Building nice wood: workbench

Showing posts with label workbench. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The New Yankee Workshop workbench build has started!

Ive been watching a lot of episodes of The New Yankee Workshop on YouTube lately and one of my favorites is their woodworking workbench. I found a hardcover copy of the 1st season of NYW book on eBay for a good price. Norm said that the project can be made with 6 - 2x4s so I bought 7. I made one mistake in my cuts and had to redo one 17" board that somehow came out 16.75" and still managed to use only 6 - 2x4s. I am also shooting video on this project so I didnt take as many pictures as I normally would have.

Its Norm!

This is the goal for my workbench to look like.

My wife got me this dado set for christmas. I cant find anywhere to buy new plates for my table saw so I

am in the process of making one out of hardboard.

The new plate for the dado set is almost done.

The plan called for 6 - 2x4s so I bought 7.

Time to make some cuts.

These are all the pieces cut for the frame of the workbench.

Even with my one screwup this is all I had left for scraps.

These are all the pieces laid out. Rabbits and dados are next!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

First WorkBench

The Chicken & The Egg Workbench Conundrum...

As its been sunny lately and the room I intend to use isnt quite ready, I have been using a scrap piece of kitchen worktop placed on the garden table as a makeshift bench to clean & sharpen up my tools.

I was considering using the same piece of worktop and maybe knocking together some rough saw horses for it to go across as a slightly more rigid bench solution. However, it seems I would still be wrestling with clamps holding more clamps to hold a work piece. While Im sure its doable its far from ideal - much like previously living on a boat!

I could try and build a bench myself, but lets face it with my skills and no other bench to build it on, Im not sure its going to be any better than the saw horse solution.

Therefore, after much deliberation and reading, I have decided that the best thing (for me) is to buy a beginner bench.

This bench at only £126 seems pretty cheap and despite a few poor reviews must be more sturdy than the other solutions, especially if I can butt it up against a wall. It includes two vices and other work holding devices. I dont think I could build anything better for the price.

A friend introduced me to Axminster Tools and it took less than 5 minutes to sign up and pay for this little beauty, with free next day delivery! While I dont expect it will be as solid or rigid as a professional bench, for the price I dont think it can be beaten as a beginner bench. If the woodworking bug really takes hold then obviously Id like to build my own full size bench at some stage but by then I would know what Im doing (hopefully) and probably wouldnt be working out of a tiny spare room.