Frank’s Workbench - Project of the Week

September 5, 2008 by loglad
Filed under: Project of the Week, Shop Projects 

This week’s project comes from Frank (yep, the Woodcraft guy from Ep. 62). Let’s hear what he has to say:

Well, I finally completed my workbench. I would love to have a typical European style bench with a large twin screw vice on the side, but I have neither the space nor the funds. Furthermore, I needed a bench that I can easily move by myself, yet is strong enough to work with mortising chisels or hand planes. Also, because of my height, I prefer a bench that stands just a little higher than most.

This bench turned out to be a pretty good compromise. Its design revolves around the Zyliss vice and Veritas Bench Dogs / Wonder Dogs / Surface Clamp. My father purchased a Zyliss vice back in the 70’s and I have been very impressed with them ever since. New, they tend to be pretty expensive but if you keep your eyes open they are quite reasonable on eBay. I now have four of them.

The light wood is Alder and the darker is Eucalyptus. The Eucalyptus is not only beautiful but also tough as nails. I will say that if I were to do it again, I would replace the Alder with Hard Maple. The Alder is softer than I expected. I made the feet out of Ash to handle the abuse of being moved around. All of the joinery is either pairs of 10×50mm Dominos or Miller dowels. I finished it with Danish Oil and several coats of wax.



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Comments

6 Comments on Frank’s Workbench - Project of the Week

  1. Vic on Fri, 5th Sep 2008 3:24 pm

    2. That eucalyptus is pretty, too. So did you find a large belt sand to flatten that puppy, or did you use a hand jointer plane?

  2. Zac on Fri, 5th Sep 2008 10:49 pm

    3. It is nice to see a unique style instead of a copy. I really like the looks of it, that eucalyptus really adds some beauty. I am in the process of building one too, I hear you on the price tag. I started out wanting to build something real beefy , but that has gone by the wayside for two reasons. Cost and time. Well, back to your masterpiece, I really like that vice. It gives you outstanding versatility! Great job on the whole project. It will serve up some holding power for years to come.

  3. Wilf on Sat, 6th Sep 2008 1:55 pm

    4. Great looking bench! I noticed that the feet (or the stretchers that the feet are attached to) extend further out on one side than the other. Is there a “working” side to the bench or is that just the design?

  4. Frank on Tue, 16th Sep 2008 12:45 pm

    5. Vic,

    I’m sorry for taking so long to respond, I just have been completely booked for the last two weeks. Anyway, I lined up the top using Dominos so there wasn’t a lot of sanding involved. It is a major step up from the biscuit jointer that I once used. Using a hand plane will take it up to the next level. When time permits, I think I will do exactly that.

    Frank

  5. Frank on Tue, 16th Sep 2008 12:47 pm

    6. Thanks Zac, I really enjoyed building it. Look for those Zyliss vices. You will not regret buying one.

  6. Frank on Tue, 16th Sep 2008 12:49 pm

    7. Thanks Wilf, The longer stretchers are made to be the working side for stability. I thought they might be a tripping hazard, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. Frank

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