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Bob's Bench-10 Months After
For most of my woodworking career I never had a proper workbench. For 30 some years I used a variety of surfaces ranging from a sheet of particleboard to an old door, supported by every thing from sawhorses to 55-gallon drums. I created a lot of nice work, but holding the work was always a challenge. That all changed for the better last summer when I finished my new workbench, and I wish I had made it sooner.  When I designed this bench, I kept in mind all the times I held something down with one hand while I worked with the other, or cobbled something together to hold things in place. I wanted to be able to firmly hold any piece of wood in any situation, and I wanted to do that quickly and easily. I wanted a solid surface to work from, without any compromises. I think I succeeded, and I've heard from a lot of readers who agree.  The legs and rails on the front of the bench are all flush with the edge of the top, and the twin-screw vise is centered on one of the legs. To route the hinge mortises for this door, I put the entire door inside the jaws of the vise. A dog in the leg limits how far the door can drop, and the leg supports the door below the vise. I can hold a residential door, or the face frame from of an eight-foot long cabinet just as easily.  Squaring up the corners is simple as well. I don't need to move or change anything as the work is held in place for both hand and power tool operations. This is just one example of how I use the bench, you can see a video of other holding methods by clicking here. The bench was on the cover of the October 2008 issue, and we made an hour-long DVD of the construction process.  The video also contains a PDF version of the original article, complete construction drawings, and additional still photos of the work in progress. When I built the bench, I used a 10" hybrid table saw, a 6" jointer, and a 12" lunchbox planer. It may look like a difficult project, but I designed it
to be assembled from manageable-sized parts and made with common tools. Several readers have blogged about building their own versions of this
bench, and I hear from people every week who are getting ready to begin. Having a great bench makes every task in the shop a bit easier, and there is a real sense of satisfaction in building a bench tailored to you and the way you work. Click here for information on October 2008 issue of Popular WoodworkingClick here for more information about the DVD Click here to view a video of using the bench. --Robert W. Lang
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Monday, April 06, 2009 11:55:24 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Bob's Bench-6 Months Down the Road
Of all the projects I've built in the four and a half years I've been with Popular Woodworking, the 21st Century Workbench has been my favorite, and it's been a favorite with readers as well. I've received many e-mails from readers who are building there own version, or getting ready to build one. It's been discussed on online forums and the SketchUp model is among the most popular in our collection on Google's 3D Warehouse.  I thought it would be a good idea to answer the most often asked questions, and report on how the bench is faring after six months in the shop. The number one question is "What would you do differently now that you've used it for a while"? The answer to that one is "I would have built it 15 or 20 years ago". The honeymoon isn't over and this bench has improved my woodworking and my attitude about the way I work. I was used to working on makeshift benches and often resorted to less than ideal ways of holding work, like holding down a cabinet door flat on the bench with one hand while I planed its edges with the other. Those days are thankfully gone.  I designed in a lot of methods to hold work securely, and almost every time I work on the bench I learn another trick or two. The ability to remove the tool trays in the center of the bench has proven more useful than I thought and I can quickly secure my work to the top or front of the bench using hold-downs, holdfasts or clamps. The only annoying issue that has come up is a bit of shrinkage in the top and legs. The dog holes are now slightly small, and the brass bench dogs started sticking when the heat came on this fall. Mike Wenzloff shared a cool trick with me, and the dogs are now a bit smaller.  One area of concern among readers is the mounting of the blocks that hold the screws for the Veritas twin-screw vise. These blocks are more than two-inches thick and are simply glued to the bottom of the bench top. The concern is that the pressure exerted by the vise will break the glue joint. As the project neared completion, Chris Schwarz expressed this same notion to me, and suggested that I bolt the two pieces of wood together. I'm convinced it will be OK, the edges were well prepared, the joint was clamped overnight and it was about a week before the vise was mounted. My thinking is that the joint is as strong as the wood itself, and I wouldn't be concerned about the vise splitting a piece of solid wood the same size. So far, so good, and if the blocks ever do fail, I will bolt them back on and take the boss out to lunch, while I eat some crow pad thai. If you missed the original article, you can buy the back issue, or find it on the new 2008 back issue CD. There is also a short video about using the bench here. And last but not least, there is a 60-minute long DVD that follows the construction of the bench. On the DVD are a PDF version of the original article, a set of detailed construction drawings, and a copy of the SketchUp model. You can get the DVD by clicking here and if you have any questions or comments, you can leave a comment here on the blog, or you can reach me by E-mail. --Robert W. Lang
