New workbench

mdbuntyn

Matt
Staff member
Corporate Member
I recently finished a new workbench. I took design, and construction, inspiration from benches that Brian Coe built at the Winston-Salem Klingspor's

The bench is 21in x 6ft x 34in tall. The top is two separate pieces, made from face laminated 2x12s. I chose this method because 1) from above, it looks like a pair of thick slabs, and 2) I don't have the clamps for a typical benchtop lamination. They each measure a little over 3" x 10 1/2", with one being slightly thicker than the other (it wasn't a mistake, it was a design choice). The aluminum planing stop was given to me by a fellow member of the forum.

The base is a trestle of 2x6s, similar to what you would find on Scandinavian/Continental workbenches. The legs assemblies are joined with pocket screws (5 per joint), and the stretchers are attached to the legs with 5/16" GRK screws. I used a piece of 3/4" plywood for the shelf, with 1x3 for the shelf support (I added the shelf after the picture was taken).

The top slabs were dadoed to fit the legs assemblies, and secured with 5/16" GRK screws. The dadoes weren't part of the original plan, but became necessary due to mistakes that I made while flattening some of the 2x12s. I think they provide some extra rigidity, so I'm glad that I had to use them.

I could find several nits to pick, but overall, I'm pleased with the end result.

Matt_workbench_2020.jpg
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Great job Matt, now you can pick something and build it. Oh and don’t forget to share ;)
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
Great looking bench, Matt. Very sturdy. Do you have plans to add a vice or two down the road? That SYP will serve you well and long.
 

mdbuntyn

Matt
Staff member
Corporate Member
Great looking bench, Matt. Very sturdy. Do you have plans to add a vice or two down the road? That SYP will serve you well and long.
Thanks Bill. I'm getting a great deal (free) on a quick release vise, so I'll try that for while. If/when I want to try a leg vise, I can easily add one later.
 
Last edited:

FredP

Fred
Corporate Member
Looks great. On word to the wise. Make the dadoes that fit over the legs a bit loose to allow the top to move some. DAMHIKT
 

AAAndrew

New User
Andrew
Nice bench. Now that you've built this one, you can start planning the next one. :)

they're like potato chips, dontcha know. And now you have a nice bench with which to build the next one!
 

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