Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 43

Your workbench is your most important workholding tool. It should be sturdy, massive and large enough to handle cabinet-sized work. Resist the urge to make your bench too high - that will make handplaning difficult.

Learning to use hand tools opens a whole new realm of woodworking possibilities. Planes, saws and chisels give your work fine details that can't be matched by any machine. The narrow pins of a dovetail joint, the crisp surface texture from a handplane and the precise, piston fit of a drawer all speak of fine craftsmanship. They say, "This piece is handmade."

An important part of using hand tools is having a sturdy workbench and an assortment of stops, clamps and jigs for holding the work securely. While there are a number of expensive benches and accessories available for holding the work, you can also get set up for using hand tools without spending a small fortune. The keys are to construct a few simple fixtures and be creative in the manner you use your clamps.

Start with a Sturdy Bench

Planing, sawing and chiseling all push and pull on the workpiece; a rock-solid, heavy workbench that will resist the pushing and pounding is an essential part of successful hand-tool processes. Yet you don't need to break your woodworking budget to get set up with a sturdy bench; the best workbench is one that you make yourself. Although you're sure to find plans for a number of great workbenches, you don't really need anything elaborate. In fact, my own workbench is quite simple.

It's just a thick, laminated top that is supported by a strong, rigid base that resists racking as I plane.

I laminated the 3"-thick top for my bench from maple. I saved a lot of money by purchasing second-quality lumber from a local furniture factory. The maple was culled because of the intermittent streaks of dark color and an occasional knot. Of course these small, natural defects in no way limited the use of the lumber for a workbench.

The base of the bench is also constructed of large stock joined together with mortise-and-tenon joints and steel rods to keep it stiff as I'm planing. The resulting

bench is massive, heavy and very sturdy - just what's needed when chopping dovetails or shaping the curves of a table leg.

If you're going to make a bench of your own, the most important dimensions are the bench height and the size of the top. Pushing a handplane across a wide board requires that you bend at the knees and push with your upper body, not just your arms. Resist the temptation to build the bench too high. For furniture hand work a top that measures 2' x 8' feet is ideal. This provides plenty of support for even the wide sides of a chest of drawers or the long sides of a tall case clock.

Add a Vise

To hold stock during layout and sawing I typically use the large iron vise I mounted near the corner of the benchtop. A large vise is undoubtedly the most important bench accessory that you can own. When you place work in a vise it not only leaves your hands free, it secures the stock to the heavy bench so that it becomes immobile while you work it. When laying out and sawing the dovetails on large casework, I use large wooden handscrew clamps to secure the portion of the work that extends beyond the jaws of the vise.

A large vise also provides a place to secure other workholding clamps, jigs and accessories. For example, when shaping and sculpting the curves of a cabriole leg I place the leg in a clamp and secure the clamp in the vise.

Because I constructed my bench at optimal planing height it is often too low for carving. To raise the carvings to a comfortable height I use a stand that is secured in the vise. I use quick-release ratchet-style clamps to secure the carving to the stand.

Holding Work For Planing

After milling stock to size with a jointer, planer and table saw, I smooth the surfaces with a handplane to remove the telltale machine marks. Although I sometimes use the vise to hold the workpiece, especially when planing the edges of small stock, I most

by Lonnie Bird

Lonnie is the author of "The Complete Illustrated Guide to Using Woodworking Tools" (The Taunton Press) and teaches woodworking. You can learn more about his classes online at lonniebird.com.

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