Replies

1. 
   sysop_ | Jan 05, 2000 11:50pm | #1

   *
   Ward, we don't have working drawings for the bench, but if you have specific questions, call author John White at (800) 283-7252, ext. 842.

   Ruth Dobsevage
   web editor

1. 
   Davo_ | Jan 23, 2000 03:53am | #2

   *Howard,No disrespect, but the artist's drawing on pages 98-99 of Fine Woodworking issue No. 139 is pretty concise. I would think that this is really all the information you would need to build a nice copy of this workbench. The drawing lists the height, length and width dimensions (which by the way you should vary in accordance to your own specific needs),plus the hardware sizes. That drawing was a lot more detailed than most skecthes and drawings that customers give me to build from. Besides the drawing, there were several nice photographs that depicted key parts of the overall plan.I bet if you really wanted to, you could easily build that workbench from the info provided from the article. So hey....get to it....build the sucker. Hope it turns out great!Davo

1. 
   Steve_Hill | Mar 28, 2000 05:04pm | #3

   *The article is great. I love the workbench and want to build one myself. It is fairly self explanatory except for one thing. He says that he drilled countersunk holes so there was only 3/4" under the screw heads. That's easily understood. Then he says he tightened all the screws after about a month. My question is on the back half of the bench top. It is four boards wide. How are the inner (second and third) boards joined? Is there a countersink all the way through the outer boards? Or is this joint line inaccessible?Steve

1. 
   Paul_Singer | Jun 25, 2000 08:29am | #4

   *Well I have some questions. How wide is the stretcher, How wide arethe legs, How far apart are they. Did he use 3/4 or 1/2" pipe clampsHow wide is the trough on the top of the bench. How wide is the kerfcut in the legs and stretcher. How wide are the boards at the back ofthe bench. I assume from the artical there is no glue used anywhare. If the bench was made out of 2X12 why cut them up for the back of the top? (To remove all knots?) I'm sure I could make educated guesses on all of this. However, being a novice having the dimensions would reduce the amount of errors.

1. 
   chuck_schaumann | Sep 07, 2000 06:28am | #5

   *Hi,i built the bench when i saw it in the magazine.i like it fine just as it is.i had some white oak down in the barn. used that for the legs and such. then i found an old door from a church and ripped that for the top. as i said the bench works well.cs

2. 
   Jon_Weisenbach | Sep 10, 2000 08:32pm | #6

   *I built this bench with several modifications a while back and am very pleased with it. I used 3/4" pipe vices rather than the 1/2" that the author called for in the article. I also changed the top to incorporate doug/fir 2x4's laminated together (glued together, not screwed) and planed to a thickness of 2 1/2". I substituted 4x4 fir for the legs and used 2x6 for the stringers and cross supports. I omitted the cross vices (pipe). My bench weighs in at around 400 lbs. so I mounted two stationery wheels at one end and a retractable set of casters on the opposite end for mobility. The dimensions of the bench are approx. 30"x92". The tops are dowled via 1" oak dowls to the top but only inserted to the frame thus making the entire bench a "take down" unit should the need ever arise. I have pic's posted on my web site under the #5 set of thumbnails if anyone wants to take a peek and welcome any comments.web site: http://www.libby.org/~jonweis/Jon

3. 
   Alan_Mikkelsen | Oct 27, 2000 05:57am | #7

   *I've built the bench from the drawings and love it. I modified the drawings to use 3/4 inch pipe. Super versatile and usable. I used fir and larch.

4. 
   DerekinTucson | Feb 27, 2001 09:44am | #8

   *I built the bench using only hand tools as it is shown in FWW, but left off the extra support on the left front end. Since I work strictly with hand tools, this bench is useful in many ways thanks to the myriad of clamping positions. I did add a couple of dogs/planing stops on the top left front, and also drilled a few holes on the top to accomodate a holdfast. I figure this bench will last me a few years until I can stockpile some hard maple so I can build a more classic bench. Building it was fairly easy, even without a detailed drawing...although boring all of those holes for the underneath cross pipe clamps sure was a workout using my Bell Systems brace and Irwin auger bit.