[Bertha]

I plan on building one into mine only because it looks cool, lol. I can't think of a time where the leg vise and deadman couldn't handle it on their own. Maybe for dovetailing? I would think the crochet and the leg vise TOGETHER would really give you a solid grip. I'm more worried with the placement of the planing jack near the leg vise. I think I'll put mine more toward the shoulder/wagon, away from the nutbusting leg vise handle, lol.

 

[Bertha]

^Mauricio, you don't have to remove the leg vise to use the crochet, as the base of the leg vise can be extended outward greater than the capacity of the crochet. I always thought of it as a location to "bury" the end of a piece so the leg vise and the crochet could grab it in a "two point" grip. However, the deadman and the leg vise could probably handle most tasks.

 

[Bertha]

^Mauricio, I'm just guessing, as I don't have either, lol. I think with a dog in the deadman and the leg vise racked out, the crochet could probably quickly hold a piece for edge work (without the 2×4, for example). I'd worry about the crochet marring the piece if you really rammed it home. I'm not sure. My favorite bench around here is one side of Carter's Whittling's bench. I like Smitty's bench a lot, too. I can't wait to build mine.

 

[Bertha]

mmmmm….benchcrafted…..mmmmm

 

[Bertha]

^Lysdexic, I'm not a fan of the split tops or the breakdowns either. However, I think I'll split my top by about an inch to allow for movement. I'm planning on hard maple, nothing fancy. I plan on building one bench for the remainder of my hobby life. Like Smit suggests, I'm going to build it as one big rectangle, everything flush. If I've got to move stuff around in the future, I simply will. I plan to put a shoulder on one corner and a wagon on the diagonal opposite.

 

[Bertha]

Lysdexic, that's because you prefer slender, yet decidingly male legs. I don't mind the stretcher part so much. I'm also imagining sliding a clamp into the gap, whether or not I actually would. Although not a fanboy, Swartz's bench comes pretty close to the mark for me. I just require a giant shoulder and a thicker thick. Mine won't be terribly long but amazingly thick; but you already know that about me

 

[Bertha]

^YES!!!!!

 

[Bertha]

^I'd love to go with beech, but alas….$$$