Apartment Woodworking Bench

appartment_woodworker Sep 28, 2017

I needed hobby that I could do in my apartment and I thought I could get into hand tool woodworking. I made a couple projects in high school but I was really itching to get into building furniture and other stuff for the new place. As I was inexperienced with hand tools, I thought I could build the bench knowing that if there were any aesthetic issues with the construction, at least it was just on a workbench. Turned out that everything went nearly perfectly putting it together and I'm very proud of it!

I started early August and finished late September building the workbench. I made it out of Home Depot Construction lumber mainly due to its low cost (I'm on a student budget), purchased the end vice on Kijiji, and bought two tail vice screws from Lee Valley. The wood used for the vice's was 6/4 oak as I figured it would be adequate for clamping, whereas softwood might "bend" around my work piece. I made the bench about 35 inches tall, 23 inches wide, 50 inches long, heavy, and sturdy.

My favorite part of this project is the built in Moxon Vice I made out of the two tail vice screws. It provides more than enough clamping power and can accommodate all sorts of shaped work pieces.

In the future I am going to give it a caster set-up that can be engaged or disengaged. I also need to put a tool rack in between the leg braces.

Overall, I learned a ton, got a spot to make new projects, and have something I'm proud to keep in my home. Thanks for looking!