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There are a number of instructables on building "workbenches" of various degrees of cost and sophistication, but most of them are really just tables. They'd work fine as craft or assembly tables, but they're not true woodworker's workbenches.
What is a workbench?
A woodworker's workbench isn't a table, it's a work-holding system. It's not something you set things on top of, it's a tool that holds your work. Where a worktable might have a machinist's vise bolted to its top, a woodworker's bench is built to accommodate a number of different workholding mechanisms, such as bench dogs, planing stops, hold fasts, or board jacks, and will usually have one more woodworker's vises integrated into its structure.
A workbench needs to be heavy enough that it doesn't move under you while you're working, and stiff enough that it doesn't rack itself to pieces under the forces that will be placed upon it. It doesn't take many hours of planing a board or hammering a chisel for a worktable made of nailed 2x4s to come apart. Traditional bench designs use mortise-and-tenon joinery, which is strong and rigid, but not really suited for a novice woodworker who doesn't already have a bench.
The design
This instructable shows how to build, with basic tools and readily-available lumber, a bench that provides most of the function of a traditional woodworker's workbench. I began with a design by Asa Christiana that was featured in the second season of finewoodworking.com's video series Getting Started in Woodworking. The project plans are available on their website.
Christiana's design was a simplification of a bench from Sam Allen's book ''Making Workbenches''.
The bench I will be describing differs from both of these in a couple of areas, the most significant of which is the top. Allen's top was made from three layers of 3/4" medium density fiberboard (MDF), topped and edged with 1/4" hardboard. Christiana's top was just two layers of 3/4" MDF. My top is two layers of 3/4" MDF edged with 1/2" oak and topped by a 1-1/2" thick edge-glued oak Ikea countertop. My top is more expensive in both time and money than either Christiana's or Allen's. If you're looking to build something fast and cheap, I'd recommend Allen's approach over Christiana's. The hardboard significantly increases the durability of the top.
The essence of the design is a joinery system using threaded rod that provides a great deal of strength and rigidity. The base is formed with 4x4 legs and 2x4 stretchers, connected with dowels and threaded truss rods. As screws are tightened down at each end of the rods, the structure is pulled together forming a rigid unit.
I am new to woodworking. I'm learning as I go along, and I'm documenting as I learn, in the hope of being helpful to other novices. On the range from slap-dash to deliberate, my method is definitely on the deliberate side. If you have enough experience to be confident in using techniques that are more time-efficient, go for it. The techniques I'm using are those I thought least likely to go wrong, not those that would produce a product in the shortest time or at the lowest cost. You'll notice that I made a number of mistakes, spent considerable time on work I later determined to be unnecessary, and in a number of cases I used different techniques at the end than I did at the beginning. These are all the result of learning. I thought it would be better to demonstrate how I made errors, and how I corrected them, than to provide a set of instructions that presented the false impression that everything went together perfectly.
What is a workbench?
A woodworker's workbench isn't a table, it's a work-holding system. It's not something you set things on top of, it's a tool that holds your work. Where a worktable might have a machinist's vise bolted to its top, a woodworker's bench is built to accommodate a number of different workholding mechanisms, such as bench dogs, planing stops, hold fasts, or board jacks, and will usually have one more woodworker's vises integrated into its structure.
A workbench needs to be heavy enough that it doesn't move under you while you're working, and stiff enough that it doesn't rack itself to pieces under the forces that will be placed upon it. It doesn't take many hours of planing a board or hammering a chisel for a worktable made of nailed 2x4s to come apart. Traditional bench designs use mortise-and-tenon joinery, which is strong and rigid, but not really suited for a novice woodworker who doesn't already have a bench.
The design
This instructable shows how to build, with basic tools and readily-available lumber, a bench that provides most of the function of a traditional woodworker's workbench. I began with a design by Asa Christiana that was featured in the second season of finewoodworking.com's video series Getting Started in Woodworking. The project plans are available on their website.
Christiana's design was a simplification of a bench from Sam Allen's book ''Making Workbenches''.
