I am glad you have started this thread. This will be helpful and informative.

 

A suggestion for your saw bench Dude, make a 1.5" void down the length of your saw bench so you can rip a board.

There was a great one on Festool Talk I think, but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep looking though.

 

Randy are you making one of these or do you already have your bench made up or is it still in the planning phase

I am still in the looking phase but this one looked good but your right i do need to be able to rip on the bench I hope it is not a huge problem to resolve i would like to find a working design rather than trying to re discover the wheel.

 

thanks Dave I hope we get a ton of Ideas in one place this will be good for a lot of LJs and I hope it helps people out a great deal including my self i had no idea that i would have to make more than one bench i had no plans of using hand saws on a regular basis a year ago i was all about my power tools and I still love my power tools but hand tools are a lot of fun and they are a great hobby to restore them I have been ionto hand planes for a while because they are a great way to avoid sanding and i hate sanding

 

There are many reasons for using hand tools. The biggest to me is mark your line and get after it. There is no set up or test runs. Your hands and eyes are the best instruments there is.

 

I trust my hands but my eyes are failing me more than i want to admit and i work hard to keep my hgba1c down so i don't loose my vision but just getting old sure has cost me vision I mean damn

Another thing for sure if your going to be serious about hand tool use you have to be serious about a big bench and it has to have really good vises and other ways to hold a board in place for planing and sawing and gluing and more planing and god forbid sanding and on and on and I really have to get my bench done soon

 

I have searched the LJ SIte and have decided to post several links to some great benches and blogs on this site and hope you will all join in and post them in here Like This fine Bench From a friend on the LJ site Or If you Guys Want to share your bench but are to shy to post your bench as a workbench of your dreams pm me and send me your blog info or your bench as a project location so I can add them to this thread it will help people have one place to find the best benches here on LJ So with that said I will post Brandons Bench it is a lovely bench That I almost gave up my Plans to copy this instead YOU did a great job on this Brandon Thanks for posting the project



Here Is Another Nice Bench I love this split top myself What do you guys think



And this one is very cool and may be your dream bench it is a modern look and is very cool



Here Is tradition but the author promises a twist



Here Is horizontal mikes take of the 21st century bench i will be building check it out its set up for a left hander it really is a nice job

 

Thanks for the comments Dude. Sorry I couldn't persuade you to build a Roubo. ;-)

 

Dude, my bench is a work in progress. I have looked at every workbench on this site and several others. I saw many I like, just none I wanted to copy. I am building without a plan, just making it up as I go along. I guarantee you've never seen one like it, I don't even know what it will turn out like. The main part of the bench was ready to work off of in a couple of days. I've been adding to and modifying it ever since. It started out functional, cheap, and ugly. It served it's purpose, I didn't care if it was pretty or not. I've added a lot since then and even prettied it up a little. Today, I'm trying to finish my t-tracks while I figure out my leg vise. While I'm doing that, I'll try to figure out my home-made twin screw tail vise. I'll post some pictures in a few days, when I knock some more ugly out of it.

 

Really nice benches…

I'm still going to do the New Fangled Workbench, by John White, FWW

LOL

 

your welcome Brandon, you sure have a nice bench and i will envy it always. I just feel the 21st century bench or the lang bench as I am calling it meets my needs more at this time. I like all the support holes and stuff that are fixed in place, one major change I am making in my bench is the tops will be 4 inches thick instead of the 3 inches that are in the plans. this will raise the bench height up a bit for me and will have more mass and a beefier look. It looks good in my drawings. I am going to have my friend do it in sketch up, so i can post the modifications. I am also thinking of adding a 3rd vise to it maybe a pattern makers vise maybe a leg vise like the shaker and your bench. i don't see the point in not utilizing the back half of the bench. Are you making anything on that lovely bench Brandon have you got to use your vises and hold fasts yet ?

 

Only made a few small stuff on the bench since I haven't had much shop time-- really busy with school at the moment. I'm ordering some Gramercy holdfasts which I've tested in the bench and work well. The Jorgensens didn't take a hold in my bench so I returned them.

I like the idea of a patternmaker's vise-it would certainly be a luxury! Keep us updated on your plans once they sketchup file is made.

 

I am beginning to think this was not as good an idea as everyone thought I havent had a post all day on this thread and i thought everyone wanted a workbench are there no dreamers anymore

 

I posted some comments, drawings and photos of the bench I built
about 15 years ago. I didn't have a lot of tools at the time bit the
bench has served well and is heavy and rigid enough for hand planing
and mortising. Massive Roubo-type benches are handsome to be
sure, but such mass is overkill for stresses of most furniture making
work on a bench. It's a question of where you want to put your
time and your wood I reckon.

My main bench:
http://lumberjocks.com/Loren/blog/27597

I currently have a second bench, an antique Skandinavian type,
which is pretty cool but the trestle design with tusk tenons
is nowhere near as solid as the truss-rod base in my main bench.

 

Dude, just a note on your saw bench plan. I built this one and don't like it for ripping. The splayed legs get in the way. I do like it for sharpening. I sit on it and place a stone pond on a no-slip mat with two stones.

 

Its a funny thing about work benches (I am on my 6th version). It is an evolution with many revisions. So far, nothing has survived though the process, the current legs and their bolts have lived the most - 4 versions .

Someday, when I get the space, I expect to have 3-4 benches for different jobs. There is no "one" bench that does it all unless it is 12' long - maybe 18'. Hmm, which part will have drawers, how many vises, here we go again--

Dude - lets face it, for the non production workshop, there are so many "dream" options out there, what fits to your style of work is very unique, and it changes as much as you do.

In my "dream" bench, I want small drawers, some large drawers, a pull out tray for scraps, metal vise, a couple of wood vises, tail vise, holes for dogs, oh so many options - I want them all. Will I get it? Who knows.

 

I asked bob lang for a photo of his bench he has not even replied it has been a week so the only photo i have seen is mikes and it is backwards for me I have also decided to make my top 4 inches thick insted of three it will add some mass to the bench i dont want it to be too light

 

I love looking at nice benches. They are artwork in their own right.
As for me though, I don't want one.
I work on an old table I picked up from the curb in someone's garbage. I took it home to my shop and throwed two pieces of particle board on it. When that wore out, I put some more on top of that. I'll be adding to that soon, as the second layer is getting pretty bad. I like it though that it is crap.
On my "workbench", I abuse the hell out of it. For that reason, if I built a nice bench, I would never abuse it the way I do my old garbage found work table. I hammer on it. Paint on it. Write measurements on it. Sand those off and mark more measurements on it. I drill holes right in the middle of it and clamp stuff to it. I mean I really abuse that thing. If it ever truly tears up beyond repair, I'll start looking on the side of roads for another one to use.

In the meantime, as I said, I love looking at benches. So I wanted to join this thread so I can admire all of ya'll's benches.

 

Well, here is my bench. I'm not done with it, but you'll get the idea. I promise you've never seen another one like it. I used some ideas from other benches and just made a lot of it up. I know it is ugly, but I built it out of used furniture. Most of it was even free.

It is made of parts from three desks, a bookcase, an oak day bed, an old pine water bed frame, and some 2×4's. The main part of the bench only took a couple of days to put together.

It's still ugly but it's getting there.

 

The starting point????

Found an old "Bodkin Point" style arrow head in one of these. End grain shot, anyone??

Pole Barn's owner just re-decked his trailer with NEW 2×12s, and left the old ones in the barn. Maybe i could talk him out of some to make a top????

 

Hopefully, after tonight's progress, I'll be posting my "workbench" of my dreams very soon….