This is my rehabbed/recycled Hybrid woodworking bench. Please feel free to share your thoughts, advise and humor. It is appreciated.

So here it is! Looked and listened to some really good woodworkers here on LJ’s like Paul aka Shipwright, and Kiefer. Have to give credit to Paul Sellers and his YouTube video of constructing a woodworkers bench and a more recent one regarding adding bench dogs to your existing bench. Also an excellent video on installing a Jorgenson Woodworking bench vise.
I thought about building one like my hero’s, but I am being true to my Wabi Sabi self in recycling and re-purposing what I have, while learning from my imperfections….LOL!
Another step in becoming a better woodworker.
The first Picture is the bench vise I purchased last year after reading positive and negative reviews on Amazon. I have since learned more about different types and might now choose a different vise. But this one will have to be my workhorse.

I built this bench from the materials that I used building a three section bench attached to the shop wall out of the construction material that was to be a shop floor. ( Before I found water leaking in under the walls of my shop…another long story…grrr) I had set it up to do metal work. Had a big machinist vise and an angle iron edge. Had built it to balance sheet goods when using my old craftsman belt driven table saw. Now have a Grizzly cabinet saw and height is different. It had been a modified tension box and deck type frame construction. So the 2×8’s were glued and screwed to the bottom of the bench top for future bench dog holes. Otherwise the whole bench is anchored together with ceramic coated screws.

This was another inspired innovation. LOL! I rehabbed an office chair and used star nuts for the levelers. I saw Shipwright’s solution and looked at what the costs of bench wheels were at the woodstores. I purchased the castors with the stems, originally for my scroll saw stand. At least 150 pounds and locking hubs for wheels and pivot bearings. Had to run the threading all the way through the castor with WD Forty and a wrench. Mounted the star nuts with s sledge hammer. Drilled holes into the legs and screwed on the castors. Seemed like a great solution.
Until I turned the bench over! The star nuts really could not provide a stable anchor and the bench would rock with the brakes on! A couple taps with my hammer and they were dislodged! Back to the idea board? Oh yeah they made the bench too high.
I had to use a 2×4 laid on its face to provide the difference for me to have the right bench height. As I said back to the idea board. But it is working and I have used it for a couple projects so far.

Not as expected!

Next picture is mounting my “POS” 7 inch Harbor Freight bench vise, bought many years ago. Very sloppy , but I am using it to anchor pieces for planning against bench dogs until I can afford to purchase another one.

Had some ceder fence boards that were sitting in the basement that were long enough to add a nice finish to the construction materials…LOL! They were also the same depth at the Jorgenson vise jaws. Hey I even hand planned the rough sides down to make finished boards. Got that brain storm while sanding and getting coated with saw dust!

Well as I posted earlier in my shop notes blog this was a good idea that failed. I find my shop has gotten smaller with the assembly of all the shop equipment. The mobile bench was a way to set up tools in a work plan. When I have more woodworking time I will revisit the mobility issue. Until then it is now more functional, comfortable, and I found some ash to fit the vise jaws!

As I’ve complained to my friends, I have to get some major maintenance done on my old Victorian, while I am able to climb ladders, hang out windows, and lift commodes to repair broken flanges in upstairs toilets! also to use the window of weather while I can?
Thanks for viewing!

-- Cau Haus Designs, Thomas J. Tieffenbacher