The bench I will be describing differs from both of these in a couple of areas, the most significant of which is the top. Allen's top was made from three layers of 3/4" medium density fiberboard (MDF), topped and edged with 1/4" hardboard. Christiana's top was just two layers of 3/4" MDF. My top is two layers of 3/4" MDF edged with 1/2" oak and topped by a 1-1/2" thick edge-glued oak Ikea countertop. My top is more expensive in both time and money than either Christiana's or Allen's. If you're looking to build something fast and cheap, I'd recommend Allen's approach over Christiana's. The hardboard significantly increases the durability of the top.
The essence of the design is a joinery system using threaded rod that provides a great deal of strength and rigidity. The base is formed with 4x4 legs and 2x4 stretchers, connected with dowels and threaded truss rods. As screws are tightened down at each end of the rods, the structure is pulled together forming a rigid unit.
I am new to woodworking. I'm learning as I go along, and I'm documenting as I learn, in the hope of being helpful to other novices. On the range from slap-dash to deliberate, my method is definitely on the deliberate side. If you have enough experience to be confident in using techniques that are more time-efficient, go for it. The techniques I'm using are those I thought least likely to go wrong, not those that would produce a product in the shortest time or at the lowest cost. You'll notice that I made a number of mistakes, spent considerable time on work I later determined to be unnecessary, and in a number of cases I used different techniques at the end than I did at the beginning. These are all the result of learning. I thought it would be better to demonstrate how I made errors, and how I corrected them, than to provide a set of instructions that presented the false impression that everything went together perfectly.
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Signing UpStep 1The materials
The bench is built from construction-grade lumber, of the sort you can buy at any home center or lumber yard. I built mine from the same. There is nothing that says you can't use better material. Better wood costs more, but you don't need all that much of it.
If you decide upon construction lumber, you want kiln dry lumber. Green lumber will warp on you as it drys. Dig through the stacks and pick out the straightest, cleanest pieces. Generally, the boards that are sitting loose on the stack are those that other people left behind, as they sorted through looking for better. Be prepared to move them out of the way, and to dig down to the better stock. Be nice, though, and put everything back when you're done.
For the base:
The base is made of four legs, four short stretchers, and four long stretchers. The legs are 4x4's, roughly three feet long, the stretchers are made of 2x4's, the short are two feet long and the long are four feet long. You can cut two legs and a short and a long stretcher out of standard length stock, so you need:
Two 4x4's
Four 2x4's
In addition, you will need four pieces of 3/8" all-threaded rod, two feet long, and four pieces of 3/8" all-threaded rod, four feet long. I bought four pieces of six-foot length, and cut them down.
For the top:
Christiana's design uses three pieces of MDF - one two-feet by four-feet for the shelf, and two two-feet by five-feet to laminate the top. These can be cut from a single 49x97" panel. Allen's top was three layers of 3/4" MDF topped and edged with 1/4" hardboard.
I made my top from two layers of 3/4" MDF and an edge-glued oak Ikea Numerär countertop.
One 49x97" panel of 3/4" MDF
One 25x73" panel of 1-1/2" edge-glued oak
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, six feet long
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, five feet long
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, two feet long
For the vise:
If you're installing a vise, you'll need hardwood for the jaws and you may need some scrap MDF or plywood to make up the proper mounting thickness. For the vises I chose:
Two 24" lengths of 2x8 oak
One 13" length of 2x6 oak
Hardware:
4 - 3/8" all-threaded rod, 48" long
4 - 3/8" all-threaded rod, 24" long
32 - 3/8" dowels
16 - 3/8" nuts
16 - 3/8" washers
30 - 1-1/2" drywall screws
30 - 2" drywall screws
30 - s-clips
4 - levelers
Plus whatever you need to attach the vise or vises
Note: I've photographed the lumber lumber leaning against the wall, but storing it that way can cause it to warp. Stack it flat, and leave it for a week or so to adjust to the shop's temperature and humidity.
If you decide upon construction lumber, you want kiln dry lumber. Green lumber will warp on you as it drys. Dig through the stacks and pick out the straightest, cleanest pieces. Generally, the boards that are sitting loose on the stack are those that other people left behind, as they sorted through looking for better. Be prepared to move them out of the way, and to dig down to the better stock. Be nice, though, and put everything back when you're done.
