I'm finally thinking about building a workbench as my next shop project. I've avoided hand work partially because I've always told myself I didn't have the right bench. Not a good excuse, but I don't want it to be one anymore! Based on the size of my shop, I think this workbench from Phil Lowe would fit well. It's not a roubo, but it looks like it could fit my needs. I plan to put those Rockler heavy duty casters that would allow me to move it away from a wall where it will most likely sit when not in use. My hope is be a so-called hybrid woodworker. For those out there who use power and hand tools, would this type of bench work well? Having never used a bench, I need all the help I can get. Here's an intro video...
Phil Lowe Workbench
- Thread starter Plunkett
- Start date
Since you're going to be on the Shop Crawl in August, why not wait until after that to get started. You might pick up some good ideas from what others have done.
As for the bench above, I didn't watch the whole video, but one thing I would suggest is another vise on the end.
As for the bench above, I didn't watch the whole video, but one thing I would suggest is another vise on the end.
Good point. I probably wouldn't start until the fall anyway, but seeing benches up close will be helpful!
That video is interesting. I will have to have something smaller to work in my shop. But I am intrigued by Jay Bates softwood design:
He built the same thing in hickory and ended up deciding he liked the softwood one better. Fine woodworking also did a piece on the "new fangled workbench" which uses softwood and pipe clamps. Can you tell I like things to be as cheap as possible?
He built the same thing in hickory and ended up deciding he liked the softwood one better. Fine woodworking also did a piece on the "new fangled workbench" which uses softwood and pipe clamps. Can you tell I like things to be as cheap as possible?
Alan Little, Ask Woodman (?), has a 40+ video series on building a workbench. He has a rather unique approach to the theory and practice of workbenches. He is definitely not a traditionalist, nor purist.
AskWoodMan
AskWoodMan
Well,
I will do a plug for my favorite, Paul Sellers
Here is his workbench series - while he touts all handtool woodworking, the bench design could easily be done in a hybrid or fully Machine-based workshop:
Workbench Info Page - Paul Sellers' Blog
I will do a plug for my favorite, Paul Sellers
Here is his workbench series - while he touts all handtool woodworking, the bench design could easily be done in a hybrid or fully Machine-based workshop:
Workbench Info Page - Paul Sellers' Blog
The above advice of trying other benches before you build is "solid" advice. You can not go wrong with that as a start.
Here are several important points to consider:
1. How big/tall are you? So much advice to build lower benches for handwork=false. Most of us are not planing all day and other things are more important to consider.
2. After working on a dozen well made benches one thing is true- the heavier the better.
3. A level bench is a joy to use and you won't question level and true again.
Your face vise with jaws you can surface and reuse again and again as they wear. Make sure you have dogs to hold shorter pieces of wood for quick work.
I could not live without 2 vises. I plane and scrape often.
I also use the bench to build 2-3 rifles each year.
I like dog holes all over the top.
I love holdfast devises on my bench top. Quick and easy to use.
With holes in the surface, you can plane the edge quickly and easily.
Again, make your bench so it doesn't move during any operation. You will not regret it in the long run. This is my final bench. I won't build another and be happier.
Visit any time you're in the area.
Here are several important points to consider:
1. How big/tall are you? So much advice to build lower benches for handwork=false. Most of us are not planing all day and other things are more important to consider.
2. After working on a dozen well made benches one thing is true- the heavier the better.
3. A level bench is a joy to use and you won't question level and true again.
Your face vise with jaws you can surface and reuse again and again as they wear. Make sure you have dogs to hold shorter pieces of wood for quick work.
I could not live without 2 vises. I plane and scrape often.
I also use the bench to build 2-3 rifles each year.
I like dog holes all over the top.
I love holdfast devises on my bench top. Quick and easy to use.
With holes in the surface, you can plane the edge quickly and easily.
Again, make your bench so it doesn't move during any operation. You will not regret it in the long run. This is my final bench. I won't build another and be happier.
