The workbench, the rite of passage...

[clowman]

In light of Insomniac's recent adventure in workbench making I have decide I need one for myself. I'm moving in a week, and I think a new addition to the new house, would be a nice workbench. Now, the workbench is considered by many woodworkers a rite of passage. Well, to be honest, I'm trying to decide if I should make one or buy one. Considerations in my decision are these (appearing in order of importance):

1> Do I want to spend my time making a workbench? Or spend my time making other stuff using the bench?

Item 1 and item 2 are very very closely weighted..

2> Cost. Is it cost effective to make a workbench vs purchashing one?

3> Can I make a workbench that is as fully functionally as purchased ones today without much fuss?

4> Are workbenches that are made today worth the money they are selling for?

Aside from completing the rite of passage, I'd like to see some opinions keeping these items in mind. I'd love to see arguments from both sides of the road.

For comparison, if anyone has any links to workbenchs to buy, I'd love to see them.

[DaveO]

I will be very interested in reading the replies to this thread. Clay, you've seen my "bench", I really need to make something more functional. I would be inclined to purchase the top, skirt it and make my own legs and cabinets.
Dave

[clowman]

To be honest, I thought this would be a very good discussion point, as much as helpful to me. Currently, my "bench" is a sheet of 1/2 plywood laid over sawhorses...

[cmartinson]

There is a great article on workbench design and making in woodworking mag. If you google woodworking mag you should find it.

[D L Ames]

Clay, like you I am at the point where I would like to build a bench myself. I have looked at some of the completed benches on the market and don't care for them that much. And as Dave suggests I have looked at the possibility of purchasing a ready made top and building the remainder of the bench myself. Still not 100% sure which route I will go yet. However, I am willing to join up with a few others to purchase the lumber as a joint venture in the event we could get a better price on the lumber.

D L

[Fred Jacome]

As I read your note, I sit and think at those words “the right of passage” what does it mean? The answer is in your hands, there are numerous things in life that are far more important than a WORKBENCH, but you have to ask your self what is it that I am trying to do or be. If you have a hobby that strikes your passion more that woodworking, then you should put your energy making wood things or fixing things around the house or if you just do not have the time do not waist your time in building one, but if you found woodworking strikes that cord in your heart and you feel like you want to spend the rest of your life learning the art of woodwork and if you can reach that stage where you can say I am master carpenter. Creating a workbench is “the right of passage” is a must.

This comes from a man that has put a similar question to himself, I thought hard of whether to buy or build, I have voraciously read a number of books and some of those books more than twice. You see I have been bitten by the bug a year ago and now I am trying to put a shop in place, have not build anything that is worth mentioning, but I know when I get that wood just purchase last week and build that workbench. I will be able to work with a peace of wood to create furniture and I know that workbench will work with me to build it.

This is from a woodworker want to be …..

good luck

[Vanilla Gorilla]

well, here's my two cents

I guess it hinges on whether you're a professional or a hobby woodworker.

I can only speak from a hobbyist stance, but since the fun is in the woodworking in general, and not so much in the finished product, I would think that the satisfaction gained from being able to say "I built this" far outweighs any cost benefits or time savings that buying a bench could afford. Besides, I agree that it's right up there with building your first drawer as a woodworking rite of passage.

Go ahead and build one, take some pics, let me know what's you do and don't like about your design, and then I will make sure to not make those same mistakes

[Ozzie-x]

To build or not to build..... I've seen a lot of cheesy commercially made benches but there's some good ones out there. I haven't paid much attention to them in a while, but a good commercially made bench is probably going to be well over $1000. Most of those are designed and constructed around the traditional bench features that evolved around the demands of hand work. Unless you're a hardcore Galoot, some of those features may not be important to you. If you build one, you can make whatever you want with whatever features and function that are important to you. I've built several benches, and generally ignored the bench world and built what I needed with features and functions that I needed. I've always built the bottom full of drawers and cabinets. This last bench started out as a temporary bench until my freshly sawn maple was dry. Started out being made out of a commercial door and treated 4x4's, but something went badly wrong (as usual) and it ended up being much nicer. The bi-annual shop clean-up is near and afterwards I may post some pictures of this bench.

[McRabbet]

Clay -- "To buy or not to buy, that is the question" (with apologies to William Shakespeare). I thing building a bench yourself -- the "rite of passage" -- is the preferable route, because one learns more from the process that can be applied to all future work you may do. A good bench embodies traditional hand-made joinery, classic materials, durable finishes and personal pride. One of my favorite discussions and an excellent set of plans is by Keith Rucker in his Building a Traditional Workbench website. Included is a well-documented and free downloadable plan for his bench. Other choices might range from the very basic, but solid 24-hour Workbench found in Popular Woodworking (December 2003, pg 36) to the Traditional Workbench featured in the November 2005 Wood Magazine to the Ultimate Workbench issue (October 2004 Woodworker's Journal) featuring head-to-head designs by Ian Kirby and Franz Klaus.

