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PM November 2004 Woodworking Guide: Build A Workbench
Page 1 of 7
Benchmark
The heart of any shop is the workbench. Here's how to make one for yourself.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY NEAL BARRETT
Published on: November 16, 2004
Bring your shop to the next level with a professional-grade workbench that you can build yourself.
Complete with a wide end vise, bench dogs and a versatile patternmaker's vise on the side, this bench
sets the standard for everything you'll make with it.
Most of us don't think of a workbench as a tool. After all, it
doesn't have a motor, you don't plug it in and it never gets
dull. But the fact is, it's probably the most important piece of
equipment in your shop. It's where you hold, measure,
mark, shape and assemble the pieces that make up most
of what you create. And like any tool, a good bench makes
it easier to do good work.
Our ideal bench starts with an ample, flat work surface. A
flat top is important because everything you build will be
gauged against it and guided by it. In addition, the bench
must be solid and stable enough to withstand sawing and
pounding without racking or sliding across the floor. To
achieve these ends, we built our bench out of 8/4 (2-in.)
hard maple for stability, strength and weight, and included a
massive trestle stand that's assembled with heavy-duty
threaded bench fasteners.
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Without the ability to hold stock while it's worked, though,
even the best bench is nothing but a heavy table. To keep
things in place we've incorporated a full-width end vise,
complete with bench dogs for gripping long panels. And in
place of the standard woodworker's vise, we've chosen a
cast-iron patternmaker's vise that adjusts to almost any
angle for maximum versatility. The twin-screw end-vise
hardware (No. 05G12.22, about $165) is available from Lee
Valley, 800-871-8158; www.leevalley.com. The
patternmaker's vise (No. 10G05.05, about $227) comes
from Garrett Wade, 800-221-2942; www.garrettwade.com.
Materials List
Key Qty.
Size
Description
A*
1
2 x 26-1/4 x
77"
maple (top)
B
2
1-3/4 x 5 x 77" maple (apron)
C
3
1-3/4 x 5 x 29-
3/4"
maple (endcap)
D
2
1-3/4 x 7 x 29-
3/4"
maple (vise jaw)
E
1
1 x 3-3/8 x 5" maple (block)
F
2
2-3/4 x 3 x 22" maple (spacer)
G
4
2-3/4 x 3-1/2 x
24"
maple (rail)
H
4
2-1/2 x 3 x 26-
1/2"
maple (leg)
Click on link for high-resolution version of
the plans.
ILLUSTRATION BY EUGENE
THOMPSON
I
2
1-3/4 x 6 x 61-
1/4"
maple (stretcher)
J
4
1/2 x 2-3/4 x
3-1/2"
maple (foot)
K** 4 1/4 x 15/16" maple (spline)
L as reqd. No. 20 plate
M*** 12
bench bolts
N
4
1-1/4" dia.
maple (plug)
O
4
3/8" dia. x 4-
1/2"
lagscrew/washer
P 6 4" No. 10 fh screw
Q 6 2-1/2" No. 10 fh screw
R 6 1/2" dia. maple (plug)
S 4 1-1/2" No. 8 fh screw
Misc.:
Sandpaper; glue; Watco Danish Oil Finish,
color: Natural.
* Assemble from 15 1-3/4-in.-wide strips.
** Cut lengths as required.
Side vise (patternmaker's vise, No. 10G05.05)
available from Garrett Wade, 800-221-2942;
www.garrettwade.com.
End vise (twin-screw vise, No. 05G12.22) and bench
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bolts*** (No. 05G07.01) available from Lee Valley
Tools, 800-871-8158; www.leevalley.com.
BUILDING THE TOP
Our plan calls for a 2-in.-thick top made up of 15
1-3/4 x 2-in.-wide maple strips, but we assembled
it in three narrower sections. Working in stages
makes it easier to true the surfaces, and the
narrow blanks can be handled by a 12-in.
thickness planer.
With the maple stock for the top milled to 1-3/4 in.
thick, joint one edge of each piece so it's square
to the faces. Then, rip 15 pieces to 2-1/8 in. wide
and crosscut them slightly longer than needed.
1
Clamp a group of benchtop strips
together and lay out the locations for the
joining-plate slots. Arrange the strips so
that the grain runs in the same direction to
facilitate planing the top after the pieces
have been glued together.
Although it's not necessary to provide a
mechanical joint between the top strips, we used
joining plates to ensure accurate alignment during
assembly.
Clamp together a group of slats and lay out the
positions of the plate slots
(1)
. It's good practice
to check each strip and arrange the pieces so the
grain all runs in the same direction. This will make
planing the top a much simpler task. Check the
grain direction by making a small test cut with a
plane and mark the grain direction of each piece
with an arrow.
2
Use a plate joiner to cut slots at plate
locations. Plates ensure good alignment
between strips.