Visit any time you're in the area.
I guess I could say I'm intimately familiar with Lowe's bench. I think for a small shop where storage is at a premium, it would be a good choice. It's sturdy and not terribly complicated. If you are putting it on casters, I would suggest using casters that retract so the thing sits on its own feet.
I’ll second Dave’s recommendation about casters. They should be the retractable kind. No wheel lock will give enough resistance. A bench needs direct floor contact and good weight if you plan to do any planing.
When I consider that a hand working wood bench is basically a device to hold your work securely while you do your work, ( a stable surface to rest your work on, and a structure to hold your vises,) it lets me view things a little differently then just seeing a style of bench. First requirement is that it sits solidly and doesn't move when doing rough work like scrub planing. Second is that it is best to get your vise hardware first, and then make sure the mounting needs are incorporated in the design. I built my bench first, and then went for the vise hardware. Caused me a lot of head aches, particularly when installing the tail vise (although end vise will do much of what a tail vise will.)
I have a face vise and a tail vise. What I lack that would make my life easier is a leg vise and a birds beak hook on the end for edge planing. I second the need for dog holes and holes for hold fasts. The problems with the design you pictured is all that underneath storage pretty much eliminates the use of holdfasts, which I use more than any other clamp. For me, the design JimD posted (Jay's woodworking workbench) would be a better style for me. My next bench (or retro fit of my current one) will still have open storage underneath for my bench hooks, etc, while allowing me to use hold fasts, a tool till to hold the items I need while doing a particular task, flush legs on front for a leg vise, a face vise, and an end vise. My current bench size of 60" x 22" has proven to big enough for about any project I work, so doubt I would increase that size.
As for mobility, I would only add casters (fully retractable) if the floor is uneven or I had to continually move it. Other than that, just lifting the end and kicking furniture sliders under it allows me to move it during the rare times I find it necessary.
jmtcw.
Go
I have a face vise and a tail vise. What I lack that would make my life easier is a leg vise and a birds beak hook on the end for edge planing. I second the need for dog holes and holes for hold fasts. The problems with the design you pictured is all that underneath storage pretty much eliminates the use of holdfasts, which I use more than any other clamp. For me, the design JimD posted (Jay's woodworking workbench) would be a better style for me. My next bench (or retro fit of my current one) will still have open storage underneath for my bench hooks, etc, while allowing me to use hold fasts, a tool till to hold the items I need while doing a particular task, flush legs on front for a leg vise, a face vise, and an end vise. My current bench size of 60" x 22" has proven to big enough for about any project I work, so doubt I would increase that size.
As for mobility, I would only add casters (fully retractable) if the floor is uneven or I had to continually move it. Other than that, just lifting the end and kicking furniture sliders under it allows me to move it during the rare times I find it necessary.
jmtcw.
Go
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You guys are great. I really appreciate the insight. I'll take a look at all the links for sure. I had purchased the retractable casters already from Rockler so that the bench would sit on the ground as you mentioned. After going through all the other options, I may not need them!
Great info and I appreciate the pics. I'm 6'3"...is there a standard equation or rule of thumb used to figure out the height of a bench?
Great info and I appreciate the pics. I'm 6'3"...is there a standard equation or rule of thumb used to figure out the height of a bench?
I'm 6'4" (or was in my younger days before I started shrinking
). My main bench is 40". On the Shop Crawl you can try working at it and see how that feels.
I think that bench would work but I would add an end vise. I would caution you about putting it on casters I think you'll find stability is going to be an issue when planing. There are methods of building in mobility where the casters retract.
I kind of look at benches this way:
1. The bench style determines your method of work.
2. Your method of work determines the bench style.
Obviously, the latter only comes with experience, so I suggest you be open to building another bench in the future once you get your feet wet.
A Scandinavian type bench suits me best because it has the two features I like: tail and shoulder vise.
