I have just started the build of a lifetime I will be making 3 benches at once One for me one for my Uncle and one for who ever I can talk into it. I was able to get some wood for the build from John Ormsby thanks to Ken. I have close to 400 board feet of silver Maple crammed into my 3 car shop. The Work Has already began An I will be posting lots of stuff on the blog in the near future.

However this thread is not about my build alone it is about the most important hand tool the bench. The center of the shop. I know one of you guys has a tale to spin about your benches and a way to make this thread a hit is to involve everyone hand and power-tool users all need a bench is your bench ready for hand tool work as you discover the hand Plane and start planing is your bench up to the task at hand?

I have used the same bench for the last 15 years . I always knew I wanted a better vise but the vise didn't change my needs as much as a little scrub plane did. in only one use of the scrub plane my bench went on the inadequate tool list in a heartbeat. I was chasing my bench across the shop as it squeaked and screamed being pushed across the floor. It was a sad site to behold but on that day I made the decision to replace my bench and I wont rest till the new benches are finished and in use.

So the first step was education I read 15 books on building or about workbenches I don't think I missed one that is still in print and I read a few very old books as well as a bunch of delta grams on benches. The first thing I did was choose who to listen to and for that I turned to one of my favorite Authors Bob Lang Bob had a few years ago designed a bench he called the 21 century bench. I purchased his DVD after reading his article the DVD had a set of sketch up drawings and was easily modified to my needs. You will have your own. I chose bobs bench because it had a vise I already had chosen to use on it and it was based on a split top Roubo design. but sported a knock down design that is a must for me as I may move to Europe after my wife retires. And My Bench will come with me for sure.

After I settled on Bobs Bench I went through a phase of doubt Had I made a wise choice everyone seemed to be making benches with leg vises and I am one who likes to make the popular or right choice I then looked at how I would clamp things that I like to build. The bench I had chose first came back to me as the right way to clamp many of the things I liked to build I chose this bench not once but twice you will likely choose another style something that meets your needs. In my search for the best book on building a bench I ran across Chris Schwarz book and while I don't giver him much on experience I do think he is a great student of woodworking and this book read the best I suggest if your going to build a bench the first thing to do is  get both of Chris's books on benches. My critics will say I have sold out to Chris I assure you I have not I am simply rating the content of his book. In this case Chris has laid out a different way to evaluate your needs and desires for your bench it was this book the led me back to my first choice for a bench design. I know Chris is a hot commodity right now and that turns me off right away it may turn you off too however Chris has done one thing right he looked at what benches were like in the Heyday of hand work. When we used to Plane our wood by hand we needed a different bench than we did after the delta movement into home workshops .

Today I am a hybrid woodworker I love to use hand tools for fit and finish but I still size most of my wood on a table saw not with a panel saw or my Disston no 7 or 8.  I think as more mainstream woodworker learn about hand tools they will bring some of them into their tool bag and use them to make their projects. So this is where we are so far I am done with the ripping of several hundred board feet of wood and have my shop filled with clamps for the glue ups that will follow in the next few days . Would you please share your build with me and the rest of the readers as we go through my build together. Are you thinking of making your own  or have you already been here and done that. If you have share your story and lets here all about your bench post a photo or a hundred and lets see what your bench looks like tell us how you did it   till next time Cheers  

I have built quite a few benches for myself and for others. It is the most important tool in my shop. I am using a " Roubo" style currently and I love it. I blogged about the build on this site. Check it out. I look forward to seeing your progress. What kind of vises are you planning on using and how about some dimensions? My bench tops are always vert thick (at least 4 or 5 inches) and the added weight is invaluable. My bench only moves when I drag it around. It's around 350 lbs. I am planning a new bench now that I have a larger shop. I am thinking of a Shaker/ Roubo hybrid. Can't wait to see some pics of your progress. Everyone should have a solid bench.

 My Nicholson "English" planing bench is almost done.  Waiting on some parts for the wagon vise, some dogs, and MAYBE a finish for the top.   Leg vise will get some more work, mainly with the bottom edge.  Might even add some leather to the faces of that vise......Got an old leather nail bag that i don't use anymore.     So far. almost evrything in or on this bench was in the shop, just waiting on a useful project to do.    used the bench last night, as a staging ground for four planes i was working on.    I even took one for a test drive, jointing an edge on some working beech:Two others in the background were also worked over.     Union made!

