Wood workers bench

[lightnin]

Okay all, I have looked a 100s of plans and pics, why is the vice usually on the left side of the front instead of the right side since the majority of people are right handed?

Well I pondered that a bit the only thought I came up with is that in some operations
if your right handed you have the bench there to steady yourself against instead of nothing.


just a thought I might be all wrong
maybe Roubo and Moxon were lefties and set the standard

[shipwright]

Here's a dead simple approach that I used on my small mobile bench in Az. It works great on a smaller size but would be a real bear if the bench is big.

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[dickg1]

Okay all, I have looked a 100s of plans and pics, why is the vice usually on the left side of the front instead of the right side since the majority of people are right handed?

I believe this goes back to the earliest days of cabinet making and carpentry. In other words before aids such as jointers! In hand planing to have the vise at the right end of the bench requires the craftsman to stand away from the bench and out of reach of what may be needed at a given moment (a square, another plane, a pencil, etc.). With the vise at the left end the benefit seems apparent. The placement of the vise has nothing to do with the right or left handed craftsman, but seems to be for comfort and convenience coupled with long standing convention. Of course since it is your bench you may place the vise wherever you wish, however I would wager that if you set it on the right hand side you will probably change it's position at some point. Just my opinion.

BTW, if you do place it on the right I would be interested in your experience after using it for a few months. You may be on to something.

Dick

["Wild Bad Bob"]

Good points Dick, I think you are on to something. Plus if you put a bench top stop in the vice and lay a piece to be planed on the bench, if right handed you would need the vice on the left side. And for a few other operations I can think of.

[paulsgreenbarn]

Good points Dick, I think you are on to something. Plus if you put a bench top stop in the vice and lay a piece to be planed on the bench, if right handed you would need the vice on the left side. And for a few other operations I can think of.

i agree and believe it's alot about being righthanded and planing and jointing materials.Vise on the left will alow you to plane righthanded and into the vise .You would also have pegs along the long side of the bench to supportlong piece needing jointing.

[teacherman]

You know, if you want to be hillbilly about it, I spent a rainy morning last year setting up my big table saw with some enormous casters I had lying around. It rolls so easily. The way I anchor it is that I screwed the four metal legs into a piece of 3/4" plywood that also provides me with a nice accessory platform as well as strengthening the legs. The wheels hold the plywood a half inch off the ground, and I have four wooden wedges I kick under the plywood when I use the saw, and I have found that two wedges hold it nicely, and four wedges are as though it were bolted to the floor. I will find a picture of it. Here it is. I know it's ugly, but boy is it ever sturdy and it rolls that two hundred pound sucker like nothing. My bench is lagged to the studs, but if I needed a rolling one, I'd incorporate something like this into the design, and find some big ol' wheels. I like it when heavy things roll easily!

["Wild Bad Bob"]

I like how you did it with out raising the original height much, Thanks

[JPG]

I like the use of 'robust' materials, but would have positioned the wheels inside the horizontal 'strut' to preclude a trip hazard:eek:. Ain't monday morning vision clearer!:D

Anywho, nice thinking again!!!:)

["Wild Bad Bob"]

I think inside the box!!! LOL Might have been hard to get wedges in place then.

["Wild Bad Bob"]

Off to Menards to get sheet goods for the bench BTW.