Many thanks to the Festool Owners Group, particularly Timtool Festool sysport workbench where I picked up some worthwhile ideas. First let me say that I have a small shop and have almost all my tools and benches on wheels so that I can move them around as a project demands. I am more into power tools than hand tools and very much like the Roubo design but don’t really have room for a 7’ or 8’ bench - particularly if it isn’t easily moved.
Having built and used Joshua Finn's torsion box workbench (Fine Woodworking Tools & Shops 2008) which is two torsion boxes 9" wide on sawhorses, I discovered workbenches don't necessarily need to be deep! I store the torsion boxes on end so they don’t take up a lot of room. Use them now primarily to cut sheet goods.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/30117/a-workbench-anybody-can-build
My design objectives for this workbench/sysport were as follows:
provide additional bench space to my Festool MFT 1080 which is mounted on a wheeled cabinet
use Timtool’s method of making a workbench double as a Sysport
make MDF top and front and back rails easily replaceable
(has internal frame - MDF top held with unglued dominoes)
provide material support to right side of my Kapex CMS
Bench size: 158 mm x 46 mm x 90 mm high (height same as Festool MFT/3)
attach workbench shelf to wall instead of workbench which will allow me to move the bench away from the wall if I want to work from both sides (no wheels this fixture)
provide t-tracks on front & back rails to accommodate Festool clamps and jigs
provide storage and better access to Festool Systainers
(shelf false-wall has storage behind for sheet goods)
enchance my clamping capability by including an end-vise (Veritas Twin Screw)
Keep top flush with legs to improve clamping capability on the front
elected not to have a front vise. Have ordered a Moxon portable vise
http://www.benchcrafted.com/MoxonVise.html
first project using all metric
provide a sloping dust cover below top to direct dust and droppings to the back instead of the top shelf! (pull-out scrap bin under shelf helps to retrieve screws that drop thru!)
[attachimg=1]
It's a mixture of red & white oak due primarily to wood that I had on hand (white oak is from a tree on my property)
No plans - just an Excel worksheet with height and width dimensions (“Made it all out my head and still had wood left over” - source unknown)
Right most drawer on top shelf is another FOG idea - cutlery type drawer
I am already finding what a pleasure it is to be able to remove a tool from it's systainer and then just slide the shelf back w/o having to find a place to set the systainer down, thereby taking away bench space.
Kreg fence is hinged with fastener on back to lift upright off bench when non it use.
[attachimg=2]
Having built and used Joshua Finn's torsion box workbench (Fine Woodworking Tools & Shops 2008) which is two torsion boxes 9" wide on sawhorses, I discovered workbenches don't necessarily need to be deep! I store the torsion boxes on end so they don’t take up a lot of room. Use them now primarily to cut sheet goods.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/30117/a-workbench-anybody-can-build
My design objectives for this workbench/sysport were as follows:
provide additional bench space to my Festool MFT 1080 which is mounted on a wheeled cabinet
use Timtool’s method of making a workbench double as a Sysport
make MDF top and front and back rails easily replaceable
(has internal frame - MDF top held with unglued dominoes)
provide material support to right side of my Kapex CMS
Bench size: 158 mm x 46 mm x 90 mm high (height same as Festool MFT/3)
attach workbench shelf to wall instead of workbench which will allow me to move the bench away from the wall if I want to work from both sides (no wheels this fixture)
provide t-tracks on front & back rails to accommodate Festool clamps and jigs
provide storage and better access to Festool Systainers
(shelf false-wall has storage behind for sheet goods)
enchance my clamping capability by including an end-vise (Veritas Twin Screw)
Keep top flush with legs to improve clamping capability on the front
elected not to have a front vise. Have ordered a Moxon portable vise
http://www.benchcrafted.com/MoxonVise.html
first project using all metric
provide a sloping dust cover below top to direct dust and droppings to the back instead of the top shelf! (pull-out scrap bin under shelf helps to retrieve screws that drop thru!)
[attachimg=1]
It's a mixture of red & white oak due primarily to wood that I had on hand (white oak is from a tree on my property)
No plans - just an Excel worksheet with height and width dimensions (“Made it all out my head and still had wood left over” - source unknown)
Right most drawer on top shelf is another FOG idea - cutlery type drawer
I am already finding what a pleasure it is to be able to remove a tool from it's systainer and then just slide the shelf back w/o having to find a place to set the systainer down, thereby taking away bench space.
Kreg fence is hinged with fastener on back to lift upright off bench when non it use.
[attachimg=2]
