A true newby.

[Andrew Garrett]

Lee,

My bench is two feet deep, and that's more than enough. Consider how much square footage you'll surrender with a 3 or 4 foot deep bench.

3... maybe.
4...too much man.

[chris moore]

if you have the room you could consider making your bench somewhat of a horseshoe.

[BadKarma]

It looks like space is not a really big issue, I'll have about 12x15 of the corner of the shop. So I may go 2 1/2 or 3 then, I like a lot of work surface. But the horseshoe idea sounds cool so I may have to see if I can work that in.

I just scored the first 2 pieces of the power tools from Craigs list, a table top bandsaw and a little 1x30 sander. Both Grizzly. Had to take the sander to get the bandsaw, but now I have tools to work the wood for the handles!! w00t

I want to say thanks to everyone for the great advice and the awesome welcome. You guys are great.

Thanks

Lee

[NJStricker]

Probably a good approach is to think ahead to what you want to have on the bench, and then go from there. My bench is a homemade job I picked up at a farm auction for $1. It's pretty neat as it's made of old barn beams, and the top is a single plank--2 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 3 inches thick!!!

But anyway, I have my bench vice, a bench top drill press, my 2x42 sander, a 4x36 sander, and homemade grinder/buffer with motor and arbor sitting there. It's tight, but works for me since my "workshop" is a corner of our garage. When filing my bevels, draw filing, or hand sanding I stick a section of 2x4 in the vice, then use a C-clamp to hold the blade horizontally. The only things I don't have on the bench are my one-brick forge and quench tank, but I use those outside only, so that's not a big deal.

[BadKarma]

Lucky for me I'll be getting the tools before building the benches so fitting should be easy.

btw, Nathan, thats one heck of a hunk-o-wood!!!!!

[NJStricker]

Originally Posted by BadKarma

Lucky for me I'll be getting the tools before building the benches so fitting should be easy.

btw, Nathan, thats one heck of a hunk-o-wood!!!!!

Yeah, it was no small feat loading/unloading it on my pickup by myself. Reminded me of handling railroad ties as a kid. On the farm I grew up on, the farm had been owned by a guy that used to be a railroad foreman. The floor was all used ties. When dad tore it down he saved them all and used them for landscaping around the property. They weren't light.

[BadKarma]

Originally Posted by Armory414

Yeah, it was no small feat loading/unloading it on my pickup by myself. Reminded me of handling railroad ties as a kid. On the farm I grew up on, the farm had been owned by a guy that used to be a railroad foreman. The floor was all used ties. When dad tore it down he saved them all and used them for landscaping around the property. They weren't light.

Back in the '70 s when things were tight, Dad cut cedar logs. I was 12 or 13 and went out with Dad and he had me packing and loading the logs on the truck. Never did figure out why there were never any logs UPHILL of the truck!!! 7'2" log, 8-24" on little end. Thats why I have BROAD shoulders.

[chris moore]

sounds like your gettin rigged up. i REALLY need to find me a bandsaw. for my bench top i have a piece of counter to thats 2.5 deep. it's water proof really hard to burn and to clean it all i have to do is dump a bit of acetone on it and scrape it off!

[BadKarma]

A 2 1/2' counter top would be sweet. I'm thinking 1/2 or 3/4" plywood with lotsa polyurethane.

I found several bandsaws on craigslist. Might try there.

[chiger]

Lee,

Don't mean to be contrary, but....I have all of my equiptment mounted on individual, purpose built stands. I tried the work bench thing, but it made it hard to get around the equipment and became something of a catchall. Me being a lazy putz and hating to clean and all. I'm also a little restrict for space.

So I've gone to work stations that are at the right height to stand up or set down depending on the type of work and how much time I spend at it. I hated gettin' a back ache from vises that are too low and trying to maneuver around to weird positions to see what I was cutting or drilling because the bench was in the way. I just have one 2'x6' work top now, which I seldom use and clean up is a lot easier.

Oh, and if your planing on a lot of hand work try to get a vise that is adjustable in a couple of directions. You know, indexable. It'll keep you from standing on your head to get to some of those weird places. A lot of doing clean accurate work is about being comfortable.

chiger,

[NJStricker]

Originally Posted by BadKarma

A 2 1/2' counter top would be sweet. I'm thinking 1/2 or 3/4" plywood with lotsa polyurethane.

I found several bandsaws on craigslist. Might try there.

See if you can find a construction company that rehabs offices/houses. Lots of people are getting rid of their formica countertops for synthetic stone or Corian. Sometimes those tear-outs just go to the dump. Some of the more active Habitat for Humanity areas have resale shops for tear outs and surplus materials.

[BadKarma]

chiger, any and all advice is welcome, makes me think of things I may have missed. Like the idea of a smaller bench at chair hight for fine close in work. I never would have thought of that. I like a lot of space for lay out, but I see your point. I've already decided that the drill press will be a floor model and I agree on the vise and have planned on that.

Nathan, good idea. I'd like one for the leather/finishing bench. On my way to craigslist again.

[Mungo Park]

I do not know if it was mentioned a vice or a home built blade vice would be good to have.
Some small files are good for cutting the holes in guards.
Cheers Ron.

[Doug Lester]

If you're forging, a leg post vise is good. Hammering hard on anything in a regular bench vise will destroy it in short order. Even the big 100# + size bench vises will be destroyed eventually. Right now the prices on Ebay seem to be pretty reasonable considering that new leg post vises go around $500 and up. Another thing that just came to my mind. If you are going to be forging inside you are going to have to have very good ventilation because a forge, tuned the way that you'll need it, gushes out carbon monoxide. Free oxygen and carbon dioxide will cause scaling and decarberation. Keep in mind that it is sometime difficult to get insurance on a forge. It might be another reason to keep it outside separated from your "cold" shop or have your hot shop in a separate building that you can afford to loose. Check with the insurance agent who carries your home owner's insurance.

[BadKarma]

Thanks Ron and Doug. Forging will come a bit later, but I will be heat treating in an open tub forge to begin with and I'm very careful about that.

I have plans for several vises of different sizes, but any hammering will be done on an anvil I'm having made from a railroad track.

But thanks for the advice and keep it coming.