Bench Top

[ssmith1627]

I've been working from plans in an issue of Family Handyman to at least get started building a workbench. The top is made from 2x4's on edge glued and screwed together. Seems like it will give me a pretty sturdy top in the end.

I ripped about 30 of these to give me a straight edge on one side and to find enough knot free ones that I felt wouldn't give me trouble down the road. I started glueing these up and just really felt like I wasn't getting them lined up well enough several boards into it. It was just going to be too much working planing and sanding to get the top flat.

I was able to get that Lowes clearance on the GMC biscuit joiner -- $40. So I had the idea yesterday to use biscuits to line up the boards one to another. Cut the biscuit slots, apply the glue, fit the two pieces together and clamp them. With them clamped, I was able to drive the screws without any gaps between the boards. It was very tedious and took a lot more time but the end result -- after four whole boards -- is a much flatter top.

I'll have to be a lot more careful as I work toward the other side and have to think about the holes for the bench dogs but so far it's working well. A lot more work on the front end to avoid the work on the back end of planing and sanding out those ridges.

Steve

[venkatbo]

quote:Originally posted by ssmith1627


I've been working from plans in an issue of Family Handyman to at least get started building a workbench. The top is made from 2x4's on edge glued and screwed together. Seems like it will give me a pretty sturdy top in the end...<br>
Steve

Hi Steve,

Looks like a good setup...
'am wondering if its possible to provide a link to the plans or may be pics... 'am in the process of building a bench - but thinking more in lines of using one of these prefab'd doors (lowes/HD) as the table top...

Thanks,
/venkat

[Tom Miller]

quote:Originally posted by ssmith1627

A lot more work on the front end to avoid the work on the back end of planing and sanding out those ridges.

Sounds like time well-spent. The only use I've had for biscuits so far is for lining up glue-ups, and they really do help immensely.

What plans do you have for dogholes? Vises?

Regards,
Tom

[ssmith1627]

Be glad to take some pics of what I'm doing.....but don't laugh. I'm a total newbie. The magazine is still actually on the stands...Dec/Jan issue.....but I don't think I could get away with posting their plans here. It has a 2x4 base with a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood on top. To that you mount three plywood boxes that give you the structure for the drawers / pullouts for storage. On top of that another 3/4 sheet of plywood. Oak plywood covers the outside all around and is used for the doors / drawer fronts on the front of the bench. Two boards on edge go on top from front to back that give you the room for another wide drawer. And to those two boards you use angle iron and lag bolts to bolt the bench top to the bench.

Yes, the biscuits are really doing that well for me. Just the lineup part. I just had no accuracy at all trying to drive a screw with the glue allowing everything to slip and slide. I was getting one board as much as a quarter inch higher than the next and that just becomes way too much work for me to have any hope of getting it flat like that. The biscuits changed that a lot. Plus I changed my order of assembly to cutting the slots, apply glue, fit pieces together, clamp and then screw. Much more accurate this way !

Yes, the dogholes will work a vise. There are two in the plans, a 9" and a 7". I have purchased the 7" already.

Really a test more than anything....see if I can build something like this with reasonable results. My first attempt at the bench top left a lot to be desired but think I'm on a better path now. If it turns out poorly, I'll just keep it hidden away in the garage and not show it off ! haha

Steve

[onedash]

Are you using the whole 2X4? Thats gonna be a thick top.

[ssmith1627]

Yeah, the whole 2x4.....ripped down to 3 1/4 inches to give it a flat edge.

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...d=146_4606_IMG

I've got 14 of them glued and screwed together....so 10 more to go that I already have ripped. Have to get it all sanded flat. 7 feet long now but will trim about 6 inches off each end to give me a 6 foot by 3 foot top. Then I have to create the cavity on the bottom side for the vise.

Steve

[venkatbo]

Hi Steve

The alignment of the clamped 2x4's looks quite good.
I have a question on the part where you mentioned about the screws.

After you get them glued and the biscuits aligned in their slots, are you driving srews into (say) the 2 2x4s that are side by side? Or is the glue sufficient to provide enuf strength after they dry up ?

Thanks,
/venkat

[ssmith1627]

The plans in the magazine recommended using the screws as well so that's what I'm doing. Obviously that's going to show on one edge but to me it's a workbench so it's not going to be the end of the world. So I'm driving 5-7 screws into each 2x4 that I add once everything is clamped in place. Now that I thoroughly investigated the wrong ways to do this I seem to be on the right track...haha.

