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I finally got tired of my 2x6 workbench top and decided it was time for something a little more serious. A solid maple bench from the ground up just wasn't in the budget, so this is what I came up with.
I'm still using my original 2x4 legs. A bag of sand, a box of chain, 2 motors and an old tool box help weigh it all down nicely.
The top was made from 1 1/2 sheets of baltic birch ply. I'm a lefty, so I put my wagon vise on the front left and my twin screw vise on the right end. I have a quick release face vise on the back.
The wagon and twin screw vises are all homemade. I've always wanted a twin screw chain vise, but couldn't afford to buy one. I examined a few pictures and decided that I could make one for fairly cheap. Here's some more pics.
Here's the twin screw chain vise:
Making the twin screw was fairly simple and cheap. A length of 3/4" thread rod: $8x2. 2 gears: $4x2. A whole whack of 3/4" nuts and washers: $5-10. And the chain. 10ft for $18. Only needed 2 feet though.
I sandwiched the gears between washers and 2 nuts and welded it all together. For guides, I welded two nuts together, then welded them to the top of some U channel I had left over from a mastercraft mobile base.
The guides are bolted on the inside of the bench. Brass bushings are embedded in the end of the bench to help prevent wear.
Ok, maybe not so simple to explain. If someone wants more details I can make another post. The vise is kick butt! Works as advertised. The only downside is the 3/4" rod. It has fine threads, which mean lot's of turning to open or close. I couldn't find a local source for 1" course thread rod, and doubt it would have been cheap. I can live with the extra few turns. The vise is nice and smooooth.
The wagon vise was made from left-over parts.
I also made some hold-downs from left overs...
They are ugly as sin. The welds look more like my glue-ups.
But they are strong and they work *really* well.
Anyhow, for maybe $200 all-in I'm really happy. I'm using some 1 1/4 dowel for handles at the moment. If I can un-bury my lathe I'll probably turn some of my own. I'd like to wrap the bench in hard-wood, but I didn't have any on hand that I wanted to part with, so maybe in the future. Right now, I'm happy it works, and I can clamp anything from any direction.
Sorry for the long post and lots of pictures, figured someone might find this interesting/useful.
Questions/comments welcome.
Cheers
Erron.
I'm still using my original 2x4 legs. A bag of sand, a box of chain, 2 motors and an old tool box help weigh it all down nicely.
The top was made from 1 1/2 sheets of baltic birch ply. I'm a lefty, so I put my wagon vise on the front left and my twin screw vise on the right end. I have a quick release face vise on the back.
The wagon and twin screw vises are all homemade. I've always wanted a twin screw chain vise, but couldn't afford to buy one. I examined a few pictures and decided that I could make one for fairly cheap. Here's some more pics.
Here's the twin screw chain vise:
Making the twin screw was fairly simple and cheap. A length of 3/4" thread rod: $8x2. 2 gears: $4x2. A whole whack of 3/4" nuts and washers: $5-10. And the chain. 10ft for $18. Only needed 2 feet though.
I sandwiched the gears between washers and 2 nuts and welded it all together. For guides, I welded two nuts together, then welded them to the top of some U channel I had left over from a mastercraft mobile base.
The guides are bolted on the inside of the bench. Brass bushings are embedded in the end of the bench to help prevent wear. Ok, maybe not so simple to explain. If someone wants more details I can make another post. The vise is kick butt! Works as advertised. The only downside is the 3/4" rod. It has fine threads, which mean lot's of turning to open or close. I couldn't find a local source for 1" course thread rod, and doubt it would have been cheap. I can live with the extra few turns. The vise is nice and smooooth.
The wagon vise was made from left-over parts.
I also made some hold-downs from left overs...
They are ugly as sin. The welds look more like my glue-ups.
But they are strong and they work *really* well. Anyhow, for maybe $200 all-in I'm really happy. I'm using some 1 1/4 dowel for handles at the moment. If I can un-bury my lathe I'll probably turn some of my own. I'd like to wrap the bench in hard-wood, but I didn't have any on hand that I wanted to part with, so maybe in the future. Right now, I'm happy it works, and I can clamp anything from any direction.
Sorry for the long post and lots of pictures, figured someone might find this interesting/useful.
Questions/comments welcome.
Cheers
Erron.
I've been known to rest my coffee cup in places I shouldn't. 
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