Official Luthiers Forum!

So this is a bit of a loaded question considering the group here but I have trust in the community so I'll just ask and see what transpires...

As most of you know I moved to Idaho late last year, had to pack up the shop and am in the process of revamping the entire shop. Since I have the time and resources this seemed like a great time to re-think the way I lay things out.

So one issue that has been on my mind is my workbench, my current one is a behemoth I build out of an old waterbed, it's super heavy and super stable. But it's outlived it usefullness and is not geared for woodworking at all. So I want to downsize to a 6ft woodworkers bench, the struggle I have now is do I take the time to build one or buy one??

I want a good cabinetmakers workbench, with two vises, one on the side and one on the end with the sliding jaws so you can clamp pieces in the bench dogs...

I like the Sjobergs, they have some great options and are very well built, but man are they expensive. Grizzly has some that are much more cost effective but still not really what I want (well there is the big one that has everything I want, but it's too dang big
I want to add lots of drawer storage to the cabinet so I can hold all my tools and keep the area neat, some have it and some don't (it's extra on the Sjobergs)...

I also found some plans for one in the shop-notes magazines, it's almost perfect except it doesn't have the tool recess that traditional cabinetmakers benchs have. So here goes the loaded question...

Would you buy one or build one??

It's not a matter of pride or skill, it's a matter of when I can get to building guitars again!!

I looked for plans on the net and there are ton of them out there but most are for weekend hobbyist, I want something that I can use everyday for building...

Suggestions??

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Build one if you know that you are now in a permenent location more or less. If you think you may move again in the sorta near future(i.e. house or city)I would buy the lest expensive that meets min. needs till I was sure that you were setteled in for the long term

Bruce Dickey38751.7878009259

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce Dickey38751.6447685185

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Yeah not sure how this message ended up in here??

I've seen Franks workbench and I know it works for him, I want something that I use to make things in wood with, I'll have a beater in the corner if I need to do that...

-paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Paul...I agonized over the same question and finally got the Lee Valley plans and have ordered the wood. The wood itself is a major investment. When it's all said and done, I'll save very little from what it would have cost had I bought one. My major rationale now is that it will be good woodworking experience for me to do this project. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Good luck!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Be sure and post some pictures of that workbench JJ. I am going to build a specialized workbench for doing setups in the very near future (might get statred this weekend) where the guitar is suspended sort of midair and wel below is a flat surface for tools etc. Also there will be a support for a removable bag-O-shot under the neck for hammering frets and an adjustable neck support for doing fret leveling and such.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

John...At my pace, you never know when it will be completed. I like your ideas though...I may steal a few.

Paul, I'm also considering the drawer storage underneath the top. I've settled on the very large end and side vises as well as strategically spaced dog holes. This plan has the tool well at one side.

BTW...are there any cool features others have found in building a work bench?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

a "woodworking" style bench with shoulder vice, etc., is really not at all necessary in guitar making. they are rather a bit of overkill.

if you are into other general woodworking then it may be of more practical use.

I found an old used Very Heavy Duty desk at a used furniture store that I use for one of my workbench's. I installed a few L bracket supports at some key locations for additional stability. Nice because it has drawers, nice flat top, and doubles as a go-bar deck using the open area where legs would normally go.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

JJ that's basically the design I was looking for, so here are my current plans, if you go here:

WorkStation

They show this in their magazine and one side they a performax 16-32 thickness sander (opposite the tool he's flipping over) and it's height is set so the feed rolls right out onto that top. I was going to build that and put the performax and my detail sander in that stand. My idea was that I could get two tools in one space plus storage for them to boot!!!.

The workbench I am thinking about is this one:

Workbench

I have the plans for it and it seems to be pretty straight forward, The only thing missing is a tool well....

But you can have tons of storage in it which is what I want and it looks pretty solid. They use a slot and key system to join the top, basically you cut slots in the boards with a router and then use 1/4" hardboard to lock them together, sounds like a good idea in theory...

Michael, I disagree to a point, you do lots of standard word working tasks when building (especially jigs) so I could see it being very useful to me, but technically your right, I've gotten along fine so far without one..

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

This one has lots of "dogs" and you could build the drawers into it
Here

Paul, your smart, I think which ever design you choose, you can just modify the top to have a tool well.

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Nice bench, Paul! Mine is more like the one Doug posted...same chain driven vise. The only difference is that I'm laminating hard maple for the top. I'll add the cabinetry as I work for a while and decide where I need things stored.

Yes, I plan to do more than guitar work. I'm planning to have access to all sides by placing the bench in the center of the room. I'll have 2 other smaller and lighter benches for assembly and close-up work against the walls.