Cut centered slots at the plate locations
(2)
. Use a
roller to spread glue on the mating surfaces of five
strips and place joining plates in the slots. Since
the plates are just for alignment, it isn't necessary
to spread glue in the slots. Clamp the slats to pull
the joints tight
(3)
and wait about 20 minutes
before scraping off any excess glue. Repeat the
process for the remaining two sections of the top.
Next, check each top section to see if it's flat.
Place a straight stick, called a winding stick, at
each end of a slab, and sight down the workpiece
and across the two sticks. If they're not parallel,
use a hand plane to true the surface. With one
face of each slab flat, plane the opposite surface
parallel with a 12-in. planer
(4)
. Bring the slabs to
the finished thickness of 2 in. If you don't have a
planer, take the slabs to a millwork shop for
surfacing, or plane them by hand.
3
Glue up three sections of five strips.
Then, check to see if the sections are flat
and straight.
Crosscut each top section to finished length and
then mark the locations of bench-dog holes along
the outer edges of two sections. Use a 3/4-in.
Forstner or multispur bit in your drill press to bore
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the holes
(5)
.
Cut joining-plate slots in the mating edges of the
slab sections. Apply glue, install the joining plates
and clamp the slabs together. Take extra care to
ensure that the ends and top surfaces are
perfectly aligned. After about 20 minutes, scrape
off any excess glue, but leave the assembly in the
clamps for at least 2 hours.
Check the top for flatness. If the joints are not
perfectly aligned, use a cabinet scraper or sharp
plane to trim them flush.
4
After truing one face of each piece with
a hand plane, use a thickness planer to
mill the opposite sides.
5
Lay out the bench-dog hole locations,
and use a drill press and Forstner bit to
bore the holes.
APRONS AND ENDCAPS
Cut stock for the side aprons and endcaps. Glue
together two pieces of 1-3/4-in.-thick stock for the
doubled cap opposite the end vise. Use a slot
cutter to rout a spline groove around the edges of
the top slab
(6)
and on the inside edges of the
aprons. Rip and crosscut splines from maple
stock and set them aside.
6
Use a slot cutter in your router to shape
a spline groove around all edges of the
benchtop slab.
Mark the positions of the 1/2-in.-dia. holes in the
top and apron ends for joining the endcaps, and
use a doweling jig to guide the drill
(7)
. Then, bore
1-in.-dia. stopped holes perpendicular to the 1/2-
in. holes to house the cylindrical bench-bolt nuts
(8)
. Follow by boring and counterboring the bolt
holes in the endcaps. Note that the endcap holes
are 5/8 in. in diameter to allow for some
movement with seasonal changes in humidity.
7
Bore holes in the ends of the top and
Lay out the cuts required for the side vise on one
of the aprons. Use a sabre saw to cut the 3-in.-
wide notch that provides clearance for the vise
beam
(9)
. Then, transfer the position of the notch
to the bottom of the benchtop, and use a router
with a straight bit to cut a channel in the slab for
beam clearance.
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aprons for securing the caps. Use a
doweling jig to guide the bit.
Next, cut the 4-1/4-in.-wide notch in the apron,
transfer that notch location to the slab, and rout
the required recess for the vise body. Rout a 3/8-
in.- deep mortise on the face of the apron for the
vise mounting plate, cut the notches on the inside
of the apron to provide clearance for the vise
mounting bolts, and add a small notch to provide
clearance for the tilt bracket bar.
8
After routing a spline groove in each
apron, bore stopped holes for the
cylindrical bench-bolt nuts.
Apply glue and join the aprons to the top with the
maple splines. Take care to ensure that the ends
are perfectly flush, and clamp the assembly until
the glue sets. Use the router and a sharp chisel to
cut the mortise in the benchtop--this mortise will
house the side vise. Check the fit of the vise in
the mortise. The surface of the mounting plate
should sit about 1/32 to 1/16 in. below the top.
Adjust the depth of the mortise, if necessary, then
set the vise aside.
To prepare the single endcap for the end vise,
use a drill press to bore the 1-1/2-in.-dia. vise-
screw clearance holes. Place the screw collars
into the holes from the back side and trace
around the collars
(10)
. Then, cut the collar
mortises with a router and chisel, and secure the
collars.
9
Lay out the cuts and mortises
necessary for mounting the side vise. Use
a sabre saw to cut the stock.
Reinstall the slot cutter in your router and cut the
spline grooves in the endcaps. Note that the
grooves stop short of the cap ends so that the
splines are hidden.
10
Before mounting the end-vise cap on
the benchtop, install the threaded end-
vise collars.
Join the endcaps to the slab/apron assembly with
splines and bench bolts
(11)
. Do not use any glue
on these joints, as the parts need to be able to
move in response to changes in humidity. Use a
plug cutter in the drill press to make 1-1/4-in.-dia.
maple plugs, and glue these into the doubled-cap
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