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Monday, January 19, 2009 2:03:44 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Bob's Bench: A Free Video, DVD and SketchUp Model
Our October issue is reaching subscribers, and should be on newsstands soon. The cover story is about my new workbench, a blend of historic designs that is an ideal work holding solution for hand and power tool woodworkers alike. I've written about it here on the blog as I designed it, and during construction. I'm happy with it-it's nice and solid and will hold just about any piece of work for any task.  I designed the bench using Google SketchUp, a 3-D modeling program that I've been using for the last year or so. The nice thing about using SketchUp is it's similarity to building something, without the dust and the noise. You can put things together, take them back apart, and quickly make changes or see what different variations will look like. My upcoming book features a lengthy section on using the program for designing cabinets and furniture, and I'll be teaching a course or two on using it effectively next year. The price is also right-it's available as a free download by clicking here.  These two images were taken from my SketchUp model of the bench. If you have SketchUp on your computer, you can download the Sketchup model of the workbench and take a closer look from any angle you want to. If you want to build a version of the bench that differs in size, you can start with my model and make whatever modifications you would like. The model is compressed as a .zip file, but it's easy to open it on almost any computer. Download the SketchUp model by clicking this link: WorkbenchModel.zip (332.76 KB)The model is also available on Google's 3Dwarehouse. You can download it in SketchUp (.skp) format by clicking here. We also had the video camera running during the building process, and we have an hour-long DVD available in our store. In addition to the video content, there is a printed set of construction drawings, an enhanced PDF version of the article, a PDF slide show of additional step photos, and the SketchUp model on the disk. Finally, there is a free five-minute video available showing some of the many ways to hold work on the bench. This video is available by clicking here. If you have any questions or comments, you can post them here on the blog by clicking "comment" in the lower right, or you can send me an e-mail by clicking on my name. --Bob Lang
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 4:58:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Bob's Bench – Completed Bench and Friendly Wager
Last Thursday I put the finishing touches on my new workbench, just in time for a Friday-morning photo session. The plan was to shoot on location, and editor Christopher Schwarz and I were discussing the plan. The one item not resolved was actually moving the bench from our shop to another shop with a more photogenic parking lot. Chris proposed moving the bench completely assembled, and I said "why don't we just take it apart and move the pieces? I think that will be easier."
 His response was, "that will take 45 minutes or an hour; it will be quicker to just throw it in the truck." Never afraid to disagree with the boss, I said "It won't take that long, this will come apart in 10 or 15 minutes, and we won't need more than two people to carry the parts." We went back and forth for a few minutes. "No you can't," "Yes I can" led to "No way," "Absolutely." I don't remember which of us was the first to say, "Want to bet?," but the introduction of that phrase changed things from theoretical discussion to practical demonstration. The stakes were settled, and the time set for the following morning. As news of the contest spread through the office, it was mutually decided to record the proceedings on film and video.  When I designed this bench, I kept the component parts few in number. The two top slabs are held to the leg structure with four lag bolts coming up through the top rails on each end. With those bolts removed, the tops were placed out of the way on a rolling cart, and I went after the four lags that secure the lapped dovetails at the end of the upper rails. With that task accomplished, I put down the wrench and removed the boards that make up the lower shelf. Those pieces are half-lapped and simply sit on cleats attached to the rails. When those were removed and stacked, I grabbed the hammer.  I lifted the idea for the joints on the ends of the lower rails from an old drawing of a Nicholson bench. There is a dovetail-shaped slot in each leg, and half a lapped dovetail on the end of each rail. The rails slide into the slots, drop into position and a wedge is tapped in from the outer side of the leg to lock the joint together. This is a surprisingly strong connection, and if the joints loosen over time all I need to do is reach down and give the end of the wedge a rap with my hammer. Tapping from the other direction removes the wedges, allowing the rails to move up and out. One of the wedges escaped my grasp and went scooting across the shop floot, costing me about 10 seconds of time to retrieve it.  Here's a look at the joints coming apart, and the two leg assemblies and lower rails were added to the pile. Elapsed time: 6 minutes, 30 seconds. Putting the bench back together is nearly as fast. It went back together for the photo shoot, and apart again for the return trip to the shop. At the moment it's not assembled. Another challenge has been issued, and we'll soon gather in the shop, stop watches and digital cameras at the ready, to see how fast an old man can move putting the bench back together. Details on building and using the bench will be included in our October issue, which will be on sale around the first of September. In the meantime, there will be more about it here on the blog as I put it to use. I've enjoyed building this bench, and I'm looking forward to using it.
