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Work bench smack down

513631 Views 18429 Replies 422 Participants Last post by Admin, Jan 23, 2019

NANeanderthal

Discussion Starter · Nov 4, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

After a comment on my bench about a bench off, I thought its a great idea. There all the threads about planes, braces, powertools of your dreams, etc. How about it on benches.
Pic of your bench or one you are going to buy or build and Why its best. The topic should provide some info for the woodworking getting ready to build or buy as well as give us a place to gloat.
Plus even though I'm not building another bench, I still love looking at others.

UPDATE
I haven't been on in a while but I just seen a pm when i got on today. It appears the tag "smackdown" is being added to the benches shown here, so you can click here and see em all.

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1881 - 1900 of 18430 Posts

mochoa

· #1,881 · Oct 15, 2012

Aint nothing wrong with Scotts bench!

I love workbench talk, makes me smile every time I see the notification that there is a comment on this thread. ;-)

carguy460

· #1,882 · Oct 15, 2012

Mauricio - what are the leg dimensions on your splayed leg bench?

mochoa

· #1,883 · Oct 15, 2012

Mine are about 5.5" x 3.5" but my bench is 6' long. Works for me, I have a 8' osb and 2×4 bench now and 2' of it is always covered with crap that doesn't have a spot. So effectively its only 6' and it works.

lysdexic

· #1,884 · Oct 15, 2012

You know if I were to make a new bench, say for a friend, I would strongly advise them to go with 6×6 SYP posts. OMG, that would simplify things. You would definitely need help during the milling process though.

mochoa

· #1,885 · Oct 15, 2012

2

Wood Table Tool Hardwood Flooring

I'm thinking an 8/4 Leg vise chop looks a little on the skinny side. I'm thinking of laminating 2 8/4 walnut boards. Maby just go to 3" thick?

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lysdexic

· #1,886 · Oct 15, 2012

Mauricio, I consider my leg vise absurdly thick and I think it is 8/4". I check this evening. It is a laminate however.

lysdexic

· #1,887 · Oct 15, 2012

2

Well, I take that back. I think I starte3d with 2 6/4 boards 9" wide. By the time they were milled and laminated it was 10/4 thick.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Flooring Plank

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mochoa

· #1,888 · Oct 15, 2012

6

I like the way yours looks, also the shapping makes it look lighter.

I like the look of some of these antique chops.

Table Wood Floor Hardwood Workbench

Wood Engineering Machine Machine tool Auto part

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Door Varnish

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bhog

· #1,889 · Oct 15, 2012

Guys ,you should be able to go to your local lumberyard (where a reputable builder would go) and get SYP.I could not imagine building anything decent with the lumber I have seen at my local lowes.

mochoa

· #1,890 · Oct 15, 2012

well that last one is a childs bench so not the best example.

mochoa

· #1,891 · Oct 15, 2012

This is what I found in Atlanta:

randall brothers 888-711-7971
4"x6"x15' syp $16.52
6"x6"x8' $14.44

I never went to check it out in person but those prices are dirt cheap!

Boatman53

· #1,892 · Oct 15, 2012

For what it is worth the legs on my little bench are 3×5". The chop is 5" wide and a full 2" thick. Just another consideration a thicker chop will use up some screw length, so if the screw is a short one like the new LN or it looks like the BenchCrafted is pretty short too, it is that much less usable clamping distance. It may not matter for some people's work but it was an important consideration to me.

mochoa

· #1,893 · Oct 15, 2012

Good point Jim, I should have a pretty long screw since I'm making my own (fingers crossed).... Worked on a new thread cutting jig last night.

Also that bevel at the top becomes more important for sawing small pieces and the whole thing sticks out further which kind of gets in the way when planning.

By the way how DO you spell Planning, the actual using of a hand plane? Is it planing, planning, planeing? Spell checker doesnt now what I'm trying to say!

Brit

· #1,894 · Oct 15, 2012

One 'n'

mochoa

· #1,895 · Oct 15, 2012

One 'n' no e? Thanks! I'll add it to my dictionary.

lysdexic

· #1,896 · Oct 15, 2012

planing

lysdexic

· #1,897 · Oct 15, 2012

Can we talk plane stops?

As I was working on my gap stop I realized I need to come up with a strategy for a plane stop. At 8 feet it obvious exceeded my capacity. I ended up clamping a board to the end but the metal part of the clamp stuck up above the work piece - not good.

Jim, if I remember correctly, don't you have a slotted plane stop bolted to the end grain?

Tolpin put one of these on his bench.

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AnthonyReed

· #1,898 · Oct 15, 2012

^ that is a bench hook for sawing, no?

mochoa

· #1,899 · Oct 15, 2012

Yeah thats for sawing. Jim has a couple of rectangular once morticed into the top. The advantage is that you can hold any thickness of board. I like the one Jim Toplin makes in the New Traditional Woodworker that is a thin board with a cleat that clamps in the vise. The only problem will be if you have a thinner board to plane.

I saved the link to Boatman's bench pics. Check them out.
http://s1135.photobucket.com/albums/m628/boatman53/workbench/?action=view&current=6b66922b.jpg

Boatman53

· #1,900 · Oct 15, 2012

Thanks Mauricio, you beat me to them. Actually I transferred one photo, went back for another and my post disappeared. It is nice having the stops set in from the end of the bench so the vise does not get in the way. If the planing stop was at the end of the bench and the board was say two feet long the vise would force me to stand further away from the bench/work. I also have a row of dog holes at the back edge of the solid top so I can capture a board for diagonal planing.

1881 - 1900 of 18430 Posts

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