Grim Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I've been thinking for a few months now about pulling the trigger on a guild membership, but I have been meaning to build my bench first. I've read most of "Workbenches" by Christopher Shwarz over the past few weeks to get my creative juices going. Then I go onto the website and see lo-and-behold that the next project is a Benchcrafted Split-Top Roubo Workbench. WOOT! That bench fits all my criteria for a really great bench. I only have one problem.. cost The site mentions the hardware will be discounted but not by how much. I want to get started on my bench now, but if the hardware is truly a reasonable price (and I would say the benchcrafted.com prices are rather unreasonable) I would definitely wait and become a guild member. I know, I have to pay the price to get the quality, but just like everyone else I know that every dollar I spend on my bench is a dollar less I can spend on my next project.. sigh.. Anyway, any word on the price for the hardware? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hey Grim. The pricing is actually posted right on the Benchcrafted website. They have a link to the page on their home page: http://benchcrafted....Guildbuild.html The BenchMakers Package is $712. You'll also notice on the page that i am offering a 10% discount to new members who are joining to build this bench. And if you buy the hardware kit after joining the Guild, you'll also receive a 3-month add-on to your membership. So its certainly not the cheapest way to build a bench. But if you happen to want to build this bench and you want to join the Guild, now is definitely the best time to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 I can not agree that Benchcrafted prices are unreasonable. Their products are very well engineered and produced with excellent quality. They are not a large business that can manufacture in huge quantities to get the cost down. I have no inside knowledge but I would guess a typical production run for them is well under 50 units. That means that each unit is close to hand made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Okay, I did not mean to offend anyone. Yes, I've read the reviews and these vices are beyond top notch. They are the literal top notch. I was reading Christopher Shwarz' review if the wagon vise (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/workbenches/tested-the-benchcrafted-wagon-vise) and yes, it is awesome. I was only saying that it may be out of my budget given certain marital restrictions. =) But, it looks like this bench will be my birthday present from the wife. I'm so happy right now. Roubo, here I come. I'll be a member very soon. And thanx for the quick response Marc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Congrats man! Glad its all panning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Benchcrafted stuff is certainly expensive, but "unreasonable" is pretty subjective. I guess it depends on how important quality is to each individual. It definitely hurt making the purchase, but I look at the bench build as a critically important project instead of an obstacle to surmount before starting another "real" project. Besides, this thing will last multiple lifetimes. So take solace in the fact that you'll never have to build another bench, instead of wasting time and materials upgrading every few years until you eventually arrive at the same place anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texfire Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Not to pile on Grim, but wanted to share an observation. I view the Benchcrafted stuff as equivalent to the work we do. After all, they're made one at a time by a small company of craftsmen who take pride in their work. I imagine that the scale is small, so economies of scale are absent. They'll never be able to compete on price with the larger manufacturers who sub-contract their work to countries that pay less per hour for skilled workers, and will never make a small run of equipment due to the nature of factory production. The analog I see is that of the woodworker, working on a project of passion. Spending hours or work on a project, hours that are difficult to explain to those who are used to buying disposable furniture from Target and Ikea. How many have had to tell a potential customer the real costs of the object they want, or had to explain that if they had to charge a family member for a piece, they wouldn't be able to afford it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.