For the base:
The base is made of four legs, four short stretchers, and four long stretchers. The legs are 4x4's, roughly three feet long, the stretchers are made of 2x4's, the short are two feet long and the long are four feet long. You can cut two legs and a short and a long stretcher out of standard length stock, so you need:
Two 4x4's
Four 2x4's
In addition, you will need four pieces of 3/8" all-threaded rod, two feet long, and four pieces of 3/8" all-threaded rod, four feet long. I bought four pieces of six-foot length, and cut them down.
For the top:
Christiana's design uses three pieces of MDF - one two-feet by four-feet for the shelf, and two two-feet by five-feet to laminate the top. These can be cut from a single 49x97" panel. Allen's top was three layers of 3/4" MDF topped and edged with 1/4" hardboard.
I made my top from two layers of 3/4" MDF and an edge-glued oak Ikea Numerär countertop.
One 49x97" panel of 3/4" MDF
One 25x73" panel of 1-1/2" edge-glued oak
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, six feet long
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, five feet long
One 1/2x1-1/2" oak board, two feet long
For the vise:
If you're installing a vise, you'll need hardwood for the jaws and you may need some scrap MDF or plywood to make up the proper mounting thickness. For the vises I chose:
Two 24" lengths of 2x8 oak
One 13" length of 2x6 oak
Hardware:
4 - 3/8" all-threaded rod, 48" long
4 - 3/8" all-threaded rod, 24" long
32 - 3/8" dowels
16 - 3/8" nuts
16 - 3/8" washers
30 - 1-1/2" drywall screws
30 - 2" drywall screws
30 - s-clips
4 - levelers
Plus whatever you need to attach the vise or vises
Note: I've photographed the lumber lumber leaning against the wall, but storing it that way can cause it to warp. Stack it flat, and leave it for a week or so to adjust to the shop's temperature and humidity.
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Two questions from a beginner:
1) Does the width of the base have to equal the width of the top? Why can't it hang over an inch or so? It would be easier for a beginner to deal with. (Perhaps the edge of the top needs the immediate support of the stringers under a hammer?).
2) Why do the dog holes go all the way through? Might the dogs fall through? Especially if they don't contain a spring, or if they are home made.
Your instructable has been so helpful - thank you again!
2) Hold downs pretty much require a through hole. They work with a three-point wedge - the work and the top and bottoms of the hole. You can use a bench dog with a non-through hole - the holes in the vice faces are non-through - but you need a short bench dog (what Veritas calls a "Bench Pup"), in order to set them deep enough to hold shallow work. I find the shallow holes more difficult to work with. It's hard to get the bench dogs out, when you've set them shallow, and they tend to collect sawdust.
I'd estimate the top at something like 150 pounds, and maybe 50 pounds for the base. I figure it will stay in the basement when I move - It's not something I'd ever try to carry up the stairs.
Still, it's lighter than a grand piano, and there are folks who carry them around every day.
:-)
great instructable, awesome table! thanks for posting
a perfect instructable/tutorial/guide
hats off
and
thankyou
As you say MDF is very responsive to moisture which will contribute to your oak top distortion. Quality plywood is much more stable.
My suggestion would have been (and this is the project I have in mind…) to use marine grade plywood as a base and epoxy the whole panel (as we do in boat building) and glueing the oak top altogether with the same epoxy coat. This should greatly reduce the risk of distortion of the top and will allow not to oil the top. Any work surface that is coated will inevitably at one point or another mark the piece you'll be working on … a good bench top should be bare wood… But I understand that a top with a 5cm thickness made of absolutely dried oak is something impossible to find and too expensive these days (and quite heavy too : but that is also the quality of a good bench : that is why I do not intend to fix levelers at the bottom of its legs)…
This question apart, this is a great job and I can only hope that mine will approach yours ! …
I'd not have used levelers, if I'd not needed them for the floor I was putting it on.
but you get plenty of dust in your lungs from MDF !!!…
Actually I felt I made somewhat a fool of myself when asking this question to someone who made such a great job.
