New Bench (finally!)

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Finally got around to taking some pics of my new bench. I started work on it over a year ago, more or less finished the top and then promptly got busy building my new shop. Took me another 6 months to make time to put together the base and finish the top.

It is HEAVY! The top is about 3” thick maple with cherry and African blackwood accents. I enlisted the help of a friend to lift it; even then we were not able to move it off the floor. Ended up using my engine hoist to put the top on the base.

Overall, it was a difficult project; I had to glue up the top in several sections; due to the weight and size it was quite a bit of work to get everything flat and straight. The dovetails were the first that I’ve ever attempted in a project, dovetailing 3” thick wood was quite the introduction to dovetailing!

I am quite pleased with the way it turned out. It is a solid bench, it doesn’t flex or move at all with chiseling/planing etc. My old bench was relegated to an assembly/finishing/glueup table.

Cherry, maple, African blackwood with pine base, finished with BLO.

Rob, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

18 Comments

Makes mine look like I did when I was twelve (skinny). Nice work.

-- Alec (Friends call me Wolf, no idea why)

Thanks!

Rob, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Wow ! Gorgeous bench….well done !

Measure "at least" twice and cut once

Rob,

That looks nice enough to go in the dining room. It looks like it will be a pleasure to work on.

L/W

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin

Nothing like a good solid bench ………. and that is a GOOD SOLID BENCH.
This will really up your game. In never realized how useful they are until I built mine. I wish you many years of enjoyment. She’s something to be proud of.

The early bird gets the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Beautiful.

Losing fingers since 1969

That’s one great bench. Probably among the best one I have seen.
It’s beautiful to boot.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

Thanks for the kind comments!

Rob, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

This is an amazing bench….I’ll bet you’ll enjoy using that thing for years and years! Beautiful.

Might As Well Dance : http://barbsid.blogspot.com/

It’s a beauty and it ain’t going nowhere with it’s super hefty construction.

Mike, an American living in Norway

Wow! That is a beautiful looking bench, it looks to nice to work on but I’m sure you’ll manage :)

-- Paul--- Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. — Scott Adams

What size holes did you drill for the bench dogs? Looks great!

Jeff Vandenberg aka "Woodsconsin"

Fantastic looking bench ,great job

woodworking classes, custom furniture maker

This is a dream bench!

Todd A. Clippinger Share the Love - Share the Knowledge

That is a work of art!


Petey

Excellent job!

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - https://timetestedtools.net and https://diy.timetestedtools.net

beautiful bench that will last generations im sure.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Wowsers, that's a great looking bench!