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'and may the road raise up to meet ye'

I am going to have to build one soon Lance, my bench I have already outgrown, well I shouldn't say already. I have had it for 10 years, but when I built it, it was intended for power tools and assembly. Now that I have more into hand tools, I am finding it's weakness and short comings daily as I use it. I need vises, and I need drawers, and I need dogs, and all the other stuff. I'll be following your blog closely Lance, looking forward to it.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

More boring glueups today and worked on some lighting issues in the shop. The lights I desire are not in the budget at this time.

I glued up 3 sets of two boards the bench is available in the 3d locker on Google sketch up My bench will be as close to 8 feet long as the top comes out the plan was for 90 inches but i wont chop the top for no reason if the ends have flaws I will be cutting them off. I am still playing with the height of the bench and don't know how high i really want it I don't want to hurt my frail back anymore by bending down too much.Progress seems slow but i did get a gallon of tite bond III today it has become my favorite glue. Lowes had the pints for 8 dollars and the gallon for 23 I got a gallon and hope it will last till i am done with the bench build which I hope to be done in 4 more weeks with the first two benches the third will be a different style.See you guys tomorrow   

That Titebond III is great stuff Lance, longer open time for those tricky glue ups too!

Lance The Dude Granum said:

More boring glueups today and worked on some lighting issues in the shop. The lights I desire are not in the budget at this time.

I glued up 3 sets of two boards the bench is available in the 3d locker on Google sketch up My bench will be as close to 8 feet long as the top comes out the plan was for 90 inches but i wont chop the top for no reason if the ends have flaws I will be cutting them off. I am still playing with the height of the bench and don't know how high i really want it I don't want to hurt my frail back anymore by bending down too much.Progress seems slow but i did get a gallon of tite bond III today it has become my favorite glue. Lowes had the pints for 8 dollars and the gallon for 23 I got a gallon and hope it will last till i am done with the bench build which I hope to be done in 4 more weeks with the first two benches the third will be a different style.See you guys tomorrow   

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

I'm doing a search on Paul Sellers now, I love it when bench styles are named after folks!

Walter A said:

Why Silver Maple?

I'm building a version of the Paul Sellers Bench out of common dimension lumber which seems to be just right for his hand tool workshop.

But, that is because I need a bench of some kind to start with.  If I like it I'll make another out of Hardwood which will definitely outlast me.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Oh now that is a way cool site! Thanks for the link up!

Walter A said:

Paul has an UK School and now one in New York.

http://www.newlegacywoodworking.com

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

I just recently completed my first cradle to grave wood project and it happened to be a work bench. It's nothing fancy but it's mine and it's efficient!

I've always admired those slick sexy benches  but when ever I think maybe I want to build one I think of how I abuse the ones I have and decide that I'd just wreck it in short order.

Looking forward to seeing your documentation as you build these.

Yah I'll envy them .

So anyway I had to look up Robert Lang and  found this.

http://blip.tv/popular-woodworking-videos/workbench-workhorse-1211698

Nice bench.

I got in some  ways in the video   (at about 2:57) where he was using holdfasts on top of the bench.

Note he's been usuign some slick Veritas tools so he does spend money on good tools.

But to work the holdfasts what's he got?

A cheap-O flea market  hammer with a rubber handle steel tube and carpenter's mallet head to work the holdfasts.

I'd have expected a spendy wood mallet.

Not only a great site. But love the joinery on the building. Would truly love to take some course work in all areas of woodworking.

thanks for sharing

John Morris said:

Oh now that is a way cool site! Thanks for the link up!

Walter A said:

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Lookin great Jason!!! It may not be fancy, but it is very clean and pro looking, great work buddy!

Jason Ingraham said:

I just recently completed my first cradle to grave wood project and it happened to be a work bench. It's nothing fancy but it's mine and it's efficient!

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Ok guys and gals the top of the first bench was glued into pairs and and are all ready to be glued into the tops. each top is made up of 6 boards . two tops for each bench. This build is pretty exciting and I am very happy I am doing this for my self and one lucky owner who decides to buy the third bench. I have not yet set the price or decided if I am including the vises on the build. I can tell you that getting the 8 foot lengths of maple to match up and to stay flat is a chore. I am really happy that this build will progress tomorrow morning with the help of my friend bill who will assist in the spreading of the glue and the clamping of the tops I did a surprising thing even to myself being I am a tool snob. I went to harbor freight and purchased a dozen of the 30 inch blue clamps they sell they were on sale for 4 dollars a clamp and i took all they had in that length. I am desporate for more clamps and used bills HF  clamps on some of the other glueups. I was shocked about the clamps they dont clamp with the force of my Kbody Bessey clamps but they are no slouch for the noney. Youi know the old rule you can never have too many clamps so IO know I will be buying a grand worth of bessey clamps in a few weeks but I had to wait till I got this set of benches done to free up some cash for more tools and I cant violate my woodworking budget rule of 80 percent spent on wood and 20 on tools. Tomorrow I will do the top big glue ups and photos will be posted tomorrow. Lance 

John Morris said:

Lookin great Jason!!! It may not be fancy, but it is very clean and pro looking, great work buddy!

