Work Bench Top Re-Build

Ok, it's not a metal working project but here goes.

20 years ago, I built this bench. It’s 72”L x 25”W with a 5” skirt. My focus at the time was primarily woodworking. It had/has a twin-screw vise, holes for bench dogs, a pattern makers vice etc. For several years prior to the build, I tried to acquire some bowling alley lane for the bench top but was unsuccessful and eventually gave up and used what I had on hand which was some salvage maple and particle board I laminated to build it up to 2” thick for the bench surface and skirts.



Now I knew at the time laminating particle board to maple wasn’t the best choice, but I did it anyway…..it was just a bench. For the first 15 years that bench lived in the basement shop of my previous home at very constant temperature and humidity. In those conditions it was dimensionally stable and stayed put. 5 Years ago I moved my residence and built a shop detached from my home. The bench took up residence in my new shop and although the new shop was heated, it was not quite as environmentally stable. Within two years in its new shop location, humidity changes and the various things that make wood move around through the Midwest seasons, pretty much made the bench surface self-destruct. The Maple and particle board didn’t take/give water from/to the air at the same rate and the Maple boards delaminated and cupped as much as ½” across 6-8” widths. It was fairly dramatic after previous 15 years of stability and faithful service.



For me that made the bench surface almost worthless. I selectively soaked the bench top with wet rags and that very effectively flattened the Maple surface back to being manageable as far as flatness. I even sank a few drywall screws afterward at selective locations in the bench surface in an effort to slow the return of the cupping. However, within a few Winter weeks it was right back to being a total mess.

After living with it for several years, I eventually got a great deal on a 72” x 36” x 1 3/4” laminated Maple slab with free delivery to boot. It sat still packaged in my garage for about 4 months until last weekend I finally decided enough was enough. With a couple lengthwise rips on the table saw I was able to use the extra 72” long by 11” of width to make all of the bench skirt from the single plank.

Then after a little joinery, every clamp I owned was conscripted into service while I glued the skirt in place.



After it set up for a day, I drove a big router and flush trim bit around the perimeter to true-up all the edges of the top to the skirt. It was starting to look like a bench top.



I reused the twin screw vice hardware and jaws from the previous build and bored holes for the four T-bolts that anchor and secure the twin screw vice stationary jaw to the bench surface.



I must say, it was hard for me to cut the mouse hole in the end of the solid Maple bench skirt for the pattern maker’s vice, but I use it too much not to permanently include it on the bench.



Technically, I should not have added the reinforcing stringers across the grain because they will expand and contract differently due to grain direction. But the bench top floats on them so I think that will be minimal.

Here it is completed.



I have two pieces of 1/8” hardboard that were used to protect the maple surfaces during shipment. I’ll use those as everyday surface protectors for the next couple years and the bare Maple will only see the light of day for woodworking projects and pattern making. I haven’t drilled the bench dog holes in the surface yet. Figure I’ll do that when I need them.

Sure is nice to have a flat true surface back on my workbench. I can’t believe I lived with it in the state of disrepair as long as I did.

Best,
Kelly

 

Thanks for the comments guys. I suffer from the same symptoms......clutter, and over the course of time, having to choose working on projects versus clean up and equipment maintenance. Add time to the equation and it's easy to be overtaken. I used to be a lot more disciplined in balancing the two and more willing to throw stuff away.

I have some things sitting on lateral surfaces in my shop that haven't moved for a couple years....that's just silly. My lumber rack is in a state of disarray and occupying twice the space it should. There's scraps of wood and metal growing in depth around my band saw. There are boxes of small jigs and fixtures from past projects that need to leave my shop area for a storage shelf and several pieces of seldom used equipment that have migrated into this portion of my shop that need to return to there original location. It's gotten to the point where I need to move things to use my machinery and then I usually get to move them again in short order. I finally decided I'm going to devote some time to clean up and organizing.

The bench top was eating on me. It was cluttered and my table saw had become my surrogate bench, when the real bench was 5 feet away, but covered with crap and not flat. So the renewal of the bench top is a good first step. It had been a while since I did any significant woodworking. My memory got jogged on the shear volume of saw dust created. Everything in the shop was coated. On a positive note, I may be responding to my therapy. After staring at the old bench top and starting to think might be useful for something, I shook it off, took a circular saw to it, and in ten minutes reduced it to firewood in pieces < 6"x18" and transported the pieces out of my shop into my attached garage. Next stop....my fireplace.

After I make a major dent in the clutter and get organized, I'm going to perform some additional equipment maintenance I've been putting off.....but if I get good weather this weekend, I'm going to take a shot at casting the that automotive upright....and maybe another intake manifold lid....

Yes, drawers were unaffected. The base and drawers are just as they were from the original build years ago. Like the first part of this post, the contents of the drawers need some attention. They're full. It's amazing how things take up residence in certain locations. As my primary bench, the only things that should be in those drawers are frequent use items. At this point, I'd say about 50% of the contents qualify.

Best,
Kelly