Workbench Required

reggiep

I'm looking to get hold of a carpenters workbench as a present for my Dad who's just getting into making wooden toys. Don't know much about them but anticipate one like the woodwork benches from my school days. Any help/advice/ideas welcome. Thanks

Alun

You can get them, but you'll be unpleasantly surprised at the kinds of prices being asked for them. Look here for example (prices in STG!) ...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/category-Benches-208045.htm

Alternatively buy one of the books featured on that site and let him build his own

reggiep

expensive alright! thanks alun. had hoped i'd maybe get a second hand one somewhere. anyone any ideas please let me know i'd be most grateful

ennisa

reggiep,
I'll say this knowing that I would never buy one .... but McQuillans in blancharstwon have a lightweight wooden Ulmia/European style workbench for 150 euro.( I think ) Pretty much identical to this one http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-Beech-Work-Bench-558647.htm The one on display was badly put together and was wobbly as hell but I am sure that one put together properly (read; not by the shop staff and then abused by customers ) would be a little more sturdy or you might be able to beef it up to make it more sturdy. It had a face vise & tail vise with a steel screw and wooden chops and a drawer under the top. I could never buy one as I'm a believer in making your own bench plus it would never stand up to the hand planing that I do but for making small scale toys and light work it might just be the ticket.
If you are in the shop and can't locate it it has some power tools on it and may not be immediatley obvious. It is at the back on the right hand side ( with your back to the tills) In around where the socket sets but one row over. If you are interested then I can pop in to get info for you. McQuillans is on my way home ( all those tools are like pr0n to me )

Are you based in dublin?

Hope this helps.

PS i realise on reading back over this that I am smearing my opinion all over your question. I apologise for that. It should be more important that your dad enjoys his woodworking and that you are doing him a great service looking into buying him a bench. I have spent too much time on forums where it's heavy on opinion and light on actual helpful answers. Building my own bench was very rewarding to me and even though it is a relatively utilitarian affair I highly recommend it to anybody. However I was lucky to have the time, space and inclination to do it. If I didn't and somebody gave me a bench like the one above to get me started I would have been over the moon

Good man reggiep, carry on.

--
Alan
Ireland/Dublin

reggiep

Steady on there on the p0rn comparison Alan but really appreciate the help all the same. Might take a trip to Blanchardstown but as you note, it's not as sturdy as one I'd envisaged. Keep me posted though on any other thoughts folks

Fingalian

Yes you can't beat a good bench especially if you do a lot of handwork, but a good one will take up a lot of room and can be expensive to buy. Would you consider one of these:

http://www.blackanddecker.ie/powertools/productdetails/catno/WM825/

I worked off one for years before I built my current set up. They are a remarkably stable and versatile platform. Downside is they can move a bit if you are hand planing tricky timbers but you can compensate by slotting in a few 2x4's or a lump of plywood on the bottom and plonking a 25 kg bag of sand on it. The upside is your Dad can use it as a tool to build his ultimate bench ,plus it it will be a handy table if he gets a chop saw or a router table down the line.

jack of all

Fingalian is spot on there with his advice re: Workmate. My dad still has his original one from 30 years ago (they were a superior product then and were even made here at the time!). I have one which still gets occasional use when routing, using mitre saw etc. They are a very useful addition to the workshop.

ennisa

reggie,
sorry about that, i got a little excited being a geek at heart I sometimes enjoy the toys a little too much
I would agree with fingalian as well about the workmates, and if the situation arises it's a great place to start and a decent basis to build something bigger when time and space allow. I have to say though that the older ones were better and if you can find one second hand from the 80's or 90's and clean it up then it would serve better than some of the newer ones. They have added a few gizmo's to some of the newer ones to try and stay innovative as the patent ran out a few years ago and lots of copies are not on the market. But these gizmos seem to get more in the way than anything else. I have my father in law's workmate from the 80's and with a bit of oil every now and then it is in perfect condition and I use it every day. I would recommend one of the dual height ones with the retractable legs, they seem much more stable than the single height scissor style ones. If you do get one second hand make sure that it has the orange bench dogs, they are very usefull, otherwise you will have to buy them online. I like the recommendation about the bag of sand underneath too, I think I will be doing that myself, it never occured to me before.
There are also alot of projects out there on the web about building platforms and tool holding ( for the likes of router tables and bench top table saws ) that take advantage of the unique clamping systems on the workmate.

Best of luck reggiep

--
Alan
Ireland/Dublin

ennisa

reggiep,
Did you ever get your dad that workbench?