I built a basic bench several years ago out of necessity, but have a long-term desire to build a traditional workbench along the lines of the Rucker or Franz Klaus' designs.

Rob

[Travis Porter]

I am going to throw my two cents in with everyone else. To date, I have built to woodworking benches. They are pretty much identical with the exception that I made the first one backwards/left handed. I used the plans from an early issue of Woodsmith. In the next year or so, I expect I will build a new bench and get rid of at least one of them. Reason I will build is I am too cheap to buy something like that when I can make it. There are some very very nice benchs to be bought though. Ulmia comes to mind and I think Lee Valley and Lie Nielsen are doing them now.

My recommendation is to determine what features and functions are important to you and see what you can find. The gripes I have with what I have now is I didn't do stuff as good as I should have. I didn't know any better at the time, but such is life. Building it isn't cheap, but it is cheaper than buying one. The manufactured ones are made quite well and as they make so many they are very accurate.

If I had the spare cash, I would probably still build just to get what I want. If that is what you do decide to do, design and plan heavily. My two biggest changes/desires will be a very substantial tail vise and a much larger working surface maybe 3 x 7 but I am unsure yet. I will say it is a very good learning experience building one, but it is definitively a lot of work.

[Mountaincraft]

It is easy to make a totally fine workbench without maple tops, specialty benchscrew vices, etc. My current assembly table is made out of baltic birch, 2x4's, and hardboard wear surface. The legs are stiffened by 24" plywood wrapped around 3 sides with diagonal braces on one side. This allows me to keep stuff underneath. I put the support structure 3" inside the outer edge of the table for clamping. It is easily adaptable for wood vises (I have them, haven't put them on yet), dead flat, and you can hit it with a sledge hammer and it will stay usable. Just use the straight edge of the plywood skirt and cross braces to rest the top on for flatness. If the floor isn't flat enough, put adjustable legs on it.

As far as the right of passage; making a full blown, old timey maple workbench would be the coolest. It just doesn't make economic sense for my work.

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Clay I think it just depends what you want out of your workbench. Of course when you build it yourself you get exactly what you want. For me I would rather have the satisfaction of building my own. However if the right deal popped up at the right time, I would consider buying one. My plan is to build one in the near future but we will see how that goes.

[woodguy1975]

Well, this has provent to be a good discussion. Now it is time for my 2 cents.

I'm probably going to echo some things that Fred said. I personally approach woodworking as a life love to become the best craftsman I can. To make something to leave behind that will last and be admired for years. I look at is as a legacy. I approach every peice of furniture I do the same way. How can I make it the best the it can be. There are a few marquee projects that help you get to the point of where you are capable in some areas and, dare I say, masterful in others. A chair is one of those projects. Thus why I learned to make maloof Rockers. Chairs are among the toughest of wwing projects. A chest of drawers is another one to me. That is why I accepted a rediculous margin one the monster chest of drawers. It was a project that I needed to develop my wwing skills. There are other projects like a federal table with the beautiful inlay work, chippedale highboy with carved ball and claw feet (not purchased). The list for me goes on, but on that list is a bench. For any wwer who is doing more than screwing together plywood a bench is a neccessity. It becomes as useful and required as a good cabinet saw. To me purchasing a bench is like purchasing those ball and claw legs. It can be done, but it is a shortcut that really takes away from your wwing development. It's like saying why bother learning to do a proper mortise and tenon when you have pocket screws. These short cuts we have today really water down the craft of woodworking, but that is a whole different discussion.

I've had my bench on my project list for some time and haven't been able to make the time in my schedule to do it. I'm suffering without in the mean time, but would never buy one. The way you approach your bench construction should be the way you approach any other project. Yes, I'm going to use my bench well, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put less effort into it or buy it. If you are a hobbyist, what are you in a rush for!

Just ask yourself where do you want to take your woodworking. To the dump or to the Smithsonian. I'm aiming for the Smithsonian.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

John

[DavidF]

I have to say that I am one of those guys that unless it's a piece of furniture or similar, I cannot apply my self to it! my jigs, cabinets, tables, shelves are all "minimilist" MDF and 2 x 4's! I have known some woodworkers whose jigs are a work of art! So I bought my bench - a Sjoberg as seen in Woodcraft it was about $400. with the cupboards. I hate the vise, but I hate all vices! I added a tool well at the back - an English tradition! and I will eventually add a twin screw front vise, but I was able to use it "out of the box" and am very happy with it.

[D L Ames]

John, Great comments and your work shows that you are definitely heading in the right direction.

D L