The bench is 31 in. wide by 81 in. long by 36 1/2 in. high. It weighs about 350 lbs.
Here’s a workbench that just might fit into our Furniture Lab theme. Jerry Beafore, a hobbyist woodworker in Fairmont, West Virginia, had been using an old wooden door perched on two sawhorses as his primary bench for too many years. This year he finally decided to make a change and build a true woodworking bench—one he’d be proud to show off and one that would challenge and showcase his 40 years of woodworking experience.
He wanted a classic style, with lots of functionality, but he was on a strict budget. The solution came in the form of wood scraps discarded by a local cabinet shop. Beafore was able to get a few pickup-truck loads of hickory, poplar, maple, red oak, and cherry, ranging in size from 3/4 in. to 1 in. thick by about 10 ft. to 12 ft. long. Three weeks after getting all the wood, he’d meticulously pieced together his dream bench, and you won’t believe the cost. Here’s the breakdown:
| Wood | $0 |
| Glue | $72 |
| Vises | $160 |
| Benchdogs | $60 |
| Tung oil | $8 |
| Total | $300 |
Nice job, Jerry.
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The bench is 31 in. wide by 81 in. long by 36 1/2 in. high. It weighs about 350 lbs.
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Vises in, ready for the top.
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It all started with a bunch of free hardwood scraps from a local cabinet shop.
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A look at the front vise.
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The proud maker and his bench.
Comments
For some reason the pictures of the workbench are quite small. It would be nice to have larger pictures as well as a few more pictures of Jerry's workbench. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading the article. Thank you, Dean
Dean, I'm hoping to get high res images from Jerry so folks can get a better look.
I agree with Tom and Dean7. Would really like a good look at the craftsmanship needed to create the bench from that amazing pile of "scraps". Inspiring workshop piece.
I would like to see more detail on this. Potentially, a great article. Need better pictures and more verbage on the process. Thanks, Reed
Great job Jerry, but how did you spend $72 on the glue.
Well congratulations! Nice job, especially using cheap materials. I can easily see how you had to use $72 worth of glue though if you used all those small scraps!
Perhaps you should figure in the cost of electricity to mill all those pieces too...
or did you do that by hand in less than a year? ;-)
Three weeks... from all those scraps? Amazing!
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