Producing quality work requires having the right tools to accomplish the job. At the North Bennet Street School, I have come to realize that one of the most indispensable tools of the fine craftsmen is his workbench.
In our shop, massive 8 foot long German-made Diefenbach workbenches provide a nearly indestructible work surface for us to build almost anything. With graduation looming, I came to the conclusion that having my own workbench would be a requirement if I want to continue evolving my fine woodworking skills.
At more than $2,000, purchasing my own Diefenbach workbench was out of the question. If I could find the time in my already project-filled schedule, I knew I could build a quality workbench of my own. And so, back in November, I pledged to use the short blocks of time during lunch, after school, and before school to chip away at my personal workbench project.
My requirements for a workbench called for something smaller than the massive Diefenbach benches but equally solid. I wanted built-in storage to house some of my more precious hand tools, and I needed the bench to come apart for transport. Lastly, with my limited income as a student, I needed the bench to be relatively cheap to make. I set a budget of $300 and with that I was off.
I could easily have blown the entire budget on one vise alone so finding a pair of affordable vises was my first priority. I couldn't find any quality new vises under $150 so I settled with vintage American made vises that I found on craigslist.
The benchtop, trestle legs, and cabinet face frame are made of hard maple, the cabinet carcass is maple ply, and the drawer fronts are shellacked curly soft maple. The turned vise handles are also maple. In fact, the only piece of the bench not made of maple are the drawers which are finger jointed poplar. I blew the last $75 in materials on the solid brass pulls, silky smooth self-closing drawer slides, and the blue Kreg bench dogs. The result is an attractive, extremely durable, and heavy bench (about 200lbs!) that will hopefully give me a lifetime of use. More pictures below.
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