Jason Ingraham said:

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Great point Walter, if you watch our featured video on our home page, by Doucette and Wolfe, you'll see them fitting their table apron together in the mortises, and man they are a squeaking! Seems like just a little smear of glue is all that is needed for those joints. I love to over tighten my clamps though, and I love to use glue like Lance. I like to see allot of squeeze out on all sides of the joint. But your point on properly fitting joints is very important. Now the big task is, mastering the manufacturing of those joints so they do fit nice and tight. I get em right bout half the time at this point in my woodworking, especially when working with hand tools, they tend to be a bit rough. Time, and patience, I'll get it someday!

Walter A said:

re clamping:  good joints rarely need much force to hold them together, perhaps they need a little fine tuning so you can almost do a rubbed joint?

Lance The Dude Granum said:

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

That's a great discussion Walter, there seem to varying opinions on the glue in a joint as far as starvation goes. Lately, or at least the last few years, common practice is to tighten as hard as the material will allow. Glue starvation has been proven to be an urban myth, or shall we say an wood shop myth! I tend to agree with the myth portion of that argument. When building chairs, and when joining the parts together during clamping operations, we can not afford to have any glue joint at all. We love to see the glue squeeze out, the more the better. The glue becomes embedded into the wood fibers performing the actual bond. The joint below is from my rocker I built, and I leaned into those clamps with all my force, looking for maximum squeeze out.

With joints like this, zero glue line is a must.

This is a great discussion Walter, glue starvation, or not? I am not a scientist, nor an incredibly smart man, I wish I could tell you I ran my own analysis of this, but I have not, I can only draw on what the wood gurus tell us. I know there must be a joint test somewhere online demonstrating a joint with maximum clamping pressure verses a joint with carefully applied pressure to avoid maximum glue squeeze out. I'll try to find it! Great discussion Walter, I love it when topics go in a discovery mode course!

Oh and by the way, you just earned your "Apprentice" badge on your Avatar!! this of course has nothing to do with your experience as a woodworker, but how much a member of TPW participates! And your on your way! Thanks for being Walter and jumping in with us.

Walter A said:

We all struggle to master good glue joints.  If however, you over tighten and starve the joint of the needed glue, that is a challenge too.  The glue line has to have a certain thickness to reach maximum strength.

If the woods bein glued are pliable they will conforn to eachother even if one is not straight or even twisted.  If However... the Boards being glued together are stiff then you need to have a perfect glue line or even a slight concave or spring joint.  This is one of the reasons I'm building a version of the Paul Seller's Bench.   Cheap 2x material from the lumber yars, laminated together to make a 2.5" thick 12" wide Bench... that's all you need for joinery.  or you can make it 3' wide by making a second top and a lower till between them.

My first one is going to be a 12" Top and a 12" till all with Dimension lumber.

Who know, if this all goes well and I can accumulate nice thick Quartersawn hardwood, then I'll make another.  I need 3 Benches for 3 different areas of my shop.

Probably will never go Roubo or anything even close.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Amen to that brother!!!!

Walter A said:

The best work has no need for glue at all.  There is allot of 200 yo plus furniture out there with not a drop of glue.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

The first big glueup of the Massive top went very well today. All 7 boards that make up the top were glued together and the glue up was perfect all the massive pieces were a good fit and they were a site to see the Pars seemed like a minor task now that the 150 pound top was being glued up and the clamps put the glue up close to 200 pounds. I had the help of Bill And Tyler for the glue up. The results pleased me. For many years I removed the glue from squeeze out with a damp rag but no more. On the advise of Scot Phillips I was told that the water on the rag would compromise the strength of the water based glue. I now take the excess glue off with a scraper. As for fit it is much tougher to make a perfect joint 8 feet long on the face grain than it is on the side of a board. The wood is a living moving thing and it does not care it will bow and turn ever so slightly and to make them perfectly flat takes clamp pressure. I have been woodworking for over 40 years and I know what is easy and what is not. An 8 foot face glue joint is tough but doing seven pieces is tougher is tougher. I hope to post a photo of the glue up tonight after my Birthday Party till tomorrow Cheers

Man Lance yer old!!!!!!

Lance The Dude Granum said:

 I have been woodworking for over 40 years and I know what is easy and what is not.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops

Ya I am 51 and started woodworking at age 7 and have never stopped