Work bench - top assembly

[Mauser44]

Gm.

I am building a work bench without any screws or nails. It is my first go at tenons and mortises, and while many mistakes were made, the legs are done and are straight!.
The bench top is built with laminated 2x4s.

I was thinking of cutting through tennons for the legs/ top assembly and using a wedge to secure everything in place. After planing, the top is still just over 3 inches thick, so I figured it will be a solid fit.
The only way I could think of getting the measurements correct is to glue up the base, and flip it upside down on the top. That does seem quite cumbersome, and was wondering if there are any easier methods.
Alternatively I was going to measure the distance between the legs and mark the top, but am afraid to be off on the measurements and the top not fitting right (I am still working on cutting those tennons completely square)

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thank you in advance

 

[Bas]

A bit wasteful, but you could make a template out of 1/4" plywood. It doesn't have to be as big as the top, it just needs to be slightly larger than the base.
Even cheaper is to take 4 pieces of scrap plywood (each piece slightly wider than the legs), glue them into a rectangle, and use that for your template.

You still need to put the base on top of the template, but at least you're not lifting up a heavy slab over and over again.

 

[Mauser44]

Thank you Bas... not a bad idea.

 

[smallboat]

However you do it, remember to flip (mirror) the dimensions or template if you are working from the top of the base and transferring to the bottom of the slab. In a perfect world it wouldn't matter but if you're like me something won't be quite square and you'll end up with a corner or two that don't line up.

Imagine the template sandwiched between the base and the slab. That's the relationship you should have when you transfer the dimensions. Clear as mud?

 

[Mauser44]

However you do it, remember to flip (mirror) the dimensions or template if you are working from the top of the base and transferring to the bottom of the slab. In a perfect world it wouldn't matter but if you're like me something won't be quite square and you'll end up with a corner or two that don't line up.

Imagine the template sandwiched between the base and the slab. That's the relationship you should have when you transfer the dimensions. Clear as mud?

Oddly. Makes sense.
And something that I would have completely realized AFTER cutting into the wood.

 

[Dan Bowman]

I made a template as described, drilled holes in the base and top and used dowels. No glue so you can easily remove the top. It's very stable under the normal shear forces exerted on the bench, and very simple

 

[smallboat]

Congratulations on the progress. I have so many pending projects right now I find myself planning next steps on all of them and actually accomplishing nothing.

Out of curiosity what kind of dowels did you use? diameter? ( one of the back back burner projects is an upgrade to my work bench)

 

[Mauser44]

I made a template as described, drilled holes in the base and top and used dowels. No glue so you can remove easily the top. It's very stable under the normal shear forces exerted on the bench, and very simple

Dan
i like that Idea.
time to turn some dowels on the lathe!

Thank you

 

[marinosr]

For the bench build I documented in this thread I used a mortise-first approach... cut the through mortises in the benchtops, then the tenons on the legs to fit. I then squarely seated the legs in the mortises, and marked off the stretcher tenons based on the actual distance between legs. This way, you can dial in the fit of the stretchers by placing them between the legs and just reducing the shoulders a bit if they're too long. I do like Dan's removable dowel approach too.

 

[Bas]

Dan
i like that Idea.
time to turn some dowels on the lathe!

The last work bench I made was a bit of a monster, the top was a slab of SYP 4" thick. It was held in place with four off-the-shelf 3/8" dowels, 2" long (one per leg). It would not budge. The nice thing about dowels is that you can use dowel points to mark the location. Much, much faster.

But, a wedged through mortise-and-tenon looks so much better

 

[Dan Bowman]

Congratulations on the progress. I have so many pending projects right now I find myself planning next steps on all of them and actually accomplishing nothing.

Out of curiosity what kind of dowels did you use? diameter? ( one of the back back burner projects is an upgrade to my work bench)

I used some 3/8" dowels that were marketed for the JessEm jig

 

[Johnson]

I built similar M&T bench. I flipped it upside down, routed and chopped the mortises and then cut the tenons to fit. I used a draw pinned oak dowel to help secure the final fit. I did the same thing with the stretchers. Once everything was cut, I did a dry fit and then glued it all up. Through Mortises would be pretty difficult for that size and structurally unnecessary in my opinion. I did 2.50" deep mortises into 4" stock.

 

[Mauser44]

Thank you all for the feedback and ideas.
Enlisted the wifey to flip the legs and cut 2.5 inch tennons. Will need to organize the garage and turn some dowels.
I burnt the legs as I dont have stain and am not going to the box store. Will need to do a second pass for more color.

I dry fitted it, and it sits pretty good. Top needs some fine tuning before I plane it.
I left the top in two pieces for clamping and ripping wood. I will be getting one more 2x4 once all this covid blows over.
Fun build and learned a lot about joinery.

 

[marinosr]

Nice bench! What are your plans for vises? Planing your benchtop is a WORKOUT but I found the process very satisfying.

 

[Ed Fasano]

Very nice bench!
I built the entry bench featured in Woodsmith #198, December 2011. It called for precise fitting of through tenons to a thick. I won't attempt to regurgitate it here, but the process was accurate and effective. The final fit of the assembled and ridged base to the top was enormously satisfying and a tremendous relief. Studying that Woodsmith issue would, I believe, help anyone needing to accurately join a thick top to four wedged through tenons.

View attachment ERF_0304.JPG
View attachment ERF_0397_Entry_Bench_E1.jpg

 

[Bas]

Great looking bench, I see many years of enjoyment ahead. Nice touch on burning the legs for some color/ protection, much more interesting than stain.

 

[Mauser44]

Thank you all.
I have a small vice that I will mount to one side for now and add dog holes.
Plan was to add a tail vice, but finances have changed drastically in the past month, so not sure for now.
Will be adding shelves and drawers.

Beside building a flip table for my lathe and table saw (on which the legs are not straight as my daughter pointed out) all I have done is woodturn. As such, I dont want to rush and add things, but will modify the table as needed.

 

[Jeff]

That's a nice sturdy looking bench. Well done.

"I left the top in two pieces for clamping and ripping wood. I will be getting one more 2x4 once all this covid blows over."

Can you explain that? Maybe a few pictures too.

 

[Mauser44]

That's a nice sturdy looking bench. Well done.

"I left the top in two pieces for clamping and ripping wood. I will be getting one more 2x4 once all this covid blows over."

Can you explain that? Maybe a few pictures too.

Jeff.
Thinks of the table top as two slabs. The gap in the middle will have a 2x4 that will be held with a removable dowel or pin.
I can use that gap to put clamps, RIP board etc by simply removing that middle beam.

The downside of this build - due to user errors- is that the two pieces don't align, but I can fine tune the fit..
In retrospect I should have spent a lot more time on joining the slabs, but I don't have a jointer and did what I had the patience for with a table saw and planer.

 

[Dave Richards]

Nice idea. Have you given any thought to how those through tenons will affect the top surface of the bench? I would expect they'd not remain level with the top of the bench due to seasonal changes. I'd think you'd be fine with non-through tenons in mortises on the underside of the top. All you really need is for the top to stay put and not slide while you are planing or leaning on it.