I'm about (holds up thumb and finger) this far from starting a Bbigwyres-style rant about woodworking. After finally admitting that the sawed-off oil drum I was using for a workbench needed some improvements (a granite top and tail vise were mentioned) I figured I would put together something with a 2x4 frame and 3/4" plywood top. A bit of research on the ol' internet quickly revealed that only the lowest of primates would ever use something like that, and that much better workbenches could be built with almost no effort and the most common of household tools.

Right.

The first and most obvious less was that there is a dire need for a standard definition for "common household tools". According to what I have read, common household tools include a jointer *or* a planer (although of course a *real* man would have both), a set of exotically shaped chisels (presumably accompanied by a grinder to keep them sharp), a drill press, something called a dado set, and some kind of table saw on which to mount said dado set. Oh yes, and every project requires a different set of drills in the 1/64 - 4 inch range, implying somewhere on the order of 175 drills to cover the range.

I'm back to the 2x4 frame and 3/4" top design. If that's not sufficiently solid I can always fill it with concrete.

If you need all those tools to build a damn workbench how many tools do you need to actually make something ON the workbench ? How long does it take to build up all that stuff, and where do you keep it all ?

Last edited by bridgman; 04/26/10 04:20 AM.

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