Workbench 2.2

I decided to build a new workbench for a couple of reasons. I was getting into the Neanderthal style of woodworking, I wanted to gain a little more experience before I built more "in the house" furniture, having vises seemed really convenient, and I wanted something that looked nice in the shop. I've built this workbench following these plans.

The bench is solid maple with purpleheart highlights. The "end vise" is actually a sliding bench dog. Rather than come out from the end of the bench it slides back and forth along a rail in the bench top. I made it with a Scandinavian bench screw. The face vise is a quick release vise designed to be used with a homemade face.

I understand that a solid maple bench with purpleheart highlights is a bit extravagant but hey, I'm a hobbyist so I build whatever makes me happy.

Update: The most common question I get is, "How much did it cost to build?" Here's a decent estimate:

Major Item	Minor Item	Price	Total
Bench
	Screw Vise and Handle	$60
	Face Vise and Handle	$150
	Maple	$290
	Purpleheart (used for storage too)	$17
	Nuts, bolts, finish, wax, etc.	$20
	Bench Dogs from Lee Valley	$30
Bench Subtotal			$567
Storage under the bench
	Plywood (carcass)	$40
	Maple (drawers)	$50
	Wooden Pulls	$6
	Finish	$16
Storage Subtotal			$112
Total			$679

It's fairly expensive to build but if your time is free, it's far cheaper than a comparable store bought bench. Also, it could be made for a lot less with cheaper vise hardware. It took about about 3 months of night and weekends to build it.

I actually took this picture as a completed shot of the lumber rack. I was surfing my site and I realized that it's not just a picture of the lumber rack but it's also a "before" shot of the work bench.

A profile shot of the bench. Most of the planing, scraping, and sanding is complete but it's not finished yet

Here's a shot of the face vise. You can see the tool tray in the back. In the center of the tool tray there is a sliding door with a finger hole for clearing out the sawdust.

A close-up of the sliding dog vise..

Because the apron and the breadboard ends were different sizes I had to carve these finger joints by hand with a set of chisels. The ordeal has inspired to invest in a better set of hand tools.

I like this shot of the purple heart highlights that run along side of the dog holes.

A view from the front.

This is an overhead shot of the finished bench.

Another picture from the front. That's my router table built from Norm's plans in the background.

This is the rounded foot. It took a lot of time to get all four feet to match.

This is the carcass for the drawers and the cabinet. You can see the drawer runners on the right side of the carcass, the left side will either be open or will have a shelf. I haven't decided yet.

Here's another construction photo. On top of the carcass is the cabinet door and the purpleheart divider for the middle of the carcass.

As I built the drawers I put them in the carcass to test and adjust for fit.

An overhead shot of the completed bench. The left side is an open cabinet and the right side is a set of five drawers.

A view from the front.

The traditional view of the bench with open drawers.

After about a year I finally got around to building a bench slave. A bench slave is used to support long boards while you're planing the edge. It can also be used to support drawers while you're working it in the vise. Anytime the face vise is just grabbing the side of the piece and you need to support the bottom the bench slave comes in handy.

Here's a closer shot of the bench slave.

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