So I've been wanted to build a woodworking bench. I've watched the Paul Sellers and most of the Wrangkerstar. Then I saw a few of the guys bench builds in here. I want to do the mortise and tenon joints but haven't had much experience with them. I figured I'd need a mallet to use with the chisel, so I made a mallet with a mortis and tenon handle. I need a lot more practice but this is what I came up with.
Good start Shurdel Shawn Curry did a bench build thread not too long ago, as well as Garry Polmateer, and don't forget to search the excellent bench featured by bogydave.
FWIW I've been unbelievably happy with my bench. I made one mistake, and that's mounting the vices "backwards". I put the face vice in the wrong corner. My long term fix will be to install a 2nd face vice on the other side of the bench exactly where I want it Very happy that I used commodity white pine - the thing has already been trashed by the projects I've done. If I had used some fancy wood - would have been a lot of $$ spent to have a trashed bench anyway. Best part and I can't speak highly enough was the dogging system and holdfasts. Make the bench 10x useful as you can hold anything, any way. I can dig up the vendor that I used, they were hand blacksmithed for about $50 each. Bought my vices on Ebay for about $60 each, 1970s Jorgensen. Weigh a ton, well made and $300 for a modern China equivalent. I personally like the tool well a lot. Makes it easy to "stash" stuff in there to have an easier time moving the work around. Some of my friends dislike them as they "get full of junk and are hard to clean". Of course they get full of junk, since I've been doing a lot of hand tool projects, I keep all the commonly used tools right in there and save HOURS of getting tools out and putting them away. I keep a handsaw, plane, chisels, marking implements, measure, holdfasts all in there at all times. Love it. Best of luck, and building the bench was a huge learning experience for me, and of course hte more I've learned, the more I realize I have a long road ahead of me to get "good" at woodworking, but with every piece of sawdust made, I'm loving it! Garry
Any pictures of your bench? I have vise to mount and when I build a bench. I was going to mount it to the right side. Why do you say you mounted yours wrong. Also deciding on the well, I'm thinking of leaving it out but not sure.
Being right handed, I realized having the bench room to the right of the vise is advantageous. I feel like I would prefer to have the work piece to the left of me along with making it easy to lay out tools to my right.
Nice looking bench! Did you use 2x6's for the top? How's you attach the top? Like I said, I watched the Paul Sellers videos. I'm not sure I'm going to do everything like he did, probably make some modifications. Also, I see what you mean about mounting the vise on the left and having tools to your right. I was thinking the right side would be better for clamping wood and using hand saws.
Yes all 2x6 but after planing etc I was left with 4.75ish. Top attached by lags from carriers on the legs and wedges to stop racking. Can grab a pic if it helps.
