Let me give you a little background on this workbench. I started to work on it quite a while ago, and it was originally going to be based on the design which Lon Schleining built in Fine Woodworking issue #167, and which is also in his book, "The Workbench".

After reading some of Chris Schwarz's article in Woodworking magazine #8, I decided to change the bench to be based on the Holtzapffel bench which Chris built. Some of the things that Chris mentions in both the magazine article, as well as his new book on workbenches (Workbenches - Design, Construction & Use) make a great deal of sense.

I hope that first and foremost, this will not be a cabinet, nor a piece of furniture, or tool chest. What I want and need is a workbench.

There is certainly a lot to be said for having a nice bench, and in some ways I feel that I'm making some sacrifice in not pursuing the ultimate workbench that I previously invisioned, but I am getting every bit as much a bench as I could ask for, and then some. The fact is that I have a much more important project which I will need the workbench for, and isn't that what a workbench is actually for?;-)

This design is not as complicated as the previous design, but I had already made the stretchers and had the legs laminated, so there was no waste of past work, with the exception of the apron. I will use the apron for a bed rail, paired up with anoter similar lamination.

I have also used a patternmaker's vise (Emmert clone) which will be placed on the end where Chris used a quick release vise. This is two-fold. For one I really wanted to have a patternmaker's vise to be able to carve and rasp and be able to move the work around in all directions securely, but on the other hand I was trying not to complicate the project. I also wanted the function of a tail vise to secure large pieces on the top surface of the bench. I was previously going to use the vise on the front of the previous design, and a twin-screw on the end. Swapping the position of these vises does make sense to me though, and the Holtzapffel's placement of the twin-screw appears to function well on the front. Also, many pictures I've ponder'd over of accomplished woodworkers using patternmaker's vises, they are often standing and/or working from the side or corner of the bench where the vise is mounted.

I will have a window by the end of the bench, and that will be good, we get sun most of the year in Cali...The one drawback to having the patternmaker's vise on the end is mine doesn't have a quick release. Lee Valley makes the Tucker, but it is quite pricey, and I can't justify spending the extra at this time. If you can justify a Tucker, by all means I will encourage you to use one. It is a fine tool, I have used one before.

From the viewpoint of tightening and loosening the vise screw, standing at the front to operate it on the side seems more natural. I find myself stepping to the side when I operate my quick release on my other bench. That bench will serve for the area in my garage I use for power tools.

The entire bench is being made out of hard maple, you'll notice that there is quite a bit of figured/colored patterns on it. This is because I got a good deal on a load of hard maple, so that was an easy decision to use the wood.;-) I figure I will have about 150 bf into the bench, after all is said and done. I do prefer the color and/or grain, so I have selected the best looking pieces within reason, for the boards facing out. Unfortunately I did not have a lot of long boards, so I had to limit the top to 2 3/4" to get best use of my stock, and tried to put all flaws towards the bottom. The legs and stretchers were not a problem, as I have a lot of 4' and 5' lengths.

All the tenons were cut by hand, the mortises were drilled out with either a brace and auger bits or forestner in the drill press, and hand chopped with chisels. However, there was quite a bit of power tools used on this project. I subscribe to the modern shop, and prefer to use power tools to dimension my timber, and prefer to use hand tools for the joinery, assembly, and detail work. The space where this bench will go will be used only for hand tool work, and that will be the primary function for this bench, to perform the joinery, assembly, and detail work. I drilled some mortises out with a forestner bit on the drill press where I could and used a hand held power router for the cavity of the patternmaker's vise, that required a massive amount of stock removal. I used a table saw, power jointer, and benchtop planer to dimension the wood. Even with power tools this was a lot of work.

I would like to thank Chris Schwarz for all of his help, he has been very responsive and accessible for me, and has been a great help with his articles, books, and email. It's great to have a woodworker/journalist such as Chris in this industry. I highly reccomend Popular Woodworking magazine and Woodworking magazine as well. His later publication is my favorite due to low advertising and high quality of the actual content and magazine itself. It is top notch. As of January 11, 2008 just as I'm in the middle of chopping the mortises in my top, Woodworking Magazine is now available as a yearly subscription. You can find out more at the website at this link. This bench is based on the workbench Chris built in issue #8, I just made it work with my wood and hardware and needs.

	Plans	Crossview	Front Stretchers	Side Stretchers	Base/Top

	Tenons Added	Frnt/Rear Stretchers	Crossmembers	Legs	Holtzapffel re-cuts

	Top Sections	Sections/Horses	Top Final Glue	Ready for Flattening	Recutting Tenons

	Stretchers recut	Stretchers Done	Resting	Leg Tenons Complete	Stumpy

	Stumpy with mortise	Dry Fit Legs	Sides Mortised	Final Dry Fit	Router Carnage

	End Jig	Chamfers	Dumb Mistake	Pin Holes	Reassemble

	Marking Tenons	Emmert Prep	Emmert Inset	End View	Base Glue-Up

	Base Pinned	Offset Saw	Cleaned/Square	Auger Mortise	Leg Mortise

	Mortises Done	Dry Fit	1st Assembled	With Emmert	Tilted

	Up	Down	Tilted w/handle	Down and Closed	Planing Chop

	Chop Glued	Screw Nuts	Jaw Clamped	Twin-Screw Mounted	Fully Assembled

	Cleanup	Bigger Boy	Operational	Has Landed!	Emmert Leather

	Vise Closeup	Twin-Screw Leather	Glue Ready	Leather Attached	Closeup

	Twin Reassembled	Coming Together!