# first workbench build in progress



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

First try at a work bench....top is 70 x 36" made of three layers of 3/4" birch plywood glued and screwed. Base is made from 2x12 yellow pine thats been cut down and laminated. Two cabinets will be underneath. Vise is already attached. Walnut trim around the top, its done but i dont have a pic of it yet. Vise is embedded in the trim...looks and works great so far. Bench top is 42" high which is perfect for me. Its a lot bigger than i imagined it would be when i drew it out. Its not a roubo but like the man said...it takes a workbench to build a workbench


----------



## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Looking good. I need to build myself one.


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Are you planning to rest your automobile on that bench? It sure would be strong enough.

George


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> Are you planning to rest your automobile on that bench? It sure would be strong enough.
> 
> George


If the need arises...you bet ya. The plan for the top came from WOOD magazine i think....it was an article about how to get stable dog holes in a plywood top. As for the overall size, it didnt sound that big when me and a buddy talked and drew it out. In this case its fine but ill be keeping that in mind for future projects


----------



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Looking good.


----------



## ftk (May 9, 2012)

ntrusty said:


> If the need arises...you bet ya. The plan for the top came from WOOD magazine i think....it was an article about how to get stable dog holes in a plywood top. As for the overall size, it didnt sound that big when me and a buddy talked and drew it out. In this case its fine but ill be keeping that in mind for future projects


Would you mind sharing the gist of the article?


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

ftk said:


> Would you mind sharing the gist of the article?


Sure, it was just a small tidbit of an article, couple of paragraghs really. However it basically said if you wanted to build a quick and inexpensive table top you can use three layers of 3/4 birch ( baltic preferebly, mines just birch however ) it will be strong enough to use with a heavy clamp and dog holes. It did advise to chamfer the dog holes to about 1/8 inch if i recall to prevent fracturing. The top took us about 3 hours to glue and screw together. Im 6'5", 350 and I crawled on top of it and jumped up and down and it didnt budge or bend.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

So almost got this bench done in these pics. I didn't have clamps long enough to use when we glued the end pieces of trim so we used lag bolts to apply the pressure. That left holes in my trim so we turned some cherry laying around the shop for plugs. It may just be me but i think the cherry and walnut look sharp together. One of the plugs just happened to match grain lines with themselves walnut as well. Couldn't have planned that any better.
And yes its upside down at the moment. More pics later after the finish dries of the top and my first ever dog holes


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Bench top with danish oil. Letting it dry then final assembly.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Finished!


----------



## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Nice job! Looks functional and sturdy. The walnut and cherry is a nice touch (though you may not want to mess it up!) :thumbsup:


----------



## jharris2 (Jul 9, 2012)

Really nice job.

I'm curious about what you plan to put in the drawers and why the empty space between the drawer stacks.

Edit:

I think you'll be glad about the size if you plan on using it for larger assembly operations.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Shop Dad said:


> Nice job! Looks functional and sturdy. The walnut and cherry is a nice touch (though you may not want to mess it up!) :thumbsup:


Oddly enough the walnut was used because ive got a ton of it laying around and that board was all kinds of jacked up. It did come out nicer looking than i anticipated


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

jharris2 said:


> Really nice job.
> 
> I'm curious about what you plan to put in the drawers and why the empty space between the drawer stacks.
> 
> ...


All the space i have to work in is my garage and ive got a serious lack of storage, so smaller and often used stuff will go in the drawers. The middle is open so i can easily access the power outlets on the wall and so i can store my work stool there. I have also thought about putting a shopvac in there and set it up to use for dust collection but i havent really thought that out fully yet. There is about a 6 inch space between the back of the drawers and the frame that i can use for longer stock storage.


----------



## jharris2 (Jul 9, 2012)

ntrusty said:


> There is about a 6 inch space between the back of the drawers and the frame that i can use for longer stock storage.


I had to chuckle. It's funny the lengths those of us with small shops go to to use every cubic inch of storage space.

My problem is that I can't always remember where I've "hidden" things.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

jharris2 said:


> I had to chuckle. It's funny the lengths those of us with small shops go to to use every cubic inch of storage space.
> 
> My problem is that I can't always remember where I've "hidden" things.


