Work Holding Benches

[Uglydog]

A bench and a suitable means by which to hold your work is critical to good outcome.
There are many options.
I've got two options which I use. I won't suggest these are the only or the best. But, they have worked. I'm curious what people here use.

1. Is a well used vintage Black and Decker Workmate. I can open up the wood clamps and insert camel backs or other down the center. In the pic attached I've got an inexpensive magnetic grinding vise clamped up. This is a very affordable option!! Mounted is the compound for the Pratt Whitney 12/30C.

2. Is a 3,000# 5'x5' acorn table blocked up to a good height for me. She has all sorts of clamps and options to hold just about anything. I've even clamped camel backs straight edges to the side and tables and large cross slides to the top. I've got a 12foot 2 ton gantry over the acorn to help get items safely into place.

Please post pics or ideas of what you use.

Daryl
MN

 

[C-Bag]

I’ve only tried a couple desperate attempts at scraping and only on a couple of small things. But I wish I would have seen this pic of your workmate. Talk about a doh! moment! At the time my only stationary table was an old jig table from my FIL’s fab shop. The top was 10”w 30”L 1/4”tk channel iron. It was too tall I think and was not convenient to mount to. I store my ancient beat to hell workmate in the back shed and only think of it when I do my once in a blue moon wood project.

Ive often thought about replacing the trashed wood top/jaws of the workmate with like UHMW or? Yours looks stock, no mods?

I know you were looking for other setups, but for me this workmate idea fits the bill exactly. How do you keep it from moving around when you scrape? My workmate is so old the feet have gone kaput too.

Doesn’t that mag chuck attract scrapings? Do you just keep a vac close and run it at the end of a round? Do you have to demag your work all the time?

 

[Uglydog]

Ive often thought about replacing the trashed wood top/jaws of the workmate with like UHMW or? Yours looks stock, no mods?

I know you were looking for other setups, but for me this workmate idea fits the bill exactly. How do you keep it from moving around when you scrape? My workmate is so old the feet have gone kaput too.

Doesn’t that mag chuck attract scrapings? Do you just keep a vac close and run it at the end of a round? Do you have to demag your work all the time?

This work mate was salvaged from a flooded home we assisted the owner of emptying. Everything was going to the landfill, it's been delaminating for a very long time.
She doesn't move around moved much for me. I can back it up against a wall/corner if I need to. Simple is good. Affordable is even better.

The lever actuated magnetic vise seems to allow all the shavings to be wiped clear.
I created a shop made gausser/degausser from a very large 3 phase motor. I will let the electrical gurus comment on making one and comment on there relative safety.

Vac: Funny, I don't even have a shop vac as I haven't yet found a broken one worth attempting to repair.

Daryl

 

[cathead]

This is what I use for heavy stuff and welding. I have a 6 inch machinist vise on the end of it now which is handy for
scraping some things. The table top is 1/2 inch steel plate.

As far as shop vacs, I took my good one over to studio B since I picked up two 5 gallon shop vacuums that someone
had used for sheet rock dust and set out on the road. After a little clean up, they both work just fine for metal cleanup.
I am thinking of wiring a switch right to the wand with the hose at the mill.

 

[Uglydog]

Cathead,
I like the wheeled and handled portability of your bench. That can be a huge factor, especially with limited shop space.

I'm curious as to how you chose the height of your bench.
This likely has something to do with primary application. Bench welding, pounding scraping etc.
Also, height choice is effected by height of the user including leg pelvis height and length of arms specifically elbows. Another factor is eyesight and back/neck flexibility. As I age my eyes seem to like being closer to whatever I'm trying to do.

Daryl
MN

 

[C-Bag]

My big shopvac is built into my cyclone on a cart. Great for pulling powder coat dust out of my powder coat booth stupid clunky for anything else. Especially vac the cars. Looked at all the small options and there was a deal on this HF for like $35. Love this little vac. Perfect for cleaning swarf and beach sand out of the cars.

 

[C-Bag]

Also, height choice is effected by height of the user including leg pelvis height and length of arms specifically elbows. Another factor is eyesight and back/neck flexibility. As I age my eyes seem to like being closer to whatever I'm trying to do.

So this seems like it’s crucial. Do you want the work about hip height? It would seem the only way to get that because of different holding and size of the work an adjustable height would be nice.

 

[cathead]

Cathead,
I like the wheeled and handled portability of your bench. That can be a huge factor, especially with limited shop space.

I'm curious as to how you chose the height of your bench.
This likely has something to do with primary application. Bench welding, pounding scraping etc.
Also, height choice is effected by height of the user including leg pelvis height and length of arms specifically elbows. Another factor is eyesight and back/neck flexibility. As I age my eyes seem to like being closer to whatever I'm trying to do.

Daryl
MN

Daryl,

Mine is 34.5 inches tall. It's been several years since I built it so don't remember exactly why I picked that height. I just finished
installing some Feit4 foot LED lights right over it so now can see what needs to be seen pretty well. Lighting is quite beneficial
so glad I did it. I'm 5'9 inches tall if that is of any interest.