I seem to remember someone completing a very cool bench recently and posting pictures but I forgot who it was...perhaps he'll chime in.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Paul,

I had an occasion a couple of years ago to finally build the workbench of my dreams. It is a Swedish type but semi-knockdown with sqare holes for bench dogs. It basically cost $100 in wood (hard maple), is very stable, fits my shop very well and is a source of pride as I use it daily (literally!).

Given the cost, build!

Ps Due to the configuration of my shop (long and narrow), I have locking casters on it. Makes a world of difference when I have to put on some outrigger guitar support/jig.

JJ, I believe it was Paul Woolsen's hickory work bench. Here is a link.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Confession: I have a laminated 10' long beech work bench complete with dogs, wood vises and storage. It is a woodworkers dream bench.




You know what I use 98% of the time for guitar building? I have a 4'x 2' x 3/4" MDF "L" shaped extension on the end of the 10 footer. That's where I hang out most of the time.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Thanks, Don...I swear, you are the best archivist and researcher with the best links to virtually everything!

I happened to see Paul's in person and it sure is nice.

But there was another one...laminated maple top that someone commented that they even used a coaster to put their coffee cup down...I'll find it when I get some extra time this weekend.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Does anyone have trouble with knee/leg room using the drawer system underneath?

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Paul, Once I build my shop, one of these mellinia! I will be building a very similiar bench. I have all of the wood and all of the hardware already and have drwn out the detailed sections, just need the time and the space. A great resource is the Wookbench Book by Scott Landis, there is even a chapter on Lutherie and there was a great bench design (that I am using for ideas), in Fine Woodworking #149, June 2001. You could probably get both of these from your local library or have them bring them in on inter library loan.

Shane

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Canada

I used to use a Benchmate with a piece of plywood clamped on top. It works great and I'll still do that sometimes when I need more working surface. Since then I've built a couple of work benches. One was made out of 2x4s and plywood. The other I bought a Sjoberg top and built my own legs. This one is really nice but probably overkill for the stuff I do.

Joe

Paul,

Here's my workbench:



One of these days I'll add some drawers.

The materials were a bit cheaper than what it would have cost to purchase a decent Sohlberg. However, I think it's a much better bench than that (much thicker top, etc.). On the downside, it took a lot of time to make --- probably 60-80 hours. If you are taking time away from building guitars (which you will sell) in order to build a bench (which you won't), it's cheaper to buy one.

My suggestion is that if you have orders to fill, don't hold yourself up by spending a lot of time building a bench you could buy for a reasonable price. On the other hand, if you occasionally find yourself with some downtime or spare time, it is a very rewarding project.

One final thought. If you have the time to build a beautiful and functional bench, it will be a tribute to your craftsmanship to anyone who sees it. That may be worth something. Have you ever seen the Studley tool chest? He was a piano maker who built himself an incredible tool chest --- remarkable enough that it spent quite a bit of time on display at the Smithsonian. I was once watching Norm in a tool-chest episode, and he was showing the Studley tool chest. Norm commented "if he built that kind of tool chest, imagine what kind of pianos he made." There's something to be said for that.



He must have been one heck of a craftsman.

With that said, he probably did it in his downtime, and did not take time away from paying jobs to work on his tool chest.

There's a good book by Taunton Press on workbenches. It even has a section
on luthiers benches.
That said, as the saying goes "it's hard to beat a man at his own
trade"...meaning that if you can find one that fits the bill It will likely cost
less and the time you save, you'll have to spend building guitars or
furniture...
Check out Laguna[ www.lagunatools.com ]. They have some nice models.
-C
PS I highly reccomend looing into a modern "patternmakers vise". I have one
made by Veritas (called the Tucker vise) that I couldn't work without.

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

I recently inherited a woodworkers bench that was bought by my great grandfather over a hundred years ago. It's the standard affair with side & end vices, huge bench dogs, lowered section of the top for tools... only one drawer.
It's really cool, but I find it to be of very limited use for guitar guilding. Mostly, it sits in a corner & gathers junk. The bench I most like to work at is like a "U" shaped kitchen counter, supported by 2X4s & with a bunch of tacky plastic drawer sets from Wally World underneath. It's not fancy, but it sure is effective.
A few sheets of MDF & some 2X4s are a lot less expensive than a pretty hardwood bench. Leaves me with more $ for tonewood!

I have a traditional Scandinavian type bench that I bought used and made new tail and side vises for. It is too big for my shop, and I don't use it much for guitar building, but it is great for hand planing and some of the other wood working that I do. Building the vises, adapting the top and base for them and flattening the top was so much work that I don't think I saved much time over building a much nicer and more suitable one from scratch. It is very heavy and I don't mind a ding or hole or two; if it gets too beat up I'll just plane the top down again. I made the vises from some old designs I have seen on other benches and from plans in this book:

The workbench book

Here is my bench

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