On bench height, a good rule of thumb is to wrist joint or bottom of your palm held parallel to floor.
My first bench was made from a section of bowling alley lane.
I kind of look at benches this way:
1. The bench style determines your method of work.
2. Your method of work determines the bench style.
Obviously, the latter only comes with experience, so I suggest you be open to building another bench in the future once you get your feet wet.
A Scandinavian type bench suits me best because it has the two features I like: tail and shoulder vise.
On bench height, a good rule of thumb is to wrist joint or bottom of your palm held parallel to floor.
My first bench was made from a section of bowling alley lane.
Only picture I could find of my bench:
As someone who recently finished up a bench that I overthought and agonized over, I think the biggest thing is to just make a bench and see how it works. I used a coffee-table sized bench with a crappy vise for way too long; it was terrible and held my work back. I should have built something quick and cheap and better than what I had, rather than wait months until I could find the time to make something awesome. Mike Siemsen's Naked Woodworker bench or something similar would have gotten me a useful bench much sooner, with less bother and expense. With that, I could have had some real workholding while taking my time considering everything I needed/wanted in my omega bench.
That said, after nerding out for months and blowing my tool budget for the quarter, I ended up with something I really like using, and don't see replacing soon if ever. It's somewhat like Chris Schwarz's knockdown Holzappfel, with a leg vise, planing stop, holdfasts, a split top, and no end/tail vise. Having worked with it for a few months (exclusively hand tools, power tool work happens outside on sawhorses), here's a few thoughts from someone who was recently in a situation similar to yours:
Split top: love it. I've been lazy making the gap-stop piece, but when that's done I'll have absolutely no complaints. Also it saved me from joining two 3" slabs, and it'll be easier to manage two smaller slabs vs. one huge one when I have to pack this bench up and move it.
Leg vise: also awesome. I coughed up for a wood screw and a Benchcrafted crisscross, it's not quite as fast as a quality metal screw, but it's quick enough, holds like a beast, and looks the business.
Planing stop: I like it but if machines do most of your planing it could be foregone in favor of a couple pegs or a batten clamped at the end of the bench when needed.
Lack of end vise: I have no experience with an end vise, so I don't know if I'd like it, but I don't feel restricted by its absence. Holdfasts, the planing stop, and a notched batten work well and I get to avoid the extra expense and installation hassle.
On the subject of holdfasts: they're terrific, and I would prefer something other than the Phil Lowe bench just because the cabinet would get in their way. I got a pair of Gramercy's, highly recommend.
On using green slabs: Mine came from a Florence casualty, and were part of a log until last September. They're a bit cracked and still moving quite a bit, but it's honestly not that big a deal for most of my work. Basically when it's out enough to bother me, I plane off the high bits until it works again. Once it calms down I'll get the whole thing bowling-alley flat, but until then I'm not going to stress about it. Also, the holdfast holes go oval after a while, but a bit of work with a round rasp sorts that. One advantage is that wet oak is *heavy*. The top is probably pushing 200 pounds, and that mass is very nice. And it was cheap (traded for it), available, and I didn't have to find a way to plane and glue up a laminated top with no workbench or clamp collection.
Sizing: Mine is a bit under 6ft due to shop size (6x8 corner of the living room), and I wish I could have a couple extra feet. For height, the top edge lines up with my wrist joint, and I wouldn't want it too far off of that. If you won't be doing much hand planing or stock breakdown, and the bench will mostly be for joinery and assembly, you may want it a touch higher. For width, it's as wide as I can comfortably work on the far edge. About 24" I think.
Anyways, good luck and sorry for the text wall.
As someone who recently finished up a bench that I overthought and agonized over, I think the biggest thing is to just make a bench and see how it works. I used a coffee-table sized bench with a crappy vise for way too long; it was terrible and held my work back. I should have built something quick and cheap and better than what I had, rather than wait months until I could find the time to make something awesome. Mike Siemsen's Naked Woodworker bench or something similar would have gotten me a useful bench much sooner, with less bother and expense. With that, I could have had some real workholding while taking my time considering everything I needed/wanted in my omega bench.
