Replies

1. 
   lat_axe | Jun 08, 2020 03:44am | #1

   A proper workbench makes a vast difference to most aspects of your woodworking. It always amazes me to see them fellahs on Youtube with shaky bench shuddering the video frames as their sawing or chiselling racks the flimsy edifice on which they are showing us their recommendation.

   When I first began WW I used a half sheet of plywood in a Workmate. That wobbled for England! Then I made myself a monstrous proper workbench weighing more than the whole shed it was in. What a difference to both the ability to perform the correct techniques and the results! I marched triumphantly over the line from bodgeland to precisionville.

   On the other hand, once I acquired a 10 inch planer-thicknesser (combined jointer-planer, in your speak) the world of wonderful reclaimed wood swiftly made into perfek 3D rectangles opened up. That is a basis for swiftly moving from rough wood to making joints. (I don't fancy 4 hours per side with a scrub plane).

   Yes, I know ... I'm no help to you.

   Workbench first, then. How's that?

   It'll be hard with no jointer & planer, to make all the planks that go into a workbench...... ........

   ........???? :-)

   Lataxe

2. 
   john_c2 | Jun 08, 2020 04:40am | #2

   Do you have a thickness planer?

3. 
   lat_axe | Jun 08, 2020 05:51am | #3

   I was trying to remember how I made the workbench without a planer-thicknesser when I recalled some photos I took at the time. They reveal that I used an electric planer, electric hand-held circular saw, hand planes, basic Marples blue-handle chisels and Wenzloff back saws, for the most part.

   FIrst pics. (More to follow).

   
4. 
   lat_axe | Jun 08, 2020 05:55am | #4

   Second set of pics.

   The bench got two Veritas twin screw vises - face and end. The jaws were also planed initially with an electric planer then refined with handplanes to square/flat.

   More pics to follow.

   
5. 
   lat_axe | Jun 08, 2020 06:06am | #5

   Third pic set.

   The bench was given an under-cupboard that added to the weight.

   Various bench aids were added, from dog 'oles to vise jaw liners.

   ****
   So it is possible to build a substantial bench without a planer-thicknesser (jointer and planer). I took a lot of the grunt work out by using an electric plane to get the various chunks of maple, sapele and iroko down to flattish and squarish before getting them right with hand planes. I also glued them up in stages. I would hate to have had to scrub the many, many large chunks o' wood to size with a scrub plane.

   I still use that bench daily and it's as rock-solid as ever. (It was made in 2006). It's also been knocked down and transported 200 miles from NW England to West Wales, going back together with no loss of rigidity. It is advisable to make such a monster knock-down as otherwise no one will be able to lift it into a removal van, or even off the floor. The top alone requires two strong men to lift it off and move it.

   Lataxe

   
6. 
   _mj_ | Jun 08, 2020 08:41am | #6

   If I were setting up shop and stuck with 110 power I'd be looking at 10 inch jointer-planer combo machines.

7. 
   roy.unit8c | Jun 08, 2020 08:46am | #7

   Options:
   hand-plane - advantages - lower cost//disadvantages - learning curve, time
   (experience and proper planes reduces time disadvantage of hand planing. It is hard work to hand plane. That can be seen as either an advantage or disadvantage depending on your physical conditioning goals.

   Jointer/planer/thicknesser:
   Advantages: Speed, accuracy, time, and with proper machines shorter learning curve I think. Can definitely be useful after bench is built.
   Disadvantage: Cost

   Slab Flattener and Router:
   Advantages: If you already own one to use, you can start researching and saving for higher cost machinery later. It is faster and easier than hand-planes. If you make your own base from planes on FWW, you can save some money but that takes some more time. Slab flattening could be useful for other potential projects.
   Disadvantages: It would take a little longer than using a the other more costly machinery. The effort would not be worth it unless you want slab flattening projects later.
   Lataxe's electric planer option
   Advantages: May be less expensive of all unless you already own the hand planes. It is fast and accurate I think.
   Disadvantage: After the bench is made and you get your higher end machinery, would you use it? Would it just collect dust? Maybe it's worth using once and re-selling.

   Only you can decide based on your own goals.

8. 
   jandy_7664438 | Jun 08, 2020 09:24am | #8

   Thank you all for your responses. They have been very helpful. To give a bit more background, I do have the majority of my tools already to allow me to do some pretty good woodwork, with the only real major tool I'm missing being a jointer. I have a tablesaw, bandsaw, thickness planer, circular saw, plunge/fixed base router w/ edge guide,as well as some various handtools including a small jack plane, block plane, and a set of bench chisels. To this point I have been using jigs to face/edge joint my boards, but would really like to just streamline it with a proper jointer. After reading everyone's posts here, I think I will start off with the bench/fixtures since with my current setup I can still get my boards flat and square, just with a few more steps, and focus on the jointer over the course of the next few months. You all have been tremendous help!

9. 
   lat_axe | Jun 08, 2020 09:24am | #9

   Ecyor is right about the electric planer - I rarely use it now although I do keep it as the tool to use as a first cleaner-upper of reclaimed timber that's very dirty and rough with possible nails or grit in it. New electric planer blades cost a lot less than those in jointers; and are easier to install.

   A hand plane of the scrubber type could be used on such dirty-rough planks, I suppose - but that's still hard work and it takes time to take a nick out of a hand plane blade. Even a scrubber will need de-nicking if a rough plank bites it back.

   Lataxe

10. 
    DRBWWing | Jun 08, 2020 10:57am | #10

    Workbench should be #1.

    Most modern homes have 150-200A services and should have enough room to add a 220 circuit to a sub panel in a shop.

    Have you checked with an electrician?