If I had written it in my mother tongue I know I would have found a way to talk that would have been less "up front", but I'm not sure I would have been understood ! …
Have a nice week.
Thanks again for taking the time to detail this out.
1st, the edge of the top forms the inner face of the front vise, and three inches is about minimum for a vice face. With a thinner top, you need a different kind of vise. Christiana used a vice with built-in metal faces, but he mounted it so that was not flush with the front of the bench. Not being flush means you can't use it to clamp flat pieces vertically across the front of the bench - and that just too important an ability to lose.)
2nd, holdfasts don't hold solidly in a narrow bench, 2" is about minimum.
3rd, a thin top will flex, it will give and then spring back as you hammer against something on it. A thicker top is more rigid.
4th, you want a bench to be heavy enough that it doesn't move when you lean into a chisel, plane, or saw. With a light bench you can spend as much energy moving the bench back and forth as you do cutting wood.
If I were to build it again, I'd use a doubled layer of countertop, rather than MDF. (And I'd use beech, instead of oak.) If I were trying to build something fast and cheap, I'd go with three layers of MDF topped with hardboard. Two layers of MDF (or ply) is just 1 1/2", and that's just not enough.
Built my table over the last three weeks on the cheap, (I'm not working right now). I used a solid door I picked up at Habitat for Humanity and various other pieces I had lying around. Only money spent was on hardware (threaded rod, vises & nuts) and a sheet of hardboard I used for my top layer.
I can't believe I made it this far without a REAL woodworkers bench. Thanks again Phr@nk.
Post a picture, let us see how it turned out.
great instructible!! I bought the Workbench book from Taunton over a decade ago and I have wanted to build my own bench ever since. Sadly I have never found the time and/or space for it. Maybe it is time now :-)
Also, I'd like to commend you on the info on linseed oil drenched rags. I often see warnings about them in woodworking forums but almost never the explanation of why they are unsafe or that they actually are safe after oxidation of the oil.
I used to work with paint made from linseed oil and oiling things for moisture barrier. We had a large barrel full of water where we stuffed used rags and at one time the water level had sunk(evaporated) to where the rags oxidated and caused a fire. Half the workshop was destroyed!!
After that we learned to spread them out on the concrete floor or outside until "dry" and then we had a special metal waste bin for them - outside.
Lesson learned the hard way... luckily no one was hurt.
I hope your work bench will serve you many years and as well as it looks good.
Regards,
Jim
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=784
Woodcraft has some similar products:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2001036/Table-Top-Fasteners.aspx
And a lot of folks make their own:
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/techniques/archive/2009/02/25/elegant-table-top-fasteners.aspx
Something too neat to be true ?…
:)
But then you have to agree that matching clamps are a nice thing to see
2. Every woodworker has bought more clamps, on several occasions, over an extended period of time, therefore
3. Every woodworker has bought a number of different types of clamps.
If all the clamps you see in his shop match, that means he's disposed of or hidden the other non-matching clamps he must certainly have purchased, somewhere along the line.
Which means that either he had enough money to buy all the clamps he needed, in a consistent style, the last time he upgraded his shop (which is logically impossible, given that nobody ever has enough clamps), or he's engaged in woodworking as theater - showing us a stage set, not a working shop.
Also, impeccable answer !…
Anyway, I find that the second problem with clamps is when you need more (all the time) and you're broke (happens quite often too). Which ends up in buying cheap stuff that does the job but won't last long (mainly the "washer" -I don't know the name in proper english- that will hump off after some intensive use) … At one point you've got to get rid of them (well you still keep them and try to use them for poor jobs) and you're back where you started.
Someone could write a song or even a musical about clamps (missing clamps, failing clamps, too short clamps, too narrow, lack of depth, slipping clamps, etc… and of course the ideal non-existent clamp !!!…).
Got a lot of insights that will help to make mine when time comes (probably next year)
Thank you again for your contribution.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=784
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2001036/Table-Top-Fasteners.aspx
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/techniques/archive/2009/02/25/elegant-table-top-fasteners.aspx