I'm also using 3" exterior screws that I had left over from rebuilding my deck. These can be used with the square drive bit which makes life so much easier. I'm not pre-drilling the holes so the screws I started out with would just strip out. Very frustrating to work that way. Was killing my elbows trying to keep enough pressure on the drill to hold the bit into the screw. The others work so much better.

My first results really weren't that good. I was going to have to plane for a month before sanding to ever get the top flat. But now I really think I can get the top flat with just sanding.

Steve

[ssmith1627]

One other key point if you're using the screws is that you have to mark that out -- as well as any biscuit slots I would presume -- so that they won't interfere with any dog holes you want to drill. Or really the other way around, mark the dog holes on the 5-6 boards at the edge so that you know where you want them and then put the screws and biscuits elsewhere.

I would say too to drill your dog holes before you start sanding away your marks where the dog holes go. That'd create confusion later.

If I had this to start over a THIRD time, I would create the dog hole side first and let that really be the "face" of my bench. You could screw the 2nd 2x4 to the first and the 3rd to the 2nd and so on.....and no screw holes would show on that edge. You're gonna have screw holes to cover on one side or the other.

Steve

[Rhauser44]

Steve,

Nice job on the top. I'm making the same bench for my 13-yr old. But at 67.00 for 24 2x4s, the top in the plan is a little to expensive. I'm thinking of using 2x6s or 2x8s and biscuit joining, or lap jointing them together on the edge.
Possibly a supporting framework may be required underneath using 3 or 4, 2x4s.

I've cut all my other pieces and I looking forward to putting it all together.

Your thoughts??

[ssmith1627]

All I can say to that is -- be afraid. I am SOOO new here....I'm not sure how much advice I'm ready to give to anyone ! hahaha

I posted some new pictures -- I made a little progress last night -- if it's helpful at all to see where I am now with mine. Great to hear someone else building the same. But yours is going to be for a 13 year old ?? Sheesh. Now I feel kinda silly. haha

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...umName=album01

Others may have some advice on your idea for the top. I don't see a problem with it right off except that I don't know how that would work with the dog holes -- were you planning to install vises and drill the dog holes ?

I'm very new to any of this joinery so really all I can suggest is do a lot of trials. I took about 5 pieces of 18" 2x4's and glued and screwed them together and then sanded them. I know that sounds kinda silly but I wanted to know that I could make a flat surface and that came out really well so I moved to the next step. The problem then was that with the 7 foot long boards I wasn't doing NEARLY a good enough job of keeping one board flush with the next and I ended up with some big ridges between -- smooth at one end and then a ridge in the middle or at the other end. So I actually started over after that poor attempt.

You obviously won't be able to screw yours together with 2x6's side by side. Biscuits will help but how much strength does that offer ? I honestly don't know myself. Maybe a groove in each board edge and a spline inserted into the groove to hold them together better ? I guess it's not a huge issue since this whole thing is going to be held to the bench with lag screws and angle iron.

Keep the messages coming -- sounds great to me to have others building the same bench. I certainly need the help !

Steve

[Rhauser44]

I thought of using a spline as well. That may be better than biscuits or a lap joint.

I haven't yet chosen the type of vises we will use, so a strategy for mounting them is still pending. It will probably be reinforced by 2x4s underneath. Same with the dogs holes.

I'll keep you posted with what I come up with.

[jkristia]

I checked your pictures, and I think you have made great progress, and to mee (complete newbie) it looks great.

Jesper

[ssmith1627]

I see now where you suggested lap joints as well. That to my mind sounds the strongest. I'm sure others can offer a valid opinion on that though -- don't just take mine. That's like getting financial advice from somebody's who's broke !

I see what you mean by just running another 2x4 underneath. If you line it up just right the dog holes would then be 3 inches deep. The only issue I can see with that is the top drawer that fits right under the bench top. If the dog holes are in that side of the bench that drawer wouldn't be able to open. It might also interfere with the front vise.

What about two layers of side by side 2x8's ? You could overlap them four inches and screw from the bottom side. Would give you a lot of surface for the glue and take away the need for the lap joints altogether. Would give you the depth for the vises and the dog holes without interfering with the drawer. But would add to the expense.

Just an idea. Hope it helps.

Steve

[ssmith1627]

quote:Originally posted by jkristia

I checked your pictures, and I think you have made great progress, and to mee (complete newbie) it looks great.

Jesper

Thanks very much.

I'm certainly a newbie too -- I just talk a lot. There should be a "basics" forum. I'm sure there are a lot of people here who don't look at gluing together a bunch of 2x4's as a major feat! haha But it sure has been to me. Gotta start somewhere.

Steve