ReLMAustin Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hi Everyone, I bought a several long poplar boards to start a new workbench with today. They are acclimatizing in my garage. My plan is to build the 'Holtzapffel' style bench from Popular Woodworking a few years ago. But I have to implement the breakdown option since I am renting and it will definitely be moved a lot. The bench and breakdown mod are outlined here: http://www.popularwo...pffel-workbench . I am also going to make it 60" instead of 72" because of the garage space constraints. I'm just shortening the long stretchers by 12" to do this. I'm planning on just putting together the frame with the poplar and buying a pre-made top. I'm thinking of the 2" version of this top: http://www.hardwood-...top-p-1302.html . Think I'll have any problems with 2" versus the 3" top in the plans? Holdfasts can work with 2"s, right? I'm not sure about how to attach the top. The plans just say to use lag screws, but that doesn't tell me what I have to do to the top to accept the lag screws. Any idea? This is a much bigger project than I've taken on before, so I'm excited to see how it come out. Let me know if you see any gotchas with my plans or have other ideas about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I bought a several long poplar boards to start a new workbench with today. They are acclimatizing in my garage. Good start. I'm not sure about how to attach the top. The plans just say to use lag screws, but that doesn't tell me what I have to do to the top to accept the lag screws. Any idea? Probably, they go up through the side apron pieces. Failing that, you'd have to countersink them into the top and drive them down into the side aprons. Think I'll have any problems with 2" versus the 3" top in the plans? Holdfasts can work with 2"s, right? It seems a little thin, but you'll find out soon enough. If traditional iron holdfasts work in the 2" top, great. If not, there lots of other ways to hold your work in place. Good hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onboard Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 One point of concern would be the final weight of your bench versus the full 6’ bench with a 3” top. For hand tool work, the heavier the better. From what I’ve read, 2” is the minimum bench top thickness for holdfasts to work properly. I would go for 3” if you can. However, as Rob has already said, there are a number of other ways of holding work on the bench top. Here’s a quote from the first article on the Holtzapffel class: “With the base assembled, attach the workbench’s top to the base with 3/8″ x 5″-long lag screws through the top stretchers in the end assemblies. We used four lag screws per bench.” I see that the only top stretchers are the short end stretchers. If you are going with a 2” top, you would need a shorter lag bolt. The quote doesn’t say if they used a countersink to hide the bolt head, but if they didn’t you would have to allow for any counter sink depth as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagel Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 You should be fine with the 2" top for holdfasts. The Grammercy holdfasts, for example, require a minimum of 1 3/4" thickness to work. As far as attaching the top, you want to allow for movement in the top. The illustration below is what I think Schwarz meant when they used larger diameter holes in the rear of the bench to allow for that movement, i.e., the holes in the top stretchers - not the benchtop. However, as Onboard points out, you would need to adjust for the thinner top and I agree that a 2" top for this type of bench is on the thinish side. Note: the bolt is obviously not a lag bolt but you get the idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReLMAustin Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Guys, thank you for the feedback. I found out that I can order a top from this supplier that is 3" think. I think I am going to do that. That should keep the weight up and remove any doubts about the holding ability. It is expensive, but I plan on this being just about the last woodworking bench I build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I have Grammercy holdfasts, and my old store bought Swedish bench has less than a 1-3/4" thick top. They worked OK even before I crosshatched the straight section with 60 grit sandpaper. I bought my holdfasts in person, and Joel suggested I crosshatch them. Of course, I tried it without first... If you had issues could always laminate an extra block, say... 2" x 2" x 3/4" to the bottom face of the top where holdfast holes are, then finish drilling the hole. What concerns me about purchased tops is the finish. Shiny, plastic or varnish finishes can be slippery. Holdfasts work best with a little traction on the bench top, as left by unfinished or oiled wood. I didn't see any mention of finish on the link you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dude Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 If you're planning on using poplar for your bench top I think your choice of wood may be a bigger problem than the thickness which I feel Is also a problem. I am currently building 2 benches at once and the top on one is 4" and the other is 4.5" I suggest you look into the Schwarz book on benches the blue one tells you a great deal about wood selection I lent my copy to a friend or I would give you ther numbers but in a nut shell Popular is lacking in span strength and it dents easily. It will make a decent base but itf you chose it for price you may have been better served using Southern Yellow Pine, Maple hard or soft , White Oak, Beach, would all have been a better choice for a bench top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReLMAustin Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 I had the same concern about a finish on the top. My 'workbench' right now is a slippery piece of poly coated particle board. I checked with the supplier, and they have confirmed that the tops are completely unfinished. My plan is to use Danish Oil on it like I've seen others do. Dude, the poplar is only for the base... the legs and stretchers. I'm planning on buying a prefab top that is maple with some walnut accents. Abide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 thought i would jump in on this i plan on building a simlar bench. but i want to incorporate a dust collection as ill be doubling my bench into a traditional hand tool bench and a carving bench. going to make a plexy glass cubical that will sit on the top above a dust port. my carving tool will toss my dust into cubical and a vacume port in the bottom will suck the lighter dust into the vacume. then i wont need to worry about light dust floating around the basement and house. i will allso make it so the top can hold a carving vice something similar to this http://www.rockler.c...er=carving vice how much do you plan on paying to build this work bench? and where are you going to get your vices from as i still need to get some. i also plan on making my bench 5 feet long but only about 20 inches wide to fit the constraints of my shop. does anyone think that will be too narrow for a work bench? is there anything wrong with using 2x4 pine studs for the legs and bracers? had thought to put 3 together for the legs and have a gap in the middle one that my braces fit into. these i would screw together. its not a mortise and tennon but will it still be strong enough or will i lose alot of ridgid solid surface? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Nothing wrong with pine studs for legs or bracers. I've seen dozens of plans that call for pine instead of some other material... Usually this is in the "$20 workbench" listing, but that's still fine. As for this being the last bench you ever build..... I wish you luck! (I've stated that, and I'm on my second... and designing the third. Space constraints will not allow a traditional style, so I've got to be creative... And I do not include the basic work top placed across some other surface in this list of benches.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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