– Bob Lang
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Monday, June 30, 2008 1:58:02 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Bob's Bench-Week 2 Becomes Week 3
Sometimes it's hard to get enough shop time in, and that's how it's felt the last week and a half. We've been scrambling to get the next issue of Woodworking Magazine ready to send to the printer and getting our October issue going. It wouldn't be so bad, but I'm taking lots of photos and we're shooting video and that can really slow things down. Even though I've been moving at glacial speed, I've made progress.  The other thing slowing me down is me. This bench will be around for a long time, and will likely be the object of scrutiny, so I'm fussing over things more than I otherwise might. I don't look at this project as a piece of furniture, but I don't want to make any compromises. Ten years from now I'd like to look at the joints and say "that looks pretty good." At that distance I know I won't be saying "I'm sure glad I got home in time for dinner the day I made that ugly joint." The picture above is the last joint in the base and leg assembly. This is the inside of the outer half of one of the legs. A wedge gets knocked in the empty space and holds the rail to the legs.  That's what it looks like after the legs are laminated together and the base is assembled. It's nice to be at this point but there is still a lot of work left. The base needs to be prettified by planing all the surfaces smooth and flush, and I'll need to knock off the sharp corners. The upper rails will attach with lag screws, and I'll attach the top the same way. Then it will be on to installing the vises, drilling the dog dog holes, and making the tool trays and shelf. All of that by this time next week, when the final photo shoot is scheduled.  It wears me out just thinking about it. --Bob Lang
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008 5:35:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Bob's Bench-A Decent First Week
I've started on the bench, spending as much time in the shop as I could spare, and after a week and a day, it looks like I'm making good progress. The shop is messy, but there are now piles of parts where a stack of rough lumber used to be. I've probably spent about 25 hours actually working on it, it gets hard to keep track when I have to stop and take photos or shoot video. Here is a link to some previous posts showing what I'm up to: Previous Blog Posts. And here in a moment of neatness is where I was last Friday morning.  At the bottom of the pile are the two glued up slabs that will comprise the top, and the stack on top is destined to become legs, rails and stretchers. Even though milling rough lumber takes some effort, one of my favorite parts of any project is hitting this point. I tend to fuss over the rough milling, because if my parts will form a nice neat stack, it means they are straight and square. And if they're straight and square, every step that follows will be considerably easier.  One of the purposes for building this bench, and documenting it on the blog and on video is to show that a good bench can be built with a minimal amount of machines, space, experience and skill. I've set up a space in a corner of the shop with a 6-inch joiner, a twelve-inch lunchbox planer, and a 1-3/4 horsepower hybrid table saw. This is a pretty basic setup, and although at times I've pushed the machines close to their limits, they've been up to the task so far. I designed this bench to work around these tools, matching parts and subassemblies to their limitations. So if you've been putting off building a bench until you have a massive table saw, an aircraft carrier size jointer, and a planer the size of a house trailer, find another excuse and get to work.  After rough cutting the 8/4 material to manageable sizes, I milled all the individual pieces for the top, and then glued them together in pairs. Each glued up pair took another trip over the jointer and through the planer. Three pairs were glued together to make each 3" thick, 12" wide and 8-foot long top section. Because these parts were all carefully made, the final assembly went smoothly. I put two straight pieces of material the long way across my horses, and then laid square pieces across them at about 12-inch intervals. This gave me a level platform for gluing, and stock this size doesn't want to twist or bend.  One of the other myths to dispel about building a bench is that "You need a bench to build a bench". Now that I have the tops together, I have a better work surface than I've ever had, and there's no reason not to put them to work. Here's a photo from around lunchtime Friday as I work on the mortises for the leg assemblies. --Bob Lang
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Monday, June 09, 2008 4:50:27 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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