My Woodworking Bench

[Frank Pellow]

Some of us got off topic in the Home Made  Sysports thread and started discussing traditional woodworking benches.  I  even received some valuable information there that helped me to make a decision about the bench that I just completed (thanks again butzla).

So I  thought I would start a thread here about my bench.  I just completed it a couple of days ago.  Here are a couple of pictures:

[attachthumb=#1]  [attachthumb=#2]

A few facts:

- Bench top made of hard maple (most of which I obtained free from a neighbour)

- Base cabinet made from Baltic birch plywood with maple trim and a little bit of MDF and hardboard

- The maple parts are finished with three hand-rubbed coats of polymerized Tung Oil and the plywood parts are finished with two coats of Spar Urethane

- I planned the bench myself ?with some inspiration from Shopnotes and from my friend Rick Thom

- It took just about a year of elapsed time to build

- Dimensions:  88 cm high by 60 cm wide by 165 cm long (that?s approximately 34.5 inches by 23.5 inches by 64 inches)

- Weight of the top: 68 kilos (or about 150 pounds)

- Weight of the base (when empty): 125 kilos (or about 275 pounds)

- The bench is mobile, which is very important to me in my small shop, but, when the castors are locked, it is very solid and stable

I covered the construction of this bench in two very long and picture filled threads on the Canadain Woodworking forum.  The links there are:http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16233 andhttp://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20893

You will see, if you glance at those  threads,  just how much I use all of my Festool tools on a typical project.

 

[JJ Wavra]

Beautiful bench I could definately use something like that.

excellent,
Jeff

 

[nickao]

Wish I had time to make something like that, sweet!

 

[semenza]

Frank,

    I like the way you put storage for the clamps, dogs, and hold downs set into the side. Completely out of the way but completely accessible. Nice.  Is the "red end" metal tool drawers?  If so I was wondering if you chose them over making wood ones like the rest in the bench for a particuilar reason?

Seth

 

[Christian A.]

Hi Frank,

as usual: great job and excellent documentation. I really enjoyed watching you building your workbench step-by-step (from planing the boards to applying the finish).

Let me assure you that I don't want to sound like a know-it-all but this photo makes me feel concerned.
Did you "lock down" the ATF 55 only in order to show that more cutting depth would have been handy or did you also use the saw "locked-down"?
Don't you own a TS 75? If yes, why didn't you use?
From my experiences with this blade, the 160 mm dia 48 teeth blade is not the best blade for cross-cutting 50 mm (?) thick hardwood.

Regards,

Christian

 

[Frank Pellow]

Hi Frank,

as usual: great job and excellent documentation. I really enjoyed watching you building your workbench step-by-step (from planing the boards to applying the finish).

Let me assure you that I don't want to sound like a know-it-all but this photo makes me feel concerned.
Did you "lock down" the ATF 55 only in order to show that more cutting depth would have been handy or did you also use the saw "locked-down"?
Don't you own a TS 75? If yes, why didn't you use?
From my experiences with this blade, the 160 mm dia 48 teeth blade is not the best blade for cross-cutting 50 mm (?) thick hardwood.

Regards,

Christian

Thanks Christian.

I only locked down the saw for the picture.

I now own a TS75 (and no longer own an ATF55) - but I didn't own it when I made the cut shown in the picture.

You are correct that the blade that I used was not the ideal blade for the cut.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Frank,

    I like the way you put storage for the clamps, dogs, and hold downs set into the side. Completely out of the way but completely accessible. Nice.  Is the "red end" metal tool drawers?  If so I was wondering if you chose them over making wood ones like the rest in the bench for a particuilar reason?

Seth

Thanks.  I was particularly happy when I thought of doing the storage for the clamps etc the way that I did.  I have not seen that done by anyone else.

Yes the red end is metal tool drawers.  These ones come from Lee Valley and I have several banks of them all over the shop.  I used them because I like them, because I had some drawers already in stock in my shop, because it was very easy and fast to install thyem, and because I am not a purist so every part of my bench need not be made by me.

 

[poto]

Gorgeous bench, Frank. I'm curious how you applied the spar urethane - did you brush it on, or spray it? I used spar urethane on (of all things) a dog-bowl holder, and was disappointed in the brush marks. Even after 10-15 coats with sanding in between...

Poto

P.S. Is Rick Thom the son of Ron Thom, the (now sadly passed on) architect? Ron was a good friend of my parents...

 

[Frank Pellow]

Gorgeous bench, Frank. I'm curious how you applied the spar urethane - did you brush it on, or spray it? I used spar urethane on (of all things) a dog-bowl holder, and was disappointed in the brush marks. Even after 10-15 coats with sanding in between...

Poto

P.S. Is Rick Thom the son of Ron Thom, the (now sadly passed on) architect? Ron was a good friend of my parents...

Thanks for the compliment Poto. 

Sorry about your problem with the spar urethane.  I just went out to the shop and double checked the spar urethane finish on the Baltic birch portions of the bench and I can't see any brush marks (even under very strong light).  The brand I used was Minwax Helmsman.

I believe that Rick's father was a farmer, not an architect.  I can tell you that Rick was raised in Aylmer Ontario.

 

[poto]

Thanks for the brand name on the urethane, Frank. I'll give it a shot if I ever build something that needs to be fairly waterproof.

Rick Thom must be from a different branch of the Thom clan - Ron lived in Toronto. You're lucky to have a Lee Valley nearby - I go there every time I visit my folks. Those Veritas products are pretty thoughtfully made.

 

[butzla]

Love the bench, Frank!  Are the benchtop holes 19mm?  I mean can you use Festool hold downs with them?  I want to make a similar bench, I have Veritas Traditonal Bench Plans and I bought the vises like 9-10 years ago, I figure it's about time.  The plans call for square holes but was thinking of adding some round holes (in addition to square holes) in the field or even some t-track for hold downs .  Would that be sacrilige?  I thought it would be nice for domino or sanding while the MFT is set up for crosscutting or routing.
sToolman (artist formerly known as butzla)
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5325&filter=t-track

 

[Frank Pellow]

Love the bench, Frank!  Are the benchtop holes 19mm?  I mean can you use Festool hold downs with them?  I want to make a similar bench, I have Veritas Traditonal Bench Plans and I bought the vises like 9-10 years ago, I figure it's about time.  The plans call for square holes but was thinking of adding some round holes (in addition to square holes) in the field or even some t-track for hold downs .  Would that be sacrilige?  I thought it would be nice for domino or sanding while the MFT is set up for crosscutting or routing.
sToolman (artist formerly known as butzla)
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5325&filter=t-track

Thanks.

The holes are 3/4 inch (about 19 mm) and most of the hardware that I use in them is Veritas.  I haven't tried any of my Festool hardware yet.

I don't think it would be a sacrilige to embed some t-track.  I might even do that some day with my bench.

 

[johne]

Very nice bench, if i had one like it i wouldn't use it much. I d be affraid to mess it up

 

[Frank Pellow]

Very nice bench, if i had one like it i wouldn't use it much. I d be affraid to mess it up

Thanks.  My wife says the same thing about the finish on the bench -but the great thing about poylmerized Tung oil is that you just have to rub on some more to fix up damaged areas.