That said, after nerding out for months and blowing my tool budget for the quarter, I ended up with something I really like using, and don't see replacing soon if ever. It's somewhat like Chris Schwarz's knockdown Holzappfel, with a leg vise, planing stop, holdfasts, a split top, and no end/tail vise. Having worked with it for a few months (exclusively hand tools, power tool work happens outside on sawhorses), here's a few thoughts from someone who was recently in a situation similar to yours:
Split top: love it. I've been lazy making the gap-stop piece, but when that's done I'll have absolutely no complaints. Also it saved me from joining two 3" slabs, and it'll be easier to manage two smaller slabs vs. one huge one when I have to pack this bench up and move it.
Leg vise: also awesome. I coughed up for a wood screw and a Benchcrafted crisscross, it's not quite as fast as a quality metal screw, but it's quick enough, holds like a beast, and looks the business.
Planing stop: I like it but if machines do most of your planing it could be foregone in favor of a couple pegs or a batten clamped at the end of the bench when needed.
Lack of end vise: I have no experience with an end vise, so I don't know if I'd like it, but I don't feel restricted by its absence. Holdfasts, the planing stop, and a notched batten work well and I get to avoid the extra expense and installation hassle.
On the subject of holdfasts: they're terrific, and I would prefer something other than the Phil Lowe bench just because the cabinet would get in their way. I got a pair of Gramercy's, highly recommend.
On using green slabs: Mine came from a Florence casualty, and were part of a log until last September. They're a bit cracked and still moving quite a bit, but it's honestly not that big a deal for most of my work. Basically when it's out enough to bother me, I plane off the high bits until it works again. Once it calms down I'll get the whole thing bowling-alley flat, but until then I'm not going to stress about it. Also, the holdfast holes go oval after a while, but a bit of work with a round rasp sorts that. One advantage is that wet oak is *heavy*. The top is probably pushing 200 pounds, and that mass is very nice. And it was cheap (traded for it), available, and I didn't have to find a way to plane and glue up a laminated top with no workbench or clamp collection.
Sizing: Mine is a bit under 6ft due to shop size (6x8 corner of the living room), and I wish I could have a couple extra feet. For height, the top edge lines up with my wrist joint, and I wouldn't want it too far off of that. If you won't be doing much hand planing or stock breakdown, and the bench will mostly be for joinery and assembly, you may want it a touch higher. For width, it's as wide as I can comfortably work on the far edge. About 24" I think.
Anyways, good luck and sorry for the text wall.
FWIW, there's no reason you can't build the base of Lowe's bench and change the top to include a tail vise.
By the way, if you get the digital plans for Lowe's workbench, you'll get the SketchUp model. You can use it to modify the design to suit your needs.
I was thinking about casters on this thing. How frequently do you anticipate needing to move your bench?
I was thinking about casters on this thing. How frequently do you anticipate needing to move your bench?
I was thinking about the casters when I wanted to move the bench away from the wall if I wanted to be able to work from all sides. My basement workshop is probably too small to keep it towards the center permanently. All that to say I’m not sure how often I’ll need to do that.
Did you do the sketch up for him? I’m guessing that is why you’re so intimate with the bench!!
I’m hoping the experts that come by on the shop crawl will give some good advice on the layout of my shop. Maybe I won’t need the casters after all. I need help!
I did the SketchUp model and the plans for that bench as well as the ones for Garrett Hack's bench which is the one whose top I borrowed for the modification shown above.
Maybe you won't need casters. If you do, you might also consider fixed wheels at one end and a long lever with a wheel for the other end. There's a name for that bar but it escapes me at the moment.
Maybe you won't need casters. If you do, you might also consider fixed wheels at one end and a long lever with a wheel for the other end. There's a name for that bar but it escapes me at the moment.
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