There is a build thread of this in classroom. I think 2012 or 2013
Workbench top design
- Thread starter sprucegum
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Thanks Mike
Was this it?
@Mike1950 has one of those hiding underneath the wood pile- if it is old and mimics the foot print of a lathe that he never uses, chances are he owns one. He probably still uses a typewriter and use his fat thumbs.
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- #45
I'm kinda winging it as usual, I've been doing it that way since I started trying to build stuff in my dad's shop 60 years ago. My existing work table is a tad too high so this one will be a little shorter, it's 3' x 7 ' which is like but it takes a little too much room so this one will be a little smaller. It's going to have a leg vice because I want to build one. I have 4 legs of the correct height glued up, maybe tomorrow I will figure out how far apart to put them. Hows that for careful planning
I wanted to give a smile and thumbs up for your response. We all do “wing it” and nothing wrong with that- the good and season builder’s tend to have that natural feel for that type of thing because of experience and doing things for a long time. Everyone has a different approach and aesthetics which is a given. I was able to learn a skill that saved me from a lot of “wing it” and save me from having to fix whatever mishap I overlooked and not planned for. That is drawing it up.I'm kinda winging it as usual, I've been doing it that way since I started trying to build stuff in my dad's shop 60 years ago. My existing work table is a tad too high so this one will be a little shorter, it's 3' x 7 ' which is like but it takes a little too much room so this one will be a little smaller. It's going to have a leg vice because I want to build one. I have 4 legs of the correct height glued up, maybe tomorrow I will figure out how far apart to put them. Hows that for careful planning
I am not saying this is the only way- it is not. My father-in-law who built shelter’s for the Army in Vietnam and a retired PD as well as contractor would also “wing it”, but he had a sketch and he had a parts list (material list). Sometimes when I worked with him, he would sketch it on site and just do it right there- sometimes there are no sketches. Mind you I am in the design and contractor trade- I followed his lead and learned a lot from him where these type of experience can’t be taught in school, but only in the field. I learned how to over build, never say that “nothing is impossible” and if you present a problem or a problem waiting to happen, you should also be ready and have a solution(s) in place. I took that “mantra” with me whenever I dealt with contractor’s and sub-contractor’s on site and it has never failed me.
So Dave, is the foot print going to be smaller like 36” x 72” and 36” at finished floor? The four legs with that span- will you have stretchers either in “H” configuration or “X” configuration? Will you have supplementary legs in the middle of the midpoint or have a 5th wheel (post) in the center?
I hope you are building this not because there are standards present as far as dimensions- like the height. I feel that is the one that is overlooked and people that are tall in stature or short in stature do not take that into consideration. I will use an example. I had to design a kitchen for a client who was a culinary chef. I asked a lot of hard questions. She was 5’-2” and the standard 36” height counter top would have not been ergonomically fit for her height. I made the counter heights 32” a.f.f. to fit her needs than the standard 36”. This followed suit in the lavatory heights in the bathroom (30” a.f.f. instead of 34” aff). It lowered the heights of the wall cabinets and we furred out the back walls so the wall cabinet was more reachable and accessible for her. I learned all of this as we had 2 Architecture professor who taught in the College I was in and wrote a book about ergonomics in interior spaces. I have used it in the field and it has helped me greatly without having to have the guess work.
Arn
Dave- I had a little downtime and drew this up shorter in length as you said 84” takes up space. Made it 72” x 36”. Don’t focus on that and focus on the thickness between the 4” versus the 3” as I wanted you to see how the geometry changes the overlook and feel of the work bench.
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Pics?I'm kinda winging it as usual, I've been doing it that way since I started trying to build stuff in my dad's shop 60 years ago. My existing work table is a tad too high so this one will be a little shorter, it's 3' x 7 ' which is like but it takes a little too much room so this one will be a little smaller. It's going to have a leg vice because I want to build one. I have 4 legs of the correct height glued up, maybe tomorrow I will figure out how far apart to put them. Hows that for careful planning
showoff
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- #50
Too ugly at this point, maybe after I scrape some glue and run em through the planer. I think tomorrow I'm going to do some garden work then sharpen some planer knives. I've got to plane a bunch of rock maple and they are starting to scream.
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- #51
Probably too small but it will still stretch at this point
. Well look what UPS brought for me.
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- #52
I made a little progress this morning. That's roughly the size it will be with a 6' x 32" top. The ends will overhang 12" on one end and 8 on the other to accommodate vices. I will probably tackle the leg vice next, then disassemble everything for sanding and finish. It's taking me quite a few hours partly because I'm trying very hard to use up material left over from other projects.
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- #53
I got my leg vice put together this morning, I wanted to build the vice before assembling the frame so I could do the drilling on the drill press. I bought the screw on Amazon and made the criss cross from some 3/8" x 1" flat stock. The piece of cherry that I used for the chop ended up being almost too thin by the time I jointed it to remove the warp, so I laminated on a piece of maple and sacrificed a couple of pepper mill blanks to make it 11" wide. It opens just shy of a foot, and will have 9" from the screw to the bench top. Because the whole weight of the chop is supported by the cross the screw turns very easily. I don't know how much use I will get out of this beast but I really wanted to build it.
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woodtickgreg
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Very cool! 
Your moving right along on this build. I'm jealous!
Your moving right along on this build. I'm jealous!- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #55
That's because I don't spend all of my time cleaning up the shop and putting stuff awayVery cool!
. I do spend a fair amount of time looking for stuff.
woodtickgreg
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We are the same then, my shop is absolutely wrecked right now!That's because I don't spend all of my time cleaning up the shop and putting stuff away
Good solid vice, I'm sure you'll find plenty of uses for that.
Speaking of looking for stuff ... when I converted the stand my lathe sat on into a mobile work station I included a set of small plastic drawers for screws, etc. I moved some stuff from another one of those that sat on my regular bench, and that included a bunch of brass screws, fittings, hinges, etc. I just spent 3 days searching for that brass stuff. Finally found it and discovered i don't have a set of small hinges like I thought I did. Lowes didn't have any either so might have to go online.
Speaking of looking for stuff ... when I converted the stand my lathe sat on into a mobile work station I included a set of small plastic drawers for screws, etc. I moved some stuff from another one of those that sat on my regular bench, and that included a bunch of brass screws, fittings, hinges, etc. I just spent 3 days searching for that brass stuff. Finally found it and discovered i don't have a set of small hinges like I thought I did. Lowes didn't have any either so might have to go online.
Hate it when I can’t find things, or turn up like your scenario. Chuck
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- #59
The best part of not being able to find something is when you find something while looking for it that you aren't looking for but thought you had lost forever
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- #60
I started doing a little assembly this morning. I couldn't help brushing on a little polyurethane. The legs are sinker birch from a log salvaged when a old mill dam was removed 8 years ago. The stretches are cherry and the pegs are walnut. If I have enough the top will be maple.
