Hi, my name is Charlie Kocourek. I designed and built the bench in the You Tube video posted in this thread, and I am flattered that to see a discussion about it on this forum! I call it the Jack Bench because it has two scissors jacks built into it. The first one is used to elevate the bench top and the second one is used to pick the bench up onto a mobile base. I think the adjustable height feature has many advantages, especially in a small shop. The built in mobile base is really great if your shop is in a garage or any time you have to move it around.
I did a lot of research before building this and if I could have found a design that I liked better I probably would have used it before I spent the time to develop my own. Then again, maybe not! Designing this was actually kind of fun so even if I did find one that I liked I still might have built my own!
I am familiar with the Noden and the ECE designs. Both of them are very clever and is seems like people like them, but they are very expensive and like Michael said, there are always compromises. I think weight and mass are good things in a workbench and of these two designs, I like the ECE much better because you don't have to physically lift the bench up and down.
Some of the criteria that I had when I designed this were:
? It had to be very solid and sturdy with no wobbling around no matter what!
? It had to have lots of versatility for holding and clamping and I also wanted access to the bottom of the bench top
? The adjustable height mechanism had to be quick and easy to use
? It had to be mobile and the mobility also had to be hassle free
Basically, all the important criteria were all about function and ease of use.
There are opportunities for storage under and on the sides of the bench, but I kept going back to my main criteria and the real reasons for wanting a great work bench.
In my case I can only have one workbench. There is just not enough room in my basement shop for more than one bench so any bench I have must suit all circumstances.
I first thought about building an adjustable height bench because I like to do a little woodcarving and I would get a backache when carving at a standard bench height. So, I want the bench higher for those kinds of projects. Sometimes higher is also better for detail work like inlays and that sort of thing.
I asked around and those people who actually have adjustable height benches all seemed to agree that it is a worthwhile feature.
Another thing that got me thinking about variable height was that my previous bench was a few inches higher than my table saw. Well, with my limited space the bench and the saw are not very far away from each other. So, anytime I had to cut a long board the bench got in the way. With the adjustable height feature I can lower the bench to match the saw and that saves a lot of hassle and in my case it also functions as an infeed table.
This is also great for people who share their shop with a spouse, children, or anyone else who is either much taller or much shorter than they are. It can be lowered down enough to use it for an assembly table, and is great for people with back problems.
I want to apologize for the problems with my website. It is back up and running now, but there are still a lot of things I want to add to it. I hope I am better at woodworking than I am at websites!
Since this is the Festool Owner's Group I do have to mention that my Domino saved the day for me when I was attaching the aprons to the top!
Charlie Kocourek