Ha...i have that same issue daily it seems


----------



## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Man, that's a sturdy looking bench. Looks great and you've done a great job on it. Fantastic work.


----------



## slamin81 (Oct 18, 2012)

probably a foolish question, but what are the holes for in the table, i am a new woodworker.


----------



## gmcsmoke (Feb 6, 2011)

there for bench dogs to hold work pieces in place.


----------



## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Great job!!


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

rayking49 said:


> Great job!!


Thanks...its my first one and so far its been a great bench. No complaints.


----------



## HuskerGBR (Sep 18, 2012)

Great looking workbench. I am in the process of building one myself. hope mine comes out half as good as yours.

Question: The vise you used is exact one I would like to put on my bench. How wide is the Walnut trim around the workbench?

Also what size holes did you drill for the bench dogs and the spacing between them?

Thanks for the Help. 

Those dowels look great. Plan on doing something similar on mine.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

HuskerGBR said:


> Great looking workbench. I am in the process of building one myself. hope mine comes out half as good as yours.
> 
> Question: The vise you used is exact one I would like to put on my bench. How wide is the Walnut trim around the workbench?
> 
> ...


The trim is 1 1/2 thick. Dog holes are 3/4 inch and spacing is 6 inches. I have no reason for the spacing other than it looked right. The vise is mounted behind the trim and i put dog holes in the vise face as well. On the dog holes just be sure to slightly drill the hole at an angle towards the vise. Thats advice i got from my father in law. When in use the dogs will flex out somewhat. 

The dowels were super easy. I had never tried it before.


----------



## Upstate (Nov 28, 2011)

ntrusty said:


> Dog holes are 3/4 inch and spacing is 6 inches. I have no reason for the spacing other than it looked right. The vise is mounted behind the trim and i put dog holes in the vise face as well.


Your dog holes should be spaced less than the distance your vice travels (at the absolute maximum). Spacing them closer is more convenient though since its less cranking on the vice to get to the next hole if you need to.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Upstate said:


> Your dog holes should be spaced less than the distance your vice travels (at the absolute maximum). Spacing them closer is more convenient though since its less cranking on the vice to get to the next hole if you need to.


I didnt know that thanks for the rule of thumb. Fortunately mine follow that rule.


----------



## Upstate (Nov 28, 2011)

ntrusty said:


> I didnt know that thanks for the rule of thumb. Fortunately mine follow that rule.


To expand on my response, since i realize i didnt explain why. If you have them spaced further apart than your vices travel, then there will be certain lengths of board that you will not be able to clamp to your bench because one dog will be too close, and the next one will be too far away.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Upstate said:


> To expand on my response, since i realize i didnt explain why. If you have them spaced further apart than your vices travel, then there will be certain lengths of board that you will not be able to clamp to your bench because one dog will be too close, and the next one will be too far away.


Makes sense. Would have never thought of that though. Thanks for the info


----------



## HuskerGBR (Sep 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the info about the dogs. 
It looks like the trim where the vise is thicker.? Or i guess i am really talking about the width. 

One last question sorry. How far back did you set the legs the side? I am worried my vice screw and guide rods are going to hit my lega when vise fully clamped in.


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

HuskerGBR said:


> Thanks for all the info about the dogs.
> It looks like the trim where the vise is thicker.? Or i guess i am really talking about the width.
> 
> One last question sorry. How far back did you set the legs the side? I am worried my vice screw and guide rods are going to hit my lega when vise fully clamped in.


Legs aren't really set back, they are flush with the front and back of the bench. The vise is mounted just on the inside of the front leg. Yes the width if the trim is greater on the vise side. Its as deep as the vise will allow. I dont recall the exact measurement. I mounted the vise first then set the trim over it. Youll have to cut a notch in the trim to make it flush unless you sink it into the bench. Its wider so it can hold a wider piece easier


----------



## ntrusty (Feb 21, 2012)

Ill try to take a pic of the underside and post it if that will help


----------



## HuskerGBR (Sep 18, 2012)

I think i got the picture. Thanks for the help.


----------

